re: Nolan Ryan weighs in on Hamilton quitting tobacco

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Hamilton is also the complete opposite of the team philosophy of getting on base

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Good by Napoli, Cruz, Kinsler, Andrus and Young as they were all worse at getting on base

He's there to drive in runs. Not get on base.

If the rangers let him walk it will be a mistake. They have no other person to lean on. Beltre alone in that order is scary thought. He's only hit in loaded lineups the past 5 years or so.

I'm not even talking about getting on base. If you work the count from 0-2 back to 2-2 or 3-2, chances are greater that you will get a better pitch to hit. David Murphy is very good at doing exactly that.

And Hamilton only had 15 RBIs in September and 1 against Oakland. His series against Oakland was absolutely embarrassing.

Losing Hamilton won't be the end of the world. The FO has shown that losing 1 player won't kill this team.

Arod

Lee was a rental though.

Hamilton. Has been a cornerstone for 4-5 years.

Arod was before Daniels if I'm not mistaken

Yes and no. Lee was the first ace pitcher in Texas since an old Nolan Ryan. Texas has never been known for their pitching, so signing Lee was a huge priority for the FO and was just as big for the fans. There was also mutual interest by both sides, so it's tough to say it was a rental, even though it played out that way.

When Lee signed with Philly, JD and Ryan both said that they were happy with the rotation going forward. So it will be interesting to see if they say the same thing about the roster.

I think, losing Hamilton will hurt about as much as losing Lee. It's tough to say at this moment though, as the moves the FO makes will be extremely important.

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Also a starting player has more impact than a pitcher who can only impact about 30-35 games a year.

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I think a starting pitcher can when it's a team trying to change their identity and culture. Texas has always had the offense, that part usually never worries me.

ETA Talking about free agency, obviously a player playing everyday can be more valuable.

Napoli is a FA I'm pretty sure.

Cruz finally played a full year. And it was lackluster. He's under contract for 1 more year. He hasn't been someone the rangers could rely on, ever. Whether its injuries or inconsistency. Usually both at the same time. Though he has some incredible hot streaks.

Kinsler had a poor year as well.

Beltre has never played well when he has had to be "the man".

Yea the big question is what to do with the prospects. They are going to wish they had gotten them more ABs this year.

I honestly can't believe they gave Kinsler that deal. And on a lesser note, Beltre. That's why letting Hamilton walk looks bad, IMO. They absolutely need him in that lineup

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He hasn't been someone the rangers could rely on, ever. Whether its injuries or inconsistency. Usually both at the same time. Though he has some incredible hot streaks.

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You could say the same thing about Hamilton. He's an incredibly streaky hitter and fragile as well. He's also going to be 32. Napoli will be a free agent but the Rangers will certainly make an effort to re-sign him. Cruz had an OBP of 319 which is pretty much spot on league average. So a 25-30 HR guy with a league average OBP is suddenly a bad thing? In what universe?

Kinsler is the real key. The Rangers have heavily invested in him and they absolutely need him to bounce back.

And Beltre put up better numbers than Hamilton this year, though it's pretty close (but Beltre gets a huge edge for consistency, Hamilton spent most of the year watching his numbers erode from a nuclear hot start). Beltre had to be "the man" THIS year. And he delivered.