[John Mayberry]

Well, a little bit of plate discipline goes a long way. Teixeira really improved his BB:K ratio and his numbers soared across the board in similar ABs from 03 to 04. Packed in the middle of a slugging Rangers lineup in a very favorable park, his numbers should tick up in 05. Assuming he does not revert to opening up his swing too much, he's a lock for 40/120+. His month-to-month stats in 04 were up-n-down a little, so he's not a finished player yet.

The icing on the cake? His power stoke can rip the roof off Arlington if he's able to lift more hits in the air. His G:F ratio is stuck at 1.00 the past 2 seasons, and if there's improvement there, you're looking at 50 HR.

He's an elite AL 1B at 24 and as he matures, he'll be a beast at 26-27-28.

[jgrendel]

Assuming Texas keeps their offense pretty much intact, Teix is a stone cold stud. Of course, he'll probably be a little overpriced in many leagues. If you can keep him, do it.

j

[IronFar_IF]

Nothing much more to add here from me, but Burnett and Tex are my big time "4-5th round guys that will produce 1st round numbers" players.

My gut is almost never wrong - traded a keepable Santana to get Tex

[joncarlos]

2004 stats: 545 AB, .281-38-112-101-4sb, .370 OBP, .560 SLG, 34 doubles, 68 BB, 117 K. I bet a lot of people in your league don't realize that he had such good numbers.

What's not to like? Tex mashes the ball every time he hits it. He's got a pretty good eye but he might not hit .280 again next year. With his swing, he'll go through some slumps, but he'll also get red hot sometimes. Not the best choice if you're in a H2H league and follow the CG theory, because he had 2 months where he hit .212 and .238 and 3 months (in a row) where he hit .291, .300, and .318.

Tex hit .313/.395/.564 against lefties and .267/.359/.558 against righties - more contact from one side, more power from the other. Good home/road splits, good 1st half/second half splits.

I can only imagine we'll see more of the same: 575 AB, .275-46-120-110r-3sb

[joncarlos]

.290-34-107 with a month to go. Stone cold stud indeed.

[AragornX151]

No doubt Tex is a stud, but I do wonder why people bash Soriano for being made on home-field, when Tex's splits are just as - if not more - extreme. I think he's hit all but like nine of his homers at home? And his OPS is just .744 on the road. I'd love to own him, but in terms of being a "great" player at this point...if he is, then so is Soriano...

[Hammer]

Originally Posted by AragornX151

No doubt Tex is a stud, but I do wonder why people bash Soriano for being made on home-field, when Tex's splits are just as - if not more - extreme. I think he's hit all but like nine of his homers at home? And his OPS is just .744 on the road. I'd love to own him, but in terms of being a "great" player at this point...if he is, then so is Soriano...

Blalock's are extreme as well

[AragornX151]

Yeah lots of the Rangers' are - it just seems to me like Soriano gets singled out, while the others (perhaps because they're younger? were never Yankees? don't K quite as much?) seem to get a free pass. No doubt they could still improve on this, and I love both as players, but I do think it's unfair they're never called out for this when Soriano is.

[chancellor]

Originally Posted by AragornX151

Yeah lots of the Rangers' are - it just seems to me like Soriano gets singled out, while the others (perhaps because they're younger? were never Yankees? don't K quite as much?) seem to get a free pass. No doubt they could still improve on this, and I love both as players, but I do think it's unfair they're never called out for this when Soriano is.

Sign stealing! They're stealing signs! 1951 Giants writ large, baby!

Signed,

Wholly unbiased Buehrle owner

[RCCook]

Originally Posted by AragornX151

Yeah lots of the Rangers' are - it just seems to me like Soriano gets singled out, while the others (perhaps because they're younger? were never Yankees? don't K quite as much?) seem to get a free pass. No doubt they could still improve on this, and I love both as players, but I do think it's unfair they're never called out for this when Soriano is.

Perhaps because:

a) Soriano's a lollygagger
b) Soriano makes about what Young, Blalock, and Teixeira do combined?

[AragornX151]

The salary aspect should be a non-entity in this: Teixeira will be getting a massive payday shortly, and Blalock will as well. If they both suddenly discover how to hit on the road then, then obviously they'll be in different classes than Soriano.

How much money they make means nothing in this discussion. Soriano is on pace for a huge season for a 2B, and is certainly earning his salary. It doesn't change the fact that all three are showing identical splits, all three are taking advanage of their home park, and it's a flaw in all three players' games. Dozens of players are underpaid because they're young studs. It's not like Soriano isn't earning his paycheck.

[RCCook]

Originally Posted by AragornX151

The salary aspect should be a non-entity in this: Teixeira will be getting a massive payday shortly, and Blalock will as well. If they both suddenly discover how to hit on the road then, then obviously they'll be in different classes than Soriano.

How much money they make means nothing in this discussion. Soriano is on pace for a huge season for a 2B, and is certainly earning his salary. It doesn't change the fact that all three are showing identical splits, all three are taking advanage of their home park, and it's a flaw in all three players' games. Dozens of players are underpaid because they're young studs. It's not like Soriano isn't earning his paycheck.

True- but you asked for possible reasons that Soriano gets called out, fairly or not, and the others don't. Also, Soriano has as much MLB experience as Blalock and Tex combined, so being a veteran player, there's probably the thought that he "should have learned" by now something that the younger Blalock and Tex are still learning. Namely, how to hit on the road.

As for the salaries: Blalock's already signed through 2008 with a club option for 2009, but you are correct on Tex, who will be arbitration-eligible this winter for the first time.

[AragornX151]

Fair enough - that makes sense, but I wonder if it's not just perception. Soriano got a lot more national exposure while with the Yankees, so it makes me think that many people - rotojunkie'ers included - don't REALIZE that guys like Tex and Blalock have the same holes. They see the fantasy numbers, not the everyday scrutiny that Soriano got in NY, not to mention in Texas since he was the piece they got for A-Rod.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Tex and Blalock have no chance of improving - you're right that there's more of a chance that they do than Soriano. I'm just saying that their flaws (at this time) ARE just as prominent, and they haven't show too much improvement in their few years as regulars.

As for salaries, I thought I recalled Hank getting locked up. Great move by Texas on that one.