Decisions: Trading Juan.

Number 19 on T.R. Sullivan's list of the top fifty decisions that have shaped the Rangers history is the trade of Juan Gonzalez on November 2, 1999. Sullivan states that the trade brought an end to the successful Melvin-Oats run and the return did not have the desired effect.

Of course Juan wasn't the only player involved in the trade. Texas also sent Danny Patterson and Greg Zaun to the Tigers. In return Texas received Bill Haselman, Frank Catalanotto, Fransisco Cordero, Gabe Kapler, Alan Webb, and Justin Thompson.

So how best to evaluate the trade? Well, let's start with Alan Webb. He was a career minor league pitcher who never made it above Double A in the one season he pitched in the Rangers system. A non factor.

Next let's take a look at Bill Haselman and Greg Zaun. Both were backup catchers in 1999 and Haselman continued in that role in 2000. In 1999 Zaun hit .247 with an on-base percentage of .314 for Texas. In 2000 Haselman posted a .275 batting average and a .329 on-base percentage for the Rangers. Probably a slight advantage to Texas here.

Pitchers. There were three pitchers involved in the trade: Danny Patterson, Fransisco Cordero, and John Thompson. Thompson promptly tore his rotator cuff and missed the entire 2000 season. Four surgeries later he appeared in two games for Texas in 2005. He posted a 21.60 ERA in 1.2 innings before retiring. Cordero spent 6 plus seasons with the Rangers. After an ugly 2000 season he settled down and turned in a decent performance in 2001 and strong showings in 2002, 2003, and 2004. In 2005 he was good but not sparkling. A poor start to the 2006 season led to his being sent to the Brewers.

Patterson was a top prospect for Texas but never seemed to pan out. After being sent to Detroit he lasted five years without ever getting his ERA below three. He also had 72 saves less than Cordero did in the same time span. Slight advantage to Texas on the pitcher side of things.

Obviously the main player leaving in the trade was Juan Gonzalez. In 1999 Juan had played in 144 games for Texas. He had tallied a .326 batting average, a .378 on-base percentage, a .601 slugging percentage, 128 RBI, 39 home runs, 36 doubles, and 114 runs scored. In 2000 for the Tigers he would see his numbers drop to a .289 batting average, a .337 on-base percentage, a .505 slugging percentage, 67 RBI, 22 home runs, 30 doubles, and 69 runs scored.

In return Gabe Kapler, shown here on a signed 2001 Fleer Futures card, appeared in 116 games for Texas in 2000. He posted a .302 batting average, a .360 on-base percentage, a .473 slugging percentage, 66 RBI, 14 home runs, 32 doubles, and 59 runs scored. Cat appeared in 103 games for Texas in 2000. He ended up with a .291 batting average, a .375 on-base percentage, a .457 slugging percentage, 42 RBI, 10 home runs, 13 doubles, and 55 runs scored.

What Texas lost when they sent Juan Gonzalez to Detroit was power. The other players involved in the trade pretty much balanced each other out but Kapler and Catalanotto were just not able to replace the boom in Juan's bat. Of course Juan wasn't able to replicate his 1999 season either. After 2000 he had just five seasons left - only one of those would be even close to the Gonzalez who had powered the Texas batting order.

So, did the trade bring an end to the Rangers' success? Looking at the numbers I think it's hard to conclude that it did. Gonzalez just wasn't as effective after 2001 as he was before. Even bringing him back to Texas in 2002 didn't help.

Perhaps what the trade did was lower the curtain. The successful run was over, what Gonzalez's departure did was to confirm that in the minds of the fans. As to the return? Well, it obviously did not have the desired effect since the team did not return to the postseason with those players.

All right Mike.

Well, some of you might remember about a year ago when I called Michael Young, shown here on card 93B of the 2006 Topps CoSigners set, on the carpet for his attitude concerning being a super utility man. At that point I was disappointed to see him whining and carrying on about how his feelings were hurt.

The move seemed to have worked out though. Young actually played in more games in 2011 than he did in 2010. He also raised his batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. That while leading the league in hits and getting above 200 in the season for the first time in four years. Good stuff.

Well, Mike's slated to be the super utility man for Texas again this season and once again he's talking to the media about it. Specifically MLB.com beat reporter T.R. Sullivan. This year though Young seems to be well aware of the importance of his role with the team and is embracing it. He says that he enjoyed the role last year and is looking forward to another season of it. Let me be among the first to say that this is a welcome change.

I am encouraged by Young's attitude. Much better start to the season than last year. True team leaders will have this attitude and will lead by example. One of the key roles on any ballclub is the utility man. Those players have to be among the most talented and versatile in the game. Young has this ability and it is good to see him use it. When you consider that the Rangers primary utility man is a player that made the All-Star game last year and that most teams would use to anchor their lineup the possibility of another postseason appearance seems reasonable.

Nice to have you back Mr. Young.

Nix the Napoli hearing.

For the 12th straight off-season the Rangers will not be appearing at an arbitration hearing. Yesterday the team signed Mike Napoli to a one year deal. Since I have only one Mike Napoli card and am saving it for a future post, you will have to settle for another big name Ranger catcher - Ivan Rodriguez on card number 45 of the 2001 Fleer Authority set.

According to MLB.com, the deal with Nap is a one year deal and is worth about $9.4 million. That gets Texas one more year of Napoli fever and leaves just the pre-arbitration players left to sign. It also puts the Rangers over budget and with little flexibility heading into the season.

I like Mike and in a vacuum I could handle this deal. What bothers me a little is the inability to make a move mid-season should the situation dictate. Hopefully this will pay off and the budget will work out. The Angels are starting to get hungry after two seasons off in October and even the Mariners and A's are making a little noise. Not a good time to be caught short in a critical spot.

Senators Saturday - Marv Breeding, 1963.

Marv Breeding was on the first leg of a round trip when he appeared on card number 149 of the 1963 Topps set. In December of 1962 the Orioles had sent Marv, Art Quirk, and Barry Shetrone to the Senators in exchange for Pete Burnside and Bob Johnson.

Breeding would start the 1963 season with Washington and would appear in 58 games while making 205 plate appearances. His batting average would tally to .274 and his on-base percentage to .299.

In the field he would play second base (178 innings) and short stop (5 innings), as shown on his card, but he would spend most of his time at third (220 innings). Breeding was a below average fielder. He came closest to the league average at second base with a .966 fielding percentage - 14 points below the league average. He struggled even more at third with seven errors and a .914 fielding percentage - 33 points below the league average.

As the season wore on it became apparent that Marve Breeding was not the Senators' answer at third base. With an already crowded middle infield and the failure to nail down third he became expendable. On July 30, 1963 the Senators sent Marv to the Dodgers in exchange for Ed Roebuck. To complete Breeding's round trip the Orioles purchased him from the Dodgers on August 19, 1964.

Best Seasons: Will Clark - 1998.

Will Clark, shown here on card 229 of the 1998 Upper Deck set, appears at number 16 on T.R. Sullivan's Top 50 Seasons list. Will the Thrill shows up due to his 1998 performance.

1998 was the only year Clark played for Texas that he didn't lose significant time to injuries. In 636 plate appearances he hit .305 with a .384 on-base percentage and a .507 slugging percentage. He scored 98 runs and bumped in 102 RBI while thumping 23 home runs and 41 doubles.

Those numbers helped spark the Rangers to their second division title in three years.

Cross Cruz off arbitration list.

According to MLB.com the Rangers now have their arbitration-eligible players list down to one: Mike Napoli.

Nelson Cruz, shown here on 2011 Gypsy Queen card number GQA-NC, signed a two year deal today with Texas. That keeps him from becoming a free agent until after the 2013 season. The deal is worth about $16 million.

This seems like a no-brainer to me. Lock down one of your corner outfielders who also happens to be a real power threat and has decent speed on the base paths. One more piece of the American League Championship team that will stay in place.

Nellie is 30 years old but this deal isn't a ten year Albert Pujols deal. It's for two years and isn't too far off what Cruz might end up with if he went to arbitration both years.

Another concern is Cruz's health, specifically his legs. Seems like Nelson can't go a full season without some sort of hamstring problems. I foresee that continuing but it shouldn't get any worse in the next two years than what the club has already learned to deal with.

Good move by the front office. With Josh Hamilton's contract status on the rocks it will pay off to have Nellie for a year after Josh's potential departure. Never hurts to stagger the possible loss of veteran talent.

Rangers avoid arbitration with Andrus.

MLB.com is reporting that the Rangers have avoided arbitration with Elvis Andrus, seen here on card 89 of the 2009 Allen and Ginter set.

While the official announcement won't come until tomorrow, the word is that Texas has signed Andrus to a three year deal worth $14.5 million. That buys out the rest of his arbitration years and keeps him in a Rangers uniform through the 2014 season.

I have to say that I like the deal. Three more years of Elvis is ok by me. There are some who wince at Andrus' error totals but it pays to remember that his range is significantly higher than most other shortstops in the Majors. That means he makes (and sometimes fails to make) plays that other middle infielders wouldn't even try to make.

Elvis also provides some speed on the base paths as he has over 30 stolen bases in all three of his Major League seasons. Add to that the improved on-base percentage each year and he is increasingly becoming an offensive factor. There are those that take issue with his lack of home runs in 2010 but with the Rangers current lineup they need speed more than power right now.

All in all Elvis seems to be improving his game each year. Locking a 22-year-old up for three more years doesn't seem like a bad move to me. Especially when that youngster can turn a breathtaking double play, lay down a picture perfect bunt, and steal a base or two in the same game.

1975 Topps - Joe Lovitto.

1975 was a rough year for Joe Lovitto, pictured here on card 36 of the 1975 Topps set. Injuries stalked him that season and he ended up being put on the Disabled List several times.

The trips to the DL limited Joe to just 50 games and 123 plate appearances. In those appearances he posted a .208 batting average and a .289 on-base percentage. That was a pretty significant drop in batting average but a slight uptick in on-base percentage.

Joe's limited playing time meant that he was unable to retain his starting center fielder job. That resulted in a jack-of-all trades season for him. He did put in 174 innings in center though and didn't muff a single chance. He also put in 69.1 innings in left field with only one error. There were also nine innings at first base without an error and even one game where he was put in as catcher but didn't see any action.

1975 had definitely been a setback season for Joe Lovitto. The injuries, lowered offense, and crowded outfield had combined to place his future with Texas in doubt.

Minor League Monday - Timmie Morrow, 1990 Best.

Getting back to Minor League Monday today with Timmie Morrow. Timmie appears here on his 1990 Best card, number 284 in the set.

Morrow was a second round draft pick for Texas in the 1988 draft. He played for the Gulf Coast League Rangers in 1988 and the Butte Copper Kings in 1989. Both of those years are reflected on the back of his card. What isn't there is the one inning he pitched for Butte in 1989. It wasn't pretty.

In 1990 it was on to Gastonia for Timmie. He would play in 105 games that season and make 424 plate appearances. In those plate appearances he would post a .206 batting average and a .275 on-base percentage. Those were not good numbers for Single A ball. Add to that the fact that he struck out 99 times in 1990 and it was clear that Morrow was struggling.

Timmie didn't have a good season in 1990. For a second round draft pick in his third season of professional baseball it was really bad. The Rangers weren't quite ready to give up though and neither was Morrow. If he wanted to make this work though he would need to start hitting and cut down on the strikeouts.

Senators Saturday - Steve Hamilton, 1963.

Steve Hamilton is shown here on card number 171 of the 1963 Topps set. In 1963 he played for the Senators slightly more than Bud Zipfel did.

Very slightly, two innings worth in three games to be exact. In those two innings of relief he faced 13 batters. Steve's ERA ran to an astronomical 13.50 and his WHIP came in at 3.500.

Hamilton was clearly not starting the season off on the right foot. That didn't seem to matter to the New York Yankees though. On April 21, 1963 they sent Jim Coates to Washington in exchange for Steve. In less than a year Steve Hamilton had arrived in Washington and left again.

Bummer...

Well, Josh Hamilton had a news conference today to address rumors from the past couple of days that he had been seen drinking in a Dallas bar. What he said is that he did it, lied about it to Ian Kinsler, and regrets having failed to stay sober.

I've talked about Josh's failings in a previous post and have little to add to what I have already said on the matter. I am glad that at least this time there were no drugs involved.

As a fan I find this to be a bummer on a couple of fronts. It's always a downer to see a key player on your team fail, especially a comeback story like Hamilton.

From another aspect this incident is discouraging because it puts the contract talks on hold. That would be the talks that were supposed to result in a contract extension by Spring Training or be cut off. Looks to me like this will result in the latter. If that happens then Hamilton, shown here on card 53 from the 2008 Stadium Club set, will be a free agent next off season. I'm having a hard time seeing Texas re-signing him at that point. Seems like Josh may have stumbled his way out of being a Texas Ranger beyond the 2012 season.

Odd Moments: Inside back-to-back.

Number 14 on T.R. Sullivan's list of the top 50 Bizarre Moments in Rangers history involved one of the best teams Texas has ever fielded. The 1977 Rangers were quick, had some power, and had a little pitching. They put it all together to notch 94 wins - third best in team history.

On August 27th they were in New York playing against the Yankees. By the top of the seventh inning Texas had a 4-2 lead. Ken Clay was on the mound in relief for the home team as Claudell Washington led off with a ground out to second base. Designated hitter Willie Horton then singled. Sandy Alomar ran for Horton. Dave May singled. Runners on first and second as Toby Harrah came to the plate.

Harrah, shown here on a signed 1987 Donruss card, launched a ball deep to right field. Not deep enough to leave the park but deep enough to evade Lou Piniella. As Sweet Lou scrambled for the ball, Alomar and May scored. Toby kept running and came in as well. Inside the park home run! Three runs at that.

Up next was Bump Wills. Wills sent a ball deep into center field. Once again it wasn't deep enough to leave the park. Once again it got past the Yankee fielder - this time Mickey Rivers. Wills had speed, lots of it. Rivers had a weak arm. Not a good combination for Ken Clay and the Yankees. A second inside the park home run! Back-to-back jacks with a twist - neither ever left the field of play.

That was it for Clay as he was pulled immediately after Wills' homer. It was also it for the Evil Empire that day as the final score went down 8-2. Half of the Rangers runs had come on inside the park home runs.

Decisions: Will Clark.

Number 17 on T.R. Sullivan's list of 50 Top Decisions in franchise history is the signing of Will Clark. Clark, shown here on card 350 of the 1994 Upper Deck set, was signed by Texas on November 22, 1993. He would stay with the team until being granted free agency in November of 1998.

T.R. says that Clark "single-handedly infused the Rangers with a team-first winning attitude." I'll have to think on that a bit but I do know that with Clark on the roster the team started winning and made their first two postseason appearances. Not sure if Clark was the only difference maker there but he was most assuredly a huge one.

Maybe Sullivan is on to something there though, Rafael Palmeiro played first base for Texas prior to and following Will the Thrill's tenure. With the exception of 1999 the team never did quite as well during those two stints as it did with Clark manning first.

1975 Topps - Fergie Jenkins.

Coming off a stellar year in 1974 the Rangers were hoping that Fergie Jenkins would continue his lights-out performances. That wasn't to be. Jenkins, shown here on card 60 of the 1975 Topps set, probably didn't have a bad year for a pitcher who hadn't had his 1974 season. It looked bad though against that backdrop.

Fergie appeared solely as a starter for Texas in 1975. In the 37 starts he made he would toss 270 innings and 22 complete games. His ERA jumped to 3.93 while his WHIP climbed to 1.174. Although he struck out 157 batters he also allowed a league-leading 37 home runs. At least that was the old Fergie. He had already led the league in home runs allowed five times previously.

1975 was a letdown for Jenkins and the Rangers. While still a workhorse for Texas Fergie was not the ace he was in 1974. All told he was probably the number three starter that year. That's not bad but when you're Fergie Jenkins it qualifies as an off year.

Apparently the Rangers had their doubts as to if Jenkins would be able to regain his 1974 form. In November of 1975 he was shipped to the Boston Red Sox for Craig Skok, Steve Barr, and Juan Beniquez.

As an interesting side note, the trivia question on the back of this card asks which country western singer once played minor league ball. The answer is Charlie Pride, now a part owner of the Texas Rangers.

Ron stays at the helm.

The Rangers have been focusing on locking up key players recently. Talks with Josh Hamilton and Mike Napoli seem to have been all the news. Today the team re-signed what I see as an equally important player, Ron Washington.

Wash, shown here on card 606 of the 2007 Topps Gold set, and the Rangers signed a two year extension. That means that if the last two years are any indication, Ron Washington with be at the helm of the Texas Rangers at least through the 2014 season.

Seems like a sound decision to me. Right now the chemistry in the clubhouse seems to be good. Ron Washington is a integral part of that. No point in messing with a team that is the two-time defending American League Champs. No point as well in letting the guy who is probably one of the most popular managers ever in Rangers history walk.

Right now Washington has the highest winning percentage of any Rangers manager who managed to stick around for any period of time. He's also the third longest tenured manager in team history behind Bobby Valentine and Johnny Oats. That's not bad company. If he can last through his extension he will have fewer games managed than only Valentine.

Congrats to Ron Washington on the extension. Good move by Jon Daniels and company.

Best Seasons: Al Oliver - 1980.

"Scoop" Oliver played for Texas for four years. His 1980 performance was memorable enough to land him number 15 on T.R. Sullivan's list of the 50 best seasons in Rangers history.

Oliver, shown here on card number 387 of the 1981 Donruss set, played mostly left field for the Rangers in 1980. He did well there but it was his offense that gets him mention on this list.

In a league-leading 163 games Al came to the plate 709 times. He compiled a .319 batting average and a .357 on-base percentage. He knocked in 117 RBI while scoring 96 times himself. He also had 19 home runs and 43 doubles.

Those offensive fireworks netted Oliver some MVP consideration along with a Silver Slugger award and an All-Star appearance.

Odd Moments: Using your (opponent's) head.

We've all been told to use our heads. It's something parents often admonish their offspring to do. How about using someone else' head? That can happen as well.

May 26, 1993. Cleveland, Ohio. In the bottom of the fourth the Rangers were leading the Indians 3-1. Up came Carlos Martinez to lead off the fourth. Long fly ball to right. Jose Canseco, shown here on card 365 of the 1993 Upper Deck set, tracked it down. Instead of a long out though, the ball hit the top of Canseco's head and bounced into the stands. Solo home run. That gave the Indians an extra out and they managed to score two more runs. Final score: Cleveland - 7, Texas - 6.

That extra run that Canseco gave the Tribe ended up being the difference but that wasn't the only odd thing. First, Jose wasn't charged with an error. Also, he didn't leave the game. Not that being hit on the head was likely to injure Canseco but one might have thought that a ball coming in that high and hard would leave a mark.

Lastly, Carlos Martinez wasn't exactly a home run threat - he hit five all season. Hopefully he sent Canseco a thank-you note for the 20% of his home run total that Jose was responsible for.

Fielder's a Tiger.

Well, there's good news and bad news on the Prince Fielder front for Rangers fans. The bad news is that he didn't stay in the National League. The good news is that he signed with Detroit and so isn't in the Rangers' division.

I know a lot of Rangers fans and media were pulling for Texas to sign Fielder. I'm sure he would have made the Rangers lineup out of this world. Having said that I am still a little relieved that they didn't sign him. Most of that relief has to do with finances.

It took $214 million to sign Prince for nine years. Texas is already running at a deficit. If they had signed him then Josh Hamilton, shown here on card 266 of the 2009 Topps 206 set, Mike Napoli, and several other guys would have been gone when their contracts ended. No chance of even talking about re-upping them. That's what got Texas into trouble with Alex Rodriguez. He was one big contract too many. I am afraid that Fielder would have been the same.

Don't get me wrong, Fielder's durability and power at the plate would make most any team better. The thing is, we know Josh Hamilton and Mike Napoli. So does the team. They click in the clubhouse. Fielder might have as well. He also might not have. That's an expensive risk to run. Got to admit that I'll sleep a little better knowing that Texas didn't run it.

Millwood's a Mariner.

So MLB.com is reporting that the Seattle Mariners have signed former Ranger Kevin Millwood, shown here on card number 839 of the 2006 Upper Deck set.

Kevin's had a hard go of it since Texas traded him to Baltimore at the end of 2009. In 2010 he headlined a losing effort by the Orioles as he went 4-16 with a 5.10 ERA. That was on a free agent year and didn't help his cause.

The Yankees signed him last year to a minor league contract but he never made it to the Majors with them. In May he signed a minor league deal with Boston but they released him in August. Two days later he signed with Colorado.

With the Rockies last year Millwood made nine starts in the second half of the season. He posted a 4-3 record and a 3.98 ERA.

The Mariners have reportedly signed him to another minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training. The recent trade of Michael Pineda means that Kevin will be competing for a spot in the rotation with several other pitchers including another former Ranger, Blake Beavan.

This seems like a reasonable deal to me. If Millwood catches fire the Mariners are looking good. If his 37 years catch up with him there's little risk. Either way the club gets an experienced veteran with a good attitude to work alongside their young staff in Spring Training. It will be interesting to see what happens.

Senators Saturday - Bud Zipfel, 1963.

Ok, I'm still two cards short on my 1962 Topps Senators set. Moving on to 1963 however since I'm having a hard time tracking down those two '62 cards at a reasonable price. If I manage to come up with them I'll make a detour back to 1962 at a future date. For now though it's on to 1963.

Leading off the return to 1963 is Bud Zipfel on card number 69 of the 1963 Topps set. By the time this card was issued the Zipfel era was over in Washington.

After two rather lackluster seasons in 1961 and 1962 Bud would not be back in 1963. In fact, by 1963 he was no longer with the Senators at all. I'm not sure how he left but he spent the 1963 season playing in the Reds minor league system.

All told Zipfel would bounce around in the minors until 1966. In that time he would play for four different organizations. Although he would play Triple A ball he would never again see Major League action.