So much for the Hank experiment
1:25 PM Fri, Jul 18, 2008 | Permalink
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Coming soon: Shockey drunk in New Orleans So much for the Hank experiment Blogosphere: Ruining journalism or old-fashioned fun? Previously on 'The National Football League' ... Selig narrowly averts All Star Game circus Romo very Favre-like in loss to Giants MLB All-Star Game stupid, pointless -- and that's the way it should be Categories
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Well, looks like Crush (Chris) Davis made enough of an impact in his first few weeks as a major leaguer. I mean, six home runs in 18 career games is a pretty decent start, right? Davis still has a lot to learn before becoming a great major league hitter but he's shown the promise and has flashed some serious leather at first base, so he's earned an everyday spot in the lineup. That means Hammerin' Hank Blalock will not move to first base as originally planned and will be in the lineup tonight back at the hot corner where he came up as a big leaguer. I'm still kind of lukewarm on this whole Hank comeback effort, but this decision opens up a lot of possibilities for the Rangers. The hope is that Hank will rake over the next week and a half and build up some good value so he can be shipped out of town. Blalock started the season off pretty well before getting hurt and appeared to be back to his old self at the plate. This move leaves a couple of people in the dark. Most notably, our favorite mustached friend Ramon Vazquez. The 9-hole hitter has hit a quiet .310 this season and has shown the ability to hit in clutch situations as well. Ideally, he will move into a utility role now similar to what Mark DeRosa did a couple of years ago. The only problem? Why would you want to take Ian Kinsler or Michael Young out of the lineup besides for the occasional rest. It also means 22-year-old German Duran will likely be sent back to the minors. The third baseman from Fort Worth has actually begun to swing the bat pretty well over the past couple of weeks after some big struggles, but this will give him a chance to play every day, which can only be good for anyone as young as he is. With 13 days until the trade deadline, it appears the Rangers will be pretty conservative and the main guys likely to be dealt, relatively speaking, are Milton Bradley and Eddie "Every Day" Guardado. I think Eddie will most likely be moved somewhere. If Hank can set the world on fire, he might be dealt too. Think the Rangers are regretting rejecting Florida's straight-up offer of Josh Beckett a couple of years back? I do. |
