Truly think Guzman gave what he could. If injury can’t be overcome to allow him to progress, sad. He would be a great presence in dugout. Wish him the best.
Bennie stated what encapsulated the anxiety of the fans, people making Rangers decisions, whether with money or not have a proven record as does the team results.
I'd hate to see Guzman go. He is a great first baseman and can be a great hitter. He's also, as you mention, Jeff, a good dude who would bring some veteran presence. The Lowe experience was tepid at best. Bennie makes some good points. I think the front office missed on this one.
Got to give it more than a year before deciding if the front office missed, especially when it's a player's first time playing every day in the majors. That's a big deal.
Guzman is below Lowe on the depth chart. The question is, "should he be?" Guzman made adjustments in the offseason a year ago and lit it up in the winter league and in spring training. The Rangers never gave his adjustments a chance. Instead they traded promising prospects for Lowe, and as a result of what they gave up for him, Lowe was installed as the first baseman ahead of Guzman. When Guzman goes somewhere else and succeeds it won't be due to a change of scenery, it will be because of a change in those who make decisions about him. They should have never made the trade for Lowe. It is the mistake that keeps on taking. Eventually, there will probably be another 1B prospect included in a trade because the Rangers front office sees him blocked by Lowe. Maybe it will be Dustin Harris, or possibly even Sam Huff. That Lowe trade will keep taking and taking and taking.
One thing Ronald Guzman's great spring training proved is that spring training results are ignored if they don't fit in with preconceived ideas within the front office. We will hear a lot about prospects who have to win jobs in spring training over the next couple of years, but we know that is all just talk.
I'm about as big of a Ronald Guzman guy as there is out there. I've known him since he was 18. And he had a great winter, in a league that the equivalent of Double A/Triple A. He had a nice spring, not a great spring. Yes, I think he should have won the job. But the trade wasn't a bad one. The Rangers got a controllable first baseman who had better power numbers in the minors than Guzman. They gave Guzman chances in 2018, 2019 and 2020. He wasn't productive enough. They didn't see enough improvement in spring training. Lowe is not the defender that Guzman is. The Rangers know Lowe wasn't great in 2021, but he had a better season than Guzman ever has. They also think he will get better. We'll have to see.
Truly think Guzman gave what he could. If injury can’t be overcome to allow him to progress, sad. He would be a great presence in dugout. Wish him the best.
Bennie stated what encapsulated the anxiety of the fans, people making Rangers decisions, whether with money or not have a proven record as does the team results.
I’ll give Lowe another season, maybe a bit longer. The Rangers won’t let him stand in the way of progress beyond that.
I'd hate to see Guzman go. He is a great first baseman and can be a great hitter. He's also, as you mention, Jeff, a good dude who would bring some veteran presence. The Lowe experience was tepid at best. Bennie makes some good points. I think the front office missed on this one.
Got to give it more than a year before deciding if the front office missed, especially when it's a player's first time playing every day in the majors. That's a big deal.
Guzman is below Lowe on the depth chart. The question is, "should he be?" Guzman made adjustments in the offseason a year ago and lit it up in the winter league and in spring training. The Rangers never gave his adjustments a chance. Instead they traded promising prospects for Lowe, and as a result of what they gave up for him, Lowe was installed as the first baseman ahead of Guzman. When Guzman goes somewhere else and succeeds it won't be due to a change of scenery, it will be because of a change in those who make decisions about him. They should have never made the trade for Lowe. It is the mistake that keeps on taking. Eventually, there will probably be another 1B prospect included in a trade because the Rangers front office sees him blocked by Lowe. Maybe it will be Dustin Harris, or possibly even Sam Huff. That Lowe trade will keep taking and taking and taking.
One thing Ronald Guzman's great spring training proved is that spring training results are ignored if they don't fit in with preconceived ideas within the front office. We will hear a lot about prospects who have to win jobs in spring training over the next couple of years, but we know that is all just talk.
I'm about as big of a Ronald Guzman guy as there is out there. I've known him since he was 18. And he had a great winter, in a league that the equivalent of Double A/Triple A. He had a nice spring, not a great spring. Yes, I think he should have won the job. But the trade wasn't a bad one. The Rangers got a controllable first baseman who had better power numbers in the minors than Guzman. They gave Guzman chances in 2018, 2019 and 2020. He wasn't productive enough. They didn't see enough improvement in spring training. Lowe is not the defender that Guzman is. The Rangers know Lowe wasn't great in 2021, but he had a better season than Guzman ever has. They also think he will get better. We'll have to see.