The last of the Nashville Sounds' big bats that we've been privileged to watch over the last couple of seasons is gone. OF Nelson Cruz was part of a six-player deal between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Texas Rangers announced this morning. Cruz and Milwaukee slugger Carlos Lee went to Texas for P Francisco Cordero, OF Kevin Mench, OF Laynce Nix (minor league), and P Julian Cordero (minor league). Nix, who was enjoying a nine-game hitting streak at a .441 clip for Oklahoma (the Texas farm team), will join the Sound's outfield tomorrow night. An interesting side note: Milwaukee General Manager Doug Melvin drafted both Mench and Nix when he was the GM of the Texas Rangers; maybe he could not let them go.
The Sounds are getting a good hitter in Nix, who started CF for Texas in 2005, but I really hate to see Cruz's run-production and power (.302 with 20 home runs and 73 RBI) leave Nashville. While Cruz was in the top ten of Milwaukee's minor league prospects, there was just no place to put him in the already crowded Brewer outfield. That does not seem to bode well for Nix's chances at being called up. According to one report, Cruz was the key to this trade: "a five-tool player who has a chance to be the Rangers everyday right fielder next season ... with a power bat and an extremely strong arm." Sounds like the Sounds are the losers on this trade.
The Sounds may be the losers (but not by much, Nix is the real deal), but the Rangers came through big time. The mysterious power outages from both Blalock and Teixera will be counteracted by the booming bat of C. Lee. I think he will hit a 'ton' in Arlington.
ReplyDelete"Tex" is the real mystery. Blalock has never mastered the skill of hitting left-handers; he needs to be more consistent. I think the loss of Soriano and the failure of Wilkerson to take up the slack (let alone replace David Delucci) cannot be underestimated. Teixera is having to learn how to hit with only the protection of Young. Even Mench was streaky and provided little help. Pitchers just learned how to go after "Tex" and they have. He shows signs of either coming out or adjusting to the pitching.
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