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About Bret Thurman - RotoBaller
I'm a recovering lawyer and lifelong baseball fan. To me, the best thing about baseball is its timelessness: today's games are very much the same as when Jim Sundberg faced off against Goose Gossage or Christy Mathewson stared down Socks Seybold.
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Bret Thurman - RotoBaller has written 15 articles so far, you can find them below.
BALLER MOVE: Add in Very Deep Leagues ANALYSIS: Left handed hitting second baseman Rougned Odor is certainly no Hall of Famer, but there have been more than a few Wally Pipp and Lou Gherig comparisons drawn between him and the injured Jurickson Profar. Although it's anticipated that Profar should come off the DL in mid or late... Read More
Fantasy News and Analysis for the Texas Rangers Mid-May is typically the time of year when division races start to take shape. Some teams establish themselves as contenders that are clearly better than the rest (such as Detroit), while others appear to be in for a long season (I'm looking at you, Houston). But,... Read More
This is the time of year that fantasy owners start to develop either buyer's or seller's remorse. That can't-miss starter may be winless with an ERA that resembles an AM radio station, or that breakout slugger might have more strikeouts than hits. Memorial Day, the traditional quarter-pole of baseball's regular season, is still about a... Read More
BALLER MOVE: Add in Mixed Leagues, AL-Only Leagues ANALYSIS: The Texas Rangers' number-two starter Martin Perez should avoid the dreaded sophomore slump this year, and should also be added off the waiver wire. He added a cut-fastball in the offseason, which both demonstrates his commitment to the game and also is the main reason he's 3-0 in... Read More
BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues, AL-Only Leagues ANALYSIS: Kevin Kouzmanoff got his chance at third base when starter Adrian Beltre went on the DL, and he has made the most of the opportunity: 2 HR, 10 RBIs, 8 Runs and a .361 BA in only 13 games. This makes him an interesting waiver wire name to... Read More
Texas Rangers Update for Week 3: Fantasy Baseball News and Analysis The line score from three games at Globe Life Park this past week: two Ranger wins including one walkoff single, one free t-shirt, one free GrandSlam breakfast, three great pitching performances, a career-high seven hot dogs on Dollar Hot Dog Night and, most... Read More
Most all MLB teams will have played at least 12 games by the end of this weekend, which is almost 10% of the season. It's obviously way too soon to say "wait till next year," but we do have enough of a sample to engage in some semi-intelligent speculation. This week, we'll look at six... Read More
Texas Rangers Update for Week 2: Fantasy Baseball News and Analysis Due in large part to injuries in the spring and the scheduling, the Texas Rangers have stumbled a bit out of the gate, dropping two of their first three series of the 2014 season. The schedule is now more favorable, as the team... Read More
Texas Rangers Update for Week 1: Fantasy Baseball News and Analysis Earlier this week, the Texas Rangers announced that they would no longer be selling beer at Globe Life Park. They had lost their opener (cue rimshot). The big story with the Rangers so far has been their injuries. Currently, there is only one pitcher... Read More
What's That Odor? If you were counting on Jurickson Profar to score 100 runs and be productive for the Texas Rangers in 2014, you should probably start perusing the waiver wire and crossing your fingers. The starting second baseman injured his throwing shoulder and will be out at least 10-12 weeks. The Rangers had... Read More
In recent years, the Texas Rangers have had one of the strongest farm systems in Major League Baseball. It is no coincidence that the team has won two AL pennants during that same stretch. The Rangers began building up their present farm system in August of 2007, when they traded Mark Teixeira to the Atlanta Braves.... Read More
And now for a sentence that may have never before appeared in print: The Texas Rangers finished last season near the top of the American League in several key pitching categories, including ERA (3.62-4th), shutouts (10-4th), opponent’s batting average (.248-2nd), strikeouts (1,309-2nd) and earned runs allowed (589-4th). However, even with all the good numbers, the Rangers... Read More
2014 Texas Rangers Preview - Who’s Who in Arlington Texas was one of six AL teams to finish with more than 90 wins in 2013; unfortunately, only five of those teams qualified for the postseason. Texas finished 91-72, 5.5 games behind the Oakland Athletics for the Western Division title and percentage points behind the Tampa Bay... Read More
The Snap Heard Round the World: What Derek Holland’s Injury Means Have you ever spent $3,000 upgrading your car’s transmission only to have the radiator overheat the very next month? Rangers’ GM Jon Daniels may have had a similar feeling as he announced that the Rangers’ number two starter, lefthander Derek Holland, may be out... Read More
2014 Rangers: The Return to Somewhere 2014 is a critical year for the Texas Rangers. Will the upcoming season be a return to the glory days of 2010 and 2011, or a return to the ignominious mediocrity of the previous 39 seasons? The preliminary returns are in, and the numbers are encouraging. Offseason priorities... Read More
