Julio Borbon News

Ia ve already given my early projections on Alcides Escobar and Everth Cabrera , so leta s finish off the trifecta of young shortstops by looking at Elvis Andrus.

General manager Jon Daniels continues to explore other options for a power-hitting presence should a proposed trade for Boston third baseman Mike Lowell fall through.Three players are at the top of the list - Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye.

And the winter meetings continue... Marlon Byrd turned down arbitration, and T.R. Sullivan writes that the Rangers have a "sliver of hope" that they can bring him back.

That could work, especially if Hamilton comes back big. I think we'd see Murphy play a couple times a week with Hamilton DHing.

Baseball America ranks the 30 MLB farm systems twice a year -- in the spring, as the minor league season is about to start, and again every December in our Prospect Handbook .

In the subscriber section of BA, John Manuel has a Rule 5 preview up . This year's Rule 5 draft occurs a week from tomorrow, and Manuel offers scouting reports on 10 players who are potential selections, including Ranger prospect Chad Tracy.

Miguel Velazquez is no Ruben Mateo! After graduating Elvis Andrus, Julio Borbon, Chris Davis, Matt Harrison, Derek Holland, Tommy Hunter, Taylor Teagarden, and Brandon Boggs to the major leagues in the past two seasons and losing Eric Hurley to injury, the Rangers' minor league system has fewer well-known prospects in the No.

According to Ken Rosenthal , "a number of teams" have called the Rangers inquiring about Nelson Cruz, but the Rangers aren't motivated to move him.

The Rangers, faced with the real possibility of Marlon Byrd not coming back, will be look for a right-handed bat when the free agency bidding officially begins at 11:01 p.m. CT on Thursday night.

One of the memes that's out there right now is that Marlon Byrd needs to be brought back -- even if it means giving him a multi-year deal -- because Julio Borbon isn't ready defensively to play centerfield in 2010, and thus we have to bring Byrd back.

Give the Rangers credit. They possess the ability to make news during the playoffs even without participating in them.

Texas Top 1st - UMPIRES: Home,Greg Gibson; First, Tim McClelland; Second, Andy Fletcher; Third, Ted Barrett; - Julio Borbon grounded out third to first.

The national impact of the unprecedented halting of a rapist's execution after two hours and temporary reprieves for other condemned inmates likely will become clear over the next few months as courts examine the state's lethal-injection procedures, experts say.

In hitting and contract negotiations, timing is everything. And for the first time in his 15-year tenure as the club's hitting instructor, Rudy Jaramillo's timing, just like his hitters, is off.

The Texas Rangers' test-drive period for Julio Borbon in center field began Friday night against Seattle.

Texas Rangersa TM Chris Davis, left, hits a two-run home run off Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher John Lackey, right, during the second inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, Oct.

Matt Palmer combined with four relievers on a one-hitter and the Los Angeles Angels tied a club record for most runs in a season with a 5-0 victory over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night.

For the record, the Rangers' center fielder of the future is apparently still the Rangers' center fielder of the future, despite what the evidence - mostly manager Ron Washington's lineups - has to say to the contrary.

Rangers manager Ron Washington talked about his outfield at length before Saturday's game against the Rays.

Marlon Byrd homered twice and drove in five runs and Josh Hamilton knocked in four, as Texas teed off on Tampa Bay pitching to the tune of a 15-3 victory.