Texas Rangers promoting Justin Smoak to Arlington

Update: How great is the ecstasy which the ESPuN highlight guys are now experiencing? "Smoak" is so flexible, can be used in sooo many ways: it has to be in the running for greatest ever ESPuN highlight name. We will see EVERY Smoak highlight chosen for the ESPuN highlight reel, merely b/c the ESPuN guys can use the name in multifarious ways. Where there's Smoak, there is a team ON FIRE! - both in Arlington and in Bristol.

THATS the way to do it! When a player with options remaining, such as Chris Davis, is slumping: send him to AAA and bring up a player who is swinging a good bat. Blogged about it Monday. There's no reason to allow the major league club to suffer.

Love Chris Davis. Love him. But his pitch selection needs to improve. He's always been a free swinger. The way baseball is played today: being a free swinger puts your entire career in jeopardy. Chris Davis, as much as I love him, as much of a monster as his is: his career is in jeopardy. His entire career. He's on the precipice of costing himself $30 Million, or more. AAA is the place to work things out and to save your career. The majors have too much pressure. Especially in Arlington right now: it's a pressurized April for the franchise.

Love Justin Smoak. An unmentioned aspect of the trade: the Rangers First Baseman has to hit in front of either Arias or Treanor or Teagarden. Not a lot of protection there. Zero protection there, actually. Chris Davis needs protection. Justin Smoak: less so. Smoak has always been a selective hitter, and thus is temperamentally better suited to hit in front of Arias or Treanor or Teagarden. Smoak will help the Rangers: will be an injection of adrenaline and of selective batting exactly when and where the franchise could use exactly that. Bravo, Rangers management.

Now it's time to send Borbon and Teagarden down, also. Both are hitting worse than Davis. Teagarden is hitting worse than any professional baseball player anywhere. Teagarden is hitting worse than pitchers. Hello, Max Ramirez. C'mon, Rangers management: make it happen.