On Monday, Nolan Ryan went on ESPN Radio and told Galloway & Company that the Texas Rangers are considering calling up Jurickson Profar from the minor leagues.
Profar, if you're unfamiliar, is arguably the top prospect left in baseball, after Mike Trout and Bryce Harper's call ups this year, though an argument can be made for Dylan Bundy. Profar is enjoying quite a bit of success as a 19 year old in AA, hitting a cool .285/.363/.470, with 14 home runs and 15 stolen bases, all the while playing a very good shortstop.
Certainly, the numbers are worthy of a call up, and it's fair to say that Profar has earned one. Problem is, it just doesn't make a lot of sense.
Let's take a look at Texas' current infield. Adrian Beltre is at third base. Elvis Andrus is at shortstop. Ian Kinsler is at second base. Michael Young, Michael Olt and Mitch Moreland at at first base, with Young serving as the team's back middle infielder currently.
Currently, there's no reason for Profar to play over Beltre, Andrus or Kinsler regularly. Sure, it might be nice to get Profar's feet wet and have him be the backup middle infielder for a while, but even that doesn't make a lot of sense. If Profar is going to be up, he should probably be playing everyday. Going from playing everyday to receiving sporadic at bats at best isn't the best thing for Profar's development.
Further, who's to say that Profar would serve as the back up middle infielder? Washington has a clear affinity for Michael Young that simply isn't going away anytime soon. Young has been one of the worst players in all of baseball, if not the worst, yet he continues to play every single day.
It's also quite unlikely that Profar would succeed at the big league level this year, too. As Adam J. Morris pointed out on Twitter, even the amazing Mike Trout struggled last year in his call up.
So, you've got nowhere to play Profar, a manager that wouldn't use him properly and a minimal chance of legitimate success.
Is it the end of the world if Profar is up in Arlington? Nope. Is it kind of cool if he does make it up this year? Yeah, a bit, but decisions shouldn't be made on what fans want to see, they should be made with the best intentions both for the success of the player and the success of the club in mind. I'm not sure Profar in Arlington this year serves either of those interests.
Head over to Lone Star Ball to discuss this with other Rangers fans.