Smoaklahoma.

Chris Davis played 46 AA games in 2008, and after 186 Frisco at-bats (.333/.376/.618) triggered a promotion to AAA. Justin Smoak has played 50 AA games in 2009, and after 183 Frisco at-bats (.328/.449/.481) has triggered a promotion to AAA, according to multiple local and national reports this morning. Davis needed 31 AAA games (111 at-bats) to prove he was ready for Arlington. Smoak's Frisco OPS (.930) wasn't quite as gaudy as Davis's (.994), but given the dramatic difference in base-reaching, a skill that the current Rangers offense craves far more than slug, I'm guessing Smoak won't need 111 Oklahoma City at-bats before the decision is made that it's time to fit him for the big league uniform that he modeled 10 and a half months ago at the press conference announcing his signing with the Rangers as their first-round draft pick. The RedHawks travel home from Iowa today to host the Omaha Royals. In uniform will be Josh Hamilton, as he continues his rehab work en route to a return to the Rangers lineup. Smoak will be Hamilton's teammate tonight, and while the type of fine-tuning he'll be doing as a RedHawk isn't the same as Hamilton's, his timetable to get to Arlington, one way or another, and join Hamilton in the Texas lineup, just sped up a bit. =========================================================== To join the free Newberg Report mailing list so you can get e-mail deliveries of every edition of the newsletter, daily minor league game recaps, and frequent Newberg Report News Flashes, go to www.newbergreport.com and click the "Mailing List" link on the top menu bar. (c) Jamey Newberg http://www.newbergreport.com Twitter @newbergreport If you want to be removed from this list, please e-mail me at newbergreport@sbcglobal.net