Monday, May 18, 2009

First month in review

Well it's been a while since my last post, and I apologize for that but the ole laptop ain't what it used to be...... and I had to replace that boat anchor before getting on with things.

The 2009 season started out with a bang, however that fast start that looked so promising quickly died off, and the fears of many that this team might not be able to compete surfaced once again. It also appears that some players have finally reached the end of their careers, as their proverbial tank seems empty and a time for change is at hand. So lets take a look at what we've got working here. I don't plan to cover everyone, only some of the key players......or players that were at least supposed to be key.

I think I'll start with the good and go from there.

A+
Adrian Gonzalez- .294 / .388 / .629 as of May 18th
Adrian is quite simply tearing up the NL so far. He's leading all of MLB in HR's, racking up the RBI and doing all this while the guys surrounding him are offering up virtually zero protection. This is just a testimony of how incredibly good this guy really is. Jeff Morrad when questioned about getting him signed to a long term deal in the next few years was quoted as saying "why wait that long". Hopefully this is exactly what happens and Padre fans can look forward to watching this amazing player for years to come.

A Scott Hairston- .340 / .390 / .577 as of May 18th
Scott has done nothing short of everything asked of him this year, and then some. He started the year as the 4th OFer giving a guy a day off here and there, but that didn't last long, as he proved far too valuable to leave on the bench. Now he's starting daily either in CF or LF but starting daily nontheless. I think most are of the opinion now that no matter where he plays, one thing is certain, he needs to play every day.

And that wraps up the positives on position players....... pretty sad if you ask me.....Now for the ugly and I'm not going to dwell much on this as most of it's been said in virtually every medium imaginable.

F Brian Giles - .173 / .263 / .252
Career is over, time has come, pull the plug, he's killing this team. As sad as it is to say this, it all might be very well true. Brian has become a black hole in the lineup, and is off to the worst start of his career. Now he's been known to start slowly, but never like this. It will take one of the most amazing June's on to even bring his #'s back to some form of respectablity, and I doubt he'll get the chance..... At least not with the Padres......

F Kevin Kouzmanoff - .237/.289/.338
Kevin quite possibly is playing for his position at the ML level. He's been the other hole in the lineup to go with Brian Giles, and until this last weekend was showing NO signs of correcting his issues. He's walking a thin line on this team when you consider the OF depth, and the fact that Chase Headley's natural position is 3b. It's my opinion that he's playing in his final days as a Padre, and I can only hope that this team gets something in return for him and that he's not just outright released.

F Goes to the entire bullpen except for Heath Bell

A Heath Bell -
Heath in his first season as the Padres closer had to take over some pretty big shoes, and has done so pretty flawlessly. Now he's being asked to work more than just 1 inning at a time, since he's about the only bullpen arm that is reliable.

B Jake Peavy-
Showing flashes of what we've all come to expect, he hasn't settled into his consistantly dominant self yet. There is still time, but with little offense it's tough for even a legitmate staff ace to gather up wins. I also still believe that his time in the WBC factored into the way things have been going for him.

B Chris Young -
So far he's putting on a pretty solid season. Not much good or bad to say about him, so I wont.

So with a couple decent starters, a couple decent starting pitchers, one reliable bullpen arm and a payroll limitation for the season it's becoming very hard for some to remain optimistic for the 2009 and even the 2010 season. I for one am able too......I see some promise in a few of the guys on the big league club, and I also see some great potential in a few of the prospects already in AAA. KT has commented on a few, and has said that they could be up with the big league club sooner rather than later........ So keep the faith and don't go into chicken little mode.......

Play Ball !!!

2 comments:

WebSoulSurfer said...

Welcome back.

I would add Nick Hundley to the offensive positives.

In his first full season behind the plate he is hitting .268 with 3 home runs after tonight's game against the Giants.

Not Victor Martinez to be sure, but that is about 50 points higher than the catching staff other than Hundley in 2008.

Padre Fan Forever said...

Very true Web.... he's been a very nice surprise......now if he can only hang onto the ball more.....lol