Planet Padres

Prospect Reports are starting to come out...

2012-01-18T12:09:00.000-08:00

John Sickels at minorleagueball.com has his prospect report out on our boys, and for the first time in a LONG time the Padres system gets a pretty glowing review... Below are the first 14 on his list, follow the link above for the rest of his write up.

"by John Sickels on Jan 17, 2012 12:05 PM EST
1) Yonder Alonso, 1B, Grade B+: Acquire in the big Mat Latos deal with the Cincinnati Reds. His style of hitting should fit better in San Diego than Anthony Rizzo's. I expect Alonso will hit for average, post a strong OBP, and provide at least moderate power.

2) Yasmani Grandal, C, Grade B+: Also acquired in the Latos deal. Needs more polish on defense, although he has the tools to thrive and I'm optimistic about his glove. Like Alonso, he should provide a solid OBP with moderate power.

3) Rymer Liriano, OF, Grade B+: You can make a case to rank him above Rizzo, although they are very different players. Five Tool/Seven Skill potential is obvious, and he made strides with the strike zone last year. Scouts love him and the numbers are catching up.

4) Jedd Gyorko, 3B, Grade B+ : I believe in the bat and he can handle third base. Should hit for average, post solid OBP, with at least moderate power.

5) Robbie Erlin, LHP, Grade B+: Extremely close between Erlin and Wieland, but I'll go with Erlin due to lefty premium and nine month age edge. I know he doesn't have a blistering fastball, but the guy has superb command of deceptive stuff, plus pornographic statistics. Should do well in this ballpark.

6) Joe Wieland, RHP, Grade B+: Hard to believe they got Wieland and Erlin for Mike Adams. Like Robbie, Joe's fastball plays past it's velocity due to terrific command and impressive secondary pitches.

7) Keyvius Sampson, RHP, Grade B+: Baseball America seems oddly reserved about him, but he looks great to me, other Midwest League sources are very positive, he throws hard, his stat profile is strong, and he's athletic.

8) Casey Kelly, RHP, Grade B: Borderline B+. Kelly will rank ahead of Erlin and Wieland on most lists, and I might be undergrading him a notch, but there are some things here that hold me back from a higher grade. He didn't dominate Double-A despite repeating the league, his secondary stuff isn't as refined as Erlin/Wieland, his fastball isn't consistently faster, and he is a full year older than Erlin and almost two years older than Sampson. He still looks like a fine mid-rotation starter but I don't see him as a potential ace. I'm thinking about this grade and this one is far from final.

9) Cory Spangenberg, 2B, Grade B: Borderline B+: On-base machine with some gap power and 70-speed. Needs to polish defense but pure hitting skills are sharp. He was a slight overdraft at 10^th overall but not by a terrible amount.

10) James Darnell, OF-3B, Grade B-: I like the bat a lot, but age and positional questions preclude a higher grade. Should be a solid run producer.

11) Joe Ross, RHP, Grade B-: Could theoretically be the top pitching prospect in the system a year from now. More advanced than brother Tyson at the same age, and has a higher physical upside than the pitchers ahead of him, but let's get some data first.

12) Brad Boxberger, RHP, Grade B-: Another part of the Latos deal. Very live arm, took well to bullpen role last year. At worst he should be an effective middle reliever, and if his command holds up he has a chance to close.

13) Jaff Decker, OF, Grade B-: Seems to improve his physical conditioning every year, even stole 15 bases in '11, strong throwing arm. Patient to a fault, needs to find balance between aggression and passivity. Could put up huge numbers at Tucson.

14) Austin Hedges, C, Grade B-: Superior defensive catcher. Scouts have mixed opinions about his bat; some think he can hit for a decent average with touches of power, others don't think he'll hit enough to play regularly despite his glove. Not enough objective data yet to have a sabermetric opinion, although most catchers with a similar plus-glove/questionable-bat profile coming out of high school don't make it. If he hits, will rank much higher next year.

This was already a very deep farm system, but adding Erlin and Wieland in the Adams trade was a masterstroke. Erlin, Wieland, Kelly, and Sampson is an exciting quartet, Joe Ross could be the best of all once he gets some innings in, Bass and Oramas are not slouches, and there are a large group of solid bullpen arms ready in the near future. That doesn't even include live-armed pitchers in the "others" list like Castro, Cates, Lollis and Portillo who have high ceilings albeit with question-marks. Hernandez and Reyes could also help sooner than expected.

There is also the core of a strong offense here, with Rizzo, Darnell, Gyorko, the enigmatic Decker, broad-skilled Tekotte, and overlooked Belnome ready or almost ready for extensive major league trials. Tools hound Liriano has a high ceiling and put some things together in '11. If Donavan Tate stays on the field long enough to learn baseball, he still has star-caliber tools. Galvez, Peterson, and Rincon would all get a lot more attention in other farm systems.

All told, this is a very rich system with exciting players at all levels."

He seems to have done a fairly good job, and of course the order of the prospects is left up to opinion, but overall he seems to have them in pretty fair positioning. Good job John!

TPichierri - Planet Padres Writer

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Padres Unveil "new" uniform.....again.....

2011-11-11T11:08:00.000-08:00

Padres unveil their latest version of uniform, and incorporate some things from their past, but did they go far enough or is this just another failure by the marketing department ?

On their site they discuss the reasons for why they chose these specific versions, but they might have missed the mark in a couple areas. I guess only time, and sales, will tell.

"SAN DIEGO -- The Padres tapped into their past on Wednesday, when they unveiled their updated uniforms and new logos at PETCO Park.
And from the looks of it, trendy has nothing on tradition.
"I think the most loved uniforms in baseball are the ones that have tradition and history. ... They stand the test of time," said Padres COO and president Tom Garfinkel. "They're not trendy colors or trendy design ... but they're a classic baseball style.

"That's why we've taken our current uniforms and [included] elements of our past that are unique to the Padres ... ones that have a traditional feel to it."
With a nod to the old uniforms the Padres wore during their Pacific Coast League days (1936-68), the updated look was the result of two years' worth of discussions that Garfinkel had with fans about what they wanted.
"We came up with some conclusions," Garfinkel said. "One, there was not a strong affinity for our current uniform design at all. Two, because we've had so many changes throughout our history, the idea of a big change wasn't well received."
Enter a stylistic twist on the uniforms the Padres wore last season.
"We wanted to take our current uniform design and improve on it. We thought the way to improve on it was to bring back classic elements from our history and bring in traditional baseball elements in the design," Garfinkel said. "We wanted to bring some consistency with the uniforms and celebrate civic pride here in San Diego.
"That's what we've tried to accomplish."
A look at the updated uniforms and logos:
• Starting this upcoming season, the team will wear updated home whites and road grays featuring classic block lettering and piping, along with a new blue alternate uniform that will show the Padres' "SD" on the chest.
• The team unveiled three new logos on Wednesday. The "SD" logo has been updated to a circular mark featuring the text "San Diego Padres Baseball Club." That will be used as the team's primary mark.
• The team's new secondary logo features the Padres script under skyline imagery of PETCO Park. The mark also includes the classic "SD" along with "Est. 1969" and will be featured in a patch on the sleeve of the club's blue and gray jerseys.
• The team has also modified the Swinging Friar logo by using the original classic Swinging Friar from the early days of Padres history, with updated colors to match the blue and white worn by the club. That logo will be featured in a patch on the sleeve of the Padres' white jerseys.
In addition, the Padres' military jerseys will still feature the digital camouflage pattern that debuted in 2011, one that was modeled after the U.S. Marines, but will have updated numbers and lettering on the back to remain consistent with the Padres' other uniforms.
As for the uniform colors, Garfinkel said he did speak to some fans who wanted the team to return to its roots and go brown, like the Padres did in the 1970s on several occasions and in 1984, when the team went to the World Series.
"What we discovered was there was a passionate, vocal minority that wants the brown but a much larger segment of the fan base that was adamantly opposed to the brown," Garfinkel said.
"The compromise is we'll still celebrate the brown uniforms on retro days throughout the year."

This is one of the "traditional" uniforms from yesteryear that probably should have made the final cut in place of the boring home white with the universally hated "P" script that was just a bad idea to create, and now wont seem to go away.

They also underestimated the desire to return to Padre unique colors. In the article Garfinkel says "What we discovered was there was a passionate, vocal minority that wants the brown but a much larger segment of the fan base that was adamantly opposed to the brown,". If you know Padre fans, have spoken to them, or visit pretty much any fan board out there, he's exactly backwards in his discovery. The majority out there have been requesting a return to the brown for years, and maintain that desire. The majority are not interested in the mustard yellow however, but the brown is what most would like to see. THAT is Padre colors and THAT is our tradition unless the idea is to take them all the way back to the PCL days, in which case they missed the boat by not using the old pinstripe look for Home games.

Either way they probably should have spent more time on the team, than what it will look like losing 90 games again.

Play Ball !!!

Dodgers are a complete fiasco....

2011-07-02T22:45:00.000-07:00

While not news to many...I saw this posted in a forum and thought it was classic and market-able......I do hope I see them during the next Dodger/Padre match up.......I just hope no Padre fan finds himself beaten as a result.......We know how Dodger fan can act.

Play Ball !!!

Staff Ace for the Indians admits to using Roids

2011-06-29T16:41:00.000-07:00

Charlie Sheen Admits to Juicing ???!!!???

Well it looks like The Wild Thing has more than Tiger Blood coursing through his veins. In an interview Charlie Sheen admitted to using PED's in order to prepare for his role in Major League. Not that anyone who saw that movie is suddenly going to care, as I doubt any of us thought for a second that he was blowing 100+ mph on the radar gun to begin with. This is however fantastic timing as the Roger Clemens trial is set to start.

"...Let's just say that I was enhancing my performance a little bit. It was the only time I ever did steroids,
...I did them for like six or eight weeks," he continued. "You can print this... my fastball went from 79 to like 85."
The former "Two and a Half Men" star also told the mag that character Ricky Vaughn's signature hairstyle combined with his steroid use was a dangerous combination...."

Link to article

Way to go Ricky........Forget about the Curveball Ricky....Give'm the Heater !!!

T.Pichierri
-Planet Padres Writer

PLAY BALL !!!

Special thanks to KIP & Steve Kozle

2011-06-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

Planet Padres, myself specifically, would like to send out a personal thank you to Steve Kozle and KIP America. We were recently at a convention and were lucky enough to win the door prize of a new IPad2. This was a fantastic gift and we can't thank you enough. It will be utilized to the n-th degree and is something I've always wanted for business and play.

KIP is an award winning and leading innovator in the industry of wide format printing and image capture technology. KIP is environmentally conscious and committed to product designs that promote environmental health & sustainability. Their goal is improving and refining the technologies in KIP products that keep the planet green. If you have need for this kind of technology then KIP should be on your radar. Just click the link embedded in their logo and take a look at all they have to offer.

Once again thank you to KIP industries for their gift.

T.Pichierri
-Planet Padres Writer-

Play Ball !!!

The Streak ends at 8 games

2011-05-26T17:22:00.001-07:00

Well for the sake of the baseball gods we didn't want to post anything about the Storm for fear of jinxing their streak, but it finally game to an end at 8 games....Great run boys put another one together.

The Streak Ends at Eight with Loss Against Inland Empire

By Steve Smaldone

The Storm were riding an eight-game winning streak going into Inland Empire on Wednesday night. After jumping out to an early 2-0 lead, it looked as if the Storm were going to pull off their ninth win in a row.

Storm starter Pedro Hernandez pitched five innings of shutout baseball to keep the 2-0 lead in tact. However, Inland Empire would get after the Storm bullpen, scoring nine runs between the sixth and seventh innings.

Just as it seemed all was lost, the Storm bats would wake up when LF Dean Anna led off the inning with a double. 66ers pitcher Kevin Nabors would then walk the next three batters in a row to help the Storm push across another run. SS Jeudy Valdez would strike out next for the first out. With the bases still loaded and the score 9-3 in favor of IE, Storm 3B Jedd Gyorko earned his first hit of the night, a two-RBI double bring the Storm within four runs.

Jedd Gyorko was also named Cal League Player of the Week. This hot hitting 3rd baseman has really made an impact on this league and team already. He's currently hitting .390ba with a .455obp and a monstrous .701 slg pct. He plays a very solid 3rd and is hot on the heels of James Darnell who is currently in AA. This kid has a very bright future and we will continue to keep our eyes on him while he's in LE.

California League - c/o MiLB
Jedd Gyorko, Lake Elsinore
.469/.897/1.365, 7 G, 12-for-29, 3 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 9 RS, 3 BB, 2 K, 4 SB, 0 CS
The Padres grabbed West Virginia product Jedd Gyorko in the second round of last year's Draft, and the 22-year-old infielder is already succeeding in Class A Advanced ball. After finishing the previous week with a two-homer Sunday, Gyorko went yard again Monday and had a double, a single, two stolen bases, an RBI and two runs scored Tuesday. He was a triple shy of the cycle on a five-RBI Wednesday and missed out on the feat by a double Friday. Although he chilled out by going 0-for-7 over Saturday and Sunday, he did manage a stolen base and a run scored between those games.

The Storm have surged back into relevance, but have a ways still to go to reel in Rancho Cucamonga. They are currently 8 games out and will play RC this weekend in RC. For now it's on to game two against Inland Empire, and hopeuflly the start of another 8 game winning streak. Good luck STORM !!!

T.Pichierri
-Planet Padres Writer-

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Non Baseball Related

2011-05-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

But still needs to be celebrated. The FBI has updated their 10 most wanted list with some great news

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108 Stitches with Bill Pierce

2011-04-25T11:28:00.000-07:00

Recapping the 4-22-11 game

Hit Parade In Lake Elsinore.....

Coming into last nights game the Storm were looking to build on the 5-10 record and their eyes were set on the 7-8 Mavericks.

Lake Elsinore sent Matt Lollis out to face-off against High Deserts Yoervis Medina. Both pitchers are coming into the game win-less with Lollis posting a high 6.06 ERA and Medina being only slightly better at 4.60. Im sure Lollis is hoping for a better defensive effort from the boys behind him who the previous night put up a ridiculous 6 errors.

Well by the time the fireworks erupted over the diamond the sizable Friday night crowd was treated to a 12-1 trouncing of High Desert. The Storm won handily not looking at all like a 5-10 club.
Aside from one 3rd inning pitch that found the bleachers (HDM,s James Jones) Lollis sparkled allowing only 2 hits over 5innings of work while putting up 8 k's in the process. Never getting too cute with his pitches he relied on his hard stuff reaching 94 on the gun several times. The relief core finished of the game handily going the final four innings scoreless and putting up 7 more K's.

Now, here is where the "hit parade" part starts. the Storm put on a display at the plate. With nearly all hitters contributing, here are a few standouts in this writers mind. Gyorko continued to rake going 3-4 with a walk and remains an anchor in the line-up. Nathan Freiman who looked silly in his first AB and looked off balance two pitches into his second turned it around quickly hitting 2 consecutive bombs and continued with very hard outs driving in 5 runs. Edinson Rincon had a great night at the plate in DH role. He went 4-5 hitting the ball on the screws at every AB. Rincon still remains a bit of a mystery though as he shows no progression defensively. While he is still young he may be destined to be stuck in that DH position until they figure out a way to remove that iron skillet from his glove hand.

- Bill Pierce -
Planet Padres beat writer

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Tonights Game at The Diamond / 4-22-11

2011-04-22T18:59:00.000-07:00

Tonight's lineup as seen on the wall of the Diamond

High Desert Mavericks
Player	Pos	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
Carroll	DH	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.328
Franklin	SS	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.306
Catricala	LF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.358
Raben	1B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.292
Martinez, M	3B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.143
Almonte, D	CF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.355
Jones, J	RF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.139
Coleman	C	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.176
Noriega	2B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.216

Lake Elsinore Storm
Player	Pos	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
Fuentes, R	CF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.321
Galvez	2B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.341
Gyorko	3B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.386
Hagerty	C	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.277
Freiman	1B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.259
Rincon	DH	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.300
Valdez, J	SS	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.222
Liriano	RF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.106
Noel	LF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.175

High Desert Mavericks
Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Medina, Y	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4.60

Lake Elsinore Storm
Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Lollis	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6.06

Lollis comes out of the shoot going 1-2-3 in the first, and hitting 93mph on the gun. Hopefully he'll have his A game and the boys on defense behind him will bring theirs as well. Good luck Storm.

Play Ball !!!

Off to Lake Elsinore

2011-04-22T15:55:00.000-07:00

Planet Padres hits the road for it's 2nd trip to the Diamond

The Storm are off to a very slow start at 5-10, and are now looking to Lollis to get them on the right track tonight against the High Desert Mavericks. He will be up against Yoervis Medina, a big strong right-hander, who is also looking for his first win tonight. The boys will have their work cut out for them so lets hope they stop throwing the ball around, and get back to the good brand of baseball we've all come to enjoy at the Diamond.

First Pitch is 7:05 and there are post game fireworks so bring the whole family out for a great night of baseball and fun.

Play Ball !!!

Storm take down Quakes

2011-04-14T08:34:00.000-07:00

Storm bounce right back and hammer the Quakes 11-4

Final score 11-4 Storm

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Rancho Cucamonga	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	1	4	9	0

Lake Elsinore	0	0	1	0	5	1	4	0	x	11	12	1

By Steve Smaldone
On Wednesday night the Storm tied their season high in runs, beating the Quakes 11-4 at The Diamond. The Storm would also score a season high in runs in one inning, scoring five in the fifth.

Lake Elsinore starting pitcher Jose DePaula continued to put up big numbers going five innings and allowing one run off three hits. In two starts this season, DePaula is 1-0 with a 0.90 ERA, five strikeouts, one walk, one earned run and a 0.90 WHIP.

Offensively, Jonathan Galvez took home the star of the game after reaching base every time he came to the plate. Gavez went 3-for-3 with two walks, three runs batted-in, two runs scored and one home run, his first of the season. DH Jedd Gyorko also blasted his first home run of 2011, taking Quakes starter Allen Webster deep in the third inning to tie the game at one.

For more information on the Lake Elsinore Storm and this game, or any future games, please follow the link at the top of this article......OR you can find a link to the Storm on the right side of the Planet Padres home page.

Play Ball !!!

Tonights Game at The Diamond

2011-04-12T18:59:00.000-07:00

Tonight's Lineup

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
Player	Pos	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
Buss	CF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.333
Lemmerman	SS	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.182
Wise	C	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.385
Smith, B	RF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.150
Delmonico	DH	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.333
Songco	LF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.136
Gallagher, A	1B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.400
Denker, T	3B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.067
Ynoa	2B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.250

Lake Elsinore Storm
Player	Pos	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
Fuentes, R	CF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.333
Payne	RF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Gyorko	3B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.316
Freiman	1B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.333
Hagerty	C	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.375
Galvez	SS	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.417
Killian	DH	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Anna	2B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.200
Noel	LF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.154

Lets go Storm ! Back to .500

Final Score 5-2 Quakes

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Rancho Cucamonga	2	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	5	9	0

Lake Elsinore	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	4	1

Play Ball !!!

Off to Lake Elsinore

2011-04-12T15:12:00.000-07:00

Storm vs. Quakes

Planet Padres is off to the Diamond tonight as the Quakes are in town to take on the Storm. Lollis toes the rubber against Matt Magill, first pitch at 7:05pm. The Storm's offense finally came alive last game, and brought their record to 2-3. Now they hope to keep it rolling along as they look to get back to .500 tonight.

Bring the whole family out to see the Storm and for some great baseball. GO STORM !!!

PLAY BALL !!!

108 Stitches with Bill Pierce

2011-04-08T09:34:00.001-07:00

Pitching and defense win ballgames.

But a little offense would be nice

It is early enough not to panic of course but the Padres, with the exception of Nick Hundley and Chase Headley, have really come out of spring pretty cold offensively. Everyone is aware of the offensive struggles, and with the coaching staff that we have, a hiccup like this can be worked through but lets not wait for the Santa Ana's for the bats to heat up.

-Bill Pierce -
Planet Padres Beat Writer

Some frustrations I'm sure most of us Padre fans share with you. Thanks again Bill.

Play Ball !!!

Storm Drop Home Opener...

2011-04-08T09:28:00.000-07:00

Storm lose 4-0 to defending Champs

The Storm, in front of a sold out crowd, couldn't over come the cold and rain and fell to the two time defending Cal League champs. Lollis wasn't sharp and the neither were the bats as they could only muster 4 hits on the evening.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
San Jose	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	0	4	7	2

Lake Elsinore	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	1

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Lollis (L, 0-1)	6.0	4	2	2	3	5	1	3.00

The Storm is looking to regroup and take game 2 tonight at the Diamond tonight at 7:05 when they send lefty Jose DePaula to the hill. Good luck Storm !

Play Ball !!!

108 Stitches with Bill Pierce

2011-04-08T09:22:00.000-07:00

The Lake Elsinore Storm..... the next best thing

Just a short ride up the I-15 is a baseball oasis worthy of stopping and taking a rest in the shade of Americas past time.

Year in and year out the Lake Elsinore Storm has played the game the right way. With Lezcano leading the team and Plantier and Patrick next to him on the bench, Lake Elsinore has always put down a good brand of baseball. Competitive and entertaining, which is what baseball should be.

Along with the current crop of young talent the Storm (as most fans know them) is the proving ground for injured major leaguers working their way back to the show. Another bonus due to there location are the cusp players. Players that bounce back and forth between the majors and minors and need to be ready to go.

With every seat in the house being pretty much front and center view, and promotions such as Charlie Sheen-co De Mayo, you will always get a lot of bang for your buck.
-Bill Pierce -
Planet Padres Beat Writer

Thanks as always Bill. See you at the Diamond.

Play Ball !!!

Lake Elsinore Opening Day

2011-04-07T10:27:00.000-07:00

The Storm is coming !!!

The Elsinore Storm opens it's 2011 season today at the Diamond at 7:05pm, and there are some very exciting players to keep your eyes on. The outfield is going to be outstanding to watch with players like Fuentes, Liriano and Noel patrolling it, and guys like McBryde and Lollis, who is your opening day starter, are going to head up what should be a very good rotation this year. So get out there and support your High A Padres affiliate as often as you can.

Below is their roster to start the year.

Pitchers
# Name Pos Bat Thw Ht Wt DOB Status MLB 40-man
17 Hayden Beard P R R 6' 1" 175 01-22-1985 Active No

10 Jose De Paula P L L 6' 1" 170 03-04-1990 Active No

41 Chris Fetter P R R 6' 8" 230 12-23-1985 Active No

30 Erik Hamren P R R 6' 1" 195 08-21-1986 Active No

19 Pedro Hernandez P L L 5' 10" 200 04-12-1989 Active No

1 Zachary Herr P L L 5' 9" 185 12-01-1986 Active No

47 Matt Lollis P R R 6' 9" 250 09-11-1990 Active No

25 Jeremy McBryde P R R 6' 2" 225 05-01-1987 Active No

26 Miles Mikolas P R R 6' 5" 220 08-23-1988 Active No

36 Stiven Osuna P R R 6' 3" 170 05-05-1987 Active No

8 Dustin Pease P S L 5' 11" 170 10-04-1985 Active No

28 Jerry Sullivan P R R 6' 4" 220 01-18-1988 Active No

27 Mike Watt P L L 6' 1" 185 02-24-1989 Active No

Catchers
# Name Pos Bat Thw Ht Wt DOB Status MLB 40-man
14 Ross Brayton C R R 6' 3" 195 05-16-1988 Active No

33 Jason Hagerty C S R 6' 3" 220 09-13-1987 Active No

6 Daniel Killian C L R 6' 4" 195 01-14-1989 Active No

Infielders
# Name Pos Bat Thw Ht Wt DOB Status MLB 40-man
3 Dean Anna SS L R 5' 11" 180 11-24-1986 Active No

20 Nathan Freiman 1B R R 6' 7" 225 12-31-1986 Active No

4 Jonathan Galvez SS R R 6' 2" 175 01-18-1991 Active No

5 Jedd Gyorko 3B R R 5' 10" 195 09-23-1988 Active No

16 Edinson Rincon 3B R R 6' 1" 185 08-11-1990 Active No

12 Jeudy Valdez 2B R R 5' 10" 185 05-05-1989 Active Yes

Outfielders
# Name Pos Bat Thw Ht Wt DOB Status MLB 40-man
15 Reymond Fuentes CF L L 6' 0" 160 02-12-1991 Active No

37 Rymer Liriano CF R R 6' 0" 211 06-20-1991 Active No

2 Rico Noel CF R R 5' 9" 175 01-11-1989 Active No

9 Eric Patterson CF L R 6' 0" 170 04-08-1983 Rehab Yes

Pitchers
#	Name	Pos	Bat	Thw	Ht	Wt	DOB	Status	MLB 40-man
17	Hayden Beard	P	R	R	6' 1"	175	01-22-1985	Active	No
10	Jose De Paula	P	L	L	6' 1"	170	03-04-1990	Active	No
41	Chris Fetter	P	R	R	6' 8"	230	12-23-1985	Active	No
30	Erik Hamren	P	R	R	6' 1"	195	08-21-1986	Active	No
19	Pedro Hernandez	P	L	L	5' 10"	200	04-12-1989	Active	No
1	Zachary Herr	P	L	L	5' 9"	185	12-01-1986	Active	No
47	Matt Lollis	P	R	R	6' 9"	250	09-11-1990	Active	No
25	Jeremy McBryde	P	R	R	6' 2"	225	05-01-1987	Active	No
26	Miles Mikolas	P	R	R	6' 5"	220	08-23-1988	Active	No
36	Stiven Osuna	P	R	R	6' 3"	170	05-05-1987	Active	No
8	Dustin Pease	P	S	L	5' 11"	170	10-04-1985	Active	No
28	Jerry Sullivan	P	R	R	6' 4"	220	01-18-1988	Active	No
27	Mike Watt	P	L	L	6' 1"	185	02-24-1989	Active	No

Catchers
#	Name	Pos	Bat	Thw	Ht	Wt	DOB	Status	MLB 40-man
14	Ross Brayton	C	R	R	6' 3"	195	05-16-1988	Active	No
33	Jason Hagerty	C	S	R	6' 3"	220	09-13-1987	Active	No
6	Daniel Killian	C	L	R	6' 4"	195	01-14-1989	Active	No

Infielders
#	Name	Pos	Bat	Thw	Ht	Wt	DOB	Status	MLB 40-man
3	Dean Anna	SS	L	R	5' 11"	180	11-24-1986	Active	No
20	Nathan Freiman	1B	R	R	6' 7"	225	12-31-1986	Active	No
4	Jonathan Galvez	SS	R	R	6' 2"	175	01-18-1991	Active	No
5	Jedd Gyorko	3B	R	R	5' 10"	195	09-23-1988	Active	No
16	Edinson Rincon	3B	R	R	6' 1"	185	08-11-1990	Active	No
12	Jeudy Valdez	2B	R	R	5' 10"	185	05-05-1989	Active	Yes

Outfielders
#	Name	Pos	Bat	Thw	Ht	Wt	DOB	Status	MLB 40-man
15	Reymond Fuentes	CF	L	L	6' 0"	160	02-12-1991	Active	No
37	Rymer Liriano	CF	R	R	6' 0"	211	06-20-1991	Active	No
2	Rico Noel	CF	R	R	5' 9"	175	01-11-1989	Active	No
9	Eric Patterson	CF	L	R	6' 0"	170	04-08-1983	Rehab	Yes

Good luck on your season Storm......Planet Padres will be seeing you soon

Play Ball !!!

2011 HOME OPENER - 3:35 start

2011-04-05T09:12:00.000-07:00

Native San Diegan Aaron Harang gets the start vs. Madison Bumgarner
Petco is sold out !
Weather will be a fantastic mid 70's at game time
Time for the boys to bring their offense & defense home and show why this team is built the way it's built with Petco in mind

Play Ball !!!

Taking 2 of 3 in St Louis is a great start

2011-04-04T12:27:00.000-07:00

Take a Series win every time

Dustin Moseley had a very solid outing allowing only 1er in 7 innings, but the boys fell short in their attempt to sweep the Cards in StL for the first time in 30 years. The great news is that Padres pitching essentially shut down Albert Pujols for the entire series, and any time you can do that you give yourself a great chance to win.

Way to open the season, now lets have a great OPENING DAY in Petco this week guys.

Play Ball !!!

Breaking down the types of pitches out there....

2011-03-16T11:35:00.000-07:00

Pitches 101

Ever wonder why professional hitters sometimes look like they really don't know what's coming at them ? Have you ever stopped to really think about the potential arsenal a Pitcher takes with him to the mound ? Considering it takes about .44 sec for a 95mph fastball to travel 60'6", and even less when you factor in that the pitchers stride shortens the distance even more, giving a batter about .25 sec. to react, it's amazing that major league hitters can do what they do as often as they do it. Then again a failure rate of 70% is considered outstanding, so I guess it's all perspective.

Here are some of the pitches that a batter can face at any given time. The difference in speed between them can be up to, and greater than, 15mph, which means a hitter can be kept very off balance, especially if the arm action of the pitcher doesn't vary much from pitch to pitch.

4-seam fastball

---Grip and rip. This is typically the hardest thrown pitch and is thrown with the intention of little or no movement. This ball is gripped with fingers across the seams, the 4 perpendicular seams, added to the backspin created by throwing it, causes this ball to go as straight as possible with maximum velocity. This is typically thrown directly over the top.

2-seam fastball

---Hard with a bite at the end. This is typically not thrown quite as hard as a 4-seam, and will dart down and to the opposite side of the arm used by the pitcher. This is a very effective pitch if controllable, and can either saw off a batter or show a late break away depending on which side of the plate the hitter is on. Arm angle can influence how this ball moves.

Split Fingered

---Hard and down. This pitch has the appearance of a fastball to the batter, but has late movement straight downward making it extremely hard for a batter to compensate for and react too. Arm angle can influence how this ball moves

Cutter

---Hard with a bite at the end. This pitch is very similar to the 2-seamer and Slider (which I feel are all variants of the same pitch). Usually not thrown as hard as a 2-seamer in order to have a bit more movement at the end. This pitch can really saw off a batter, or move hard away depending on which side you are on.

Sinker

---Hard and down. This pitch is very similar to the Split Fingered Fastball (which I feel is essentially the same pitch). This pitch has the appearance of a fastball to the hitter, but has extreme late movement straight downward. I suppose one could argue that it's not throw as hard as a Splitter, but I believe that changing speeds of a pitch doesn't necessarily require a name change as well. Again arm angle can change how and what this pitch does.

Offspeed and Breaking Balls

Curveball

---Medium Speed, large break. This pitch is exactly what it sounds like a ball that curves. It varies from pitcher to pitcher but essentially by placing the middle finger along a larger seem, then snapping off the wrist, a pitcher can actually get enough rotation on the ball to cause it to break one way or the other. There are variants of this pitch as well depending on arm angle, speed the pitcher chooses to throw the ball at etc., which can cause this pitch to move more or less.
One such pitch is the 12-6 Curveball, in which the pitcher is able to get the rotation to go right over the top of the ball causing it to break straight downward. This is a very tough pitch to hit as there is more vertical break. Most Curveball's come in more like 2-8 and slide across the strike zone more.

Knuckleball

---Slow and unpredictable. An almost non-existent pitch now a days, this pitch was thrown by placing either knuckles or fingernails on the ball to try and stop all rotation. The result is a ball that has seams catching air currents in every direction causing this slow pitched ball to dart in an unpredictable manner. This is not only a problem for hitters, but for the Catcher as well since he really has no idea where the ball is going to go. Every time the pitcher throws this pitch is can react differently. Altering the grip, and changing speeds can cause this pitch to do different things as well. One such pitch is the Knuckle Curve. This is a pitch thrown like a fastball, but with a Knuckleball type of grip. The result is a very deceptive Curveball like pitch.

Changeup

---Slow to Medium, can have movement. A very important pitch to just about every arsenal is a good off speed pitch. The Changeup is the most common. By placing the ball further back in the hand while using a fastball delivery, the ball actually comes out with less velocity. Batters can have a very hard time with a good Changeup since it looks and acts like a fastball. In that split second a batter has to react, the brain sees fastball, and the bat is put into motion. The problem is the ball is going so much slower that by the time the ball enters the strikezone the batter has finished his attack on the ball. This pitch can be varied many ways by arm angle, grip (circle and vulcan) and velocity adding great movement to the pitch and making it that much harder to hit.

Palm Ball

---Slow to Med with movement. This pitch is very similar to the Changeup ( which I feel is essentially the same pitch ). If you push the ball into the back of the hand, holding it with the ring finger and thumb, and throw it like a fastball the pitch will appear like a fastball coming out of the hand, but with far less velocity and can have tremendous movement as well.

Eepheus

---Very very slow. This pitch is thrown overhand but with a trajectory similar to soft toss softball, meaning a very very high arc. It's extremely rare to see this anymore since it can catch batters off guard, but if not then it's likely going to be deposited in the OF seats. Either way it's pretty fun to see this happen from time to time. Especially if it works !

Screwball

---Medium speed, moderate break. This pitch is like a Curveball, but breaks in the opposite direction depending on the pitching arm. For instance if you are a right handed pitcher, your Curveball breaks from right to left, so your Screwball would break from left to right. It's a very difficult ball to throw well, and depending on the arm angle can have a bit of downward action to it as well.

There are many pitches out there we didn't cover, mostly because I feel they are just versions of what we just got done talking about. Also because as the decades pass different guys want to put their stamp on the game, and thus a new name for the same old pitch is given and adopted into baseball vernacular.

Here is an interesting test I've found while bouncing around the web to see if you even possess the reactions necessary to at least give yourself a chance to hit a fastball. Keep in mind this test doesn't mean you can hit one, just gives an idea of whether or not you have the ability to react quick enough to maybe hit one. Click here and enjoy

T.Pichierri
-Writer Planet Padres-

Play Ball !!!

108 Stitches w/ Bill Pierce

2011-03-16T08:52:00.000-07:00

Planet Padres would like to welcome it's newest Beat Writer Bill Pierce. He will be dropping by and posting occasionally under the title "108 Stitches". You might find him at Petco Park or covering the Elsinore Storm from time to time. We hope you enjoy his contributions. Thank you for joining us Bill, and we hope you stick around for a long time to come.

- 108 Stitches -

Nick Hundley.... Time for the big boy pants

Maybe Nick is not your your first choice as the starting backstop for the friars but if a close look is given you may be surprised at what what you see. He comes from a strong college program (Arizona), and since his debut in 08' has played well. His largest sampling would be last season where he pretty much filled-in for an aging Torrealba. This came out as about a half year of work. Projecting a full service type of year barring injury, I think a solid season lies ahead.

These projections are...
550 AB's
66 runs
140 hits
36 2B
4 3B
16 HR
86 RBI
and 50 BB

... basically, not bad at all.

Now consider this. A full season of reps and constant playing time will only make these numbers go up..... Defense is a little bit of a ? In the past I have seen that he can loose his focus behind the plate. This is not to say that the staff doesn't like throwing to him, but boxing simple pitches is a little too common for him. This costs the staff strikes and runners often advance when they should not. I believe he has a plus arm, and with some seasoning can rectify these shortcomings.

Hundley has been a great clubhouse guy and has shown that he can rally the troops. I predict that he has a career year and perhaps solidifies the near future for the Padre catcher position.

-Bill Pierce -
Planet Padres Beat Writer

Play Ball !!!

Additions, Subtractions, Maturation - It's a whole new team

2011-02-20T11:57:00.000-08:00

Add / Subtract / Multiply & Divide

Well Pitchers and Catchers have reported so I guess it's time to take a look at what Hoyer has done this off season, which has been pretty interesting to say the least. Already on paper, even with the loss of the best player they had, this team looks like it could be better than at the same time last year. So here we go.

We'll start with the obvious in Adrian Gonzalez. It was time for him to discuss a long term deal with the team, and to be perfectly frank there was no way the Padres could afford what he was going to demand. So they parted ways and traded him to the Boston Redsox, which also freed up some payroll room.

There there was Jon Garland who was the work horse for this team last year and they chose not to bring back. This is maybe the only piece that they still have yet to address, and to many still appears like a hole that needs filling.

Other players of note that are not coming back David Eckstein, Yorvit Torrealba, (another key loss ) Ryan Webb, Edward Mujica, Miguel Tejada, Matt Stairs, Chris Young, Scott Hairston and brother Jerry Hairston Jr.(also a key loss). Some of these players will be missed, but with others it's addition by subtraction.

Now lets talk about some key additions that were made that should offset any losses suffered by Adrian going to the Redsox.

Orlando Hudson will be taking over at 2b, and lets be honest here, he's a pretty large upgrade to Eckstein on both sides of the ball. We should actually see something in the way of production , other than hustle and grit, from the 2b spot in the order. He has the ability to drive in runs, hit for gap power in a ballpark built for that, and is a very good defensive player.

Jason Bartlett will be taking over the SS duties. He's a guy who has been playing in the toughest division in baseball, played under that pressure and now brings a much needed stability to a position that has been a problem for a few years. Everth Cabrera didn't evolve quite like they had hoped, and Miguel Tejada was a very nice mid-season addition last year, but he was not the long term solution. The last time this team had a legitimate SS manning the spot was Kahlil Greene, and his final time spent here was less than impressive, so this acquisition should be some kind of nice.

Cameron Maybin will be the new CFer. He brings a legitimate 5 tools (hit, hit for power, run, throw & play defense) to the position, is still only 23 years old, and was at one time a more highly touted prospect than guys like Evan Longoria. He still has yet to put it all together, but a fresh start is what many think he needs to finally kick start his career. He will also bring far more tools to the ballpark on a daily basis than any CFer since Mike Cameron, and maybe even more than him. Considering last year the best choice for CF was Gwynn Jr., this stands to be quite a bit of a upgrade overall.

Brad Hawpe is your new 1b and he will likely share time with Jorge Cantu. Together these two will do their best to fill in where Adrian Gonzalez left off, and if they both have their career avg types of seasons the loss of Adrian will be far less than what many expect. Many don't realize that Hawpe was a 1b in the minors, and converted to the OF due to being blocked by Todd Helton. So he has experience at 1b, and shouldn't miss too much of a beat moving back. Cantu can also play 3rd, which will allow Bud Black to spell Headley from time to time hopefully keeping him from getting run down.

Approx. Avg Seasons -

Hawpe- 20HR's / 80RBI / .280BA
Cantu - 16HR's / 76RBI / .274BA

Aaron Harang was brought in to help fill the SP role vacated by Jon Garland. He's a local boy who is looking to have a bounce back season. He is an injury risk, but if he can manage to remain reasonably healthy he should benefit by playing in Petco and the NLWest ballparks. He also wont be asked to be a #1 type of arm so there wont be any added pressure from that respect.

Ryan Ludwick wasn't with this team to begin last year, and the hope is that he'll go back to his typical year. If he does this the LF position will be tremendously upgraded over where it started off last year.

Another year of maturity for guys like Headley, Venable, Hundley should lead to better years by all. So since I'm a Padre fan and this is a Padres blog, I'm going to remain on the positive side of things where they are all concerned and take the leap that they will all have better (not sure how much) years than last and call their positions upgraded as a result.

So to recap from a position player standpoint:

1b - Downgrade (how much remains to be seen as the players involved could combine for good years)
2b - Big Upgrade
3b - Upgrade (due to maturity)
SS - Upgrade
LF - Upgrade
CF - Big Upgrade
RF - Upgrade (due to maturity)
C - Upgrade (due to maturity)

So on paper the starting lineup looks like it could be better overall, compared to this same time last year. That should be really good news to Padre fans out there and it shows just how hard Hoyer and the rest of the Front Office worked to make things happen. Now the players need to go out there and get it done.

The Bench and Bullpen look strong if not stronger as a whole also but we'll get into them next time. And like I said earlier the Starting Pitching might be the one spot that this team still needs to address. Losing Garland and replacing him with Harang and expecting Harang to have a Garland type of season is quite a gamble. We'll also get into that next time so keep checking back.

Play Ball !!!

First update of 2011

2011-01-25T11:31:00.000-08:00

Portland Beavers land in Tuscon as Padres

Tucson gets AAA affiliate for at least 2011. Here is the new logo. Great to see at least one of the affilates using the old school font.

More to come soon so keep checking back.

Play Ball !!!

Dog Days approach and the Padres are STILL in 1st

2010-06-25T09:42:00.000-07:00

42-30

... Every "expert".......Everyone in the media.......Everyone associated with baseball.......Oh hell just about everyone on the planet, outside San Diego, figured the Padres to not be a factor this season. Nice work guys, they're only one of the best teams since last July. I do hope that crow tastes good so far.....

The national media still doesn't give them much credit, saying it's all smoke and mirrors, or at best just glossing over their accomplishments as usual. This last series the Padres went into TB, and did what they've been doing all year, and beat up what many think is one of the best teams in all of MLB taking 2-3 and nearly sweeping them on their home turf. During the last game of the series which aired on MLB Network, it was crystal clear that the announcers were anti-Padres, and really pulling for the Rays. Instead of giving the Padres pitching credit, as they should have since it's some of the best in the game, they talked about how the Rays were slumping. They even went so far as to use a solo HR by a TB player as the Coors Light Cold Hard hit of the game, instead of the go ahead HR by Oscar Salazar which happened shortly after. It's these kinds of snubs that prove that either an east coast bias exists, or just a sheer hatred for San Diego and it's sports.

Hey "experts" wake up and realize that this is a team sport, and the Padres are proving every day that it's about team chemistry, not necessarily having the best individual players.

Keep up the great work Padres !!! And keep sticking it to those so called "experts" who clearly don't know as much as they think they do.

End rant.....

Play Ball !!!

Hoyer on the road

2010-04-26T06:37:00.000-07:00

Jed Hoyer heads to Florida to go watch the hottest team in MLB play the Marlins.

By Corey Brock / MLB.com

04/25/10 2:35 PM ET

CINCINNATI -- On Monday morning, Jed Hoyer will fly to Florida to watch the hottest team in the Major Leagues -- the San Diego Padres.
The first-year general manager of the Padres will meet up with a team that has certainly been one of the biggest surprises of the season, especially since the team was pegged by many to finish last in the National League West.
What has Hoyer liked about the eight-game winning streak the Padres carried into their series finale in Cincinnati on Sunday?
In a word: Pitching.
"First and foremost, our pitching and run prevention has been good ... we're keeping the ball in the ballpark," Hoyer said by phone on Sunday. "Going down the line, everyone has been throwing the ball well and with confidence."
The Padres entered Sunday's game against the Reds having the lowest ERA (2.73) in the Major Leagues. San Diego ranks second in the Major League teams in opponent batting average (.220).
"The key to our early success is holding our opponent down," Hoyer said.
Hoyer has also seen things he's liked about the offense, one that's already produced two games of 10 or more runs. It's not so much the volume of runs that has impressed Hoyer, but how the Padres have gone about scoring them.
"One of the things that sticks out is how we're being aggressive and opportunistic on the bases," Hoyer said. "Our aggressiveness has led to some runs."

Link

Play Ball !!!

PETCO concessions see change for the better

2010-04-07T13:49:00.000-07:00

Padres clue in and listen to the fans....
What a concept ! It's about time !!

Listening to the fans when the speak up is something this franchise really hasn't done much of in recent years. They like to claim they do, but when it's all said and done they missed the boat more often than not. Well the changes at the top seem to have a trickle-down happening, and it's good news for fans.

SAN DIEGO, CA - The San Diego Padres today announced everyday low pricing for general concessions, including lowering prices on many fan favorite foods and introducing new food options.

"We've spent a lot of time asking fans what they want," said San Diego Padres President and Chief Operating Officer Tom Garfinkel. "We listened and we're responding by creating more choices and improving affordability throughout PETCO Park."

Ballpark favorites - soda, hot dogs, popcorn, peanuts and bottled water - will be available for $4 each. All other general concession items will not see increases from their 2009 non-promotional pricing. In addition, fans will be able to purchase a Padres cap for only $7 and a team T-shirt for $8.

The Padres will offer a 14-ounce, $5 beer in 2010. A 20-ounce domestic beer - which cost $8.50 in 2008 - is now priced at $7.25.

The team is also introducing a $5 'Kids Meal,' which will feature healthier items and be available throughout the ballpark. "We are acting on fan suggestions by adding the Kids Meal and by introducing specific categories such as gluten-free food options," Garfinkel stated.

For the first time since the opening of PETCO Park, the Toyota Terrace Level will be open to all fans, allowing access to Club 19, Baja Bistro, the PCL Club and Coronado's. In conjunction with this expanded access, the Padres are implementing a Toyota Terrace restaurant reservation system for Founder's Club members to reserve tables. Fans can expect to see lower prices, the addition of kids' menus and new signature dishes on the restaurant menus across the Toyota Terrace level.

Additional improvements include a refresh of The Omni Premier Club which will offer "ballpark fare" alongside the current Premier Club dining options. The Padres have also upgraded their All-You-Can-Eat program by improving the seat location and reducing pricing. Seating is now in lower level sections and prices have dropped from $37 in 2009 to $29 in 2010.

The enhanced options and lower pricing go into effect on Opening Day, April 12th when the San Diego Padres take on the Atlanta Braves at 3:35 p.m. at PETCO Park.

$5.00 -- Kids Meal

$4.00 -- Small fountain soda
$4.00 -- Peanuts
$4.00 -- Popcorn
$4.00 -- Hot Dog
$4.00 -- Bottled water

$5.00 -- 14 oz. domestic draft beer
$7.25 -- 20 oz. domestic draft beer
$7.75 -- Plastic bottle domestic beer
$8.25 -- 20 oz. premium draft beer

$7.00 -- Padres cap
$8.00 -- Padres T-shirt

All other general concession items same as 2009 (no increases)

Link

Good job Padres..... This should go a long way in the eyes of most fans.

Play Ball !!!

Everth Cabrera getting some notice by MLB finally

2010-04-07T10:52:00.001-07:00

Cabrera gets noticed

Well anyone that was actually paying attention to the Padres last year, while this kid wasn't on the DL, had to notice something pretty special about him. He was taken in the Rule 5 from the Rockies system, and came straight out of A ball to become the everyday starter at the ML level. That alone is amazing, but this kid handled the promotion like a veteran. He showed tremendous speed, great range, a cannon for an arm, and considering the jump in levels some pretty good plate discipline, which started the comparisons to another SS named Rafael Furcal. Padre fans can only hope he becomes the same type of player for their team.

April 7
The other Cabrera
It was supposed to be a quiet third day of the season with less than half of all teams on the April 6 slate.
We should have known better.
Pegged by many as a favorite late-round, middle-infield sleeper, Everth Cabrera went absolutely bananas against Edwin Jackson and the D-backs.
The 23-year-old shortstop -- who quietly stole 25 bases in just 103 games as rookie last season -- laced a double, legged out a triple, drove home four and (obviously) stole a base to boot.
The burgeoning youngster will have the green light all season and should steal 40 bags in his sleep. If he can actually provide some O to go with his legs, he'll easily go down as one of 2010's top breakouts.

One thing is certain.....the future is VERY bright for this budding star. Did we also mention that this was his first year playing SS after being converted from 2nd base ? Not too shabby !!

Play Ball !!!

What the 2010 lineup could look like

2010-03-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

Possible Lineup and Active Roster

The 2010 season is almost upon us and fans everywhere are starting to speculate on the who/what/where/when & how's of the Padres lineup. It appears that they are successfully moving toward a team based more on being athletic and fundamentally sound, who can run and cause havoc on the basepaths. With few regular position spots still open, what really remains is to figure out who on the active roster will fill the starting roles. There are choices, and while a few might not be popular, with some fans, they could be in the teams best interest overall.

Starting lineup - ( not batting order )
1. 1b - Adrian Gonzalez
2. 2b - David Eckstein ( should be Jerry Hairston Jr.)
3. SS - Everth Cabrera
4. 3b - Chase Headley
5. LF - Kyle Blanks
6. CF - Scott Hairston
7. RF - Will Venable ( should be Aaron Cunningham )
8. C - Nick Hundley

Bench -
9. C - Yorvit Torrealba
10. U/OFer- Tony Gwynn Jr. ( should be Will Venable )
11. If/OF- Jerry Hairston Jr.
12. U/If- Oscar Salazar
13. DH/OF - Matt Stairs

Starting Pitchers -
14. Chris Young
15. Jon Garland
16. Kevin Correia
17. Clayton Richard ( I say this name based on who has options left, should be Mat Latos )
18. Sean Gallagher* ( I say this name based on who has options left, should be Richard or LeBlanc )

Bullpen -
19. Tim Stauffer*
20. Adam Russell ( or Gallagher )
21. Luke Gregerson
22. Edward Mujica ( or Gallagher )
23. Joe Thatcher ( or Gallagher )
24. Mike Adams
25. Heath Bell

Now I have an issue with a couple of things I'd like to put out there......

First is David Eckstein starting at 2nd base. While I'm a pretty big Eck fan, I don't think he brings to the table as many daily tools as Jerry Hairston Jr. does. Hairston will likely hit for a better BA, OBP & Slg pct., has much better speed and is a legit threat to steal a base, has good defensive skills and probably more range and for sure a better arm.... So I would start Jerry Hairston Jr. over David Eckstein at 2nd base.

Second is our 5th Starting Pitcher being Sean Gallagher. I think he's the guy that will ultimately get the job, and not because he's our best option, but instead because other guys like Mat Latos and Wade LeBlanc still have OPTIONS left and can be moved down to Portland without having to drop them from the roster or try and pass them through waivers. In my opinion Mat Latos has EARNED a starting position, but there simply isn't any room. I also think Wade LeBlanc has made a serious case for himself as well, but again there is simply no room at the inn. Neither of these guys can afford to sit in the bullpen either both must continue to work so I think they are off to AAA.

Third is Tony Gwynn Jr. making this team over guys like Aaron Cunningham or even Chris Denorfia. I am of the opinion that if Tony Gwynn Jr.'s name was Tom Smith, he wouldn't even be in the big leagues right now, and while I'm a huge fan of his fathers, I'm not a big fan of his. Aaron Cunningham brings a much more complete set of tools with decent power and a better arm to the table, and should get the 4th OFer role on this team, maybe even the starting RF job over Will Venable, but I doubt this will happen.

So these are good problems to have, but we could see an active roster that doesn't necessarily have our best players on it. Makes for a very bright future going forward to be sure.

Play Ball !!!

*denotes a few players that are out of options

Lake Elsinore Storm Release

2010-03-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

Scott and BR get screwed

2010-03-15T10:32:00.000-07:00

Well leave it the flagship station of the San Diego Padres to make bone headed moves. This is the same station that fired a season professional in 'Philly' Bill Werndel, and essentially replaced him with two daily callers (yes fans).....This train wreck didn't last as apparently one of the new DJ's melted down on air and that was that......

Now the same station, who has given new meaning to musical DJ's over the last few years, has lost their morning anchor The Scott & BR show, who have a massive following of "Great Friends". This happened when the show's two radio guys were told that the station wasn't going to honor their contract.....Yup you heard it.......The station was going to knowingly breach it's contract.....

Way to go XX1090 you've lost even more listeners... Maybe the Padres should dump you like you dump what talent you have remaining?

Play Ball !!!

Spring Kicks off for the Padres

2010-03-03T13:52:00.000-08:00

Spring Training Begins

Spring Training and the 2010 season officially take the mound Thursday when Chris Young and Kevin Corriea will each get some time on the bump. The word is they will both see two innings, and at this point CY is healthy and eager to go. Hopefully that translates into his finest season so far, both from a health and production standpoint.

By Corey Brock / MLB.com

03/02/10 8:02 PM EST

PEORIA, Ariz. -- After two weeks of preparation, of countless fielding drills and bullpen sessions, Padres pitchers will get a chance Thursday to do something they haven't done all spring -- pitch in a game.
The Padres will play their first game of the spring at 12:05 p.m. PT Thursday against the Seattle Mariners at the Peoria Sports Complex in their annual charity game.
San Diego manager Bud Black said that Chris Young and Kevin Correia -- two pitchers who will help comprise the starting rotation -- will each pitch two innings.
The Padres will play the Mariners, their Peoria brethren, the first four days during Cactus League play.
Several regular position players figure to be in the lineup on Thursday, though Black has not announced a lineup for the game.
Mat Latos, Wade LeBlanc and Sean Gallagher -- all candidates for the No. 5 spot in the starting rotation -- will throw on Friday against the Mariners in San Diego's first official Cactus League game.
On Saturday, in another game against Seattle, Jon Garland and Tim Stauffer will throw at the Peoria Sports Complex.
Finally, on Sunday against Seattle, Clayton Richard and Cesar Carrillo will pitch against the Mariners.

This game might be available via mlb.com radio.

Play Ball !!!

Blanks reports to camp lighter and ready

2010-02-27T09:39:00.000-08:00

Blanks reports 15 lbs lighter than last year

Kyle Blanks is a monster with tremendous potential and a huge ceiling. One of the only real concerns was his weight and whether or not he'd be able to keep it in control. Well it appears he's taking a proactive approach to make sure he gives his career the best possible chance. This is great news for Padre fans as he represents either another potential dynamic bat in the lineup with Adrian Gonzalez or his replacement at first base should the Padres be unable to get him signed and be forced to trade him at some point.

Blanks reports to Padres 15 pounds lighter

Download story podcast

10:00 PM PST on Friday, February 26, 2010
The Associated Press
PEORIA, ARIZ. - The San Diego Padres presented Kyle Blanks with an opportunity, and he wanted to take advantage.

So he went out and dropped 15 pounds this offseason through a combination of dieting and working out.

"It's something I wanted to do regardless," Blanks said. "Could it have an effect? I hope so. I hope being in better shape overall just helps with injury. I feel like I put myself in the best possible position for success."

Blanks hit .250 with 10 homers and 22 RBI in 148 at-bats last season. He is expected to be the Padres' everyday left fielder this year now that Chase Headley has moved to his natural position following the trade of third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff to Oakland.

After finishing the 2009 season weighing 288 pounds, Blanks -- who missed the final five weeks with a strained arch in his right foot -- weighed in at 273 pounds when he came to camp.

Strength and conditioning coach Jim Malone was excited when Blanks was promoted from Class AAA Portland on June 19. Having had the opportunity to work with Blanks during spring training the three previous years, Malone was eager to get the 6-foot-6 athlete into better shape.

Play Ball !!!

Does Baseball need a CAP ?

2009-11-05T15:47:00.000-08:00

Does baseball need a salary cap? Would a salary cap as we currently know it work in MLB considering how the farm systems are intertwined into the mix ? Is the Luxury Tax the way to go, but simply not stiff enough ? Along with a hard top, should there also be a firm bottom that teams must remain above ?

Per the CBA

The Tax Threshold shall be $148 Million in the 2007 Contract Year, $155 Million in the 2008 Contract Year, $162 Million in the 2009 Contract Year, $170m in the 2010 Contract Year and $178m in the 2011 Contract Year

Top 10 team Payrolls in 2009 From CBS

2009 Team Payrolls
No.	Team	Payroll	Average
1.	New York Yankees	$201,449,289	$7,748,050
2.	New York Mets	$135,773,988	$4,849,071
3.	Chicago Cubs	$135,050,000	$5,402,000
4.	Boston Red Sox	$122,696,000	$4,089,867
5.	Detroit Tigers	$115,085,145	$4,110,184
6.	Los Angeles Angels	$113,709,000	$4,061,036
7.	Philadelphia Phillies	$113,004,048	$4,185,335
8.	Houston Astros	$102,996,415	$3,814,682
9.	Los Angeles Dodgers	$100,458,101	$4,018,324
10.	Seattle Mariners	$98,904,167	$3,532,292

Only one team has eclipsed the Luxury Tax, and they blew past it. Is there any shock that it's also the team that just won the World Series? It may sound like sour grapes, but how can small-mid market teams hope to compete with this kind of spending ? Is greater revenue sharing the answer? Should there be stiffer penalties such as loss of draft picks, or forfeiting your right to mid-season trades to go with it ?

One thing is certain, and that is that MLB is broken when ONE team can spend almost as much as the bottom 5 teams combined, and that needs to be fixed !

Play Ball !!!

Moorad says AGon not being shopped

2009-10-29T10:38:00.000-07:00

Moorad 1090am Interview today

Moorad this am on 1090 was asked about all the rumors swirling regarding their franchise player Adrian Gonzalez. Below is paraphrasing of course, but should give the flavor of how that conversation went.......

" Padres are NOT shopping AGon......"

" but it is policy to listen to any offer for any player, and has been here even during KT's reign....."

Moorad asked Jed if he thought Epstein was going to make a run at AGon.......Hoyer responded that he thinks Theo has cooled to that idea, is going another direction, and doesn't have the "inventory" to get it done anyway

Kevin Towers says AGon is on his way out

2009-10-27T09:05:00.000-07:00

KT speaks out on Adrian Gonzalez's future with the Padres

NY Daily News

Sadly, the Padres must deal Gonzalez.

Revenue-sharing money simply isn't enough right now in their market, where a bad local TV package reaps only about $2million and they have $18 million a year in stadium debt. In addition, nobody knows how much it's costing new owner Jeff Moorad to complete his buyout of John Moores. "They're going to have a $40 million payroll for the foreseeable future," said recently fired Padres GM Kevin Towers, "and there's just no way they can devote half of that to one player. It's just a matter of when they decide to trade (Gonzalez)."

Rotoworlds spin on the same subject siting the same source

Former Padres general manager Kevin Towers says Adrian Gonzalez will be traded.
"They're going to have a $40 million payroll for the foreseeable future," said Towers in reference to his former team. "And there's just no way they can devote half of that to one player. It's just a matter of when they decide to trade (Gonzalez)." Gonzalez is set to make just $4.75 million in 2010 with a $5.5 million club option for 2011 before hitting the open market in 2012, so new Padres general manager Jed Hoyer could make out like a bandit in a potential trade. The Red Sox, Hoyer's former club, are rumored to have interest in the 27-year-old first baseman.

Well all I can say is that Hoyer better have one helluva return if he doesn't want the Padre fans to riot at Petco.

Play Ball !!!

The Hoyer Era has arrived

2009-10-26T09:43:00.000-07:00

Jed Hoyer is the man for the job

By Thomas Harding / MLB.com

10/25/09 12:48 AM ET

Red Sox assistant general manager Jed Hoyer has been chosen the next general manager of the Padres, a club source told MLB.com on Saturday.
The Padres were not prepared to make a formal announcement during the weekend. But Hoyer, 35, is set to replace Kevin Towers, who was GM for 14 seasons before new Padres chief executive Jeff Moorad informed him near the end of the season that he would not be retained for 2010.
Hoyer will take over a young squad that went 33-25 during the last two months of the season, before finishing with a 75-87 record to take fourth place in the National League West in 2009.
Hoyer has spent his entire front-office career with the Red Sox, starting in 2002 as a baseball operations intern and becoming a baseball operations assistant the following year. Hoyer and Ben Cherington served briefly as co-GMs after the 2005 season when Theo Epstein was working through contract issues.

Play Ball !!!

Asst. GM of the Yanks --> Dogs to GM of the Pads?

2009-10-19T10:46:00.000-07:00

Ng interviewed this weekend

By Jim Street / MLB.com

10/17/09 11:45 PM ET

Dodgers assistant general manager Kim Ng interviewed for the vacant general manger position with the Padres, a San Diego club official has confirmed to MLB.com.
Ng, who previously has interviewed for GM openings with the Dodgers and Mariners, was spotted having lunch with new Padres owner Jeff Moorad, and she was interviewed on Saturday.
Ng could be not reached by MLB.com for comment.
The Padres are looking for a replacement for Kevin Towers, who was dismissed after 14 seasons with the National League West franchise.

KT gone & Moorad wants a new GM by Nov. 1st

2009-10-14T09:29:00.000-07:00

Moorad wants new GM by the end of Oct.

By Corey Brock / MLB.com

10/06/09 1:46 PM ET

The Padres' search for a new general manager pushes on, though that doesn't mean the team is uncovered in the front office in the interim.
Manager Bud Black, executive vice president Paul DePodesta and assistant GM Fred Uhlman Jr. have been asked by CEO Jeff Moorad to watch over the baseball-operations department until a replacement for Kevin Towers is found.
Towers, the longest-tenured GM in the Major Leagues, was dismissed on Saturday after spending the past 14 seasons as the Padres' GM. No interim GM was named.
"Between [Black, DePodesta and Uhlman], I am convinced there is ample experience and ability to react and respond to any baseball issues that occur during the interim period," Moorad said on Tuesday.
Moorad hopes to have a GM by the end of the World Series, though he qualified that by saying, "potentially sooner."

Play Ball !!!

Continuing to trim 40 roster down

2009-10-14T09:26:00.000-07:00

4 more spots opened up on the 40man

By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com

10/13/09 2:05 PM ET

The Padres removed four players from the 40-man roster on Tuesday, including two -- catcher Eliezer Alfonzo and infielder Luis Rodriguez -- who elected free agency.
Alfonso, Rodriguez, pitcher Josh Geer and outfielder Drew Macias were all outrighted to Triple-A Portland. Alfonso and Rodriguez had the right to refuse the assignment.
Of the quartet, Rodriguez played the most for the Padres in 2009, batting .202 with two home runs and 16 RBIs in 93 games. Over parts of five Major League seasons with the Twins and Padres (2008-09), the 29-year-old is a .243 hitter.

Play Ball !!!

Offseason trimmings

2009-10-14T09:22:00.000-07:00

Padres started to mold the roster for off season moves

By Brian McTaggart / MLB.com

10/08/09 7:15 PM ET

The Padres on Thursday requested unconditional release waivers on right-handers Cha Seung Baek, Shawn Hill and outfielder Cliff Floyd and announced they had selected the contract of right-hander Eulogio De La Cruz from Triple-A Portland.
Meanwhile, right-hander Greg Burke underwent arthroscopic debridement on his right shoulder Wednesday in La Jolla, Calif. Burke, 27, made his Major League debut with the Padres this year and went 3-3 with a 4.14 ERA in 48 relief appearances.
Baek, who is 16-18 in 59 career games with Seattle and San Diego, missed the entire 2009 season after being placed on the disabled list with a strained right forearm. Hill went 1-1 with a 5.25 ERA in three starts for the Padres before having his season cut short with inflammation of his right elbow. Floyd had two hits in just 16 at-bats for San Diego.

Padres Outfield now and near future what to do ?

2009-07-24T16:31:00.000-07:00

Too many OFer's, not enough other pieces ?

The Padres are entering a very interesting area with regards to their OF situation. Currently they have been trying hard to make a round peg fit a square hole in Chase Headley. Converting to a corner OF position is far from rare, but it only works if the player making this conversion has the athleticism to play anywhere, or simply hits the ball so well you forgive his defensive shortcomings. Chase does neither ! A 3rd baseman by trade, and by all accounts a pretty good one, he was asked last year to move to LF in order to get his bat into an anemic lineup hoping that by doing so both and Kouzmanoff could help Adrian Gonzalez drive in runs. That didn’t happen, and this season marks essentially the one year point, both in calendar and at bats, to this experiment. Quite frankly it’s been a disaster. So much so that the Padres finally asked Kyle Blanks, their top prospect at the time, who is a 1bman by trade to take his shot at the OF. Now there is a difference here between the two guys and it’s a bit crazy. Kyle Blanks is a behemoth of a man standing at 6’7” and weighing in somewhere between 265-280 (reports vary), but in very good shape. Fact is he’s just one huge human being, not fat, and is very athletic. He routinely shocks those that have never seen him by legging out a triple, or straight stealing a base off the catcher. The point is he can run well (not just for his size) is playing a very solid if not good OF (granted it’s a small sample so far), he’s shown a very strong accurate arm, and seems more comfortable in both LF and RF already compared to Chase who has had over a year to get acclimated. So the question becomes why in the world is Chase Headley still getting time in the OF, when better options are sitting on the bench ?

Now take into consideration the recent acquisition of Tony Gwynn Jr. to the roster. Obviously the name alone makes all Padre fans go a bit weak in the heart, but is he really in this teams long term plans?

Will Venable descends from good baseball stock, but his age, and experience make him a long shot player. He’s shown flashes of tremendous potential, and on a team in better shape, might stick as a 4th OFer for a couple years until he was ready, but can the Padres afford to waste time on a guy that really may never be more than just ok ?

Drew Macias is possibly one of the best fielding OFer’s in this system, but is a very light hitter. He can play all 3 OF positions, and appears better suited to come in off the bench. His future is more likely suited as a bench role player, and would be a great fit in the spacious Petco, where OF defense is a premium in late game maneuvers.

Ok those are the guys on the big league roster that might be in the mix for a starting position over the next few years, now lets talk about the farm system and what we have near ready and on the way.

AAA- There really aren’t too many guys that have a great chance to be ML impact type players. Huffman, Baxter & Cooper are all nice players, but none of them seems to have the stuff to really make in impact on this teams OF, and I’m not sure any of them are better than the guys already on the big league team right now in the OF. That alone is saying quite a bit about the caliber of player they currently are.

AA- Luis Durango is an Base stealing, OBP & hitting machine w/ very little power. He’s pegged as a speedy top of the lineup, stage setting type of hitter who very well could replace Tony Gwynn Jr. in CF as soon as next year, but more likely 2011.

Other guys at the lower levels that have to be considered within two years are :

Jaff Decker – This kid possess all 5 tools, is built to be a RFer. He can hit, hit for power, has a cannon, good range and deceptively good speed. His body type is not what you’d expect to be certain, but as the old saying goes “never judge a book by it’s cover”. Think a shorter, stockier, stronger Brian Giles, and you’ll get the visual.

Sawyer Carroll is a beast, and is starting to really make a name for himself. It really looks like they hit on a player in the draft when he was taken. He seems to have an excellent overall game as well, and could be manning one of the corner OF spots sooner than later.

Blake Tekkote is another guy to keep an eye on. He’s a fast CFer who brings excellent defensive skills to the table every night, and has the potential to hit for a high avg and obp.

Now the Draft 2009 –

Donovan Tate is the guy the Padres drafted with their 3rd overall pick. He’s a legit 5 tool stud with tremendous upside. If this kid is signed, he will undoubtedly be moved quickly though the system barring any setbacks, and could be staring at a 2011-12 entrance which further clogs this OF situation.

Williams is another OFer taken in the draft, considered to have + speed and be a legit HS power hitter, he could/should be easier to sign, but they could be waiting to see what Tate does and if he signs or not.

So to recap – Headley, Gwynn, Blanks, Venable, Macias, Huffman, Cooper, Baxter, Decker, Carroll, Tekkote, Tate, Williams (and this isn’t all, just the guys that are at, and could be impact type players, at the ML level)

Play Ball !!!

Dog Days are here !!!

2009-07-23T16:34:00.000-07:00

-The Dog Days of Summer-

In a typical season many guys will start to hit that proverbial wall come late July when the weather starts to heat up and personal endurance is put to it’s first real test, the bats seem heavier, feet seem slower, the arm is a little sore, and the sweat comes like an unwelcome rain storm. These days are known more commonly as the Dog Days of Summer and can last into September. The good news for Padre fans is that this shouldn't be much of an issue this year. The bad news is that it’s not because their players are that much better conditioned, but instead it’s because of the revolving door of players used again this season.

While every team suffers injuries throughout a sports season, it appears that the Padres again have pissed off the baseball gods and are going for back to back record injury seasons. To lend some perspective on this at one point in the first half of this season they had lost their :

-#1 pitcher and Staff Ace
-#2 pitcher
-#3 pitcher
-#4 pitcher
-starting SS
-back up SS
-Starting 2bag
-backup 2bag
-super utility player that is essentially the 3^rd back up option for the IF/OF
-4^th OFer and scheduled DH for interleague
-starting catcher
-back up catcher
-starting LFer
-multiple key bullpen arms

It’s truly been another amazing ride to watch this team be completely ravaged by injuries for a second year in a row. I do my best not to offer up excuses, but I’m sorry even a large market team, with extreme revenues and a monster farm system couldn’t overcome this kind of loss, and expect to compete for very long.

Now you might be on the side that thinks that most of the players that hit the DL weren’t very good to begin with. To that I’d simply say at least they were big league players already, not AA and AAA unproven green prospects.

Personally I enjoy watching the future play, but what I don’t enjoy is watching them all play at the same time on the big league club with no chance of keeping up with established big leaguers, because they should be in either AA or AAA developing. It’s par for the course to bring up players and give them their proverbial “cup-o-coffee” when rosters expand, or to fill in occasionally while someone is on the DL. Where this goes sideways is when your entire starting roster (essentially) is on the DL, and you have to promote so many guys, just to field a team, that ultimately you end up fielding a minor league club.

I realize the dynamics surrounding this franchise, it’s ownership change, the cause spurring the sale, the ousting of Sandy Alderson, and I have been one of the few outspoken that continue to support the team, while trying not to turn into a Chicken Little crying “the sky is falling”, but it’s hard to keep that stiff upper lip when you’re watching a team continuously getting their teeth kicked in on and off the field. I just hope that Jeff Moorad and Co. have a really good idea of how to fix this without rocking a boat already treading turbulent waters. I hope they realize what a blessing Adrian Gonzalez is to this franchise specifically. What a marketing wet dream he is for San Diego especially, and that he should be the poster child in an attempt to fight tooth and nail for a huge share of the market to the south, thus increasing our market size and overall revenue intake. If they trade this guy (specifically) away, I’m not sure it will matter what comes back in return, because they will have killed any chances of successfully marketing to Mexico, and this franchise might not recover. Adrian Gonzalez is the single best marketing tool we could ever hope for to target Mexican fans, and Mexico overall as a revenue stream, and he’s already here……DON’T SCREW THIS UP !!!

I continue to say this, maybe not enough here however. This team has talent at the big league level it’s just very young and inexperienced. That will change, but it still requires, and for a large part is lacking, direction and leadership. Whether or not that leadership will come from the coaching staff or the players remains to be seen, but something has to happen to change this truly uninspiring brand of baseball we have here now.

Play Ball !!!

Draft picks that have signed to date

2009-07-07T17:25:00.001-07:00

Donavan R Tate	CF	R /R	6'02"	184	1990-09-27	1	3
Everett E Williams	CF	L /R	5'10"	200	1990-10-01	2	52
Gerald M Sullivan	RHP	R /R	6'04"	220	1988-01-18	3	83	6/24/09
Keyvius N Sampson	RHP	R /R	6'00"	185	1991-01-06	4	114
Jason T Hagerty	C	S /R	6'03"	220	1987-09-13	5	144	6/24/09
James P Needy	RHP	R /R	6'06"	205	1991-03-30	6	174
Miles T Mikolas	RHP	R /R	6'05"	220	1988-08-23	7	204	6/24/09
Nathan S Freiman	1B	R /R	6'08"	220	1986-12-31	8	234	6/14/09
Christopher W Fetter	RHP	R /R	6'07"		1985-12-23	9	264	6/14/09
Ryan M Hinson	LHP	L /L	6'03"	225	1987-05-12	10	294	6/24/09
Andrew J Madrigal	RHP	R /R	6'02"	200	1989-01-16	11	324
Brayden Drake	3B	R /R	5'11"	195	1987-04-17	12	354	6/14/09
Matt Vern	1B	R /R	6'03"	215	1986-11-08	13	384	6/14/09
Nicholas R Greenwood	LHP	R /L	6'01"	177	1987-09-28	14	414	6/24/09
Matthew C Lollis	RHP	R /R	6'07"	230	1990-09-11	15	444
Griffin D Benedict	C	L /R	6'01"	195	1987-07-04	16	474	6/14/09
Jorge L Reyes	RHP	S /R	6'03"	195	1987-12-07	17	504
Shuhei Fujiya	RHP	R /R	6'03"	180	1987-08-12	18	534
Christopher G Tremblay	SS	R /R	5'10"		1986-11-13	19	564	6/14/09
John Wooten	3B	R /R	6'04"	190	1991-01-19	20	594
Kendall A Korbal	RHP	R /R	6'06"	205	1988-11-20	21	624
Cody Decker	1B	R /R	5'10"	205	1987-01-17	22	654	6/14/09
Jeff J Ibarra	LHP	L /L	6'06"	185	1987-08-18	23	684	6/14/09
Benjamin K Davis	CF	R /R	6'00"	185	1985-08-28	24	714	6/24/09
Michael T Wright	CF	R /R	6'01"	235	1987-08-10	25	744	6/14/09
Kevin X Winn	2B	L /R	5'11"	185	1987-06-05	26	774	6/14/09
Cameron M Monger	CF	R /R	6'02"	210	1988-08-05	27	804	6/24/09
Vince Belnome	2B	L /R	5'11"	205	1988-03-11	28	834	6/14/09
Robert Poutier	RHP	R /R	6'04"	190	1985-10-21	29	864	6/24/09
Wande O Olabisi	LF	R /R	6'00"	212	1988-03-18	30	894	6/14/09
Matthew Jackson	RHP	R /R	6'03"	170	1987-12-18	31	924	6/14/09
David Erickson	RHP	R /R	6'00"	190	1986-02-09	32	954	6/14/09
Jonathan F Berger	RHP	R /R	6'02"	215	1987-01-18	33	984	6/14/09
Joshua L Cephas	RHP	R /R	6'00"	195	1987-04-17	34	1014
Adalberto Santos	OF	R /R	5'10"	184	1987-09-28	35	1044
Dylan C Tonneson	C	R /R	6'03"	220	1987-09-05	36	1074	6/24/09
Gaspar Santiago	LHP	L /L	6'00"	200	1989-09-23	37	1104
Kyle R Loretelli	OF	R /L	5'11"	185	1986-06-30	38	1134	6/14/09
Chris G Ahearn	SS	R /R	5'11"	180	1986-05-08	39	1164	6/14/09
Tom Porter	RHP	R /R	6'01"	185	1986-11-11	40	1194	6/14/09
Dane J Hamilton	2B	L /R	6'02"	195	1986-09-26	41	1224
Rey G Delphey	RHP	R /R	5'10"	195	1990-10-19	42	1254
Chadd Hartman	LF	L /R	6'00"	195	1986-11-09	43	1284	6/14/09
Ryan Skube	2B	R /R	5'11"	175	1991-03-26	44	1314	6/14/09
Derek Landis	RHP	R /R	6'06"	180	1989-08-27	45	1344
Mykal D Stokes	CF	R /R	6'02"	170	1990-06-02	46	1374
Zach Thomas	LHP	R /L	6'02"	200	1990-10-03	47	1404
Andrew R Ruck	CF	L /R	5'11"	185	1991-05-20	48	1434
Brett Holland	RHP	R /R	6'01"	185	1987-06-30	49	1464	6/14/09
Brett K Basham	C	R /R	6'02"	195	1986-09-08	50	1494	6/14/09

103 pop for PED's

2009-07-07T16:57:00.000-07:00

Rotoworld has supplied what is being said to be the 2003 list of players that popped for PED's..... Most of the names wont shock anyone........grain of salt the list since it's unconfirmed......but think about this....how many names have surfaced for PED's and been innocent ?

Rumored 2003 Steroid list leaks out? at on June 29, 2009

Rumored 2003 Steroid List (UNCONFIRMED RUMOR)

1.Nomar Garciaparra
2.Manny Ramirez
3.Johnny Damon
4.Trot Nixon
5.David Ortiz
6.Shea Hillenbrand
7.Derek Lowe
8.Pedro Martinez
9.Brian Roberts
10.Jay Gibbons
11.Melvin Mora
12.Jerry Hairston
13.Jason Giambi
14.Alfonso Soriano
15.Raul Mondesi
16. Aaron Boone
17.Andy Pettitte
18.Jose Contreras
19.Roger Clemens
20.Carlos Delgado
21.Vernon Wells
22.Frank Catalanotto
23.Kenny Rogers
24.Magglio Ordonez
25.Sandy Alomar
26.Bartolo Colon
27.Brent Abernathy
28.Jose Lima
29.Milton Bradley
30.Casey Blake
31.Danys Baez
32.Craig Monroe
33.Dmitri Young
34.Alex Sanchez
35.Eric Chavez
36.Miguel Tejada
37.Eric Byrnes
38.Jose Guillen
39.Keith Foulke
40.Ricardo Rincon
41.Bret Boone
42.Mike Cameron
43.Randy Winn
44.Ryan Franklin
45.Freddy Garcia
46.Rafael Soriano
47.Scott Spiezio
48.Troy Glaus
49.Francisco Rodriguez
50.Ben Weber
51.Alex Rodriguez
52.Juan Gonzalez
53.Rafael Palmeiro
54.Carl Everett
55.Javy Lopez
56.Gary Sheffield
57.Mike Hampton
58.Ivan Rodriguez
59.Derrek Lee
60.Bobby Abreu
61.Terry Adams
62.Fernando Tatis
63.Livan Hernandez
64.Hector Almonte
65.Tony Armas
66.Dan Smith
67.Roberto Alomar
68.Cliff Floyd
69.Roger Cedeno
70.Jeromy Burnitz
71.Moises Alou
72.Sammy Sosa
73.Corey Patterson
74.Carlos Zambrano
75.Mark Prior
76.Kerry Wood
77.Matt Clement
78.Antonio Alfonseca
79.Juan Cruz
80.Aramis Ramirez
81.Craig Wilson
82.Kris Benson
83.Richie Sexson
84.Geoff Jenkins
85.Valerio de los Santos
86.Benito Santiago
87.Rich Aurilia
88.Barry Bonds
89.Andres Galarraga
90.Jason Schmidt
91.Felix Rodriguez
92.Jason Christiansen
93.Matt Herges
94.Paul Lo Duca
95.Shawn Green
96.Oliver Perez
97.Adrian Beltre
98.Eric Gagne
99.Guillermo Mota
100.Luis Gonzalez
101.Todd Helton
102.Ryan Klesko
103.Gary Matthews

Draft Picks that have signed so far ...

2009-06-15T13:57:00.001-07:00

Reports are saying that these guys have been signed already........Nice start ....Keep'um signing....

8th, Nate Frieman, 1B
9th, Chris Fetter, RHP
12th, Brayden Drake, 3B
16th, Griffin Benedict, C
19th, Chris Tremblay, SS
22nd, Cody Decker, 1B
23rd, Jeffrey Ibarra, LHP
25th, Ty Wright, OF
26th, Kevin Winn, 2B
28th, Vince Belnome, 2B
30th, Wande Olabisi, OF
31st, Matt Jackson, RHP
32nd, David Erickson, RHP
33rd, Jon Berger, RHP
38th, Kyle Loretelli, CF
39th, Chris Ahearn, SS
40th, Thomas Porter, RHP
43rd, Chadd Hartman, OF
44th, Ryan Skube, 2B
49th, Brett Holland, RHP
50th, Brett Basham, C

Play Ball !!!

2009 Draft Results so far....

2009-06-10T10:12:00.000-07:00

Pick

1-#3 - Donovan Tate CF/OF - 6'2" 184lbs R/R - Tough signing, but is a legit 5 tooler ... Ttailor made for Petco

2-#52- Everett Williams CF/OF - 5'10" 200lbs L/R - Should have gone higher in draft, and might be a steal of a pick. He's also tailor made for Petco

3-#83- Gerald Sullivan RHP - 6'4" 220lbs
4-#114-Keyvius Sampsom - RHP - 6'0" 185lbs R/R
5-#144-Jason Hagerty - C - 6'3" 220lbs S/R
6-#174- James Needy - RHP - 6'6" 205lbs R/R
7-#204- Miles Mikolas - RHP - 6'5" 220 lbs R/R
8-#234- Nathan Freiman - 1b - 6'8" 220lbs R/R
9#264- Christopher Fetter - RHP - 6'7" ?lbs R/R

Rest of the picks to this point---

10. Ryan Hinson - LHP - Clemson University
11. Andrew Madrigal - RHP - San Jacinto JC
12. Brayden Drake - INF - Missouri State University
13. Matt Vern - INF - Texas Christian University
14. Nicholas Greenwood - LHP - University of Rhode Island
15. Matthew Lollis - RHP - Riverside CC
16. Griffin Benedict - C - Georgia Southern University
17. Jorge Reyes - RHP - Oregon State University
18. Shuhei Fujiya - RHP - University of Northern Iowa
19. Christopher Tremblay - INF - Kent State University
20. John Wooten - INF - Eastern Wayne HS
21. Kendall Korbal - RHP - Blinn College
22. Cody Decker - INF - UCLA
23. Jeff Ibarra - LHP - Lee University
24. Bo Davis - OF - University of Southern Mississippi
25. Ty Wright - OF - Georgian Southern University
26. Kevin Winn - INF - Louisiana Tech University
27. Cameron Monger - OF - University of New Mexico
28. Vince Belnome - INF - West Virginia University
29. Robert Poutier - RHP - University of Virginia
30. Wande Olabisi - OF - Stanford University

I'll try to get more on each of these guys, along with additional updates as I get them.

Play Ball !!!

Farm Update

2009-05-20T08:38:00.001-07:00

Sources are reporting that the Padres have made two minor league player moves

Mat Latos has been promoted from Low A to AA San Antonio
and
Will Inman was promoted from AA San Antonio to AAA Portland

Good luck guys

Play Ball !!!

First month in review

2009-05-18T10:51:00.000-07:00

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 !!!

Padres snag Luis Perdomo

2009-04-10T16:32:00.000-07:00

This is a great p/u in this fans opinion

Link

Padres Claim Luis Perdomo

By Tim Dierkes [April 10, 2009 at 5:27pm CST]

According to MLB.com's Corey Brock and Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Padres claimed pitcher Luis Perdomo off waivers from the Giants today. Perdomo, a Rule 5 pick from the Cardinals, was designated for assignment by the Giants a few days ago. Perdomo will turn 25 soon; he'll try to make the jump from Double A to the Majors.

Perdomo was the Cardinals' return from the Indians for Anthony Reyes last summer. Baseball America says he throws 93-95 with an "average-to-plus slider."

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Elsinore's got company this weekend

2009-04-10T16:27:00.000-07:00

This weekend the Clydesdales are at the Diamond.......click to read up on this

OPENING DAY !!!

2009-04-06T16:23:00.000-07:00

Jake Peavy takes the bump vs. the dreaded arch rivals from L.A. the Dodgers...... Jake has utterly dominated the Dodgers since arriving in San Diego, and hopefully that dominance will continue as they take them on even with the addition of ManRam to the new look opening day lineup.

Today's lineup looks like this :

San Diego	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Gerut, CF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Eckstein, 2B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Giles, RF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Gonzalez, A, 1B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Kouzmanoff, 3B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Headley, LF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Blanco, H, C	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Rodriguez, L, SS	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Peavy, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000

Play Ball !!!

Could the Rays and Padres be on the verge of a trade ?

2009-03-31T16:15:00.000-07:00

The Padres have been desperate to say the least for pitching. The Rays seem on the verge of having to expose a couple of their young arms that are out of options. It seems a perfect match, so is something going down ?

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Jeff Niemann and Jason Hammel aren't letting their head-to-head competition get in the way of their friendship.

One of the two former Biscuits will be Tampa Bay's No. 5 starter when the season starts next week. The other could be in the bullpen or, possibly, in a different uniform and with another organization.
The St. Petersburg Times reported Monday that the Rays are talking with the San Diego Padres about a potential trade involving either Niemann or Hammel.
Both are making their final statements this week -- a decision could come any day -- but it won't spark a rift between them.
"We will always love each other," Hammel said. "We've played together for a long time and at a lot of levels."

Link

Play Ball !!!

Strasburg Update

2009-03-26T17:51:00.000-07:00

103mph at age 20--- How hard will he throw ?

Taking a minute here to update you all on Steven Strasburg who is going to be the #1 ranked prospect in the nation come draft time. The Uber Phenom has been abusing the collegiate ranks this year racking up the K's and regularly hitting triple digits on the radar gun,. He's even been clocked as high as 103mph. At the bottom is a video of a strikeout he recorded last Friday night vs. BYU. On the season he has more than 70 k's in less than 35 innings.......yeah think about that for a second...

SAN DIEGO – The radar gun blinks wildly. It’s not used to this. No one makes it strain to read out a third digit. It looks like binary code, not the speed of a pitch from a 20-year-old kid: 101.

It keeps showing up, 101 again and again, and as scouts peek at the number, they ask aloud what everyone else in the baseball world wonders: Will Stephen Strasburg someday throw a baseball harder than anyone has before?

Two men holding radar guns as well as his pitching coach said he has touched 103 mph this season. Only three others have done that, and all were major league relief pitchers, not juniors in college. Strasburg is a starter for San Diego State, and his velocity levels off in triple digits, something never seen, not from Nolan Ryan or Randy Johnson or any of the modern fireballers since the advent of the radar gun.

So it’s no surprise that Strasburg is dominating college like no pitcher ever has. He has 74 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings, meaning only 29 outs have come via batted ball. He fanned 23 batters in one game last year, and in seven outings with Team USA last summer, culminating with the Beijing Olympics, he struck out 62 in 41 innings.

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Moorad takes over CEO role as of today.....

2009-03-26T16:11:00.000-07:00

Alderson Era ends to the delight of many Padre fans

Out........
Sandy Alderson did many things for the Padres, but it appears will be remembered by many as the man at the helm during the 99 loss season. With the first part of the sale of the Padres Jeff Moorad takes over the duties and role of CEO as of today.

In...........

"I am excited about joining the Padres and am honored to be part of the transition of ownership of this great franchise," said Moorad. "The Padres have a rich tradition, both on the field and in the community. I am anxious to do all that I can to extend the legacy and join San Diegans as a proud member of the Friar Faithful."

Play Ball !!!

Some batting cage video shorts

2009-03-20T16:58:00.000-07:00

I also took a load of short batting cage videos in the hopes of showing you the mechanincs of some of the guys swings..... Hope the come across well enough in a blogs shrunk down version.....Enjoy

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Pictures from Training Camp

2009-03-18T16:35:00.000-07:00

Planet Padres was at Spring Training again this year. While I'm no photographer, I did take some shot I thought you all might enjoy.... There will be more to come, along with video of players in the cages so you can see their swings and mechanics. Hope you enjoy.

Play Ball !!!

Duaner Sanchez snatched up by Padres

2009-03-18T16:32:00.000-07:00

As if to answer the bullpen issues, KT makes what could be a key find and nice addition to Petco's arsenal.

Link

PEORIA, Ariz. -- When asked Tuesday how surprised he was that the Mets gave him his outright release last week, new Padres relief pitcher Duaner Sanchez didn't hesitate for a second in formulating a response.
"One hundred percent," Sanchez said.
It's been a whirlwind week for Sanchez, who signed a Minor League deal to pitch for the Padres just five days after being dumped by the Mets, who expressed concerns about the velocity the 29-year-old right-hander had shown thus far.

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Padres bullpen takes another hit

2009-03-18T16:30:00.000-07:00

Mark Worrell came over from St. Louis in the Khalil Greene trade and it was hopeful that Towers had found another diamond bullpen arm in the rough. Time will tell, but for now he's on the rack. Lets hope it's not too serious

Link

PEORIA, Ariz. -- The Padres' bullpen took another hit Wednesday, and that was before their game against the Rangers.
Manager Bud Black said that right-handed reliever Mark Worrell, expected to make the team as a late-inning specialist, will be sidelined indefinitely with soreness in his elbow.

Play Ball !!!

'Time Out' with Todd Kaufmann

2009-03-18T16:19:00.000-07:00

Time Out with Todd Kaufmann

Todd Kaufmann
Beat Writer for Planet Padres

For the San Diego Padres, it’s time to start making some final decisions on their roster. Believe me, they have a lot of work to do in that area, especially with the back two spots in their starting rotation. What we know, at this point, is Jake Peavy, Chris Young and Cha Seung Baek have the first three spots in the rotation shored up, but the fourth and fifth spot have yet to be decided. Those two spots could come down to right-handers Kevin Correia and Josh Geer, but the Padres need to see more from both before they are handed to them.

Speaking of Jake Peavy, he was in the news this past weekend but for a reason that makes Padre fans cringe. Peavy allowed six runs, all earned, in just two innings of work in an embarassing 11-1 loss to Puerto Rico on Saturday, a game that was stopped early for the Mercy Rule…ouch. Heath Bell also saw action in the game and didn’t fare much better, giving up one run in his one inning of work, the two Padre pitchers combined for three innings of work and seven earned runs. You can make an argument for both of these guys, saying they’re still in Spring Training mode and they’re not at 100% levels, but that won’t help Team USA if they are eliminated early….again.

Also news worthy was the Padres’ signing of former Mets’ right-hander Duaner Sanchez to a minor league deal on Sunday. You might remember Sanchez being a lights out pitcher before he was involved in a car accident that put his career in jeopardy a few years ago, but the 29-year-old is trying to make a comeback and will try to earn a bullpen spot for San Diego. There’s no question this kid can pitch, as he’s shown in the past, but can he get back to the form he once had or be effective at all? Sanchez will get some work in the last few weeks of Spring Training to show Padres’ brass if he’s worth keeping around for the start of the 2009 season.

A few final notes before we close things out. Young first baseman, and one of the Padres’ top prospects, Kyle Blanks has been tearing up Spring Training. The soon to be 23-year-old is batting .325 with 3 HR’s and 9 RBI’s in 40 total at bats. He is slated to start the year in AAA-Portland, but could be called on quickly if there’s an injury to current first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. The question, though, becomes this. Who do the Padres want to keep long term? Will they sign Adrian to a long term deal and hope they can turn Blanks into an outfielder a la Chase Headley, or will they let Adrian walk in free agency and allow Blanks to become their new franchise first baseman? That’s a question that will be asked by a lot of Padre fans as Adrian Gonzalez gets closer to free agency.

Thanks as always Todd

Play Ball !!!

First wave of cuts and reassignments

2009-03-18T16:17:00.000-07:00

Padres make their first wave to moves this spring as follows...... Not too many shockers here.

UT's Link

By Tom Krasovic
March 17, 2009, 4:37 p.m.

The Padres' clubhouse was a busy place today. Eleven players were sent out, leaving the club with 45 players in major league camp. Among the players reassigned to minor league camp are right-handed pitchers Chris Britton and Matt Buschmann, infielder Peter Ciofrone, catcher Mitch Canham and outfielder Cedric Hunter. Managre Bud Black said the club has told Britton that he is free to pursue a job elsewhere.

Right-handed pitchers Cesar Carrillo and Mike Ekstrom, left-handed pitcher Wade LeBlanc and infielder Travis Denker have been optioned to Triple-A Portland. Outfielder Luis Durango and left-handed pitcher Jackson Quezada have been optioned to Single-A Lake Elsinore. Quezada, a closer, hasn't faced any hitters since getting to camp; he is nursing a sore shoulder.

The Padres now have 45 players in major league camp. Expect a lot more movement. Not only will several players be shipped out before Opening Day, the Padres are shopping the bottom end of several pitching staffs in anticipation of making a cheap acquisition.

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Kyle Blanks to take fly balls FINALLY !!!

2009-03-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

Kyle Blanks, the Padres top prospect, is blocked by Adrian Gonzales at first base. For a couple years now many have tossed the idea around of moving Blanks to LF to see if he could play the out field with the idea of getting both he and AGon in the same lineup. Blanks is a very large man, and possesses a unique set of skills. He's 6'6" 270lbs, yet he can run remarkably well and is considered to have league avg. speed, which is very good. Bill Bryk of the Padres called him Big Hondo once, and that is exactly what they might have in Blanks. Well it looks like they will finally find out if the big man can catch a fly ball or two, lets all hope there is a chance of keeping this guy around. It will only make this team better if we can have both he and AGon in the same lineup.

UT LINK

By Tom Krasovic
March 17, 2009, 5:00 p.m.

General Manager Kevin Towers said Padres prospect Kyle Blanks, who is blocked by first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, will take fly balls in left field before his games in Triple-A this season.

Blanks will stay at first base, Towers said, but the club wants to see how he responds to flyballs. The idea is to explore another way to get Blanks' bat into the lineup down the road, and Towers said he broached the subject today with Grady Fuson, the director of scouting and player development.

"We're not going to stick him in the outfield," he said. "We may hit him some flyballs in pregame, see how he does."

Blanks, a 6-foot-6 285-pounder, said last month that he would like to develop his outfield skills if it would help his career. He has appeared in left twice as a professional, in 2005 with an entry-level club.

Towers also said Blanks "truly has been the one bright spot of spring training." The Padres' No. 1 prospect in The San Diego Union-Tribune's organizational rankings, Blanks has batted .341 with four doubles, three home runs, six walks and 14 strikeouts in 44 at-bats.

"This guy's legit," Towers said.

mlb.com link

PEORIA, Ariz. -- There hasn't been a whole lot of positives for the Padres during the first 17 games of the Cactus League season, though general manager Kevin Towers isn't hard-pressed to come up with his personal favorite -- first baseman Kyle Blanks.
"For me, he's been the highlight of the spring," Towers said on Tuesday after Blanks had two hits, raising his average to .341.
The Padres fell to the Angels, 12-7, on Tuesday, dropping their Cactus League record to 4-10-3.

The 22-year-old Blanks is making the most of his extended playing time this spring with Gold Glove and All-Star Adrian Gonzalez off playing for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic.
Team Mexico was eliminated by Cuba on Monday, which means Gonzalez could be back in Peoria as soon as Wednesday. But that won't mean the 6-foot-6, 285-pound Blanks will be headed to Minor League camp.
"He's forcing our hand with the way he's playing," said Towers, who likes that Blanks has done a majority of his damage against frontline starters, not Minor Leaguers. "If he keeps it up, we're going to have to find a spot for him."
Blanks, who has played the outfield in the Minor Leagues on just two occasions, won't turn 23 until September.
Finding a spot for Blanks, the Padres' Minor League Player of the Year in 2008, will not be easy, not with Gonzalez entrenched at first base for the foreseeable future.
There may be a move afoot for Blanks to get some time in the outfield, though it will not likely happen anytime soon, said Towers, who spoke with Grady Fuson, vice president of scouting and player development, about that issue earlier Tuesday.
Towers said he doesn't want to mess with Blanks' confidence right now by asking him to start taking fly balls in Arizona. If the Padres do decide to see how Blanks looks in the outfield, then it would likely be once the Triple-A season begins at Portland.
And, as Towers cautioned, it would start by "taking fly balls before games" before it ever got to the point where Blanks would appear in a game in the outfield.
For now, Blanks, who leads the team in at-bats (44), runs (11), total bases (15), doubles (four), home runs (three) and is tied for first in RBIs (nine), will stick to playing first base, though it might not be at the frequency he had been.

Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

All I can say is that IT'S ABOUT FRIGG'N TIME !!!

Play Ball !!!

'Time Out' with Todd Kaufmann

2009-03-09T10:27:00.001-07:00

Taking another TO

Todd Kaufmann
Beat Writer for Planet Padres

Ok, so this is supposed to be my weekly article where I tell you what’s going through my baseball driven mind. Last week, I took a shot at the Dodgers and it turns out they ended up signing Manny Ramirez after all. Following that, I gave advice to A-Rod and in a cruel twist of irony, he could be on the shelf until May with a torn labrum in his hip. Not to rub salt in the wound there A-Rod, but when you decided to go from playing for Team USA in 2006 to the Dominican Republic in 2009 because you thought it gave you a better chance at winning, karma bit you in the ass. Let’s not get this twisted, though, noone on Team USA is going to miss you, you performed as well for them as you do for the Yankees in crunch time.

Ok, now that my usual, ‘un-Padre’ rant is out of the way, let’s get to them Padres shall we? I’m going to start with something I’ve tried to do in the past and I realized just how ridiculous it was to even attempt it. What is that thing you ask? Making pre-season predictions based on last season’s numbers. Don’t tell it’s based on more than that, because it’s really not. Yes, teams make trades, free agent signings, but then you look at those players on new teams, you look at their numbers last season, then guess at how they’ll do on their new teams, add a few wins here and there or perhaps a few losses, tally all that up and put a number out there. One problem, pre-season predictions are just like pre-season college football polls, they’re not worth their grain in salt. The reason I bring that up is, everything I read from fans and “experts” say the Padres will lose more than 100 games this season. Well, no offense to the bandwagon jumpers and guesstimators, but how many times have the Yankees been predicted to win the World Series the past nine years and not even made it out of the first round of the playoffs or even sniffed the World Series?

Call me a homer if you will and maybe that might be true, but here’s a fact that I haven’t heard many bandwagon jumpers bring up. The Padres’ big two in the rotation, Chris Young and Jake Peavy, combined for just 45 starts in 2008, down from 64 combined starts in 2007, that’s 19 fewer starts last season. If the Padres win, let’s say, 10 of those 19 starts, they lose only 89 games in 2008. I know it’s still quite aways under .500, but then you can pick apart the one and two runs games they couldn’t put away and you can gain wins there as well. There are things that a lot of people aren’t taking into account for this 2009 team that will be important to their success. Chase Headley has one more year of experience, they have a veteran 2^nd baseman in David Eckstein who should give them speed on the base paths, another full season of Adrian Gonzalez who you know can give the Padres 30 HR’s and 100+ RBI’s and another year of experience from 3^rd baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff. The two unknowns for this team are going to be the back end of their rotation, since the last two spots are still up for grabs, and their bullpen. There ushering in a new era with Heath Bell taking over the closing role, Cla Meredith will slide into the setup role and from there it’s all up in the air. Guys like Mike Adams, Justin Hampson, Mike Ekstrom, Joe Thatcher plus a few others make this a relatively unknown bullpen around Major League Baseball.

The success of the 2009 San Diego Padres hinges on those unknown names as well as possibly putting a lot of pressure on young right-hander Josh Geer and left-hander Wade LeBlanc, two guys who could round out the back end of the rotation. If they can come out and give the Padres 5-6 good innings per start and keep the Padres in the game, it could very well give them a chance to stay in the thick of the NL West.

So, while a lot of people will continue to say the Padres will finish dead last and lose over 100 games, I hope those same people are big enough to admit they were wrong and take the criticism for those of us who still “KEEP THE FAITH.”

And lets not forget that 2008 saw a franchise record # of days spent on the DL......and yes while every team goes through injuries, not every team breaks a record for them. So I think it can be said that it's not an excuse, but was legitimately part of the problem.

Nice job again Todd ! Thanks for stopping by.

Play Ball !!!

'Time Out' with Todd Kaufmann

2009-02-27T09:53:00.000-08:00

ByTodd Kauffman
Beat Writer for Planet Padres

Todd Kaufmann stopped by Planet Padres, and was nice enough to share some of his thoughts about this offseason and a couple ideas he has.

Is anyone else laughing at the drama going on between the Dodgers, Manny Ramirez and his agent Scott Boras? If you’re not, you really should be. Are the Dodgers really THAT desperate that they will make yet another contract offer after being turned down…AGAIN?! Here’s the part you should be laughing at, yes it was a 2-year $45MM contract offer, but the Dodgers offered less in the second year of the deal…THAT’S FUNNY! So, let me get this right, if Manny has a 35-40 HR season in 2009, you expect him to play for less in 2010? Note to LA: You can stop now.

One more random thought before I get into what I really wanted to talk about. Memo to A-Rod, dude if you told everybody that it was your cousin that injected you with steroids when you played with the Rangers, it’s probably not a good idea to have everyone see you getting in the car with him outside the training complex. People are good at assuming things.

Ok, now that I’ve had my fun with the Dodgers and A-Roids, let’s get to why you all read this site in the first place, and no it’s not just for Todd’s good looks. I, for one, don’t put a lot of stock in a pitcher’s performance in a spring training game, regardless if it’s a good or bad outing. Yes, Heath Bell gave up two runs in just one inning the other day, but it was his first game time experience since September, I think we can give him the benefit of the doubt, don’t you? Spring Training is used, by a lot of players, to work on what did or didn’t work last season. For Bell, he’s working on developing a changeup, something he didn’t have in his arsenal last year, so you can imagine that if he doesn’t spot that pitch just right, or throw it in exactly the right situation, major league hitters are going to take advantage of that. You want Bell to work on that pitch now, perfect it before he goes into the regular season, instead of trying new things during the season and getting lit up when it matters. So, for those of you who are freaking out over him giving up two runs over one inning of work, calm down, take deep breaths, smell that San Diego ocean air and enjoy it because I don’t get the chance to here in Texas and realize that it’s just Spring Training. In case you just missed that, the second word is T-R-A-I-N-I-N-G, meaning they’re training themselves again on the basics and working on getting back into game shape and game mentality. By the time April rolls around, Bell should be just fine.

I applaud all of those fans that are still on the bandwagon, I’m being serious when I say that. I know I ranted and whined in my last post because of all these “fans” jumping off the bandwagon because they think they know better than Kevin Towers, but for those of you who will still attend the games, who will still dawn your Padres’ blue, white or sand, I applaud you. I know I will deeply miss going to the games, but the one game I will look forward to is the one I get to take my girlfriend to, because it will be during her first ever trip to California, let alone San Diego. So, trust me when I say, I wish you knew how good you have it, the only major league team that’s even close are the Texas Rangers. Just remember that, then go buy tickets to see the Padres play at an absolutely gorgeous Petco Park and take in that crisp night air in the middle of June and July.

Believe me when I tell you, believe me or don’t, this team isn’t going to be nearly as bad as last year, they’re NOT losing 100 games. They may not win the division, but they will be better than a lot of people expect.

Thanks Todd..........good read as always !

Play Ball !!!

Touring Petco Park

2009-02-24T19:27:00.000-08:00

It dawned on me that some of you out there aren't lucky enough to live in San Diego or have had the opportunity to get out to Petco Park. Well for those unable to make it out to America's Finest City, and see it's hometown baseball team play in the new digs, here are a few shots that will hopefully give you an idea of just how and why it's considered by many to be one of the most beautiful ballparks in America now. And it's no wonder why groups like the WBC choose this location to display it's best.

Play Ball !!!

'Time Out' for thoughts from Todd Kaufmann

2009-02-10T08:18:00.000-08:00

By Todd Kaufmann
Beat Writer for Planet Padres

Sometimes we all need to stop and reflect to gain perspective on things. Here are some thoughts from one of our writers.

I’ve been a Padre fan for a long time, I was a Jr. Padre when I was a kid and ever since then the blood of a Padre fan has always been within me. I’ve seen a few NLCS Championship runs, one before my time but still watched some of the highlights, I’ve seen a World Series sweep at the hands of the Yankees and I’m still waiting for San Diego’s time to celebrate a World Championship. A part of me thinks that I may never see one in this lifetime, but who would have ever thought I would see my hometown team (Fresno State) make an improbable run through the College World Series and win the National Championship. When people say anything can happen, I truly believe that ANYTHING can happen.

For the past few months, I’ve read a lot of the articles in the San Diego Union Tribune, I’ve read the readers comments and they’ve made me do nothing but laugh at those so called “fans” jumping off the bandwagon faster than Manny Ramirez turning down a 1-year $25MM offer from the Dodgers. I hear everything from “[Sandy] Alderson needs to go,” to “[Kevin] Towers is an idiot,” but I’ve yet to hear those same people suggest a name to replace either of those two guys. Why is that? I hear all these fans talk about the players they want to bring, they want to play GM and they have a list of players they think would be a good fit in San Diego, players that might bring this franchise a World Championship, yet I haven’t heard who they think should replace Sandy Alderson and Kevin Towers. So I’ll pose the question to you fans, who do you want as the new General Manager of the San Diego Padres? Let’s not forget that a General Manager is only as good as his owner allows him to be.

Kevin Towers is the same guy that brought in Heath Bell, a guy most of us said “who,” about when first heard his name, a guy who has turned into one of the premier setup men in baseball and the Padres’ heir to long time closer Trevor Hoffman. How about the trade Towers made to bring in both Chris Young and Adrian Gonzalez? How about pitchers Cla Meredith, another unknown that has made himself into a household name? Remember Akinori Otsuka, yes he didn’t have a great final year with San Diego, but he was a brilliant setup man for Trevor the first few years with San Diego, then was used in a brilliant trade that brought Young and Gonzalez to San Diego.

My point to all of this is, you fans are a lot more critical than I think you should be. So before you throw Towers under the bus, how about remembering he’s can only make the moves that’s allowed by Padres’ ownership. I know we all can’t wait for Moore’s to be completely gone from the Padres, but with a new owner coming in, maybe he allows Kevin Towers to really show what he can do as a General Manager. But, if you’re so set on running him out of town, how about giving us a name or names that you want to replace him. That’s one thing I’ve still yet to see from all of the negative comments. The Padres will never have an $80 - $90MM payroll, so with that being said, there’s only so much you can do to put a productive, and winning, team on the field. Want a perfect example, how about the Tampa Bay Rays. It’s not about how much you spend, it’s how you use the money you have. In my opinion, Kevin Towers has done a better job with what he’s been given than a lot of GM’s could.

So, for all of you who have jumped off the bandwagon and said you’ll no longer buy tickets and support this franchise, we’ll see you when the Padres start winning again, because I’m sure you’ll start coming back like you had never left. Such is the life of a sports fan.

Play Ball !!!

Padre find their lefty off the bench

2009-02-05T16:25:00.000-08:00

Padres sign Floyd

The Padres were said to be deciding between Luis Gonzalez and Cliff Floyd as their lefty power off the bench, and it seems a decision has been reached....

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres, who have been searching for a left-handed bat this offseason, are close to reeling in veteran outfielder Cliff Floyd with a one-year deal, which is expected to become official on Thursday afternoon.
San Diego general manager Kevin Towers had said recently that he wanted to add a lefty bat for his bench as well as a designated hitter when the Padres play Interleague games in American League ballparks.
Floyd, 36, hit .268 with 11 home runs and 39 RBIs with the Rays last year. He provided consummate leadership for the young American League champions during his 16th big league season.
Floyd suffered a labrum injury to his right shoulder diving back into second base during Game 2 of the World Series and said at the time if the injury required surgery, he would retire. But Floyd didn't need surgery and instead treated the injury with therapy.
The Rays declined his $2.75 million option after the season.
San Diego will be Floyd's seventh club, as he has previously played for Florida, Montreal, Boston, the New York Mets, the Chicago Cubs and Tampa Bay.
He is a .279 career hitter with 233 home runs, 865 RBIs, a .359 on-base percentage and a .489 slugging percentage. He also has 148 stolen bases, but just seven over his past three seasons combined.
Floyd's deal with the Padres was first reported by FoxSports.com

Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Play Ball !!!

Morrad reaches deal to buy Padres....

2009-02-03T13:45:00.000-08:00

Well that didn't take long

MLB.com is reporting a deal is done......So here we goooo.......

Link to an interview with Morrad today on the Padres flagship station XX 1090 with Darren Smith. It's a great listen, and really gives some hope to Padre fans for the future both near and in the years ahead.

Padres majority owner John Moores has signed a contract with Jeff Moorad, a general partner of the Diamondbacks, agreeing to initially sell about a one-third interest in the franchise.
Moores said that under terms of the deal, Moorad and his partnership will have as long as three years to buy out the controlling interest. Until then, Moores will remain the Padres' control person, representing the club at owners' meetings and sitting on numerous committees.
Moorad has until Opening Day to close the initial part of the transaction.
"I anticipate that I'll remain the control person for three years," said Moores, who purchased the club in December of 1994 for $82 million. "[Moorad] has to reach a certain threshold of percentage of ownership before he becomes control person. And then that will be it for me."
The deal must also be approved by 75 percent of Major League Baseball's owners, and that step appears to be all but assured because Commissioner Bud Selig and MLB president and chief operating officer Bob DuPuy have been updated on the transaction as talks have progressed.
Moores said the sale value of the club, determined through a series of closings, will ultimately be more than $500 million, including debt. That means Moorad still must come up with about $165 million to close this part of the deal. Last year, Forbes Magazine valued the Padres at $385 million, 19th among the 30 Major League teams.
Moorad's 20 percent general partnership in the Diamondbacks is worth about $70 million.
That stake probably will be absorbed by the remaining four Arizona general partners, the club's managing general partner, Ken Kendrick, said earlier in the month when Moorad resigned as chief executive officer of the Diamondbacks to pursue his purchase of the Padres.
Moorad was replaced as chief executive by Derrick Hall, president of the Diamondbacks.
The status of the Padres franchise has gotten considerable media attention in part because of divorce proceedings involving John and Becky Moores. They own 90 percent of the team, and Becky shares 50 percent of that asset. Their daughter, Jennifer, owns 5 percent, and the other 5 percent is owned by Glenn Doshay, a San Diego businessman. Both are expected to remain part of the new ownership structure.
Moorad spent the past few weeks putting together the money and assembling a minority partnership as part of his new group.
"I'm piecing together a select group of friends and others," Moorad told MLB.com in a phone interview at the time he announced he was pursuing the club. "It will include several individuals from the San Diego area."
Moorad, a former player agent, became part of the D-backs ownership group in August 2004, during the transition in which Jerry Colangelo sold his portion of the team. A year later, Moorad was approved as an owner by MLB with the stipulation that he was not positioned as the managing general partner.
Kendrick, who owns a 12 percent share, assumed that role.
That structure wasn't going to change in the immediate future, and Moorad, who spent most of his adult life working and living in Southern California, said he and his family had a strong conviction to return to their roots. Thus, buying into the Padres became a highly attractive option.
When Moorad joined the Diamondbacks, it was in financial disarray, with a high annual debt on Chase Field. But after raising millions of dollars by taking in a group of limited partners and paying down substantial deferred player-related debt, the D-backs now find themselves on much more sturdy financial footing than they experienced nearly five years ago.
As far as the Padres are concerned, Moores said he's invested $100 million in the team over the course of 14 years and has a sizeable debt service tied to the construction of PETCO Park, at a cost of $454 million. The ballpark, after two years of court delays, opened in 2004 and the Padres assumed $153 million of the construction cost in bonds that are being paid off annually.
For various reasons, the two National League West franchises are similar. They maintain relatively modest player payrolls, but both have been successful recently in the division, with the Padres finishing in first place in 2005 and 2006 and the D-backs accomplishing the same in 2007 after winning the World Series in 2001.
The D-backs have won the West four times in their 11-year history. The Padres, heading into their 41st season, have won it five times and have gone to the World Series twice, losing in 1984 and 1998 to the Tigers and the Yankees, respectively.

Barry M. Bloom is a national reporter for MLB.com This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Play Ball !!!

Moores-Morrad.....Sale imminent ?

2009-02-03T10:17:00.000-08:00

Sale might happen very soon

The San Diego UT is reporting that the parties involved could be very close to finalizing the sale of the San Diego Padres. The big question to fans is will this sale open up team payroll for the 2009 season.... Hopefully it will !

Moores-Moorad sale talks ongoing

Bill Center (Contact)

Monday, February 2, 2009

Padres owner John Moores and potential buyer Jeff Moorad could be close to announcing a definitive sales agreement that could transfer the Padres to Moorad's group by the middle of the month.

Several sources told The San Diego Union-Tribune on Monday that representatives of Moores and Moorad were negotiating the sale through the weekend, although Moorad's “exclusive negotiating period” expired Saturday.

The agreement, which sources said could be signed this week, calls for cash and an assumption of debt. The selling price will include the total of that debt.

The total cost of the sale, which includes the Padres' interest in Petco Park, should top $400 million.

Sources earlier told the Union-Tribune that John and Becky Moores, who are going through a divorce, will get at least $80 million in cash as part of the sale.

They also will be relieved of $200 million in debt related mostly to the construction of Petco Park. About $140 million of stadium bond debt is set at an 8 percent interest rate that cannot be prepaid.

The sources did not know whether John Moores would retain an ownership interest in the “small but significant” group being put together by Moorad, who earlier said he would have the largest financial stake in the Padres if the sale is completed.

Moores paid about $84 million in 1994 when he purchased the Padres from a group led by Hollywood television producer Tom Werner.

Neither the Padres, the Arizona Diamondbacks nor Major League Baseball commented Monday on the progress of the talks between the Mooreses and Moorad's group.

Moorad resigned as Managing Partner and CEO of the Diamondbacks on Jan. 3 after reaching an agreement in principle to buy the Padres.

Given the Moores divorce, other minor interests in the Padres' present ownership, the interests and debts in Petco Park and the fact that Moorad represents a group, several sources told the Union-Tribune that the “definitive agreement” is complicated and layered.

Following the signing of the “definitive agreement,” both sides will proceed through a number of steps leading to closing, which could come by the end of the month.

Moorad had been with the Diamondbacks the past 4½ years. For 20 years before that, Moorad was a powerful agent to baseball stars, including Manny Ramirez, Will Clark, Ivan Rodriguez and Mo Vaughn. Moorad also is a partner in a group that owns a NASCAR racing team.

“It's a jewel of a franchise,” Moorad said of the Padres in January after acquiring exclusive negotiating rights for his “West Coast group with representation from the San Diego area.” Moorad is a longtime resident of Newport Beach and has strong ties to Orange County.

One source said there was an 80-20 chance the sale would soon be finalized.”

Staff writers Tim Sullivan and Tom Krasovic contributed to this report.

Play Ball !!!

As of today our potential 2009 roster looks like this

2009-01-28T10:32:00.000-08:00

Line up
1- 1b- AGon
2- 2b- Eckstein
3- SS- LRod, Burke, or maybe even Everth Cabrera (rule 5 p/u)
4- 3b- Kouz
5- LF- Headley
6- CF- Gerut
7- RF- Giles
8- C - Hundley

Strangely enough it's not that bad... and might have the best overall IF in the NLWest

Rotation
9- Peavy
10- CY
11- Baek
12- Ryu
13- Prior, LeBlanc ( Ramos, etc... )

Still desperately need to find a legit #3 either by trade or FA, more likely in trade for maybe Kouz ?

Bench
14- Burke
15- Hairston
16- EGon ( or a left handed bat not yet on the team )
17- Blanco
18- Cabrera

Bully - (In no special order)
19- Bell
20- Britton
21- Meredith
22- Nova ( rule 5 p/u )
23- Adams
24- Thatcher
25- Worrell
26- Reinke
27- Hampson

Not set, and still a couple players heavy, but starting to take shape

Play Ball !!!

Back up Catcher signed to mentor Hundley

2009-01-28T10:23:00.000-08:00

Padres sign Blanco

SAN DIEGO -- Padres general manager Kevin Towers could have easily filled the vacancy for a backup catcher from within the organization or with someone other than 37-year-old Henry Blanco.
But Towers wasn't merely looking for a Sunday catcher -- someone who usually starts one day a week, collecting cobwebs sitting on the bench the other six days of the week.
Instead, Towers was looking for a mentor for 25-year-old catcher Nick Hundley, who impressed during his three-month stint last season after being recalled from Triple-A Portland.
So on Tuesday, Towers picked up the phone and called former Padres pitcher Greg Maddux to procure feedback on what kind of player, mentor and clubhouse presence Blanco was during their time together with the Cubs and Braves.
Apparently, Towers liked what he heard, and on Wednesday the Padres signed Blanco to a one-year deal for $750,000 to occasionally spell Hundley and provide mentorship to a player the Padres think very highly of.

Play Ball !!!

Bell to Close for Padres in 2009

2009-01-28T10:13:00.000-08:00

Padres Ink Bell

Heath Bell has some pretty big shoes to fill, but hopefully the fire baller is up to the task. Corey Brock reports that he's signed a 1 year deal for $1.255m. Hopefully he'll have a successful transition into his new role.

SAN DIEGO -- The new year isn't a month old, yet it's already shaping up to be a very good one for Padres' relief pitcher Heath Bell.
And it could get even better.
On Tuesday, the 31-year-old avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $1.255 million contract to succeed Major League career saves leader Trevor Hoffman as closer.
A new role, a new contract and now the possibility of a more lucrative future, as general manager Kevin Towers indicated Tuesday that a multiyear deal with Bell could be done sooner than later.
"We explored it in September for probably about a month. It's something we're still open to. Talking with his adviser, we said, 'let's agree on a one-year deal now.' I imagine that's something we will explore in the next couple days. I don't see this thing dragging out."
It's pretty heady stuff for Bell, who kicked around the New York Mets organization for parts of nine seasons, with a handful of stints at the Major League level, before landing for good in San Diego, where he admits, after two seasons here, that it feels like home.
"They're really happy with my performance on the field. I'm very happy to be a part of the Padres organization. I can now sit back and smile and say, 'I'm in the Major Leagues and I'm doing really well.' I'm pretty thrilled.
"Then again, I'm going into a new role as closer. I want to prove myself. I just need to keep doing what I've been doing. I can prove to the Major Leagues and everyone else that I can close and be a closer to reckon with in the league."
Bell had a 2.02 ERA in 2007 and a 3.58 ERA a year ago that was skewed by the five runs he allowed over his final three appearances. Bell has 173 strikeouts over 171 2/3 innings with only 58 walks over the past two seasons, leading the Padres to believe he'll be able to handle the closer role.
"I expect Heath to be no different in this role than he was last year. I look for him to be as successful in the closers role," Towers said. "He's got the makeup, he has the confidence. He has closed before. He's a strike-thrower has a plus breaking ball and no fear."
Aside from a new role, Bell is planning on taking a more defined leadership role with the team, especially among relievers, now that Hoffman has moved on to Milwaukee. Better still, Bell wants the bullpen, statistically the best in the Major Leagues two years ago, to regain its place among the best in the game.
"I'm going to come into spring and set the tone. ... I'm going to take pride in the bullpen," he said. "Now I feel like it's my bullpen since I'm the closer. One of my goals is to get our bullpen back to where it was as a force to be reckoned with. If you're going to be in the pen, you better keep the ball down and pump the strike zone."

Play Ball !!

2009 Lake Elsinore Schedule is out

2009-01-14T16:30:00.000-08:00

And for the love of all that is decent and holy, don't forget Thirsty Thursdays folks........ $1 beers during the 7th inning..... it's a must at the Diamond.......cheers ! See you there

Play Ball !!

San Diego Gas Lamp Quarter is getting an old friend back

2009-01-13T16:21:00.001-08:00

The Old Spaghetti Factory was a landmark in downtown San Diego for decades, and was forced out a couple years ago. But never fear pasta fans.......the popular restaurant is coming back, and will be ready to serve you your favorite dishes in time for baseball season.

What took over when The OSF vacated was Dussini's Mediterranean Bistro, and apparently they will remain in a small capacity. The upstairs will become The Loft at Dussini's, while the downstairs will reestablish itself as The Old Spaghetti Factory. This is good news all the way around as it returns to downtown one of the best feasting spots known to mankind, but it also increases the size and class of the bar inside the restaurant which should draw all kinds.......and both should benefit from the other.

Great news for us here in Padre land since we all know the front door of The Spaghetti Factory is a direct shot into the Brick Yard gate of Petco........should see quite a few Padre fans eating dinner before night games this year.

Play Ball !!

Padres sign Prior for 2009

2009-01-13T16:13:00.001-08:00

Padres sign two to minor league deals

Padres sign Mark Prior to a minor league deal today once again locking up the former NL star, and giving him an invite to spring training.

They also signed Chris Burke the utility role player to a minor league deal as well.

Mad Friars has a write up as on of their freebies. Don't miss this opportunity to check out the most comprehensive MiLB Friars site on the web.

Play Ball !!!

YOOOOOOOO Adrian

2008-11-05T16:38:00.000-08:00

Adrian Gonzalez won his first, of hopefully many, Gold Glove today. The San Diego native, and smooth fielding first baseman was one of the lone bright spots in an otherwise dismal season for the Padres.

Straight from the Padres site ....

SAN DIEGO -- John Boggs, the agent for San Diego first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, was talking about the National League All-Star last month, though the conversation wasn't so much about his offense as his defense.
"What does he got to do to win a Gold Glove?" Boggs said.

On Wednesday, Boggs and Gonzalez got their answer, as the 26-year-old was awarded the National League's Rawlings Gold Glove Award for his defensive play at first base.
It is the first Gold Glove Award for Gonzalez and the 20th in franchise history, as well as the first for a first baseman in franchise history.
Gonzalez, the 10th Padre to win the award, joins the likes of Tony Gwynn, Ozzie Smith, Dave Winfield and Ken Caminiti.
Gonzalez, who along with Philadelphia's Ryan Howard were the only National League players to appear in 162 games last season, tied with Houston's Lance Berkman and St. Louis' Albert Pujols for the best fielding percentage (.996) among NL first basemen.
The left-handed Gonzalez made six errors in 1,442 chances in 161 games at first base.
"He made plays with his arm," said Padres manager Bud Black, who often marveled at Gonzalez's ability to make the 3-6-3 double play look easy.
Gonzalez, a first-time All-Star, wasn't bad with the bat, either. He hit .279 with 36 home runs and 119 RBIs, ranking fifth in the league in home runs and third in RBIs.
"Without him, I do not know where we would be. He's played pretty much every day. He's been tremendous, with the power, the RBIs, the defense; he's been an All-Star performer, no doubt. He's been our best player," Black said.
Also, Greg Maddux picked up a record 18th Gold Glove Award of his illustrious career, named the NL recipient for pitchers. Maddux, traded to the Dodgers on Aug. 19, made just three errors in 77 chances overall, including his time with the Padres before the waiver trade. He was involved in four more double plays, extending his all-time record for a pitcher to 98.

Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Play Ball !!!

GM Meetings 2008

2008-11-04T16:32:00.000-08:00

Todd Kauffman Bio
Planet Padres Beat Writer

REBUILDING OR NOT, BIG CHANGES ARE IN STORE

The San Diego Padres could be in for some huge changes going into the 2009 season. New players coming in, familiar faces going out and possibly a player that was supposed to be the face of this franchise, may not be a Padre when the season opens next April.

As the GM Meetings open today in Dana Point, there's only one topic that Padre fans want to talk about, and that topic is whether or not Jake Peavy will be in a Padres uniform in 2009. According to reports, General Manager Kevin Towers is talking to at least three teams about the possibility of trading the Padres' ace. The one team that seems to be on the top of that list is the Atlanta Braves, but Towers says any deal will be based on quality not quantity, meaning any deal he makes with any team will have to involve the right players in return.

"In any type of Peavy deal, ideally we'd get pitching, but we want the best players back and are focusing to improve our club in '09 and beyond,"
said Towers. "If a deal presents itself that doesn't make us better, then I don't see us moving him."
A player that might be included in the deal, from San Diego, is long time short stop Khalil Greene. The Padres seem to have tired of his constant injuries and lack of offensive ability the past few years, so why not include him in the deal?

If you're asking me about all this, I think dealing Peavy is the wrong way to go about "rebuilding," if in fact that's what the Padres are doing. Jake is still one of the premier pitchers in not just the National League, but in all of baseball, so why get rid of a big time pitcher like that?

Do I think this team can win in 2009, absolutely. Let's not kid ourselves here, these young players showed they know how to win. I know fans have been impatient for a number of years, yes I know the argument of "we were promised this and we were promised that," continues to come up but this franchise is almost to the point where they're reaping the benefits of rebuilding their farm system. You saw players like Chase Headley, Will Venable, Wade LeBlanc and Josh Geer come up and make an impact, and they weren't even up for a full season, imagine what they could do with a full season with the Padres.

This team isn't going to spend money like Boston, New York and LA, but I believe they have the talent to really be a surprise in the NL West next year. Don't believe me, that's fine, I'll still be here if I'm wrong, but I think the 2009 team is going to be a team Padre fans will really enjoy
Play Ball !!!

Mark Prior Halloweeen Update

2008-10-22T02:09:00.000-07:00

October 15th San Diego, CA

Planet Padres ran into Mark Prior (and family) at a local pumpkin patch in Mission Valley, and had a chance to have a very informal, unofficial, quick conversation with him. He was simply there doing the Halloween family thing and disturbing his family outing wasn't our goal, but of course we had to say hello. Below are some pictures and a paraphrased version of our conversation to give a little update on how he's doing.

We asked Mark a couple of questions-
PP: Mark you look fit, how does your arm feel.........?
Prior: It feels very good right now......
PP: Are you looking to comeback to the Padres next year ?
Prior: I really hope I'm back next year, this is where I want to be.......
PP: Can we look forward to seeing you in Peoria next Spring, or is it too soon to say ?
Prior: I hope that's where I am come spring time, San Diego is where me and my family want to be.....

Again this is paraphrasing our brief conversation, as no recorder was used. We then went on to take a few shots of Mark to illustrate that, while he's not throwing, he is lifting a wheel barrow and placing direct pressure and weight on his surgically repaired shoulder.

Aside from everything else, this guy has a mean eye for the squash......Some fine choices were made this day.

As you can plainly see, he's having no issues with about 150lbs of downward pull on his shoulder. Again while this of course isn't throwing a baseball, it would sure seem that this 28 year old, former CY caliber arm very well might finally be on the road to recovery.

So the question becomes do the Padres take another shot with Mark and throw him a bone like they did last year ? The way we see it is that the $$$ still is worth the low risk involved. This Friar fan sure hopes they bring back Prior once again in the hopes that his troubles are behind him finally.

Play Ball !!!

2008 Grades

2008-10-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

2008 Grades

Well as much as it pains me to do this, and beleive me it does, here are the following grades as this friar fan sees it.

1b - A+ Well we might as well start off with one of our only shining spots of the season in Adrian Gonzalez. This guy continues to be an amazing player and put up outstanding #'s in his 3rd full season. He hit for a career high in HR's in one of the toughest hitter parks in MLB, and career highs in RBI on a team that sported one of if not the worst OBP in baseball. That means he was driving in runs almost every time he could. I'm not sure the team could have expected anything more from this position this year.

2b- C- This 2nd base started out the year as a complete disaster as Tad Iguchi, brought in specifically to shore up this hole, got off to a horrible start eventually landing on the DL. The only reason this grade is up at all is due to the emergence and pleasant surprise of Edgar Gonzalez. He was called on to start when Iguchi went down, and was able to hit over .300 for a sustained period of time, before finally tailing off toward the end of the year.

3b- B- Kevin Kouzmanoff played a full season, and posted career highs in HR's and RBI, but also saw his OBP drop below the .300 mark by the end of the season. It was his 2nd full season at the big league level, and many were hoping for much more from the hitting side, but what they got instead was excellent defense. What was his biggest knock, became his biggest strength in 2008, and might just have put Kouz on the ML map for 3bags. If he is a Padre next year, I fully expect to see big #'s from this guy as his 3rd year could very well be his break out season.

SS- F What a huge disappointment Khalil Greene was this year. Posting career lows in just about every category, he seemed to only regress from every angle ultimately landing on the DL after having a meltdown, punching a wall, and breaking his hand. Luis Rodriguez filled in regularly after that, and while LRod can play defense fairly well, the lineup suffered greatly.

LF- C Once again the mess that is the LF corner reared its ugly head this year. The Padres couldn't decide whether to give the spot to Scott Hairston who plays solid defense, has some speed, showed tremendous power, but was very inconsistant at the plate.....or to go with Paul McAnulty who could very well be a good ML hitter, yet can't run or play Defense like Hairston. Finally they settled on bringing up Chase Headley, and giving the rookie his shot to play everyday. The one thing to take away from this position this season is that at least Chase got to play full time at this level and now knows what it takes to play at the ML level. Hopefully that will translate into a great 2009 from this kid whether it's in LF or at 3rd.

CF- C+ Jim Edmonds was a complete disaster and turned out to be a total flop trade for the Padres. He was a shot in the dark and our 4th option for a CFer going into last year, and just didn't pan out. However once the Padres finally severed ties with the veteran they handed the reigns over to a guy on the comeback trail, Jody Gerut. In Gerut the Padres found gold ! Coming off multiple knee injuries the jury was still out on if he could still play, but those questions have all been answered ......and it's a resounding YES ....... He will likely be the starting CFer going into 2009 and hopefully for a few years to come.

RF- A The model of consitency, and prototype ballplayer that this organization needs. The only shame is that we can't clone him and run him out to all the OF positions. Brian Giles had another fantastic season hitting over .300 with an OBP right at .400. True his HR power has been lost to age, but this guy can still play an outstanding RF. He's got an option for 2009, and I for one sure hope that the Padres don't screw around and hurry to pick that option up.

C- D+ The combonation of Bard and Barrett was very disapppointing, and once again Barrett left much to be desired and didn't live up to his career norms. This position had it's major challenges this year also however as it was ravaged by injuries ultimately counting on a AAA and AA catcher to platoon and get the job done, and the positon remained another huge hole in the lineup. Hundley and Carlin were able to do one thing however and that was stop the opposing running game, something Bard and Barrett were unable to accomplish.

Bullpen- G The G is for complete and utter failure where an F simply wouldn't suffice, which is what our bullpen was this year. They blew lead after lead, let runners score at will.......and seemed unable to slam any door shut. Kevin Towers has had remarkable success building bullpens year after year with what many consider castoffs, but this year just about everything they tried ended wrong. The long bright spot was the emergence of Mike Adams. Hopefully he can build on his 2008 season have a full season of success in 2009.

Bench- D Between guys like Crabbe, Myrow, Huber & Clark its easy to understand just how bad this bench was this year. And in a season filled with so many key injuries it stuck out like a sore thumb when it was called on to fill in regularly. This cannot repeat itself next year if the Padres have any hope of competing.

Rotation- C- Peavy, CY, Maddux, Wolf, Estes ......... The season started with expectations of a totally dominant rotation, but those hopes quickly fizzled when Peavy, CY & Estes all got injured. Luckily Peavy's injury wasn't as bad as originally thought, and we were also lucky that CY's injury to his face seems to have no lasting effects. However relying on Maddux and Wolf as our 1-2 punch with a load of castoffs filling in the blanks took it's toll and the results were disasterous for the season. By the time Peavy got back, even the staff ace couldn't make up the difference. In the end the Padres traded away both Maddux and Wolf, in favor of brining up a few young kids to give them a taste of the bigs. Wade LeBlanc , the changeup artist, appeared overmatched, during the majority of his outtings, but Josh Geer might be a guy to keep an eye on. Having no special pitches, Josh appears to have a great baseball head, and seemed to approach each batter with a plan.

Overall- D This season was entered with huge expectations, mainly that holes had been plugged, and the needed fixes were made from the season before where the Padres fell short of the playoffs by one game........Clearly this was not the case, and it's back to the drawing board for the Brain Trust. The best thing to take away from this season might be how many young players got some amazing exposure to the big leagues. Hopefully that will help show them what it takes to play at this level, and they can take that with them back to the farm and build on it.

Play Ball !!!

Ft. Wayne gets a new name

2008-10-04T12:20:00.000-07:00

The Single A affiliate in Ft. Wayne gets a new name and logo.......They will go from the Wizards, to the Tin Caps, and it looks like it should be a pretty fun hat to own. Click on the logo above to be taken to the site. The name is in reference to the legend of Johnny Appleseed, but is causing some controversy over how accurate the depiction of Appleseed with a pot on his head really is.

How about we just enjoy the logo and not put too much thought into whether or not it represents something accurate or not.............IT'S JUST A LOGO !!! Speaking of which here is the official logo.

10/2/2008 9:35:00 AM
Fort Wayne TinCaps!

Fort Wayne, IN - When Parkview Field opens next season, Fort Wayne and the surrounding communities in Northeast Indiana, Northwest Ohio and Southern Michigan will be cheering on the Fort Wayne TinCaps. Hardball Capital CEO Jason Freier, and team general manager Mike Nutter, unveiled the team’s new identity and logo at a press conference at the Grand Wayne Center this morning.
The “TinCaps” moniker is a reference to the beloved pioneer Johnny Appleseed, who was known for wearing his tin cooking pot upon his head. The primary logo will be an apple wearing Johnny’s trademark “Tin Cap.” Two alternate logos will incorporate the City’s initials, “FW” with each a “Tin Cap” and an apple stem and leaf. The team’s primary color scheme will consist of organic colors -- green, red and brown. This color scheme is consistent with both the Johnny Appleseed theme and the project goal of creating Parkview Field as a true park and gathering place within the center of downtown Fort Wayne.
“In Minor League Baseball you have the opportunity to create a brand that with a true regional flavor,” stated General Manager, Mike Nutter. “Johnny Appleseed, while known nationally, is a regional pioneer and folk hero. His story, and the history of this area, gives us an identity that is distinctively Fort Wayne. Johnny was a pioneer of the Midwest frontier in a time with seemingly endless opportunity. We feel a part of a new frontier in Fort Wayne’s growing downtown with the continued development of the Harrison Square project.”
Although the name and identity were arrived at (and were working their way through Minor League Baseball’s processes) prior to the time that the agreement was reached with Parkview Health to be the naming rights partner at Parkview Field, the confluence of the apple theme’s classic symbol of health and well-being, and the partnership with Parkview is viewed by both the team and Parkview as fortuitous.
The creation of a new identity for the team began with a community-wide “Re-Name the Team” contest that drew over 2,500 suggestions over the course of the two week entry period. Further input was collected from the community regarding some of the more prevalent categories identified as a result of the contest entries. At the close of the process all of the suggestions and input were considered by local and national marketing experts along with the team’s staff and ownership. The team sought a new identity that had its roots in the Fort Wayne community, would appeal to a wide audience and was unique in the crowded national sports landscape.
The TinCaps will begin play at Parkview Field on Thursday, April 16th at 7:00pm when they take on the Dayton Dragons on Opening Day of the new ballpark.

Play Ball !!!

Padres are smoked in first two games with Dodgers

2008-09-25T10:50:00.000-07:00

That's all I wanna say on this subject...... well that at MY GOD MANNY RAMIREZ OWNS US !!!

Ok I'm done.......

Play Ball !!!

Padres sweep Nats, and likely their chances at Strasburg

2008-09-22T08:50:00.000-07:00

Padres complete sweep with a 6-2 win

Well the Padres entered this series with the Nationals tied with them in the race for Strasburg ( or the 1st overall pick), and proceeded to sweep the hapless Nats, and likely their chances of obtaining the top pick at the same time. The Seattle Mariners have thrown away the season it appears, and might have secured the worst record in MLB with a poor showing vs. the Royals. Meanwhile the Padres are now looking at the 3rd overall pick, and that could likely mean no Strasburg. There is always the possibility that he'll fall in the draft a spot or two, this all depends on whether or not other teams feel they can sign him or afford him. Seattle shouldn't have a problem doing either, but they might be looking to target a position player and not a pitcher. Doubtful, but possible.

Meanwhile through all the badness of 2008 AGon continued his onslaught with the bat, and quietly posted one of the best seasons of any Padres 1bman in the history of the franchise. With a week left in the season, he's still got a chance to climb even higher on those lists as well. At season end I'll give a run down on exactly what he's accomplsihsed, but so far he's hit 35 HR's and has 116 RBI, on a dismal team making it all the more impressive.

Final week of baseball coming up everyone, then it's what hopefully will be one of the most active and best offseasons for this team in recent memory.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
San Diego	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	3	0	6	8	1
Washington	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	2	8	1

PLAY BALL !!!

Warning........warning........warning......hijinx in full swing

2008-09-18T18:26:00.000-07:00

Want to play Major League Baseball ? Want to be a Sept. call up ? Welcome to the 2008 San Diego Padres Rookie's.

Not sure what else to say about this so I don't think I'll say anything at all.........

Play Ball !!