Padres MiLB June 30 Players of the Day

Ground-rules: you won’t see a too-old-for-his-league non-prospect get an award. The award may not go to the best performance of the previous night, but what I deem the most significant performance of the night…

Minor League Hitter of the Day

Chad Huffman (AA): 2-3, 2B, RBI

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

Wynn Pelzer (Low-A): 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO, 0 HR

Other Commentary

I haven’t been the biggest Wynn Pelzer fan… But he’s had two straight very nice games (combined: 11 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 13 SO). Over his last 10 games he is 4-1 and has a 3.10 ERA with a 7.53 K/9 rate. He didn’t play professional ball last year, so I don’t have a track record to analyze. Pelzer is an interesting guy to watch going forward.

Padres MiLB June 29 Players of the Day

Ground-rules: you won’t see a too-old-for-his-league non-prospect get an award. The award may not go to the best performance of the previous night, but what I deem the most significant performance of the night…

Minor League Hitter of the Day

Eric Sogard (High-A): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

Jeremy McBryde (Low-A): 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR

Other Commentary

Eric Sogard now has 24 doubles and three home runs. His overall line is .320/.424/.438. Not only that, but he walks more than he strikes out (54 to 33).

The Padres have three positions that need to be addressed in the coming years (more than three really, but three that are relevant to my discussion): second base, shortstop, and center field. There are enough prospects to fill all three holes as long as Drew Cumberland “makes it.” However, after that there are a few players vying for the big league roles: Sogard, Matt Antonelli, and Cedric Hunter. Furthermore, some people expect Cumberland to move off SS and eventually man CF. This is a good thing; the Padres want multiple solutions at every position. It will be fun to watch.

Another thought…

When the Padres opened Petco back in 2004, they thought that short right field corner porch would come into play more often that it has and that the ballpark would favor left-handed hitting. It hasn’t. Despite that, the Padres continue to stockpile left-handed hitters: Eric Sogard, Mitch Canham, Cedric Hunter, Jaff Decker, Allan Dykstra (assuming he signs), Kellen Kulbacki, Andrew Cumberland, Will Venable, etc… Very few of the organizations top hitters hit right-handed (Antonelli, Huffman, Blanks are notable exceptions).

I don’t write that to be critical. I firmly believe the Padres know what they’re doing.

Padres MiLB June 28 Players of the Day

Ground-rules: you won’t see a too-old-for-his-league non-prospect get an award. The award may not go to the best performance of the previous night, but what I deem the most significant performance of the night…

Minor League Hitter(s) of the Day

Chad Huffman: 3-4, 3B, RBI, SO
Kyle Blanks: 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, SO

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

Wade Leblanc: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO, 1 HR

Other Commentary

In Wade Leblanc’s last seven starts, he has thrown 40.0 innings and allowed 13 earned runs. Over that span, which began with five innings of shutout baseball on May 27, Leblanc has posted a 1.93 ERA. And during those 40 innings, Wade has struck out 59 while walking only 12 and allowing only 26 hits.

The Padres front office may or may not promote him in the next few weeks - I’m guessing they will not - but I will guess that Wade will start 2009 in the San Diego rotation.

Expectations, Performance, and 2009 Draft

Every once in a while a good/decent team performs significantly below expectations… For instance, in 2007 many experts thought the White Sox, Athletics, and Dodgers would challenge for their respective division titles. Instead, each of those teams finished fourth in their divisions and in this past draft, they picked 8, 12, and 15 respectively.

Right now the Padres are playing poorly. However, there’s really no reason why a team with Peavy, Young, Maddux, Bell, Hoffman, A. Gonzalez, and Giles shouldn’t be able to compete. With that mix of stars and solid veterans the front office should be able to fill in around the core. Unfortunately for Padres fans injuries, untimely miscues, under-performing regulars, and poor roster decisions have crippled the 2008 season.

On the bright side, the front office generally does a good job of finding talent and the farm is about to start harvesting the talent that they’ve been cultivating the last few years.

Right now the Padres are tied with the Washington Nationals for the second worst record in baseball. If you examine the collective records among the teams with worst records, you’ll notice some groupings: there are four teams 17+ games behind the Red Sox and an additional five teams that are 12+ games out. With the talent the Padres do have, they should be able to climb out of the cellar, but it is unlikely they’ll climb out of that bottom third.

I bring all this up to point out that the Padres will likely pick in the top 10 of next year’s amateur draft. Immediately following the draft Jonathan Mayo, of MiLB.com, posted an article about some of the top talent for next year’s draft.

I am already excited (I am such a draft geek)!

Padres MiLB June 27 Players of the Day

Ground-rules: you won’t see a too-old-for-his-league non-prospect get an award. The award may not go to the best performance of the previous night, but what I deem the most significant performance of the night…

Minor League Hitter(s) of the Day

Jaff Decker: 2-4, 2B, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB, SO
Eric Sogard: 2-5, 2B, HR, R, RBI, SO
Kellen Kulbacki: 2-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, BB, 2 SO

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

Stephen Faris: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR
Simon Castro: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR

Other Commentary

The Padres, like most teams, send their high school draftees to Rookie leagues (the Arizona League in the Padres’ case) and they send their college draftees to the Short-Season A-ball (the Northwest League). Jaff Decker, understandably, is playing in the Arizona League. However, if he keeps playing like this, he won’t be there long. In 4 games and 14 AB, Decker has 7 hits, 2 doubles, a home run, 6 walks (vs. 2 strikeouts), and 2-for-2 in stolen base attempts. Now 4 games is WAY too small of a sample size from which to draw conclusions. However, we already know Decker has a sweet swing. The AZL might not be enough of a challenge. Should we start the promotion watch?

Matt Antonelli is described as one of the best athletes in the entire Padres’ system. And his transition to 2B is going well (except for his hitting this season in AAA). However, experts are divided as to whether he can stay at the keystone corner… Those questions combined with his athleticism suggest a potential move to CF. Another factor that could help force Matt off second, is Eric Sogard.

Eric doesn’t have tremendous power, his HR Friday night is only his second of the season, but his double was his 23rd. Eric is also a superior defensive second baseman.

Kellen Kulbacki was listed as a member of the Lake Elsinore Storm (High-A) to start 2008. However, he was injured when the season kicked off. As a result of that injury and some roster needs in Fort Wayne (Low-A), Kulbacki got his 2008 season started with the Fort Wayne Wizards. In 18 games, Kellen hit: .164/.260/.295. The Padres then brought him back up to Lake Elsinore where he continued to struggle. He hit .221/.361/.309 in May. Now, with June almost wrapped up, we see why the Padres were so high on Kellen (.310/.425/.606 so far this month).

Kellen and Jaff each profile best in RF. It will be fun to watch how this plays out.

Padres MiLB June 26 Players of the Day

Ground-rules: you won’t see a too-old-for-his-league non-prospect get an award. The award may not go to the best performance of the previous night, but what I deem the most significant performance of the night…

Minor League Hitter of the Day

Nick Hundley: 2-5, HR, R, 3 RBI, SO

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

Clay Hensley: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO, 1 HR

Other Commentary

Tonight was the Nick Hundley show in Portland. In the ninth, down by two, Nick launched a two-run, game-tying HR. Then, in the tenth, he singled home Chip Ambres for the game-winner.

How good is Nick Hundley as a prospect? I’m glad you asked! I like Nick quite a bit. When he was coming out of the University of Arizona, he was generally regarded as the second best defensive catcher available. And the Padres selected him in the second round. He has considerable power (20 HR last year in the Texas League and 11 so far in the Pacific Coast League), the question, is whether he will make enough contact to be a starter or if he’ll be relegated to a role as a solid back up.

Due Diligence

As excited as I am about Jaff Decker, I have actually been equally excited to see how Allan Dykstra performs once he signs... On June 11, Tom Krasovic reported that the Padres had "agreed to terms," with Dykstra. However, two weeks later an official report of that signing has not come through. Now we learn why. "[T]he Padres said Wednesday they're slowing down negotiations in light of a pre-existing medical condition."

Apparently, "Dykstra was diagnosed with avascular necrosis in his right hip and doctors also discovered a tumor on his thigh bone..."

Yikes!

Padres MiLB June 25 Players of the Day

Ground-rules: you won’t see a too-old-for-his-league non-prospect get an award. The award may not go to the best performance of the previous night, but what I deem the most significant performance of the night…

Silver lining: With the Padres recent struggles, they will pick higher in next year’s draft.

Minor League Hitter of the Day

Jaff Decker: 2-3, 2B, RBI, BB, SO, SB

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

Wynn Pelzer: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR

Other Commentary

Jaff Decker is one of the youngest hitters on the AZL Padres roster; among hitters, only 17 year-old, Edinson Rincon (currently on the DL) is younger. And yet, Decker bats in the three hole. On July 22, Tom Krasovic quoted Grady Fuson, “If he was even 6-foot, 200 pounds you would have been looking at him in the top level of the first round.” If you watched Decker's YouTube video, to which I linked yesterday, you saw a repeatable, smooth, powerful stroke. And while he was hitting in a controlled environment (hitting off a pitching machine) he hit at least two out to straight-away CF and 2 the other way to LF… While we can only speculate about his athleticism, his two stolen bases in two games can only be encouraging. Decker may have the highest upside of any hitter in the Padres’ system.

Padres MiLB Players of the Day for June 24

Ground-rules: you won’t see a too-old-for-his-league non-prospect get an award. The award may not go to the best performance of the previous night, but what I deem the most significant performance of the night…

Minor League Hitter of the Day

Jaff Decker: 1-3, RBI, BB, SB

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

N/A

Other Commentary

If you haven’t already seen it, check out Jaff’s YouTube Video, and if you still are not excited about this kid’s potential, then we can tell you’re actually a Dodger fan.

Without breaking my rules, I cannot in good faith name a Pitcher of the Day… New Padre farmhands, Alessio Angelucci (19 years old from South Africa), Nick Schumacher (22 from Univ. of Nebraska), Gary Poynter (21 from Lubbock Christian University), and Brad Branch (22 from Monmouth College) each had good performances in the AZL; less than a hit an inning and at least a strikeout per inning. I just do not know enough about any of them to anoint them full prospect status…

Back!

I’m back.

I miss this so much… I cannot stay away.

Geoff Young adopted my Minor League Report style (though he admittedly added his own tweaks to improve it) so I need to do something different…

So without further fanfare (not that I would get any fanfare anyway), I’m debuting my daily Minor League Hitter and Minor League Pitcher of the day.

To lay out some ground-rules, you won’t see a too-old-for-his-league non-prospect get an award. The award may not go to the best performance of the previous night, but what I deem the most significant performance of the night (i.e. Carrillo’s 2 scoreless IP a week ago would have won it even if another prospect had a better night)…

On to the awards:

Minor League Hitter of the Day

Andrew Cumberland: 3-4, 3 R, RBI, BB, SO, 2 SB

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

Will Inman: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 11 SO, 1 HR (93 pitches)

Other Commentary

I’ve posted several thoughts about the draft over at Geoff Young’s Ducksnorts.com and I will prepare a breakdown for you all at a later date… However, let me just say, I’m excited to see Jaff Decker’s line tomorrow in the AZL and I eager to see Allan Dykstra finally ink with us and get in uniform as well.

Thanks for reading, see you tomorrow!