Padres MiLB July 1 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

Kyle Blanks (AA): 4-5, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI
Mitch Canham (High-A): 3-5, 3 2B, 2 RBI
Sam Carter (High-A): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI
Jeudy Valdez (SS): 3-4, 3 2B, R, 2 RBI, SO

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

Steve Garrison (AA): 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO, 1 HR

Other Commentary

In 2006, with the Padres Low-A affiliate, Kyle Blanks hit .292/.382/.455 in 308 AB (he missed part of the season with leg infection). In 2007, with the Padres High-A affiliate, Kyle sacrificed a few walks (from 11.7% of his ABs to 9.5%) for increased power (31 doubles and 24 home runs). In 2008, now in AA, Kyle is searching for patience (now at 12.5% of his ABs) and his power numbers have dipped; tonight was Kyle’s 8th HR and we’ve just passed the halfway point. Now if Kyle is going to continue to hit .319 with a .400+ on-base percentage a small power dip is acceptable…

I hate to be negative, but I cannot get excited about Sam Carter. He is doing well in High-A (.279/.358/.470) but he is 25 years old and while he is doing well, he is not dominating.

Other commentary: Jaff Decker’s day wasn’t impressive enough to merit inclusion here (2-4, 2 R, RBI, BB, 2 SO), it is impressive that he bounced back from his first no-hit game (yesterday’s 0-5) with another 2-hit game… Decker might not be the Padres best hitting prospect, but he probably is the most intriguing.