Padres MiLB July 4, Players of the Day

Happy 4th of July! God Bless the U.S.A.!

If you served or are currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, we all owe you a huge debt of gratitude. Thanks for all you do!

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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

Jonathan Galvez (DSL): 2-3, 2B, 2 R, RBI, BB
Luis Durango (Low-A): 4-6, 2 R, RBI, 2 SB, CS (and an OF assist)
Kyle Blanks (AA): 3-6, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 SO, SB – rain-suspended 7/3; concluded 7/4
Kyle Blanks (AA): 2-4, 2 2B, R, 2 RBI, SO

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

Drew Miller (High-A): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR

Other Commentary

Unless your name is Denis Savage or John Conniff (MadFriars’ dynamic duo) “Luis Durango” is not a name you think of often. Let’s take a closer look. In 2006, as a 20 year-old, Luis led the Arizona League in batting average and on-base percentage and had an overall line of: .378/.470/.448. As a 21 year-old in the Northwest League, he again led his league in batting average and had an overall line of: .367/.422/.460. His game is all contact and plate discipline; in 674 career minor league AB, Durango has 15 doubles, 13 triples, and 3 home runs – it is easy to envision a Juan Pierre career (actually, that is probably Durango’s upside – albeit with better defense and better plate discipline). Durango can make contact, and he is fast enough to keep defenses honest. It will be interesting to see how he fares as he continues to advance.

Kyle Blanks is on fire. In his last 10 games he is hitting .422 with 5 doubles and 4 home runs.

Jaff Decker’s 2-4 day wasn’t enough to merit inclusion in the Hitter(s) of the Day, however he does deserve comment. Decker made his professional debut on June 24 and notched his first single. On June 30, his sixth professional game, Decker went o-fer for the first time as a professional. In each of his other seven games he has recorded two hits (collectively 15-34). I hope the home-town boy isn’t dependant on home cooking, because the way he is hitting, he will be promoted soon.