Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Padres MiLB July 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

Kyle Blanks (AA): 3-6, HR, R, 3 RBI, SO

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

Juan Oramas (DSL): 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR

Other Commentary

Who is Juan Oramus? Yeah, I don’t know either… But the eight-teen year old has great numbers: 37.0 IP, 16 H, and a 17/51 BB/SO ratio.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Padres MiLB July 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(s) of the Day

Stephen Figueroa (SS): 2-5; 2B, R, 2 SO
Cedric Hunter (High-A): 3-5, R, 2 SB
Kellen Kulbacki (High-A): 3-5, HR, R, 3 RBI
Mitch Canham (High-A): 2-5, 2B, 2 R, SO

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

n/a

Other Commentary

That Lake Elsinore team is stocked with Major League hitting prospects. In four years, it is conceivable that Canham, Hunter, Kulbacki, and Sogard are all in San Diego together…

Monday, July 28, 2008

Padres MiLB July 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

Sawyer Carroll (SS): 2-3, 2B, 2 R, 2 BB
Chad Huffman (AA): 1-2, HR, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB

Minor League Pitcher(s) of the Day

Juan Herrera (DSL): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR
Wynn Pelzer (Low-A): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 SO, 0 HR
Wade Leblanc (AAA): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR

Other Commentary

Juan Herrera? Yeah, I have no idea either… Going into tonight the seventeen year old had a 6.95 ERA in 22 innings with a 28/17 BB/SO ratio (yes, that is the correct order)… Prospect? Who knows, but that’s an impressive game.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Padres MiLB July 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

Jonathan Galvez (DSL): 0-0, BB – DSL All-Star game
Sawyer Carroll (SS): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB
Stephen Figueroa (SS): 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, CS, PO
Will Venable (AAA): 2-6, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI

Minor League Pitcher(s) of the Day

Jeremy McBryde (High-A): 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR
Cesar Ramos (AAA): 6.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 SO, 0 HR

Other Commentary

I don’t think of Sawyer Carroll (.315/399/.567) in the same light that I saw David Freese, but I am liking him more and more…

Stephen Figueroa (SS, Univ. of Florida, sixth round) signed this week and is playing in Eugene.

The Padres have some nice internal options at CF next year: Jody Gerut (.280/.353/.418) and Scott Hairston (.259/.311/.518) with the big league club and Will Venable (.309/.383/.497) in AAA…

I still don’t think Cesar Ramos is a legit prospect but he’s had a few nice performances lately (of course, those have been mixed in with a few awful ones too).

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Padres MiLB July 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(s) of the Day

Robert Lara (Rookie): 3-3, 2 2B, R, 2 BB
Sawyer Carroll (SS): 2-3, 2 2B, R, BB
Cedric Hunter (High-A): 2-5, HR, R, 4 RBI
Kellen Kulbacki (High-A): 2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI
Chad Huffman (AA): 2-5, 2B, R, RBI, SO

Minor League Pitcher(s) of the Day

Jeremy Hefner (Low-A): 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR
Mike Ekstrom (AA): 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR
Chad Reineke (AAA): 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 5 SO, 2 HR

Other Commentary

Robert Lara is 21 in Rookie-ball. How big of a prospect is he? I don't know but he is a catcher and he is hitting .388/.520/.500.

Kellen is a stud.

…so is Cedric.

Welcome to the Padres family Reineke.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Padres MiLB July 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…

Minor League Hitter of the Day

Blake Tekotte (SS): 3-4, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

Joshua Geer (AAA): 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR

Other Commentary

Weekend Rules: No commentary…

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Padres MiLB July 23 & 24, 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…

July 23rd games:

Minor League Hitter(s) of the Day

Blake Tekotte (SS): 2-4, R, RBI, SO, SB
Lance Zawadzki (Low-A): 3-4, RBI
Eric Sogard (High-A): 1-3, 2 R, 2 BB, SO, SB
Kellen Kulbacki (High-A): 4-5, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, SO
Jose Lobaton (AA): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, SO

Minor League Pitcher(s) of the Day

Pedro Hernandez (DSL): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR
Steve Garrison (AA): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR

July 24th games:

Minor League Hitter(s) of the Day

Blake Tekotte (SS): 2-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 5 RBI
Kellen Kulbacki (High-A): 2-5, HR, R, RBI, SO

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

N/A

Other Commentary

Kellen is a stud. If you look at his High-A numbers, you will see he is hitting .326/.429/.568. But really, that is not fair. He has not been quite that good. He sucked in Low-A. In 18 games in Fort Wayne, Kellen hit only .164/.260/.295... And in his first month of High-A he hit .221/.361/.309. Overall (between both levels) Kellen is hitting .293/.394/.512 - Dude is on fire! Do I smell a #1 Padres' Prospect ranking?

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Padres MiLB July 22, 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

Eric Sogard (High-A): 2-5, HR, 2 R, RBI, SO, SB
Kellen Kulbacki (High-A): 1-3, HR, 3 R, RBI, SO, 2 HBP
Mitch Canham (High-A): 2-5, 3B, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 SO

Minor League Pitcher(s) of the Day

Drew Miller (High-A): 6.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR
Wade Leblanc (AAA): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO, 0 HR

Other Commentary

As I said yesterday, it is too early to give up on Antonelli. But I think Sogard is the Padres second baseman of the future…

Drew Miller is an important prospect for the Padres. Kevin Goldstein, of Baseball Prospectus, rated Miller the #4 Padres prospect and said, “On pure arm strength Miller trails only Latos in the organization.” However, Miller has disappointed so far this year.

2007: 80.2 IP, 74 H, 24 BB, 87 SO
2008: 102 IP, 119 H, 34 BB, 81 SO

Obviously Miller’s peripherals are trending in the wrong direction. Hopefully Tuesday's start is a stepin the direction and he’ll get himself straightened out and back on track.

Wade Leblanc is tough to figure… In his last 10 starts he has allowed 0-2 earned runs in 7 games (Leblanc has averaged 6.0 IP and 1.71 ER in those 7 starts). In his other three starts he has allowed 7 earned runs each (13.0 IP – 4.1 IP per start – and 21 ER). Overall Leblanc has a 6.17 ERA in 100.2 IP with 109 hits, 39 walks, and 100 strikeouts. But what’s really hurt Leblanc is 17 HR allowed.

Programming Note: I will be in Los Angeles Wednesday and may not be able to post my Players of the Day. I will try, but no promises...

Monday, July 21, 2008

Padres MiLB July 21, 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

Matt Antonelli (AAA): 1-2, 2B, R, BB, SB

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

Jeremy McBryde (Low-A): 6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO, 0 HR

Other Commentary

Matt Antonelli is having a miserable season (.198/326/.290). However, it is far too early to give up on him. He is a first round draft pick in his second full season of professional baseball and he has a 62/61 BB/SO ratio… His power is way down (21 HR in High-A and AA last year, 3 so far this year), he is not making consistent contact (.198 batting average), and he is not stealing bases (28 in 2007, 4 so far in ’08). He still could be considered the best athlete in the system and he’s had too much success (in previous years) to conclude this is permanent.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Padres MiLB July 20, 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

Jeff Decker (Rookie): 2-3, 2B, R, RBI, BB

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

Jeremy Hefner (Low-A): 5.2 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR

Other Commentary

Weekend rules – no commentary…

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Padres MiLB July 19, 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

Yefri Carvajal (Low-A): 3-5, HR, 2 R, 5 RBI
Lance Zawadzki (Low-A): 4-4, 2 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB
Cedric Hunter (High-A): 2-4, 2B, RBI

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

Stephen Faris (AA): 6.0 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR

Other Commentary

No offense, but I really am not looking at Zawadzki (drafted in the 4th round of the 2007 draft) as a significant prospect. On the other hand going into 2005, a Triple-A outfielder with a career Minor League line of .303/.389/.555 was rated 18th by Baseball America. That outfielder, Brad Hawpe (drafted in the 11th round of the 2000 draft), has a MLB line of .277/.372/.487. You never know…

Padres MiLB July 18, 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

Cedric Hunter (High-A): 3-5, 3B, 2 R, 2 RBI, SO
Kellen Kulbacki (High-A): 3-5, 2B, R, 2 RBI, SO

Minor League Pitcher(s) of the Day

Simon Castro (SS): 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR
Cesar Carrillo (High-A): 5.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR
Evan Scribner (High-A): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR

Other Commentary

I attended the Lake Elsinore-Inland Empire game Friday night with a buddy (regular commenter, Paul R)… Carrillo struggled for two innings while keeping the 66ers off the scoreboard… We asked some scouts near us after the first inning what kind of velocity Carrillo had and they told us, “88.” A few innings later they noted that he had bumped it up a little… He looked sharp in innings 3-5. He struck out the 66ers best hitter, Carlos Santana (.320/.426/.568) in each of their two match-ups.

Evan Scribner made his Padres debut Friday night as well. He also looked sharp…

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Padres MiLB July 17, 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 (Rookie): 3-4, 2B, 3 R, BB
Kellen Kulbacki (High-A): 2-4, 2B, RBI, SO

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

Wynn Pelzer (Low-A): 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR

Other Commentary

I actually do not like putting the same player up day after day or start after start. Wynn Pelzer, however, is not giving me a choice. This is his fourth appearance here in his last five starts.

I also find it interesting that Kulbacki and Decker are paired up since I see them competing for the RF starting job some day…

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Padres MiLB July 16, 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

Cedric Hunter (High-A): 3-6, R, 2 RBI

Minor League Pitcher(s) of the Day

Chris Young (High-A): 3.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO, 1 HR
Manny Ayala (AA): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR

Other Commentary

So who is this Chris Young fellow? He hasn’t appeared in Padres minor league game yet this year… From what I can tell, he throws a rather straight, average velocity fastball that he leaves up in the zone a lot. He’s probably yet another guy who will not be able to get it done at higher levels.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Padres MiLB July 15, 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

Jaff Decker (Rookie): 2-4, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, 2 SB

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

n/a

Other Commentary

Jaff Decker: the kid is good. He’s hitting .417/.576/.563 with 4 doubles and a home run. He has an 18 to 8 BB to SO ratio. He is a perfect 4-0 in stolen base attempts. He leads the AZL in batting average by 24 points and has an 84 point lead his league-leading on-base percentage…

Monday, July 14, 2008

Padres MiLB, July 14 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

Sawyer Carroll (SS): 3-5; 2B, 3B, HR (GS), R, 5 RBI, SO

Minor League Pitcher(s) of the Day

Jeremy Hefner (Low-A) 6.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO, 1 HR
Stephen Faris (AA): 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR

Other Commentary

I really had not been monitoring Sawyer Carroll too closely, but he is making himself hard to ignore – like David Freese did in 2006. Going into Monday’s game Sawyer was hitting .299/.375/.519. All he did Monday was add 9 total bases to his total (2B, 3B, HR) - a single short of a cycle.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Padres MiLB July 13, 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): 3-5, 2B, R
Jose Lobaton (AA): 2-4, 2 2B, R, 2 RBI, SO

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

Simon Castro (SS): 4.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR
Will Inman (AA): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR - Futures' Game

Other Commentary

In the 2008 Futures' Game, Will Inman was the only U.S. Futures' pitcher to not allow a hit or a walk.

Castro obviously needs to refine his control – or maybe just find it altogether… But he is definitely a player to watch.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Padres MiLB July 12, 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): 2-5, HR, R, 3 RBI
Kellen Kulbacki (High-A): 3-5, 2B, R, SO

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

n/a

Other Commentary

Weekend rules – no commentary (unless I feel like it – I don’t feel like it.)

Friday, July 11, 2008

Padres MiLB July 11, 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

Kellen Kulbacki (High-A): 2-4, 2B, 2 R, BB

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

Pedro Hernandez (DSL): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 SO, 0 HR

Other Commentary

Yeah, I don’t know who Pedro is either… But the pitching wasn’t great Friday night. Have a great weekend!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Padres MiLB July 10, 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…

*

Happy Anniversary Honey! I love you!

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Minor League Hitter(s) of the Day

Cedric Hunter (High-A): 2-4, 2B
Will Venable (AAA): 2-6, HR, R, 3 RBI, 2 SO

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

Will Inman (AA): 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 9 SO, 0 HR, balk

Other Commentary

Inman probably doesn’t deserve mention here since he only worked 4 innings. But I’m a sucker for strikeouts. Thursday's 9 SO make for a total of 109 SO in 98.1 IP this year (9.98 K/9).

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Padres MiLB July 9, 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

Will Venable (AAA): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

n/a

Other Commentary

Will Venable notched his 20th double and his 8th HR. There’s less and less talk that he cannot handle CF. He doesn’t have ideal power, but going into Wednesday’s contest he was batting .319/.386/.494… I’ve always been a Venable fan, but I did not think he would wind up as an MLB regular. With the numbers he’s putting up, he deserves a shot.

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Padres MiLB July 8, 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, R, 2 RBI, BB

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

Stephen Faris (AA): 6.1 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR

Other Commentary

Stephen Faris’ night ended unfairly. After giving up only the single run one out into the seventh, the bullpen (Philip Barzilla) kept the Tulsa Drillers off the scoreboard through the eighth. However, in the ninth, the pen imploaded for 6 runs to blow the game.

Huffman isn’t rocking, but he is quietly putting together a very nice year. Going into Tuesday’s game he was hitting .301/.394/.443.

Monday, July 07, 2008

Padres MiLB July 7, 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

Kellen Kulbacki (High-A): 2-4, HR, R, 3 RBI

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

Ernesto Frieri (High-A): 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO, 0 HR

Other Commentary

I’m running out of things to say about Kulbacki. This one involves him, so here we go…

Generally speaking, the best hitter (with a combination of contact-ability and power) hits third. We all know that. Without question, the best hitter in Lake Elsinore is Kellen Kulbacki. Yet, in the last 7 games, he has batted 6th, 3rd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 6th, and 6th. The Padres have four legitimate MLB hitting prospects on the Lake Elsinore team: Cedric Hunter, Eric Sogard, Mitch Canham, and Kellen Kulbacki. Hunter and Sogard are each top-of-the-order type of guys, Canham could bat anywhere from 2nd to 6th (and usually does), but Kulbacki is a middle-of-the-lineup marquis hitter. The Padres need to preprint lineup cards for Carlos Lezcano with Kulbacki’s name in the three-hole.

By the way, in July, Kulbacki has gone 11 for 28 with 2 doubles and 3 home runs and a 2/2 BB/SO ratio (.393/.433/.733).

Sunday, July 06, 2008

Padres MiLB July 6, 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

Cedric Hunter (High-A): 2-5, 2 2B
Kellen Kulbacki (High-A): 3-4, 2B, 3 R, BB
Kyle Blanks (AA): 1-1, HR, R, RBI (PH HR)

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

Cesar Carrillo (High-A): 5.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO, 1 HR – 2 PO

Other Commentary

No commentary tonight… I hope your Monday starts well.

Saturday, July 05, 2008

Padres MiLB July 5, 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

Jonathan Galvez (DSL): 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI, BB
Yefri Carvajal (Low-A): 2-2, R, 2 RBI, 2 BB
Kellen Kulbacki (High-A): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI
Will Venable (AAA): 3-4, 2 2B, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

Wynn Pelzer (Low-A): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR

Other Commentary

This is Wynn Pelzer’s third straight start where he has notched my Pitcher of the Day award…

Pelzer is not the strikeout artist that I generally prefer. So far this season Pelzer has a 7.42 K/9 rate. As a collegian Pelzer had an 8.40 K/9 rate (I prefer collegian pitchers to have a K/9 rate greater than 9.00). Pelzer cannot be considered a top prospect (yet), but if he keeps up this level of success I am going to have to change how I think of him…

Kellen Kulbacki is a stud. He started the year injured so the Padres sent him to Low-A Fort Wayne to get things going. After 18 games and 61 at-bats, Kellen was hitting .164/.260/.295. Prime time for a promotion, don’t you think? Sure enough, Kellen was promoted to High-A Lake Elsinore and continued to struggle: .221/.361/.309 in 22 games and 68 AB in May. When the calendar turned to June, Kellen took off: .329/.451/.695… He’s hitting .300 so far in July. Just to make sure you do not think June is the fluke, Kellen hit .301/.382/.491 last year in the Northwest League and he posted .944, 1.511, and 1.323 OPS totals in his three collegiate seasons.

Friday, July 04, 2008

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.

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Padres MiLB July 3 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): 2-5, 2B, 3B, RBI, SO

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

Jeremy Hefner (Low-A): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 SO, 0 HR

Other Commentary

I like Sogard - a lot (how’s that for profound insight?).

Have a happy and safe Forth of July!

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Padres MiLB July 2, 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

Will Venable (AAA): 2-4, 2B, 2 R, SO
Nick Hundley (AAA): 2-4, 2 2B, RBI, SO

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

Simon Castro (SS): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR

Other Commentary

Simon Castro’s upside might rival that of Padres’ ubër-prospect Mat Latos. They both pitch off mid-90’s fastballs and each is still youngish for their leagues.

With human psychology what it is, it is easy to get enamored with what is new; with what is fresh (i.e. my own infatuation with Jaff Decker). Because of this phenomenon it is easy to overlook some of the more advanced prospects and dismiss their potential (or at least underrate that potential compared to that of the new player). Will Venable and Nick Hundley are each over-looked, underrated prospects. Will is currently hitting .315/.376/.468 with a lot of doubles (16) and a few home runs (5). Nick is hitting .227/.282/.441 with 13 doubles and 12 home runs.

Will has been playing CF for the Beavers and we do not hear as many questions about his defense as we used to… He is a terrific athlete and was a two-time team MVP in basketball while in college. Venable could be a viable option next year.

Nick on the other hand is likely a back-up catcher at the big league level (his lack of contact-ability prevents him from being a starter). But he does have good power and is solid defensively. It will probably be at least another year before we see Nick at the big league level on a regular basis.

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

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.