Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Padres MiLB June 30, Players of the Day

Hitter(s) of the Day

From Monday’s game – completed today:

Chad Huffman (AAA): 2-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI, SO

Today’s games:

Luis Domoromo (Dominican): 3-4, 3B, R, 2 RBI, BB, SO
Rymer Liriano (Rookie): 2-5, HR, R, RBI, PO
Jonathan Galvez (Rookie): 2-4, 2 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB, SO
Cody Decker (Rookie): 4-5, 2 2B, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI
Sawyer Carroll (High-A): 2-4, 3B, 2 R, RBI
Matt Clark (High-A): 2-4, 3B, SO

Pitcher(s) of the Day

Steve Garrison (Rookie): 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR
Wade LeBlanc (AAA): 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

I am getting more and more excited about Jonathan Galvez… Now, admittedly, he is only 18 years old in Rookie-ball, so he is a LONG ways away. And most do not think he can stay at SS. But still…

Steve Garrison: Rookie-ball rehab stint complete? I’m guessing you’ll see a move back to AA. He was essentially ready for a promotion to AAA but after his shoulder injury, I think they’ll send him back to AA to make sure he’s still having success before they send him Portland.

We're number 3! We're number 3!

Even after the promotions and with "Superman" on the DL (as I am told Jaff Decker is called), the Fort Wayne TinCaps went 8-2 over their last 10 and (4-0 since the All Star break) to climb to the third best record in all of Minor League baseball.

The TinCaps are still a very talented team (Decker, Blake Tekotte, Allan Dykstra, Drew Cumberland, Anthony Bass, Simon Castro, Dan Robertson, etc.) but think about all the talent that has already graduated from the TinCaps roster: Mat Latos, Nick Schmidt, James Darnell, Sawyer Carroll, and Matt Clark.

I thought when the season started that the TinCaps were better than the more heralded Storm, but I didn't think they'd be good - especially after losing those 5 to promotions...

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Mission to the Stars!

San Antonio Missions have 7 players on the Texas League All Star South roster:

1B Craig Cooper (starter)
OF Luis Durango (starter)
2B Eric Sogard
RHP Mat Latos
RHP Ernesto Frieri
RHP Mike DeMark
RHP Evan Scribner

The Missions' 7 are second only to Midland's 9 on the South roster.

Congrats guys!

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Padres MiLB June 29, Players of the Day

Hitter(s) of the Day

Lance Zawadzki (AA): 2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB
Logan Forsythe (AA): 2-4, R, RBI, BB

Pitcher(s) of the Day

Wynn Pelzer (High-A): 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO, 1 HR
Cory Luebke (AA): 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

Nice AA-debut by Luebke.

The Portland Beavers game was suspended on Monday, the Midwest League was off, and the AZL Padres had a scheduled day off...

(Busy night, sorry I didn't write more.)

Monday, June 29, 2009

Padres' 2008 signee, Jefri Pena Suspended

Baseball America reports (subscription required), "Major League Baseball suspended Padres third baseman Jefri Pena for one year after discovering that he had misrepresented his age and his identity. "

Pena was signed last year from the Dominican Republic.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Padres MiLB June 26-28, Players of the Day - Weekend Edition

Friday, June 26, 2009

Hitter(s) of the Day

Blake Tekotte (Low-A): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, SF
Drew Cumberland (Low-A): 2-4, 2B, 2 R, BB
Beamer Weems (High-A): 2-3, 2B, 2 R, 4 RBI, BB, SB
Cedric Hunter (AA): 4-5, 2 2B, R, 2 RBI, SB
Logan Forsythe (AA): 3-4, 2B, R, BB, SO
Mitch Canham (AA): 2-5, 2B, 2 R, RBI, SO

Pitcher(s) of the Day

Stiven Osuna (Low-A): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR
Jeremy Hefner (High-A): 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR
Tim Stuaffer (AAA): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO, 1 HR

Commentary

Beamer Weems isn’t a contender for the Padres top 15 prospects, but he is intriguing… He is easily the top defensive shortstop in the system. The question has always been, “Will he hit?” The Baylor doesn’t have much power, but as of Friday night he is batting .300/.477/.404 for the Storm.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Hitter(s) of the Day

Edinson Rincon (SS): 3-4, 3B, HR, 2 RBI, BB
Cole Figueroa (Low-A): 1-2, 2B, 3 RBI, BB, SO
Dan Robertson (Low-A): 3-4, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI,
Craig Cooper (AA): 2-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, SO
Chad Huffman (AAA): 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI

Pitcher of the Day

Erik Davis (Low-A): 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

Edinson Rincon is still only 18… Make sure you’re paying attention. I am.

I want to see more from Erik Davis before I jump on the bandwagon, but he pitched real well in Eugene last season. More outings like Saturday’s and he will force us to pay more attention to him.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Hitter(s) of the Day

Rymer Liriano (Rookie): 3-5, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB
Jonathan Galvez (Rookie): 3-3, RBI, BB, SB, HBP, CS
Jason Hagerty (SS): 2-4, 2 2B, 2 R, BB, 2 SO
Sawyer Carroll (High-A): 4-7, 2B, HR, 4 R, 3 RBI, BB, SO
James Darnell (High-A): 4-7, 2 2B, HR, 5 R, 3 RBI, BB, SO
Matt Clark (High-A): 5-6, 3B, 2 HR, 7 R, 5 RBI, 2 BB
Felix Carrasco (High-A): 4-7, 2 2B, 3B, 4 R, 6 RBI, BB, SO
Lance Zawadzki (AA): 2-3, SB
Logan Forsythe (AA): 2-4, 3B, RBI, BB
Mitch Canham (AA): 2-4, 3B, 4, 2 RBI, BB
Chad Huffman (AAA): 2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, CS

Honorable mention to the rest of Lake Elsinore Storm lineup.

Pitcher(s) of the Day

Chris Fetter (SS): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR
Anthony Bass (Low-A): 7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR
Brian Lawrence (AAA): 8.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

The Lake Elsinore Storm beat the High Desert Mavericks 33-18 Sunday night (box and recap and story). The two teams combined for 58 hits, 18 doubles, 3 triples, and 10 home runs. As one minor leaguer once put it, “It’s a fun place to hit, a pop-up to second can end up as a home run.”

But before you think this offensive explosion was merely an environmental creation, the Storm scored 16 in the first three innings without the aid of an HR. On the other hand, in the ninth inning, Carroll, Darnell, and Clark went back-to-back-to-back and after a groundout by Carrasco, Payne hit a fourth HR off 28 year-old catcher Jose Yepez. The Storm hitters also worked 13 walks of Maverick pitchers in the slug-fest.

One last comment: the 3-4-5-6 hitters (Carroll, Darnell, Clark, and Carrasco) went combined 17-for-27 with 5 2B, 2 3B, and 4 HR.

Padres’ 2009 5th round draftee, Jason Hagerty (catcher from Univ. of Miami – Go ‘Canes!), made his professional debut Sunday night. Nice.

This just in: Anthony Bass wants a promotion. Anthony has a 0.59 ERA over his last 8 starts and has allowed only 33 hits in the 45+ innings over that span. And I hate that this note (maybe the most important prospect commentary on this post) was relegated to the end...

Should I stay or should I go now?

Bill Center has an interesting article up today (Sunday) recapping Saturday night’s win over the Texas Rangers. More interesting than a simple recap, however, is his discussion of Kyle Blanks. Bill begins his article with this line:
Don't look for Kyle Blanks to be returning to Triple-A Portland anytime soon.
Later he reiterates that claim:
One thing that likely won't change for Blanks any time soon is the scenery. Today's end of interleague play won't signal a return to Portland for more seasoning for Blanks.
Now, if Bill Center was told that Blanks will be staying with the big league club, he doesn’t pass along that quote to us. Instead he gives us opinions of Buddy Black.

“We'll have to see how it plays out,” Black said. “If he sat five of every seven games every week, it makes no sense to keep him. He'd be better served playing every day at Portland.

“But it makes sense to keep him if he's going to be in the mix in left and available to pinch-hit and do other things. I think that can happen.”
Now I am not going to tell you that Blanks is going back to Portland or that is not… But the Padres have Kouzmanoff at 3B and Headley needs to be in the lineup every day. Gwynn deserves to stay in the lineup and Padres need Hairston in there in CF.

So while Blank insinuates that Blanks could stay on a big league roster to help out in LF and pinch hit, it’s not likely he’ll get sufficient at-bats with the big league club…

I guess time will tell.

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Friday, June 26, 2009

Zawadzki #11 on BA's PHS

Padre infield prospect, Lance Zawadzki ranked #11 on this week's Baseball America Prospect Hot Sheet.

...No Missions player has been hotter than Zawadzki, a Massachusetts native and '07 fourth-round pick, who has hit .381 (32-for-84) with 18 RBIs in 23 June games. A switch-hitter with a discerning eye and solid power from both sides of the plate, he's racked up a 1.003 OPS from the right side and a .961 mark from the left in TL play.

I called Lance an infielder because there is disagreements on where Lance is most likely to play if he reaches the big leagues. He is listed as a SS but has also played 2B and 3B. Some experts say there is no way Lance can remain at SS but others contend that he a lot more athletic than he appears and has the required athleticism and reliability to remain at short.

On the year Lance is hitting a combined (High-A and AA) .312/.394/.544 with 15 2B, 2 3B, 12 HR, 31 BB, 46 SO, and is 5-1 in stolen base attempts. Zawadzki shares the Padres' Minor League HR lead with Kyle Blanks and Will Venable.

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Thursday, June 25, 2009

Padres MiLB June 25, Players of the Day

Hitter of the Day

Nathen Freiman (SS): 3-5, 2 2B, SO
Blake Tekotte (Low-A): 2-3, HR, 3 R, 4 RBI, BB
Drew Cumberland (Low-A): 3-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB
Lance Zawaszki (AA): 3-4, 2B, SO
Mike Baxter (AAA): 2-4, 2 RBI, BB, CS

Pitcher of the Day

Mat Latos (AA): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

Not as many strikeouts as I’d like to see, but you can’t argue with a one-hit, no walk 5 inning performance – on an interesting note, he only threw 49 pitches but was removed from the game. Just a case of keeping his innings down (he has already surpassed his total from each of the last two years) or do the Padres have another promotion for the tall right-hander, or something more ominous?

“Mikey’s famous!”

Organizational Happenings

What a day!

The Padres made a bunch of organizational moves today.

Nick Schmidt 4-0 with 2.79 ERA in 51.2 IP, 38 H, 23 BB, 59 SO, 0 HR
James Darnell .329/.468/.518 with 17 2B & 7 HR, 57/51 BB/SO ratio
Sawyer Carroll .316/.410/.464 with 20 2B & 5 HR, 40/57 BB/SO ratio
Matt Clark .266/.352/.484 with 22 2B & 11 HR, 33/72 BB/SO ratio

Were all promoted from Low-A Fort Wayne to High-A Lake Elsinore.

Cory Luebke 8-2 with 2.34 ERA in 88.1 IP 73 H, 17 BB, 80 SO, 3 HR
Logan Forsythe .322/.472/.504 with 13 2B & 8 HR 61/48 BB/SO ratio

Were promoted from High-A Lake Elsinore to AA San Antonio…

And…

Mat Latos 7-1 with 1.39 ERA in 58.1 IP, 36 H, 12 BB, 64 SO, 1 HR (combined)
and
Luis Durango .299/.404/.335 7 2b & 0 HR, 44/35 BB/SO ratio & 26-13 in stolen base attempts

…were selected for the Futures Game.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Padres MiLB June 24, Players of the Day

Hitter of the Day

n/a

Pitcher of the Day

n/a

Commentary

The Storm and TinCaps were both off as the California League and Midwest League each had scheduled days off after their respective All Star games. Additionally, the Portland Beavers were postponed and the Arizona Padres had their turn in the 9-team league to take a day off. With so little action, no performance merited “Player of the Day” status.

Per MLB.com and Corey Brock, Padres signed a few players from this year’s draft including:

3rd round pick: Jerry Sullivan, RHP, Oral Roberts U
5th round pick: Luke Hagerty, C, U Miami
7th round pick: Miles Mikolas, RHP, Nova Southeastern
10th round pick: Ryan Hinson, LHP, Clemson

All four are scheduled to join Eugene this week.

Sullivan immediately becomes the most interesting pitching prospect in Eugene and Hagerty crowds up the Emeralds’ catching situation (Emmanuel Quiles and Gary Benedict are sharing time behind the dish).

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Padres MiLB June 23, Players of the Day

Hitter(s) of the Day

Jonathan Galvez (Rookie): 1-3, BB, 2 SO, SB
James Darnell (Low-A): 1-1, 2B, RBI
Sawyer Carroll (Low-A): 4-4. R, 2 SB
Eric Sogard (AA): 3-5, R, SB
Mitch Canham (AA): 2-5, 2B, HR, R, RBI, SO

Pitcher(s) of the Day

Anthony Bass (Low-A): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR
Cory Luebke (High-A): 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR
Jeremy McBryde (High-A): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR
Wynn Pelzer (High-A): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

Several Padre prospects (all 4 pitcher of the day performances) performed well in the Midwest League and Cal-Car All Star games.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Padres MiLB June 22, Players of the Day

Hitter(s) of the Day

Jason Codiroli (SS): 2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, SB
Cedric Hunter (AA): 2-5, R, RBI, BB, SB
Eric Sogard (AA): 2-5, 2 R, BB
Craig Cooper (AA): 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI

Pitcher of the Day

n/a

Commentary

The Fort Wayne TinCaps, Lake Elsinore Storm, and Portland Beavers all were off for their respective All Star breaks.

Okay, he certainly did not deserve Pitcher of the Day award, but Adys Portillo made his professional debut Monday night:

3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO, 1 HR

I’m not the world’s biggest Craig Cooper fan – I don’t expect him to be an MLB starter – now, I hope he proves me wrong – but I have to be honest with my opinions… However, Cooper is hitting .358/.444/.500 and has a career Minor League .314/.397/.456 line. PRD is going to start watching him closer.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Padres MiLB June 19-21, Players of the Day - Weekend Edition

Friday, June 19, 2009

Hitter(s) of the Day

Jaff Decker (Low-A): 2-2, 2B, 2 R, BB
Sawyer Carroll (Low-A): 3-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, CS

Pitcher of the Day

Simon Castro (Low-A): 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR
Jeremy McBryde (High-A): 7.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR
Tim Stauffer (AAA): 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

The Low-A Fort Wayne game was completed Saturday; Castro’s performance cut short by rain.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Northwest League kicks off today.

Hitter(s) of the Day

Edinson Rincon (SS): 3-4, 3 RBI, BB
Logan Forsythe (High-A): 2-4, R, 2 BB, SO, SB
Lance Zawadzki (AA): 6-6, 4 R, RBI, SB
Mitch Canham (AA): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, SO
Mike Baxter (AAA): 2-3, BB, SB
Drew Macias (AAA): 2-4, 2B

Pitcher(s) of the Day

Nick Schmidt (Low-A): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR
Brad Brach (Low-A): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR
Cory Luebke (High-A): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR
Aaron Breit (High-A): 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

Nick Schmidt has now allowed 2 earned runs in his last 6 starts (31.1 IP). Overall he is 4-0 with 2.79 ERA in 51.2 IP with 38 H, 23, BB, 59 SO, and 0 HR. Mid-season promotion?

Brad Brach, the Fort Wayne closer, has allowed 16 hits and 7 BB and 0 HR in 32 IP vs. 43 SO and has a 1.69 ERA.


Sunday, June 21, 2009

Happy Father’s Day to all you Dads!

The Arizona League kicks off today! Now all 7 leagues are in action.

Hitter(s) of the Day

Jonathan Galvez (Rookie): 1-3, 2B, R, RBI, 2 BB, SB
Griffin Benedict (SS): 2-4, 2 2B, R, RBI
Dan Robertson (Low-A): 2-4, 2B, R, RBI
Felix Carrasco (High-A): 2-4, R, 2 RBI, BB, SO
Cedric Hunter (AA): 2-5, 3B, 2 R, SO
Mike Baxter (AAA): 2-4, 2B, R, RBI, BB, SO
Matt Antonelli (AAA): 3-4, 2 2B, 3B, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB

Pitcher of the Day

n/a

Commentary

It is unlikely that any of the “big 3” (Donovan Tate, Everett Williams, and Keyvius Sampson) will sign early enough to get meaningful at-bats or innings in 2009, but that doesn’t mean that Eugene and/or the AZL Padres are devoid of intriguing talent…

In Arizona the Padres have Jonathan Galvez, Rymer Liriano, Jorge Minyeti, and the prize international signee from 2008, Adys Portillo (others will emerge but those are the four that I am particularly interested in).

In Eugene I am particularly interested in pitchers Jose De Paula and Pedro Hernandez as well as catcher Emmanuel Quiles and 3B Edinson Rincon. Additionally, I suspect the Padres will sign Jerry Sullivan and have him report to Eugene within the next 2-3 weeks.

Friday, June 19, 2009

James Darnel "Man Among Boys"

James Darnell was listed as a "Men Among Boys" on this week's Baseball America Prospect Hot Sheet.

James Darnell, 3b, Padres. Over the course of these past three weeks, Darnell has practically given a clinic on how to tame the low Class A Midwest League. In 16 June games, he's batted .418/.515/.600 (23-for-55) with seven doubles, a home run and a 10-to-7 walk-to-strikeout ratio for Fort Wayne.

Big Blanks Get Big Promotion

John Manual writes, "Baseball America has learned the Padres have promoted their No. 1 prospect, first baseman/left fielder Kyle Blanks, to the big leagues."

Padres MiLB June 18, Players of the Day

Hitter(s) of the Day

Blake Tekotte (Low-A): 2-5, 2B, R, RBI, BB, CS
Jaff Decker (Low-A): 2-4, 2 R, 2 BB
Matt Clark (Low-A): 2-6, 2B, R, 4 RBI, SO
Luis Durango (AA): 2-4, 2B, 2 R, BB, SO
Kyle Blanks (AAA): 1-3, HR, R, 3 RBI, BB, SO

Pitcher of the Day

Anthony Bass (Low-A): 5.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

3 2008 draftees on this list – if you haven’t already, go check out DePo’s blog-post reviewing the 2008 draft!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Padres MiLB June 17, Players of the Day

Hitter(s) of the Day

Blake Tekotte (Low-A): 3-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB, SO
Dan Robertson (Low-A): 3-6, 2B, 2 R, RBI
James Darnell (Low-A): 2-4, 2B, RBI, BB, SO
Allan Dykstra (Low-A): 3-5, HR, 3 R, RBI, SO
Erik Sogard (AA): 3-5, 2B, 4 RBI
Everth Cabrera (AAA): 2-5, 2B, 2 R, 2 SO
Mike Baxter (AAA): 2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI
Kyle Blanks (AAA): 2-2, R, RBI, BB, SF

Pitcher of the Day

Corey Kluber (High-A): 7.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 14 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

Blast from the past!

Brian Lawrence is back in the Padres organization and pitched well in AAA Wednesday night:

6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 1 HR

I debated putting Kluber’s line up there (more hits than IP and 3 runs in 7 IP equates to a 3.86 ERA – good, not great) but those 14 strikeouts compared to 1 walk and nary a home run… How can I say no?

Geoff Young tweeted during the Padres game, “From the Tacoma announcer (paraphrasing): ‘Everth Cabrera is far and away the best defensive shortstop we've seen in the PCL this year.’"

Cabrera is no slouch at the plate either, in 14 Minor League games, Everth hit .360/.439/.460 during his Minor League rehab. Cabrera reportedly will re-join the big league club tomorrow and resume playing on Friday.

Padres MiLB June 16, Players of the Day

Hitter(s) of the Day

Blake Tekotte (Low-A): 3-5, 3B, R, SO, 2 SB
Dan Robertson (Low-A): 3-5, 2B, R, 2 RBI
Sawyer Carroll (Low-A): 1-1, 3 BB, 2 SB
Luis Durango (AA): 3-4, R, SB
Cedric Hunter (AA): 2-4, 3B, 2 RBI
Chad Huffman (AAA): 2-4, HR, 2 R, RBI

Pitcher of the Day

Wynn Pelzer (High-A): 6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

Sorry folks, I couldn’t get any commentary out last night. I was too busy. I will do better tonight.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

PRD Interviews John Sickels

John Sickels is regarded in the Minor League Baseball community as one of the foremost experts and writes and publishes The Baseball Prospect Book annually. You can order that book here and you can see John's daily analysis at his blog, here.

PadresRunDown: The Padres have a reputation for being college-focused in their draft choices (if you ask me, it’s an over-stated reputation – they drafted Kyler Burke, Drew Cumberland, and Jaff Decker in the supplemental round of each of the last three drafts). What did you think when the Padres took three toolsy high schoolers in the first four rounds?

John Sickels: Well, you’re right, they’ve done this before, though Decker in particular was extremely polished for a high school hitter. My initial thought was that they were adopting a somewhat different approach this year, relying less on college guys with good numbers, though they picked some of those in later rounds. In general I think a “mixed” approach is best, so I think this will pay dividends for them in the long run.

PRD: Donovan Tate has remarkable athleticism – no one refutes that – but some people question his hitting ability. What’s your take on his hitting tools/skills?

JS: Well, hitting mechanics are something that I have never had a very good feel for. I do better with pitching, lol. Tate’s athleticism is outstanding and obvious, but some people who know a lot more about hitting than I do say he has issues with his swing being too pull-oriented, and he perhaps has problems with his strike zone judgment too, though his tools are so good that he could/should be able to overcome this. I doubt the Padres would have drafted him if they felt his hitting flaws were unfixable. At this point I think we just have to wait and see what happens once he gets into pro ball. One clue may be his initial assignment: do they stick him in the Arizona League or in the Northwest League? Assuming he signs early enough to play this year, of course.

PRD: Do you expect the Padres to get Tate signed?

JS: Yes. They know what he wants. It may go down to the wire, but he’ll sign.

PRD: I agree, they must have had lots of discussions with Donovan to determine his interest in signing, however Everett Williams wasn’t expected to be there at pick 52 and reportedly has a 7-figure signing bonus expectation. To me, he looks like the most likely to not sign. What’s your take on this pick and Williams’ signability?

JS: You don’t expend a second round pick unless you have a good read on his signability. Of course, it doesn’t always work out, and I know Williams has a high price tag. On the other hand, he didn’t commit to the University of Texas until two months before the draft. . .normally a kid with genuine signability issues will make a strong college commitment much sooner than that. My guess is that he’ll sign, but like Tate, it will go down to the wire. As for Williams as a player, his tools are a notch below Tate’s, but Williams is still quite toolsy, and his bat is more polished than Tate’s according to the reports I’ve seen. His power potential in particular is very impressive.

PRD: Paul DePodesta, in his ‘blog, said, “[P]eople normally associate high school picks with athleticism and upside and college picks with polish and low ceiling. That isn't always the case. We've taken high schoolers at times that we thought had some polish and we've taken some college players we thought were raw and athletic.

Noting that, and more importantly the scouting reports we have on 3rd round pick, Jerry Sullivan would it be fair to say that he is more of a raw-upside guy than your typical “polished” collegiate right-hander?


JS: Oh, I don’t know about that. . .he pitched pretty well in college and did well in the Cape Cod League. The “raw college arm” guys usually don’t have great numbers, but Sullivan went 8-3, 3.12 with a 116/27 K/BB in 98 innings. That’s pretty damn good performance. I think he’s a good balance between performance and projection, and I like him in the third round.

PRD: Keyvius Sampson’s fall to the fourth round looks like a signability issue, however this article implys an eagerness to sign and begin a professional career. What’s your take on Sampson and do you think he’ll sign quickly?

JS: I like Sampson a lot and my guess is that he’ll sign. After the first night of the draft, there was a flurry of phone calls between teams and “player representatives” for guys who hadn’t been drafted yet but who were expected to be early picks, to gauge their signability on the second day. If Sampson wasn’t willing to sign, I very much doubt the Padres would have pulled the trigger on him in the fourth round. My take on him: very live arm, very good athlete, good makeup, needs some polish on his secondary stuff. I thought he was a second round talent, so getting him in the fourth is a nice pickup. Assuming he signs.

PRD: In your National League West Draft Impressions article, you say, “If the Padres can get everyone signed, this is a very strong class.” And in January’s Top 20 Padres Prospects article, you said, “Overall this system needs more impact talent, especially on the pitching side, but it is not as bad as its reputation, and I kept finding guys that I didn’t want to leave out.” Any quick and dirty thoughts on what this draft (adding the three first-round talent high schoolers: Tate, Williams, and Sampson) means to the Padre organization?

JS: Well I think it does exactly what it needed to do: it adds impact talent to a system that already had quite a few “pretty good” prospects. We’ll have to see what it looks like in five years of course, the minimum by which you can truly judge the success or failure of a draft, but on paper at least this draft addresses the strengths of the system without compromising the principle of “pick best player available.”

PRD: Lastly, we didn’t discuss any of the later selections. Anything there that jumps out at you?

JS: Mikes Mikolas in the seventh round out of Nova Southeastern could be a sleeper. Some “traditional Padre” picks to watch are Nate Freiman, 1B out of Duke in the eighth round, and Chris Fetter, RHP out of Michigan in the ninth. They don’t excite scouts but both have good performance records. Another guy I think is interesting is the 11th round pick, Drew Madrigal out of Mt. San Jacinto JC. He has a plus fastball and a good curve, and I think JC talent is often overlooked.

***

Very nice John, and thanks again for taking time out of your busy schedule to do this.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Padres MiLB June 15, Players of the Day

Hitter(s) of the Day

James Darnell (Low-A): 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI
Logan Forsythe (High-A): 2-3, 2 BB, SO
Kyle Blanks (AAA): 2-4, 2B, R, RBI

Pitcher of the Day

Nick Schmidt (Low-A): 6.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

Cory Luebke had the weirdest line of the day…

In the seventh inning Cory gave up a harmless but notable double to Mauro Gomez. The double was notable because while it was the third of the day, it was only time Luebke threw pitches with a man on base… Prior to that, Luebke had given up 2 hits – both home runs. Multiple HR's is an auto-disqualifier for my “Pitcher of the Day” awards – but this performance was very intriguing…

8.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 12 SO, 2 HR

My Top 10

Okay, I asked you all to post your top 10 – here is mine (top 17 actually).

Process: I started with the 16 + Castro (who should have been on my original list) and ranked them, thought about my order, revised, re-revised, etc. until I was comfortable with my list…

1 Mat Latos – reaching über-prospect status
2 Kyle Blanks – proximity to bigs pushed KB to #2
3 Jaff Decker – superior hit tool and already performing
4 Donovan Tate – projecting tools
5a Logan Forsythe – superior plate discipline at higher level
5b James Darnell – could/should(?) rate ahead of Forsythe
7 Adys Portillo – pure projection
8 Cedric Hunter – top 5 if he ends the season over .300
9 Drew Cumberland – injuries drop him
10 Kellen Kulbacki – I assume he’ll produce again

Here is my ranking of the rest of players in the discussion:

11 Everett Williams
12 Simon Castro
13 Eric Sogard
14 Nick Schmidt
15 Keyvius Sampson
16 Jonathon Galvez
17 Allan Dykstra

I have high hopes for Williams, Castro, Sogard, Schmidt, and Sampson... Kevin Goldstein, in a MadFriars.com interview, said that Everett Williams could be a first round pick if he was 6'2" instead of 5'10" - wow!

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Padres MiLB June 12-14, Players of the Day - Weekend Edition

Friday, June 12, 2009

Hitter(s) of the Day

Cedric Hunter (AA): 2-3, 2 R, SB
Matt Antonelli (AAA): 3-3, 2B, HR, 2 R, BB

Pitcher of the Day

n/a

Commentary

Antonelli needs to step up. If he doesn’t get back to his 2007 form (.908 OPS in Lake Elsinore & .871 OPS in San Antonio) he’s probably done as a prospect.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Hitter of the Day

n/a

Pitcher(s) of the Day

Anthony Bass (Low-A): 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR
Jeremy Hefner (High-A): 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 SO, 0 HR
Ernesto Frieri (AA): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

Apparently the Padres minor league pitchers heard that there are open tryouts for a rotation slot in San Diego. On a serious note, I don’t want the Padres to bring Latos up – the Padres aren’t going to make the playoffs this year, I don’t think there’s a benefit (other than public relations) to having Latos make a big league debut this season, he has only made four starts above Low-A. People talk about Peavy coming up from AA (where Latos is now) when he was 21 - like Latos is now. However, Peavy pitched more than 100 innings in High-A and more than 100 innings in AA (over 2 seasons) where Latos has 22.2 innings in AA. One more thing to look at with regards to Latos' readiness:

Peavy's minor league IP totals by year:

1999: 84.2
2000: 133.0
2001: 133.1
2002: 80.1 (plus 97.2 in MLB)

Latos' minor league IP totals:

2007: 56.1
2008: 56.0
2009: 48.0 (so far)

Latos is probably the Padres top prospect but if the Padres bring him up, he'll likely finish the season with 150+ IP. That is too big of an innings jump for a guy who is this talented.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Hitter of the Day

James Darnell (Low-A): 4-5, 2 2B, 3 R, SO
Sawyer Carroll (Low-A): 4-5, 2B, 3B, 3 R, 3 RBI, SB
Eric Sogard (AA): 2-4, 2B, R
Kellen Kulbacki (AA): 3-4, R, RBI, BB, SO, SB, CS
Cedric Hunter (AA): 2-5, R, 2 RBI, SO, SB

Pitcher(s) of the Day

Simon Castro (Low-A): 6.0 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 SO, 0 HR
Wade LeBlanc (AAA): 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

On Sunday, top prospects did what top prospects do…

In other news, the Arizona League and the Northwest League kick off this week.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Padres Top 10 Discussion

I talked to Geoff Young on Thursday and we were discussing the draft (surprise-surprise), Padres minor league depth, and certain players… The overall discussion led to a question, “Which Padres prospects deserve to be considered as top 10 prospects?”

I started listing players who were in last year’s top 10, some new additions, and some breakout candidates for the list and the conversation and mental review after the discussion led to this post… Thanks Geoff!

(listed alphabetically)

Kyle Blanks

Blanks isn’t setting the world on fire by hitting .266/.383/.473 but he does have 20 XBH (8 2B, 1 3B, and 11 HR) while splitting duty between 1B and learning LF. His proximity to the Majors and his career numbers put him near the top of the Padre prospect rankings.

Drew Cumberland

There may be no player on this list more important to the Padres’ system. Cumberland is every bit the athlete that prognosticators say the system lacks. On top of that he plays SS. The biggest knock on Cumberland is that he hasn’t been able to stay healthy. Even this year he’s missed some time… When he has been healthy, he’s hit well (with the expected lack of power) .304/.378/.392 and going 9-0 in stolen bases attempts. Cumberland lacks the talent to be a top-5 pick, but is almost certainly a top 10 prospect.

James Darnell

Darnell is considered a 5-tool 3B talent. He’s probably too advanced of a hitter to be in Low-A but he’s blocked by fellow discussion listee, Logan Forsythe. Darnell is hitting .294/.453/.497 with 22 of his 55 hits going for extra bases (13 2B, 2 3B, and 7 HR). Lots of minor league experts have Darnell on their watch lists and Baseball America ranked him in the Padres’ top 10 last off-season.

Jaff Decker

Jaff Decker was rated by Baseball America as the #3 Padres prospect going into this season. And so far he’s done nothing to lower expectations. Despite missing time recovering from a concussion Decker is hitting .283/.455/.543 with 9 doubles and 8 home runs on 127 AB so far this season. He’s a near-lock to remain in the top 5.

Allan Dykstra

Grady Fuson described last year’s top pick as having “Petco-proof power.” However, his numbers this year are depressing (.203/.365/.346). In the offseason, the Padres completely re-vamped his swing so he was able to get to inside pitches (in college he cheated away because no one challenged him inside – with professionals using wood bats he needed to fix the swing). He should be in the discussion for top 10 status, but only on the merit of his abilities, not his production.

Jonathon Galvez

Galvez is physical beast. He’s listed at 6’2” 175, but from what I’ve heard, he’s already thicker than 175 and most suspect he’ll move to 3B or OF. He hit .272/.449/.370 last year in the DSL (which is more impressive than it sounds). He should be playing in the AZL this year. Galvez just turned 18 in January, so he’ll be among the younger players playing professional baseball in the States. The Padres are high on Galvez and say his bat will be special.

Logan Forsythe

Forsythe doesn’t project to have Darnell’s power or speed, but he can hit, he can control the strike zone, and he can play defense (he does have power he just doesn’t project to have as much as Darnell). In Logan’s favor, the Padres drafted him ahead of Darnell, put him at the higher level, and he’s easily having at least the success Darnell is having – but at a higher level. Forsythe is hitting .328/.477/.545 with 13 2B, 3 3B, and 8 HR.

Cedric Hunter

Coming out of high school Cedric Hunter was described as a tweener, not enough defense to handle CF and not enough power to handle a corner-OF spot. The “lack of defense” complaint was not a current one, but what people projected him to be. What he is, is a CF who always seems to be in the right place at the right time. He also happens to be one of the toughest hitters to strike out in the minors. Last year he K’d barely more than 8% of his chances.

Cedric is not hitting like he has in previous seasons but will probably slowly climb back to normal .300+ average. Assuming Tate and Williams both sign, Hunter will need to step up his game but he should be a lock to remain on the Padres top 10.

Kellen Kulbacki

Kellen shouldn’t fall off this list, but I can completely understand why someone might take him off their top 10… Kellen was a beast in college. His OPS numbers for his three years are: .944, 1.511, and 1.323. Then he posted an .873 in Short-Season Eugene in 2007. In 2008 he posted a .940 OPS… So far this season he’s hitting below the “Mendoza” line and has yet to hit his first HR. He injured his shoulder at the end of last season and is recovering from off-season shoulder surgery. So a return to form is likely – but between the injury and the infusion of additional talent, Kulbacki is unlikely to be a top 5 prospect – though his top 10 status should be secure.

Mat Latos

Latos is only 48 innings into the 2009 campaign (he only pitched 56 innings in ’08) and is looking like one of the best pitchers in all the minors (combined 0.56 ERA with 23 H allowed, 3 combined ER, 11 BB and 49 SO). Assuming the Padres sign Donovan Tate, only Tate and Blanks can challenge Latos for the top Padre prospect ranking.

Adys Portillo

As good as Latos is, Portillo might be better. Reportedly he blew away other top prospects in organizational workouts. When the Padres signed the right-hander out of Venezuela he had a 91 mph fastball – he’s now hitting 95. He is only now going to start playing professional games that count. He should climb this list fast. BA rated the 17 year-old RHP #5 going into the season.

Keyvius Sampson

Sampson might be a long-shot to make the top 10 out of this list, but keep in mind, the right hander throws 93-96 and was as dominant as a high school pitcher could be:

69 IP, 14 BB, 123 SO (I can’t find the statistic but he allowed 35ish hits)

Assuming the Padres sign Sampson quickly, it wouldn’t be a surprise to watch Sampson (a first-round talent) dominate at lower levels.

Nick Schmidt

Nick is often reviled simply because he is not Rick Porcello. What he is however, is a LHP who throws an 88-91 fastball and touches 93 and gets results. He was a “Friday Starter” (staff ace) for all three years in college. Once drafted he suffered an elbow injury and is now coming back from Tommy John surgery. Schmidt profiles as a #3 starter. He is having solid success in Low-A but because of his age (thanks to the lost 2008 season) he’s old for his league (23). That combined with the depth on this list make it likely Schmidt will be one of the first pruned from this list to get it to 10.

Eric Sogard

Sogard is someone that I had rated as the #7 Padre prospect until I heard questions about his defense. I had previously thought his defense was average or better… Now, again, I’m hearing his defense is not a big concern and I kick myself for allowing those rumors/questions to affect my ranking. I think Sogard is Pedroia-lite and the Padres’ heir-apparent at second base.

Donovan Tate

Baseball America’s Jim Callis wrote,

San Diego State righthander Stephen Strasburg is already the favorite to rank No. 1 on next year's Top 100. Assuming they sign, there are two more college players (North Carolina first baseman Dustin Ackley, Missouri righthander Kyle Gibson), two independent league righthanders (Aaron Crow and Tanner Scheppers) and five high schoolers (outfielder Donavan Tate, lefthanders Tyler Matzek and Matthew Purke and righthanders Jacob Turner and Zack Wheeler) who are all but locks to make the [top 100] list.

You’re not going to rate as a top 100 prospect and not find your way onto your team’s top 10. Tate would a lock to be a top 2-3 prospect if not #1 overall – assuming the Padres sign him (I’ll be surprised if they do not).

Everett Williams

Everett Williams does not have Donovan Tate’s upside, but much the way Elijah Dukes dominated in the Rays minor league system while other outfielders got all the hype, Everett could outproduce Tate. He doesnt come with first round cachet, but he’s a legitimate 5-tool talent and it was surprising that he was available in the second round. It will be interesting to see how the Padres develop Tate and Williams side-by-side.

There are 16 players on this list. Who did I miss? Who else should be considered in the Padres top 10 discussion, and who would you rank as the Padres top 10 (you can assume either all or none of the ’09 draftees sign – but don’t pick and choose)?

Please opine!

Decker & Forsythe on BA PHS

Baseball America, busy from 2009 draft stuff, veered away from its normal weekly Prospect Hot Sheet schedule and ranked how the 2008 draftees are doing…

Padres’ Jaff Decker ranked #2 on their list saying, “Decker leads the MWL in on-base percentage and ranks fourth in slugging, as he's had no trouble converting his plus raw power to game power (that's eight home runs in 39 games).”

They go on to suggest that Decker could be in line for another MVP trophy…

Padres’ Logan Forsythe showed up in their honorable mention “In The Team Photo” category and has, “…had no problems handling the California League. Forsythe, 22, is hitting .327/.475/.540 with eight home runs in 202 at-bats, leading the league in on-base percentage and ranking seventh in average.”

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Padres MiLB June 11, Players of the Day

Hitter(s) of the Day

Matt Clark (Low-A): 1-2, HR, R, 2 RBI, 3 BB
Luis Durango (AA): 0-1, R, 3 BB, SB

Pitcher of the Day

Wynn Pelzer (High-A): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

I started putting Matt Clark on my watch list. I don’t think he’s enough of a player to be a top prospect, but he hitting well (.287/.370/.532) despite striking out a ton.

Pelzer has had a few bad outings; it’s good to see him with another dominant outing.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Padres MiLB June 10, Players of the Day

Hitter of the Day

n/a

Pitcher(s) of the Day

Nick Schmidt (Low-A): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 SO, 0 HR
Cory Luebke (High-A): 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

Fittingly, on a day when the Padres drafted an abundance of arms, the only two performances meriting Player of the Day status are from pitchers.

The un-washed repeatedly uses Nick Schmidt as a data-point for the Padres’ purported “safe low-upside” draft strategy.

Schmidt’s stats:

3-0 with a 3.32 ERA in 40.2 IP, 34 H, 19/49 BB/SO ratio, 0 HR

In his last 4 outings, Schmidt has gone 20.1 IP while allowing 13 H and 3 BB while striking out 25.

Fellow left-hander, Cory Luebke has been similarly dominant over his last 6 starts with a 1.26 ERA in 42.2 IP while allowing 28 H and maintaining a 8/34 BB/SO ratio.

How do you like them low-upside left-handed apples?

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Padres Day 1 Draft Review

Donovan Tate, CF, Cartersville HS (GA)

I previously wrote:

.488 with 11 2B, 1 3B, 9 HR, and 17 SB

Donovan Tate may have the highest upside of any hitter in this draft. He’s a true 5-tool talent in CF. He’s drawn comparisons to Arizona centerfielder, Chris Young, and Atlanta OF Jeff Francoeur (for his athleticism).

He is considered a tough-sign and has a commitment to UNC to play QB and CF. The one concern is according to his Baseball America scouting report, “He can get pull-happy and doesn't have a natural feel for hitting, but that doesn't significantly limit
his ceiling.” Most experts say that if he gives up football he will fully develop his hitting tool.

In a Baseball America article, John Maffei quotes Grady Fuson, "Tate has huge raw power. He has great projectable power. He has great lift and loft to the pull field. A worst case is that he's a Mike Cameron-type, a great defender with power who strikes out a lot.

"The best case is that he's Andruw Jones, at his best."

I won’t pretend that I didn’t have some of the pitchers rated ahead of Tate, but I’m excited to see what he will do in the system. I fully expect him to sign.

Everett Williams, CF, McCallum HS (TX)

Everett is someone I became aware of a couple months ago and was on my watch list for this pick. However, when the Padres drafted Tate #3 I thought they would go for one of the four shortstops, one of the catchers, or a pitcher… So I was surprised when the Padres popped their second straight centerfielder.

On MLB.com’s coverage, they said Everett’s hit tool was more advanced (and might be better) than Tate’s but his other tools are not as advanced or as projectable… Regardless, Everett is still considered a 5-tool talent and will be a nice addition to the system.

In a draft discussion with fellow Baseball America writer John Manual, Jim Callis wrote, “In Round Two, I love Everett Williams to the Padres at 52. They got two of the very best HS athletes in Tate and Williams. Williams has the best bat of those HS athletes. Tremendous value [sic].”

Jerry Sullivan, RHP, Oral Roberts U

I don't know much about Jerry Sullivan other than what's on Baseball America and what MLB.com said about him. He was projected to go in the 3rd-4th round but from what I can tell, he looks like a better prospect. His fastball sits 90-92 and can touch 93-4. Additionally, because he’s a Tommy John veteran (had it his senior year of high school) some think he has just scratched his potential. He could be a steal.

Sullivan’s 2009 statistics:

8-3 with 3.12 ERA in 98.0 IP, 93 H, 27/118 BB/SO ratio, 5 HR allowed

Padres MiLB June 9, Players of the Day

Hitter of the Day

James Darnell (Low-A): 2-5, 2B, 2 R

Pitcher of the Day

Jeremy McBryde (High-A): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

Lots of other stuff… Read that.

Padres Shadow Draft

1-3 (3): Jacob Turner RHP
2-3 (52): Max Stassi C
3-3 (83): Madison Younginer

My ranking as of a couple days ago was:

1. Strasburg
2. Ackley
3. Turner
4. Crow
5. Matzek
6. Tate

Matzek had moved ahead of Crow but now that he's asking for big money - possibly even more than Turner - I was going to pass on Turner, but since they both cost near the same, I went with the guy I liked the most.

I have Max Stassi rated 15th. I am thrilled to find him in the second round.

Madison Younginer is a high-upside prep right-handed pitcher who touches 97.

Both Stassi and Younginer may have signability issues as both are still on the board going into the fourth round.

With the second pick...

Rumors persist that Seattle may take Tanner Scheppers or Donvan Tate. If this happens, Padres will take Ackley.

Monday, June 08, 2009

Padres' Draft Scenarios

There are several scenarios out there for the Padres at three.

Here are my thoughts on which players the Padres could take, and possible (logical) explanations on how the Padres could come to these decisions.

Donovan Tate: Grady Fuson supposedly drools over Tate’s tools and owner-in-waiting, Jeff Moorad has a history of going over-slot to get a highly rated player (see Justin Upton, Stephen Drew, and Max Scherzer). If Seattle takes Ackley at 2 (as expected) this is a likely pick.

Aaron Crow: Tate is not without a few questions: 1, is he willing/ready to give up football (Tate is signed to play football and baseball at UNC), and 2, people don’t question Tate’s power, defense, arm, or speed – but there are some questions on whether he’ll hit enough. If the Padres feel these risks are not worth Tate’s considerable price tag, they may go with Aaron Crow. Crow is one of three pitchers the Padres are still considering – or were considering over the weekend - Tyler Matzek and Zack Wheeler are the others. Matzek and Wheeler might have higher upsides (might), but Crow isn’t a soft-tossing future 5th starter. He probably profiles best as a #3 starter and should reach the big leagues for good by the beginning of 2011.

Tyler Matzek: Tyler could be the pick, if the Padres have the same concerns regarding Tate but feel like Matzek has a higher upside than Crow – and is worth the additional cost.

Zack Wheeler: Wheeler could be an option for the Padres if they feel the price tags for Tate and Matzek are not justified and if they are underwhelmed by Crow’s talent (I do not think this is the case). Wheeler is one of the best right-handed pitchers in the draft and reportedly has reasonable bonus demands. The Padres would not be going cheap by selecting Wheeler they would merely be avoiding players with un-justified demands.

Dustin Ackley: This is a no-brainer scenario. If the Seattle Mariners take anyone other than Ackley at number 2, the Padres will take the 1B/CF prospect. This is the ideal scenario, but it is quite unlikely. One glimmer of hope, Ackley reportedly has steep bonus demands. Those demands reportedly scare Seattle (he is worth those demands).

Padres MiLB June 8, Players of the Day

Hitter(s) of the Day

Matt Clark (Low-A): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, SO
Sawyer Carroll (Low-A): 2-4, HR, R, RBI
Kyle Blanks (AAA): 3-4, SO

Pitcher of the Day

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

Commentary

Anthony was brilliant Monday night. Coincidentally, Anthony did a diary for PadresRunDown and I told him I would publish it Monday. I did. Check it out. And thanks again Anthony!

I'll have more draft coverage tomorrow and through the end of the week.

Anthony Bass - A Diary

I have been fortunate to meet Anthony Bass and have some discussions with him. He graciously agreed to do a diary for PadresRunDown. Thanks, Anthony for doing this for us!

Without further ado…

May 17th vs. South Bend

Positives: 2-Seam Fastball was working well for the 1st time I tried it. 1 Walk, 2 hits (soft), 4 Strikeouts. I felt confident in all 4 of my pitches today (4-seam, 2-seam, Slider, Changeup). I had success throwing offspeed strike one and 2-seam fastball's inside.

Things to work on next Bullpen: Chanegup for a strike and fastball command down inside/outside.

Daily Routine: Woke up at 11:00am EST, Shower, Cleaned up, Breakfast at my favorite restaurant in Fort Wayne (Sara's), and then headed to Parkview Field by 1:05pm for the game.

- Always remember to thank the Lord-

May 22nd vs. Beloit

Positives: Worked out of a 1st and 2nd Jam. FB velocity was 88-92mph.

Things to work on next Bullpen: DOWN! Left FB up and was hit out of the ballpark for a 3-Run Home Run. Work ahead in every count.

Routine: Woke up at 10:30am CST, Arby's for Lunch, headed to the ballpark at 2:45pm.

-Proverbs 3:6-

May 28th vs. Cedar Rapids

Positives: Went 6.0 innings throwing 91 pitches. Pitched both inside and outside well with my FB. Had great control of my slider the whole outing.

Things to work on next Bullpen: Chageup for strike inside and outside. Throwing quality 0-2 pitches in the dirt and above the Letters.

Routine: Woke up at 10:30am EST, Had my favorite Cereal for breakfast (Reese Puffs), Shower, Watched one of my favorite TV shows (Home Improvement), Sara's again for lunch, headed to the field for the game around 4:30pm.

-If God brings me to it, He will bring me through it-

June 3rd vs. Lansing

Positives: Issued 1 walk in 5 scoreless innings. Gave my team a chance to win. Had control of my FB down and away to Righties and inside to Lefties.
Things to work on next Bullpen: Work out of stretch about 85% of the time. Need to pitch in a pressure type situation during Bullpen. Strike 1 to LH batters on the outside corner from the stretch.

Routine: Woke up at 11:00 a.m. EST, Rasin Bran Cereal for Breakfast, Shower, Took out the garbage in the Apartment, Had an Apple, Headed to Sara's at 3:45pm for Lunch, Came back to the Apartment and brushed/flosed my teeth, then headed to the ballpark for the game at 4:35pm.

-Give thanks to God!-

***

And thanks to you, Anthony, for being willing to let us peak into your life a little.

Sunday, June 07, 2009

Padres MiLB June 5-7, Players of the Day - Weekend Edition

Friday, June 5, 2009

Hitter(s) of the Day

Kyle Blanks (AAA): 2-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 BB, SO
James Darnell (Low-A): 2-3, 2B, R, BB

Pitcher(s) of the Day

Nick Schmidt (Low-A): 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR
Cory Luebke (High-A): 9.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 10 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

Blanks hasn’t been hot in awhile. It’s nice to see him have a big game.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Hitter(s) of the Day

Jaff Decker (Low-A): 3-4, 2 RBI, SO
Evreth Cabrera (High-A): 3-4, 3B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, 2 SB
Kellen Kulbacki (AA): 3-5, 3B, R, 2 RBI, SO

Pitcher of the Day

n/a

Commentary

Inman was beyond solid, pitching 8 scoreless – but with only 1 strikeout, I could not, in good conscious, categorize his performance as a “Pitcher of the Day” performance.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Hitter(s) of the Day

Jaff Decker (Low-A): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 5 RBI, BB, SO
Allan Dykstra (Low-A): 1-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB
Logan Forsythe (High-A): 3-5, 2 2B, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, SO
Mitch Canham (AA): 2-4, 3B, R, RBI
Chad Huffman (AAA): 2-4, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 SO

Pitcher of the Day

n/a

Commentary

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, James Darnell is the sexier prospect because his superior power, but don’t forget, when the Padres had to decide which player to go to High-A and which to go to Low-A, they sent Forsythe to High-A. Forsythe is batting .330/.480/.543 with 13 2B, 3 3B, and 7 HR.

Saturday, June 06, 2009

My Padres Draft - John Sickles' Mock Draft

John Sickles had his annual Mock Draft today on his website.

I was the “Scouting Director” for the Padres and had the following 3-round draft (links are to each round):

#3 – Aaron Crow, RHP, Fort Worth Cats
Supplemental round - No Padre picks
#52 – Nick Franklin, SS, Lake Brantley HS (FL)
#83 – Robbie Erlin, LHP, Scotts Valley HS (CA)

Aaron Crow (I previously had this report on Crow):


Crow is listed at 6’3” but that is reportedly an exaggeration. He was considered the top collegiate right-handed pitcher in the 2008 draft and Washington drafted him 9th overall but failed to sign him so he is pitching in the indy leagues and is back in this draft.

He features a 92+ mph fastball that can touch 96 and last year he showed the ability to keep that velocity late into the games.

In my opinion, Crow is the best combination of velocity, stuff, and polish (by anyone not named Strasburg) in the draft. Tanner Scheppers has more velocity, Alex White may have more stuff, and Mike Leake could have more polish but none of those
three pitchers can say they are above-average in all three.

Already 22 years old, Crow should not require a great amount of development in the minors and has a solid chance of being the first player from this draft to reach the majors.

Nick Franklin:

Nick is an athletic shortstop from the same high school that produced Jason Veritek, Ricky and Jemile Weeks, and Felipe Lopez. Appropriately, Franklin is most often compared to Lopez. He doesn’t project to hit for much (if any) home run power but he should hit fair amount of doubles, steal some bases, and play above-average shortstop.

Robbie Erlin:

Erlin is a short (5’11”) left-handed pitcher who throws an 89-92 FB and a hammer-curve. Scouts say that if he was taller he would be discussed as a first-round talent. I actually have him rated #34 overall (as you can see here) but thought (correctly it turned out) that I could get him in the 3rd round.

Additionally:

The new draft format is such that rounds 1-3 will be on Tuesday. Because of this format teams are expected to make calls to players that are unexpectedly dropping such as: catcher, Luke Bailey, and possibly Missouri RHP, Kyle Gibson. I would seriously consider one of these two (assuming they are not picked in the first three rounds – in Sickles’ mock draft both were taken but I think this is unlikely).

***

Edit (Sunday, June 7, 2009):

John Sickles had this to say in his draft reviews:

COMMENT: The Padres are usually college-oriented. Crow is a logical pick at number three overall if they don't feel they can afford Donavan Tate. Franklin is a tools guy with a good glove and offensive potential, though there are some questions about his power. Erlin is a short lefty at 5-11, but has a lively fastball/curveball combination and a lot of people think he is underrated. Although I don't think the Padres draft will actually look like this, given their past track record, on its own terms this is a good trio of talent.

Friday, June 05, 2009

Sickles' Mock Draft Saturday at 10:00 AM (PST)

John Sickles will be hosting his anual Mock Draft at his website Saturday morning. I am your humble (okay, not-so-hubmle) Padres Scouting Director for the event. I have contributed heavily to the Padres research/discussion for several years, but this is my first go-round as the Padres representative. I hope to see you there.

I'm pretty sure where I'm going with the 2nd round pick (assuming my choices are still there) but I'm up in the air with the first pick. My current top six:

1. Strasburg
2. Ackley
3. Turner
4. Crow
5. Matzek
6. Tate

Latos and Darnell in BA PHS

Mat Latos’ dominance pushed the big right-hander to Baseball America’s top spot in their weekly Prospect Hot Sheet. “The last Padres farmhand to have Latos' kind of raw stuff—not to mention this kind of minor leauge success—was Jake Peavy…” BA goes on to say however, that the two are not a good comparison, “…because Latos and Peavy are different types of pitchers, and very different personalities.”

In the past week, [Latos] twice faced first-place Springfield (a club that has scored the second-most runs in the TL), and the results are what you see above. What you don't see is that with the dominating performance, Latos has assumed the minor league ERA lead at 0.42.

Latos' 2009 Cummulative statistics:

5-0 and 0.42 ERA in 43. 0 IP, 17 H, 1 HR, 9/46 BB/SO ratio

Latos wasn’t the only Padre representing, James Darnell checked in at #4 on the list. “Darnell has epitomized the mature, disciplined hitting style the Padres preach. He leads the minors in walks with 50 in 51 games. But he's been doing plenty of damage when he does swing the bat as well.”

Darnell's 2009 statistics:

.293/.457/.503 with 10 2B, 2 3B, 7 HR and a 50/44 BB/SO ratio

Padres MiLB June 4, Players of the Day

Hitter(s) of the Day

Eric Sogard (AA): 1-3, HR, 3 R, RBI, 2 BB
Mike Baxter (AA): 1-2, HR, 3 R, 3 BB, SO
Lance Zawadski (AA): 2-5, 2 2B, R RBI, SO
Chad Huffman (AAA): 2-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI

Pitcher of the Day

Mat Latos (AA): 6.2 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

It bugs me when commentators talk about strike-out pitchers as inefficient. What is inefficient is walking batters; it takes at least 4 pitches. First-pitch ground-outs are nice, but most hitters aren’t swinging at the first pitch these days. On Thursday Latos pitched 6.2 innings and only threw 93 pitches. That averages just less than 14 pitches per inning. In those 6.2 innings, he struck out 8 hitters. Nice!

Thursday, June 04, 2009

Padres focusing exclusively on Tate and Minor?

I have become increasingly confused/concerned about reports that focus exclusively on Donovan Tate and Mike Minor when the Padres are supposedly considering five prospects (now it would make sense that the Padres would narrow their focus, but well-informed sources have not reported that)…

Reports have said the Padres like Tate but may balk at the price tag – which makes complete sense – and are likely to take Mike Minor – over Crow and Wheeler?

I exchanged communiqués with several of my "sources" today in an effort to determine if the Padres had in fact narrowed their focus to Tate and Minor. From what information I have been able to gather, the Padres have not eliminated either Crow or Wheeler and all four are still in the mix (as well as Dustin Ackley if Seattle passes on him – not likely).

Additionally, the Padres have stated (Towers and Fuson in local media) that they have made a conscious decision to target and acquire more big-velocity arms for the system. Mike Minor would be a solid addition to any farm system (though he is not a top 5 talent) but he does not fit that big-velocity focus.

PRD on Twitter!

If you're on Twitter, then you beat me to it. Well I'm on now. Follow me and I'll let you know what I think when I think it (with regards to baseball, Padres, etc.).

I'm @pffriberg

MiLB Mock Draft

Jonathan Mayo, from MiLB.com, has his latest Mock Draft up this morning (with his last one scheduled for Monday). I wasn't going to post or link to it - I don't trust Mayo's projections - but Mayo has some comments I feel need to be refuted or discussed...

Starting with Seattle:

2. Seattle Mariners: Dustin Ackley, 1B/OF, North Carolina
There's not enough information to change this pick, though there was some buzz that the Mariners were backing off of him. If that's the case, Aaron Crow still seems like the best bet.

My take: Seattle has been linked to both Matzek and Scheppers at #2 and while Crow makes sense (kick the tires, evaluate, double-check, etc.) it's hard to see teams liking him over Ackley. Both Matzek and Scheppers have risk/reward high-upside profiles that make more sense at #2. Could it be that Seattle is tired of first-round prospects that do not pan out and wants to go "safe"? I'm guessing no. Not with newly minted Jack Z. at helm.

3. San Diego Padres: Mike Minor, LHP, Vanderbilt
Still the same debate of college pitcher vs. high school athlete (Tate). There could be some discussion between Minor and Crow here, and it could go either way. But Minor remains the choice for now.

My take: Mayo's projection is what it is. I'm not going to debate that. We've been linked to all three players he mentions so we'll leave that alone. I'm more concerned with Mayo's commentary on #2 and #4 and how that relates to the Padres...

4. Pittsburgh Pirates: Aaron Crow, RHP, Fort Worth Cats
The Pirates would love it if the Mariners and Padres passed on Ackley and he dropped to them, something that now sounds to be at least a remote possibility. The other choices are the same, with Grant Green potentially in the mix if they want a bat and Ackley's gone. Other college pitchers in the mix could be Alex White or Kyle Gibson, though that seems unlikely now, and there might be a high school pitcher or two who could sneak up here.

My take: I can't find the quote now, but if I remember correctly, the Padres have (off the record) said that they will take Ackley if he is there at three. Other experts (Kevin Goldstein, various Baseball America writers, etc.) have said that Ackley will not slide past 3. So to suggest that there is, "at least a remote possibility," is deceiving.

I still think the most likely scenario is:

1. Strasburg - duh!
2. Ackley
3. Crow or Tate

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Padres MiLB June 3, Players of the Day

Hitter of the Day

Kyle Blanks (AAA): 1-2, 2B, 2 BB

Pitcher(s) of the Day

Anthony Bass (Low-A): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR
Jeremy Hefner (High-A): 6.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO, 0 HR
Wade LeBlanc (AAA): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

Bass has had a few rough outings lately. Good to see him have a nice outing.

Draft Board – Personal Top 50

Here is my personal Top 50:

  1. Stephen Strasburg
  2. Dustin Ackley
  3. Donovan Tate
  4. Jacob Turner
  5. Aaron Crow
  6. Tyler Matzek
  7. Zack Wheeler
  8. Grant Green
  9. Mike Leake
  10. Tanner Scheppers
  11. Shelby Miller
  12. Matt Purke
  13. Alex White
  14. Kyle Gibson
  15. Tim Wheeler
  16. Max Stassi
  17. Rex Brothers
  18. Bobby Borchering
  19. James Paxton
  20. Mike Trout
  21. Jiovanni Mier
  22. Andy Oliver
  23. Tyler Skaggs
  24. Mike Minor
  25. Chad Jenkins
  26. Tony Sanchez
  27. Garrett Gould
  28. Will Myers
  29. Eric Arnett
  30. Everett Williams
  31. Mychal Givens
  32. Matt Bashore
  33. Billy Bullock
  34. Robbie Erlin
  35. AJ Pollock
  36. Chad James
  37. Matt Hobgood
  38. Slade Heathcott
  39. Jared Mitchell
  40. Rich Poythress
  41. Brad Boxberger
  42. Brody Colvin
  43. Aaron Miller
  44. Keyvius Sampson
  45. Brett Jackson
  46. Luke Bailey
  47. Zach Von Rosenburg
  48. Nick Franklin
  49. Todd Glaesmann
  50. Tommy Joseph

You could make a case for any of numbers 2-7 at 3 for the Padres.

I really think Erlin (34) is under-rated by most…

Comment away!

Padres MiLB June 2, Players of the Day

Hitter(s) of the Day

Will Venable (AAA): 3-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 5 RBI
Chad Huffman (AAA): 2-3, 2B, R, 2 BB, SO

Pitcher of the Day

Corey Kluber (High-A): 6.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 SO, 1 HR

Commentary

Venable and Huffman are often overlooked as prospects. Don’t!

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Padres MiLB June 1, Players of the Day

Hitter(s) of the Day

Logan Forsythe (High-A): 2-3, 2B, 3B, 2 R, 2 RBI, SF
Mike Baxter (AA): 2-3, 2B, RBI, BB
Chad Huffman (AAA): 2-5, 2B, 2 R, RBI

Pitcher of the Day

Ernesto Frieri (AA): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

In his last start, Ernesto Frieri gave 7 runs in 4.1 innings. In his first start of the season Frieri allowed 4 earned runs in 5.0 innings. In each of the 7 in-between and in last night’s start, Frieri has given up 2 or fewer runs. His ERA is sitting pretty at 3.22. I’d like to see a few less walks (20 in 50.1 innings) but all in all Ernesto is performing well. I think he’s more likely to end up coming out of the bullpen but I’m still glad we have him in our system.