Thursday, April 30, 2009

Padres MiLB April 30, Players of the Day

Hitter(s) of the Day

Logan Forsythe (High-A): 1-2, 2B, R, 3 BB, SB
Yefri Carvajal (High-A): 5-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 3 SB
Eric Sogard (AA): 2-3, 2B, R, RBI, BB, SO

Pitcher of the Day

n/a

Commentary

This is a make-or-break year for Yefri Carvajal. The Padres have several corner outfielders in the system (Huffman, Kulbacki, Decker, etc.) and several offensive impact infielders who may have to move to a corner-outfield spot to get their bats in the big league lineup (Blanks, Forsythe, Darnell, etc. - let alone 3B-turned-LF, Chase Headley). While Yefri may have more tools than any player listed, his production needs to catch up with his tools or he’ll become a forgotten player.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Padres MiLB April 29, Players of the Day

Hitter(s) of the Day

Allan Dykstra (Low-A): 2-4, 2B, 2 R, RBI, SO
James Darnell (Low-A): 3-3, 2 2B, 2 R, RBI, BB, CS
Felix Carrasco (High-A): 2-3, 2B, HR, R, 4 RBI, SF
Luis Durango (AA): 2-4, BB, SB

Pitcher of the Day

Rob Musgrave (Low-A): 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

When Felix Carrasco was in the Arizona League (Rookie) Kevin Towers said Felix might have more power than any other third base prospect in the Padres system. The now-first baseman also won the home run derby in Low-A Midwest League. However, he strikes out a lot and generally has a low batting average… It’s early, but this year’s .303 average is encouraging. If he keeps it up, the Padres ridiculous first-base depth gets even deeper.

Programming note: I will be at a client event until late Thursday night. I will include Thursday's performances and commentary with my Weekend Edition.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Padres MiLB April 28, Players of the Day

Hitter(s) of the Day

Logan Forsythe (High-A): 2-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB, CS
Kyle Blanks (AAA): 2-5, HR, R, RBI, SO

Pitcher of the Day

Simon Castro (Low-A): 5.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

System sweep! The TinCaps, Storm, Missions, Beavers, and Padres all won Tuesday night.

According to Baseball America, Kyle Blanks is the 4th best 1B prospect in baseball (behind Lars Anderson, Logan Morrison, and Angel Villalona). Because he played High-A and AA in hitters leagues (Cal League & Texas League respectively) many thought his numbers were inflated (.920 OPS in ’07 and .918 in ’08). However, Blanks paid in two pitchers’ parks in those leagues… Now, in AAA, Blanks is playing in a neutral park. Expectedly, Blanks is improving his career numbers (.958 OPS). Yes, it’s early – but Blanks can friggin’ hit.

Castro has good starts and bad starts and currently sports a rather mediocre 4.32 ERA. Prediction: Castro will finish 2009 with a sub-3.10 ERA in the Midwest League.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Padres MiLB April 27, Players of the Day

Hitter(s) of the Day

James Darnell (Low-A): 2-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB, SO
Jeudy Valdez (Low-A): 4-5, 3B, 3 R, RBI, BB, SO, SB
Kyle Blanks (AAA): 2-3, HR, R, 2 RBI, SO

Pitcher(s) of the Day

Zachary Herr (Low-A): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR
Will Inman (AA): 6.0 IP, 4, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

The Fort Wayne TinCaps went off! They scored 15 and notched at least 1 run in every inning except the first and eigth. Half this team is going to get promoted to Lake Elsinore in June.

I generally won’t put a minor league reliever in my “Pitcher of the Day” list, but Herr struck out the side and furthermore he has a 0.00 ERA over 7 games (8 IP) with 3 BB and 13 SO. I don’t know what kind of stuff Herr has, but I intend to find out.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Padres MiLB April 24-26, Players of the Day - Weekend Edition

Friday, April 24, 2009

Minor League Hitter(s) of the Day

Jaff Decker (Low-A): 1-3, HR, R, RBI, BB, SO
Lance Zawadzki (High-A): 1-1, HR, R, 3 RBI

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

n/a

Commentary

Jaff Decker is recovered from his concussion and back to playing games that count. He is arguably the best hitting prospect in the system (Kellen Kulbacki and Kyle Blanks beg to differ)…

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Minor League Hitter(s) of the Day

Logan Forsythe (High-A): 2-5, 2B, RBI, SO
Eric Sogard (AA): 2-5. 3B, R, RBI, SO

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

n/a

Commentary

After he tore up his thumb on a head-first steal 3 games into his professional career and a monster power display by fellow ’08 draftee James Darnell, Logan Forsythe was often overlooked as a Padres prospect. Don’t do that.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Minor League Hitter of the Day

n/a

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

n/a

Commentary

The Padres didn’t go win-less today (Fort Wayne split a double-header) but it was a rough day in Padres prospectdom.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Padres MiLB April 23, Players of the Day

Minor League Hitter of the Day

Felix Carrasco (High-A): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, RBI, 2 SO
Mitch Canham (AA): 3-4, 2 2B, R, RBI

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

Wynn Pelzer (High-A): 5.0 IP, 1 H , 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR
John Hudgins (AA): 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR
Chad Gaudin (AAA): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

I’m not the only one who thinks that Canham can be a big league catcher, am I? Hello? Bueller?

You remember John Hudgins, right? Hudgins was drafted in the third round of the 2003 draft by the Texas Rangers and their then-scouting director, Grady Fuson. The Padres traded for Hudgins in 2006. He was injured and missed all of 2007 and most of 2008. He’s not a hard-thrower, but he has solid stuff and had at least average velocity… I don’t think he’ll ever be a rotation mainstay, but I think he can have an MLB career. It’s nice to see him have a good performance.

Gaudin (and for that matter Hudgins) is the type of player I usually do not profile here… However, with the big league rotation held together with Band-Aids and bubble gum, combined with Gaudin’s MLB track record make him some to watch – it’s likely he’ll be making starts with the big league club this year at some point.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Padres MiLB April 22, Players of the Day

Minor League Hitter of the Day

Drew Cumberland (Low-A): 0-1, 2 R, 3 BB

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

n/a

Commentary

Today was a day to forget in Padreland. The juggernaught in Fort Wayne rolled on winning 7-5 but Schmidt allowed 4 R in 3.2 IP, McBryde struck out 8 in 5 IP but allowed 2 HR, the Beevers only mustered 1 run against Sacramento, and the big league Padres couldn’t get Chris Young any run support losing 1-0 in the 10th.

Padres MiLB April 21, Players of the Day

Minor League Hitter of the Day

Lance Zawadzki (High-A): 2-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI
Logan Forsythe (High-A): 2-4, 2B, R, RBI, BB, SO
Will Venable (AAA): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, SO

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

n/a

Commentary

Fort Wayne is now 10-1. Keep the kids inside, stock up on bulk items, the sky is falling! If the Padres don't promote half the team in June/July this could be Baseball America's Minor League Team of the Year.

Zawadzki is uniformally overlooked as a SS prospect. However, his defense is reportedly good enough to stick. MadFriars.com said, "A blend of speed, game awareness and power has Zawadzki’s stock soaring within the system..." I'm not saying he's the Padres long-term answer at SS but maybe we shouldn't overlook him.

Repeat after me, "Will Venable is not a prospect." Or is he? Well that's what the national "experts" tell us. When he was with the Padres big league club last year, he surprised a lot of people with his defense in CF. It's early, but he's hitting .347/.418/.694 with 8 XBH (he hit .284/.361/.464 last year in AAA). Sounds like a prospect to me...

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Injury Updates

Paul DePodesta just posted the following in the comments section of his blog:

Decker should be activated this week as he's been playing in games in extended spring training.

Latos is pitching without restrictions and is currently building up his pitch count.

Antonelli is taking a few days off, and hopefully that will help the healing in this leg.

Kulbacki is doing all of his fielding drills and has started some light hitting drills.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Pades MiLB April 20 Players of the Day

Minor League Hitter of the Day

n/a

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

Stephen Faris (AA): 6.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

I’m not saying this to be rude, but I don’t see Faris as a legitimate MLB prospect. But if a pitching prospect doesn’t allow a hit, he deserves mention on this list.

Kyle Blanks doesn’t deserve a spot on the list for a single in 3 AB with a walk and an RBI, but RBI was game-winner in the 10th.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Padres MiLB April 17-19, Players of the Day - Weekend Edition

April 17, 2009

Minor League Hitter(s) of the Day

James Darnell (Low-A): 2-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB
Mike Baxter (AA): 3-5, 2B, 2 R, RBI, SO
Kyle Blanks (AAA): 2-4, 2B, 2 R, RBI, BB, 2 SO

Minor League Pitcher(s) of the Day

Jeremy McBryde (High-A): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 SO, 1 HR
Wade LeBlanc (AAA): 6.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO, 1 HR

Commentary

Anyone who says the Padres do not have impact prospects is not paying attention. Blanks and Darnell are impact hitters.

Mikey’s famous!

Cesar Carrillo didn’t make Friday’s award with a 6.0 IP 3 walk-3strikeout night, but that is a nice step forward for him. He needs to get back to where he was when the Padres drafted him. If that happens, he’s a legit #3 starter (maybe even a #2).

LeBlanc was hitless through five…

April 18, 2009

Minor League Hitter(s) of the Day

Luis Durango (AA): 3-5, R, SB
Kyle Blanks (AAA): 2-4, HR, R, 3 RBI

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

n/a

Commentary

Wynn Pelzer allowed more hits than innings pitched – that’s an auto-exclusion for my “pitcher of the day” list.

Here’s his Saturday night performance:

5.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR

Pelzer was off in his season debut, nice to see him get things righted.

April 19, 2009

Minor League Hitter(s) of the Day

Blake Tekotte (Low-A): 2-4, HR, 3 R, 4 RBI, BB, SO
Drew Cumberland (Low-A): 2-5, 2B, 3B, 2 R, RBI
Lance Zawadzki (High-A): 3-3, R, 2 BB, 3 SB
Felix Carrasco (High-A): 2-4, HR, R, 3 RBI, BB, SO
Will Venable (AAA): 2-4, 3B, R, 3 RBI, SO

Minor League Pitcher(s) of the Day

Stiven Osuna (Low-A): 6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR
Corey Kluber (High-A): 7.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

Fort Wayne is now 10-0.

The Padres are amassing some talent in CF (Will Venable, Cedric Hunter, Brad Chalk, etc.). Blake Tekotte might be the best of the bunch. There are no questions about his defense and his bat (combined power & average) might be equal to the rest…

Padres Fantasy Q&A

Mark Schruender of Fantasy Baseball Hotstove has asked me to answer weekly Padres questions.

The first Q & A is up here.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Analysts On Drugs

This is what happens when analysts do drugs - or at least don't pay attention...

The following exchange occurred on ESPN’s Baseball Tonight on Saturday, April 18, 2009

Tim Kurkjian: “…Is there any chance that it helps that not everybody knows who [the Padres players] are?”

Eric Young: “That’s the advantage they have going right now, Tim. The fact that no one is aware of this team. There’s a bunch of young guys that are playing – the teams don’t know their weaknesses, their tendencies.”

Huh?

Let’s look at this for a second…

Starting Position Players:

C Nick Hundley and Henry Blanco
1B Adrian Gonzalez
2B David Eckstein
SS Luis Rodriguez
3B Kevin Kouzmanoff
LF Chase Headley
CF Jody Gerut and Scott Hairston
RF Brian Giles

This is a well-known group… Headley had 331 at-bats last year and Hundley had 198. Neither is a rookie.

Starting Pitchers:

Jake Peavy
Chris Young
Kevin Correia: 409 career IP
Shawn Hill: 211 career IP
Walter Silva: rookie

One rookie here, but Kurkjian and EY wouldn’t have that exchange about 1 guy…

The above exchange could only be accurate about one sub-set of Padres, the middle relievers.

Luke Gregerson
Edwin Moreno
Edward Mujica
Luis Perdomo

Of that group only Mujica has significant innings (70+ career IP).

However, I don’t think that’s what Kurkjian and EY were talking about. The fact is, the David Eckstein and Luis Rodriguez are significant upgrades over what the Padres got from Khalil Greene and three or four second basemen they ran out there last year, the bullpen was awful, and the Padres were at the bottom of all of baseball in on-base percentage...

Are the Padres bullet-proof? Of course not. In fact, if you hold me to it I still think the Padres are probably a .500 team (at best). But they’re a LOT better than the 100-loss season that the experts predicted. But coming to that conclusion would require real analysis… Idiots.

Draft Stuff – First take

Part 1: Padres’ 1st Round Draft Analysis

To the casual Padre fan, the Padres have had poor drafts for many years:

First round picks this decade:

2000: Mark Phillips
2001: Jake Gautreaux
2002: Khalil Greene
2003: Tim Stauffer
2004: Matt Bush
2005: Cesar Carrillo
2006: Matt Antonelli
2007: Nick Schmidt
2008: Allan Dykstra

When you look at that list you cannot help but be underwhelmed (at least). But to say the Padres have drafted poorly is incomplete analysis at best and potentially even dishonest…

The current Padres drafting/scouting team has only been in place since 2005 (even then, Grady Fuson joined the team and advised on 2005 – he didn’t take over the lead role until the 2006 draft).

Let’s look at the ’03 and later first round selections.

In the 2003 draft, there were 4 players who were uniformly rated above the rest: Delmon Young, Rickie Weeks, Kyle Sleeth, and Tim Stauffer. With the Padres drafting 4th, they took the only one of the four available when it was their turn. Stauffer was a classic stuff & command guy. He pitched at 89-92 and could touch 94-5 with lots of movement. The weekend prior to the draft, with his college team in the playoffs and facing elimination, his coach left him on the mound for approximately 150 pitches. It would be his last amateur game. As the Padres were coming to terms with Stauffer, he revealed that his shoulder was injured. Following shoulder surgery, Stauffer regained most of his velocity but not the movement on his fastball. He went from a legitimate #2 starter to possible (and now failed) 5th starter.

I’m not going to rehash the 2004 Matt Bush debacle, that one is well-chronicled and blame lies 100% on the Padres.

In 2005 the Padres drafted Cesar Carrillo from University of Miami 18th overall. Baseball America had this to say about Carrillo:

Carrillo throws his fastball anywhere from 90-95 mph (touching 96-97), depending on the need, and he has shown scouts the ability to maintain his velocity deep into games. His fastball has excellent sink and life down in the zone from a three-quarters arm slot…

Since requiring Tommy John surgery, Carrillo has gotten most of his velocity back (I’ve heard he’s hit several 95’s). His current weakness (which I personally saw last year in Lake Elsinore) was consistency – or lack thereof. Veterans of Tommy John surgery usually struggle with command their first year after surgery. This is year two. So we’ll know more about Cesar as this season progresses. But was this a bad selection? Absolutely not. Cesar was a legitimate pick at 18 and would not have been a poor selection a few spots higher.

The following year, the Padres selected Matt Antonelli. Antonelli was described as an “excellent” athlete. As a prep Antonelli won Massachusetts player of the year in 2 sports and was runner up in a third; a fact that reinforces scouts’ perception of Antonelli’s athletic prowess.

Once drafted Antonelli had a sublime 2007 and a horrific 2008. Which season best demonstrates Antonelli’s prospect status? He’s probably somewhere in-between… Should we consider his selection a poor one? No, of course not. He’s a premium athlete who reached the majors in his second full season after being drafted. Is Antonelli a sure thing? No, but is there such a thing? Another solid pick.

In 2007 the Padres drafted another collegiate pitcher, Nicholas Schmidt. BA said Schmidt “should become a good No. 3…” Unfortunately, for Schmidt, the Padres passed on uber-prospect, Rick Porcello - just like 22 other teams before them and 3 more teams drafting after them. Because the Padres passed on Porcello Padre fans used this a data point in the 'Padres are cheap' argument and villified Schmidt in the process. Adding injury to insult, Schmidt blew out his elbow 8 innings into his professional career and like Carrillo, required Tommy John surgery at the end of 2007. Schmidt is just now getting back into full-swing. And like most of the other recent picks, the jury is out…

The story around the Padres first round pick in 2008 makes me laugh. Padre fans continuously evoke the Diamondbacks as a team that drafts well. And those same Padre fans were up in arms regarding rumors and predictions that the Padres were going to draft collegiate relief pitcher, Daniel Schlereth with the 23rd pick. When the Padres’ turn to draft came around, they selected collegiate first-baseman, Allan Dykstra. The irony here is that the Diamondbacks were going to select Dykstra if he was available at 26. Instead, they selected – you guessed it – Daniel Schlereth. Padre fans complained anyway. Let’s not let logic get in the way of emotion…

From 2003 (with the exception of 2004) it would be fair to say the Padres have had worse luck than actually poor drafting. Now it could be argued that they’ve had problems developing pitchers or that they need to do a better job identifying which pitchers pose greater injury risks… Those would be fair criticisms. But for all the armchair scouting directors who think they could do a better job, would you have drafted Kellen Kulbacki in the supplemental round, or Jaff Decker, or Cedric Hunter, or Chase Headley, or Anthony Bass? The Padres’ biggest problem (when it comes to drafting) is one of perception not success.

Part 2: 2009 1st Round Draft Targets

Most of you know, the Padres pick third in the upcoming MLB amateur draft. Since we are close to the NFL draft, it is important to point out a significant difference football’s and baseball’s drafts. In the NFL draft, the Chargers (for instance) won’t draft Matthew Stafford or Mark Sanchez if either happened to fall to them because they have a top flight QB. Conversely, in baseball’s draft, teams primarily draft their highest rated prospect regardless of position.

However, the Padres have given us some good clues about where they are leaning… Towers recently said that they targeted hitters in the last draft because they knew there was a lack of hitters in the 2009 draft. Towers has also talked about the quality of pitchers in this draft and on the big league club there has been renewed interest pitchers with above-average velocity fastballs. I think we safely assume that interest will correspond to the pitchers they draft as well.

(listed alphabetically)

Dustin Ackley, 1B, UNC

Ackley might be the most intriguing hitting prospect in the draft. His numbers are quite impressive:

.393/.503/.700 with 9 2B, 2 3B, 11 HR, 9/10 in stolen base attempts, and a 31/18 BB/SO ratio

Before the season started, a lot of experts expected Ackley to play CF at least half-time. He has played some CF but not as much as expected. Additionally, some have suggested he could play 2B. If the Padres believe he can play 2B or CF he would be solid selection. However, if he is only a first-baseman or corner outfielder his stock is downgraded and I cannot see the Padres selecting him…

Aaron Crow, RHP, Fort Worth Cats (Independent League)

The number 9 draft pick from 2008, Crow went unsigned and is back in this draft. Crow’s fastball sits at 91-95 and can touch 97-8. He’s “only” 6’1” so some question his ability to front a rotation and wonder if he wouldn’t be better suited to relief.

(no 2009 statistics – 2008 statistics shown)

13-0 with 2.35 ERA in 107.1 IP, 85 H allowed, 38/127 BB/SO ratio

Kyle Gibson, RHP, Missouri

Polished collegiate with hard slider and a fastball that sits at 87-91 and can touch 93-4…

6-3 with 3.00 ERA in 69.0 IP, 62 H allowed, 11/90 BB/SO ratio

Grant Green, SS, USC

After an unimpressive (statistically) beginning to his junior season, Grant Green's numbers are rebounding and his draft stock is as high as anyone not named Stephen Strasburg. People have said he’s a cross between Troy Tulowitzky and Evan Longoria but that’s probably at least a little hyperbole. Longoria’s bat is quite special. While Green arguably has a higher ceiling than Tulo, his bat will not likely rival Longoria’s.

.371/.444/.556 with 9 2B, 4 3B, 2 HR, 12/16 in stolen base attempts, and a 13/26 BB/SO ratio

Tyler Matzek, LHP, Capistrano Valley HS (CA)

Lefty prep pitcher who’s touching 96…

Matt Purke, LHP, Klein HS (TX)

Lefty prep pitcher who’s touching 95-96… According to Baseball America he is rated a touch behind Matzek because of mechanics but may ultimately have greater velocity on his FB.

Alex White, RHP, UNC

Alex started the season slow (not a ton of strikeouts, more hits than you would like vs. collegians, etc.) but his stats are coming back around…

6-1 with 3.14 ERA in 63.0 IP, 49 H & 7 HR allowed, 23/72 BB/SO ratio

Alex’s fastball sits in the low-mid 90s (91-94) and can touch 96-7. But according to a recent Baseball America report, “…scouts have expressed concerns over a change in his arm action.”

One would suspect that his arm action could be corrected or reverted but conversely it could portend a hidden injury.

* All collegians’ stats as of April 18

(Links are to Brewerfan.net scouting reports – I have looked at these and like what they put out. I wanted to give you credible scouting reports. My analysis is from a variety of sources and is my own spin on what I read and hear.)

My current ranking:

1. Grant Green
2. Dustin Ackley (provided he can play CF or 2B – if not, rank him behind White)
3. Tyler Matzek
4. Aaron Crow
5. Alex White (though if his arm action checks out okay I would put him ahead of Matzek)
6. Kyle Gibson
7. Matt Purke

Again, the Padres draft third in this year’s draft. The Washington Nationals will draft Stephan Strasburg #1 overall and Seattle Mariners will likely take one of the players I’ve listed. The Padres will get second crack at the non-Strasburg prospects. At this point (way early) I would be surprised if either the Mariners or Padres selected someone other than the 7 players I have listed here.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Padres MiLB April 16, Players of the Day

Minor League Hitter(s) of the Day

Allan Dykstra (Low-A): 2-4, 2B, R, RBI
James Darnell (Low-A): 2-3, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB
Yefri Carvajal (High-A): 2-4. R, 2 RBI
Mitch Canham (AA): 2-4, 2B, R, RBI
Kyle Blanks (AAA): 2-4, 2B, R, RBI, BB, SO

Minor League Pitcher(s) of the Day

Nick Schmidt (Low-A): 4.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR
Cory Luebke (High-A): 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

Canham is hitting .500 on the season – I know it’s early, but wow. Unfortunately, he allowed 4 stolen bases Thursday night to go with his stellar hitting.

I like Luebke. And while I won’t say Schmidt is the guy I wanted the Padres draft in the first round last year, I like him too. I think both lefties are legitimate MLB starting prospects.

In case you weren’t paying attention, Fort Wayne is 7-0. If you’re in the Midwest and like the Padres, get out to see this team. They’re LOADED!

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Padres MiLB April 15, Players of the Day

Minor League Hitter(s) of the Day


Allan Dykstra (Low-A): 2-4, 2B, R, RBI, SO
Drew Macias (AAA): 2-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 5 RBI, BB, SO
Will Venable (AAA): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, RBI, 2 BB, SO
Kyle Blanks (AAA): 2-3, R, 3 BB
Chad Huffman (AAA): 3-6, HR, 2 R, RBI,

Minor League Pitcher(s) of the Day

Anthony Bass (Low-A): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR
Cesar Ramos (AAA): 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR

Other Commentary

I like all four of these hitters. Just based on numbers, I don’t think they will each get a legit shot to be regulars with the Padres…

When I evaluate pitchers, the first think I look at are hits, strikeouts, and walks vs. innings pitched… Because of these statistical preferences, I am not Cesar Ramos’ biggest fan (517 IP, 570 hits allowed and 5.4 K/9). Now if Cesar has more starts like Wednesday’s, I’ll have to re-think my opinion.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Padres MiLB April 14, Players of the Day

Minor League Hitter(s) of the Day

Drew Cumberland (Low-A): 0-2, 2 BB, SB
James Darnell (Low-A): 2-3, 2B, 3B, R, RBI, BB, SO

Minor League Pitcher(s) of the Day

Michael Watt (Low-A): 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 SO, 0 HR
Corey Kluber (High-A): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR

Other Commentary

James Darnell has quickly become a Padre-fan favorite. Most Padre organizational fans were surprised when he showed up in Low-A rather than High-A. He’s just getting started…

In case you don’t remember, Michael Watt is one of the pitchers we got from the Dodgers for Greg Maddux. If I remember the scouting report correctly, he throws a low-90’s FB. I don’t remember much beyond that but obviously he was quite successful out of the ‘pen Tuesday night.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Padres April 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

Logan Forsythe (High-A): 2-3, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB
Eric Sogard (AA): 2-2, HR, 3 R, RBI, 3 BB
Mike Baxter (AA): 3-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 5 RBI,

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

Rob Musgrave (Low-A): 4.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR

Other Commentary

In 5 games, Eric Sogard has 5 XBHs, 6 walks, and only 2 strikeouts. He’s not going to maintain his Bondsian 1.472 OPS but don’t forget he led the entire Padre organization (including Adrian Gonzalez) in XBH when the minor league season ended last year.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Padres MiLB April 10-12 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…

Friday, April 10, 2009

Minor League Hitter of the Day

Luis Durango (AA): 3-5, R, RBI, 3 SB
Will Venable (AAA): 3-5, 2B, 3B, R, SO
Kyle Blanks (AAA): 3-5, 2B, R, RBI, SO

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

n/a

Other Commentary

Luis Durango can flat out hit. In 4 stops he has had the following batting averages: .378, .367, .305, and .431 (in 143, 300, 334, and 72 AB respectively). He doesn’t hit for ANY power (only 3 HR and 23 2B in 849 AB) but he has serious wheels. He needs to become more proficient at base-stealing and taking proper routes in the outfield, but his contact-ability and plate discipline make him an interesting prospect.

I saw a snide remark about Venable and Blanks going hitless in their 2009 debuts. How do you like them apples?

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Minor League Hitter(s) of the Day

Drew Cumberland (Low-A): 3-4, 2B, 3B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB
Luis Durango (AA): 2-3, 3 R, 2 BB,
Kyle Blanks (AAA): 1-3, HR, R, RBI, BB, SO

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

n/a

Other Commentary

Nice to see Blanks put up an early HR.

Cumberland has had 2+ hits in each of his first 3 games.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Minor League Hitter of the Day

Eric Sogard (AA): 2-4, 2 2B, 2 R, BB
Mitch Canham (AA): 3-5, 2 2B, R, 3 RBI
Chad Huffman (AAA): 2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, SO

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

n/a

Other Commentary

People wrote off Huffman when he hit .284/.383/.419 last year in San Antonio. However, the San Antonio ballpark is reportedly less hitter-friendly than Petco… To whit, Huffman hit .316/.403/.510 on the road versus .256/.365/.343 at home. I expect Huffman to have quite a season in 2009.

I’m a big fan of both Mitch Canham and particularly Eric Sogard. It’s nice to see him show up on this list early.

I have to admit, I am a little disappointed I don’t have a “Pitcher of the Day” over three consecutive days. But I would rather put deserving performances on a pedestal rather than reward merely “good” ones… As a reminder or for those who are just now finding my blog, I only give a pitcher the award if his hits are fewer than his IP, he has to have a solid strikeout count and without an abundance of walks…

***

With all the negativity surrounding the Padres heading into this season, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Toronto, Seattle, Atlanta, Florida, and St. Louis all have equal or better records than the big league Padres. What should be a surprise is that those 6 are the only clubs who are have records equal to or better than the Padres’ 5-2. Oh, and by the way, the Low-A Fort Wayne TinCaps are 3-0, the High-A Lake Elsinore Storm are 0-4, the AA San Antonio Missions are 3-1, and AAA Portland Beavers are 3-1.

Thursday, April 09, 2009

Padres MiLB April 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

Cedric Hunter (AA): 2-4, 2 R, RBI, SB

Minor League Pitcher of the Day

Anthony Bass (Low-A): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR

Other Commentary

Wow! I was more excited about today’s Minor League opening day than Monday’s Major League opening day. Fun stuff!

There weren’t too many candidates for Hitter of the Day but Cedric did what he usually does, got multiple hits, didn’t strike out, scored a couple runs… Some experts say Cedric doesn’t cover CF well enough to be considered an above-average CF prospect – I disagree. Furthermore, I think his bat is special enough that even if he isn’t a sublime defender, he’ll be good enough defensively that the Padres will want his bat in the lineup.

Welcome back to the world of starting pitching, Anthony Bass. Anthony, a starter in college, relieved in Eugene last year (2-2,2.10 ERA, 34.1 IP, 25 H, 14/41 BB/SO ratio). I’ve seen multiple comments talking about the Lake Elsinore rotation (headed by Padres 2008 organizational Pitcher of the Year, Jeremy Hefner), but the Low-A team has at least four legitimate MLB starting pitching prospects in Mat Latos, Simon Castro, Nicholas Schmidt, and Anthony Bass… I had Bass ranked higher than virtually anyone coming into this season. We can’t go overboard on one start but if Bass isn’t on your “watch list” put him on it now.