Padres Run Down

Hope and Change!

2009-07-02T15:21:00.000-07:00

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Padres MiLB July 1, Players of the Day

2009-07-01T22:30:00.000-07:00

Hitter(s) of the Day

Jonathan Galvez (Rookie): 2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, SO, SB
Jason Hagerty (SS): 2-5, 2B, R, 3 RBI, BB, SO
Blake Tekotte (Low-A): 4-4, 3 RBI, BB, 2 SB, CS
Allan Dykstra (Low-A): 2-4, 2B, HR, 3 R, RBI, BB
Cole Figueroa (Low-A): 2-5, 2B, R, SO
Yefri Carvajal (Low-A): 3-5, 3B, R, 3 RBI
Sawyer Carroll (High-A): 2-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, BB, SO

Pitcher(s) of the Day

Chris Wilkes (SS): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR
Jeremy Hefner (High-A): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR
Mat Latos (AA): 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR
Mike DeMark (AA): 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR
Evan Scribner (AA): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

Bo Davis had a heck of a performance Wednesday night:

4-4, 2B, 3B, 5 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 0 SO

…but I cannot in good conscious put a 24 year-old in Short-Season A-ball on the Player of the Day list. Bo, if you're reading, keep performing and force me to pay attention.

Chris Wilkes was drafted out of Dr. Phillips H.S. in Orlando in 2008 in the 22nd round. Like Peavy he probably deserved to be drafted higher, but unlike Peavy, he was not a first-round talent. Last year, as an 18 year old in the AZL, Wilkes tossed 61.2 innings and only gave up 5 walks and 1 home run (vs. 45 SO). He'll have trouble making a Padres top 30 list, but I'm paying attention.

Latos needed only 21 pitches to complete his 2 innings in the Texas League All Star game. The rest of the Missions’ All Star pitchers made a good impression as well.

Simon Castro almost had a Pitcher of the Day performance, in fact, if his manager lifted him after the fifth inning, he would have…

Up do that point: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 SO, 0 HR

Final line: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 8 SO, 1 HR

Castro has been consistently inconsistent this season… He shows flashes but he rarely goes deep into games and he walks too many hitters. I love his upside; on talent he could be a #2 starter, but he needs to dominate throughout his starts not just for a few innings. I’m a big Simon Castro fan and I think he will put it together but in today’s want-it-now society, we just want to see Latos-like performances from Castro – patience, Peter, patience.

***

By the way, changes... coming soon.

Big Changes...

2009-07-01T16:13:00.001-07:00

...coming soon!

Padres MiLB June 30, Players of the Day

2009-06-30T22:41:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-06-30T18:19:00.000-07:00

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...

Mission to the Stars!

2009-06-30T16:21:00.000-07:00

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!

Padres MiLB June 29, Players of the Day

2009-06-30T05:52:00.001-07:00

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.)

Padres' 2008 signee, Jefri Pena Suspended

2009-06-29T10:38:00.000-07:00

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.

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

2009-06-28T21:40:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-06-28T08:11:00.000-07:00

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.

Zawadzki #11 on BA's PHS

2009-06-26T11:32:00.000-07:00

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.

Padres MiLB June 25, Players of the Day

2009-06-25T23:25:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

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.

Padres MiLB June 24, Players of the Day

2009-06-24T23:22:00.000-07:00

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).

Padres MiLB June 23, Players of the Day

2009-06-23T22:49:00.000-07:00

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.

Padres MiLB June 22, Players of the Day

2009-06-22T22:52:00.000-07:00

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.

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

2009-06-21T22:16:00.000-07:00

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.

James Darnel "Man Among Boys"

2009-06-19T14:49:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-19T08:22:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-19T06:45:00.000-07:00

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!

Padres MiLB June 17, Players of the Day

2009-06-17T22:05:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-17T12:28:00.000-07:00

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.

PRD Interviews John Sickels

2009-06-16T13:18:00.000-07:00

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.

Padres MiLB June 15, Players of the Day

2009-06-15T22:21:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

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!

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

2009-06-14T19:49:00.000-07:00

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.

Padres Top 10 Discussion

2009-06-12T18:19:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-12T18:17:00.001-07:00

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.”

Padres MiLB June 11, Players of the Day

2009-06-11T22:32:00.001-07:00

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.

Padres MiLB June 10, Players of the Day

2009-06-10T21:01:00.000-07:00

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?

Padres Day 1 Draft Review

2009-06-09T22:50:00.001-07:00

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

2009-06-09T22:07:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-09T16:58:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-06-09T10:01:00.000-07:00

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

Padres' Draft Scenarios

2009-06-08T22:36:00.001-07:00

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

2009-06-08T22:30:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-08T22:22:00.000-07:00

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.

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

2009-06-07T22:03:00.000-07:00

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.

My Padres Draft - John Sickles' Mock Draft

2009-06-06T12:46:00.000-07:00

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.

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

2009-06-05T15:45:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-05T11:57:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-05T00:02:00.000-07:00

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!

Padres focusing exclusively on Tate and Minor?

2009-06-04T15:48:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-06-04T09:56:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-04T08:40:00.000-07:00

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

Padres MiLB June 3, Players of the Day

2009-06-03T23:29:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

Here is my personal Top 50:

Stephen Strasburg
Dustin Ackley
Donovan Tate
Jacob Turner
Aaron Crow
Tyler Matzek
Zack Wheeler
Grant Green
Mike Leake
Tanner Scheppers
Shelby Miller
Matt Purke
Alex White
Kyle Gibson
Tim Wheeler
Max Stassi
Rex Brothers
Bobby Borchering
James Paxton
Mike Trout
Jiovanni Mier
Andy Oliver
Tyler Skaggs
Mike Minor
Chad Jenkins
Tony Sanchez
Garrett Gould
Will Myers
Eric Arnett
Everett Williams
Mychal Givens
Matt Bashore
Billy Bullock
Robbie Erlin
AJ Pollock
Chad James
Matt Hobgood
Slade Heathcott
Jared Mitchell
Rich Poythress
Brad Boxberger
Brody Colvin
Aaron Miller
Keyvius Sampson
Brett Jackson
Luke Bailey
Zach Von Rosenburg
Nick Franklin
Todd Glaesmann
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

2009-06-03T00:03:00.000-07:00

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!

Padres MiLB June 1, Players of the Day

2009-06-02T06:51:00.000-07:00

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.

Padres MiLB May 29-31, Players of the Day - Weekend Edition

2009-05-31T19:18:00.000-07:00

Friday, May 29, 2009

Hitter(s) of the Day

James Darnell (Low-A): 3-3, 2B, 3B, R, 2 BB
Sawyer Carroll (Low-A): 2-5, 2B, SO
Dan Robertson (Low-A): 2-5, 2B, RBI, SO
Eric Sogard (AA): 2-4, 2B, R, BB
Mike Baxter (AA): 4-5, 2 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, SO
Mitch Canham (AA): 2-4, 2B, R, RBI, SO

Pitcher(s) of the Day

Jeremy Hefner (High-A): 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR
Mat Latos (AA): 7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

Jaff Decker hit his 7th HR and didn’t make the list…

Mat Latos doesn’t think AA is all that hard.

…Neither does Mike Baxter (hitting .374).

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Hitter(s) of the Day

Drew Cumberland (Low-A): 2-3, R, BB, SB, HBP
James Darnell (Low-A): 3-3, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI, BB, SB
Cedric Hunter (AA): 2-4, 2B, SO

Pitcher(s) of the Day

Nick Schmidt (Low-A): 5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR
Cory Luebke (High-A): 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO, 1 HR
Cesar Carrillo (AA): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

Lance Zawadzki was promoted and played in AA Saturday (he went 1-4 with an RBI and a strikeout in AA debut).

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Hitter(s) of the Day

Dan Roberterson (Low-A): 2-4, R, 2 BB, SB
Drew Cumberland (Low-A): 3-5, 2B, 2 R, RBI, BB
James Darnell (Low-A): 3-5, 2B, R, 2 RBI, SO
Logan Forsythe (High-A): 2-4, 2 R, BB, CS
Mike Baxter (AA): 3-4, 2B, 3B,

Pitcher of the Day

Jeremy McBryde (High-A): 6.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

Before the season a buddy, loyal reader Paul R., asked me an interesting question, “Who would be the idea Padres position-player of the day (who would it best – for the Padres – to emerge and have a player of the year-type season)?”

That is a great question. Now if you think about it, the obvious candidates are Jaff Decker, Kyle Blanks, Cedric Hunter, etc. But if you think about the Padres biggest position-player organizational hole is SS. And the most talented SS in the system is Drew Cumberland. Drew, however, has been sidelined by injuries and only managed 206 AB in 2008. Again this season, Drew is about 75 at-bats behind the team-leaders in that category. If Cumberland could put together a “Player of the Year” type season, it would go a long way towards shoring up the organizational weakness.

So far this season, when Drew has been in the lineup, he’s hitting about as well as the Padres could have hoped (.365/.450/.469).

Interviewed...

2009-05-31T18:50:00.000-07:00

Mark Schruender, over at Fantasy Baseball Hot Stove, interviewed me regarding some Padres' happenings. Check it out if you don't think this 'blog quite satisfies your Peter Friberg fix...

With the third pick...

2009-05-31T15:04:00.000-07:00

The Padres have been linked (first here) to five potential candidates. Here are my reports from those five (in order of my personal ranking):

Dustin Ackley 1B/OF U. North Carolina

.414/.517/.768 with 16 2B, 4 3B, 20 HR with a 48/30 BB/SO ratio and went 13/17 in stolen base attempts

Ackley led his team in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging rate (by nearly 200 points), home runs, tied for the lead in triples, walks, stolen bases, runs, and RBI… Statistically, there is not a single stat that causes concern – he even strikes out less than 13% of his at-bats.

Dustin is frequently compared to Chase Utley and gets occasional Carlos Beltran comps… He’s a 4-tool player with his only below-average tool being his arm. He’s currently getting back to 100% from Tommy John surgery and has been thus-limited to first base. Nearly everyone assumes his future home is centerfield (though his college coach said he could be an above-average second-baseman).

Ackley is a well-above average hitter (3 consecutive season batting over .400) with at least average pop (20 HR - 40 XBH in junior season). He’s usually rated at 65-70 as a runner (20-80 scale). He has really only played CF in the last two weeks and in doing so has alleviated any concerns about future ability there (most scouts said he would play there, however with the Tommy John recovery, he was limited to 1B for most of the season).

Ackley is rated by every analyst I can find as the #2 prospect in the draft. Seattle’s General Manager, Jack Zduriencik, is famous for playing things close to the vest and going away from “conventional wisdom.” Seattle has also been seen scouting Tanner Scheppers which furthers speculation that they may not pick Dustin Ackley. If that does happen, the Padres will take Ackley.

Donovan Tate CF Cartersville HS (GA)

.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.

Aaron Crow RHP Fort Worth Cats (Ind. Baseball)

0.00 ERA in 2 starts, 11 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 13 SO

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.

Zach Wheeler RHP East Paulding HS (GA)

0.30 ERA in 69.0 IP with 28 H, 17 BB, 135 SO

Has low-to-mid 90’s FB and power-slurve. Like a lot of HS power-pitchers, he doesn’t throw a changeup but that’s partly because throwing a changeup would speed up a high school hitter’s bat…

Baseball America has Wheeler ranked 13th but most say it’s unlikely he falls past the Braves at 7. He’s not an over-draft at 3 (you could make a case for about 10+ guys at #3) and probably has the upside of a #2 starter.

Mike Minor LHP Vanderbilt

3.64 ERA in 99 IP with 95 H, 31 BB and 103 SO

Minor has a 86-89 FB with a once-rated above-average slider, a solid curve and plus changeup. He also has a premier pickoff move.

Minor is a solid pitcher and is climbing up draft boards. Nearly every expert has Minor rated in the 30s in terms of overall draft ranking, but several experts are telling us he’s going to be drafted top 15.

I frequently defend the Padres organization when they make non-conventional picks, receive low organizational rankings, or are otherwise slighted. However this smells like a colossal over-draft. There is one possible explanation. This draft is universally called a less than top flight draft and there are some top shelf prospects available in the international market (teams are eligible to sign international free agents on July 2). If the Padres are eschewing top-5 draft prospects with $5-6+ million signing bonus demands (Tate, Turner, Green, and other all are asking for $6m or more – Ackley, I think, is right there as well) so they can spend more on the international market for higher tiered prospects then this pick might be defensible.

***

As I stated earlier, these picks are listed in order my personal ranking.

If it were up to me the Padres would also consider Jacob Turner, Tyler Matzek, and Mike Leake (each ahead of Minor).

With just over a week to go until the amateur draft, several experts have noted that this is a “workout” draft. Teams will make their final decisions based on individual workout that players will have for them. Expect to hear a lot of “[draft prospect] was in [MLB city] for an individual workout,” this coming week. Teams will likely host 3-4 players each as they try to dial in whom the like at their draft slot.

There will be a lot info/rumors flying around. This is going to be fun (unless we take Minor).

Padres MiLB May 28, Players of the Day

2009-05-28T22:46:00.000-07:00

Hitter(s) of the Day

Luis Durango (AA): 2-3, R, 2 BB, 2 SB, 2 CS
Mike Baxter (AA): 2-3, 2B, 3 R, RBI, BB, SB

Pitcher of the Day

Corey Kluber (High-A): 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

Late eveing… nothing to say people… sorry.

Padres MiLB May 26-7, Players of the Day

2009-05-27T22:35:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Hitter of the Day

Chad Huffman (AAA): 3-4, R, SO, SB

Pitcher of the Day

n/a

Commentary

Huffman’s really coming around. He’ll have a rough time breaking into the Padres lineup, but his job is to make their decision a tough one.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Hitter(s) of the Day

Eric Sogard (AA): 2-5, 2B, R, 2 RBI, SO
Will Venable (AAA): 3-4, 2 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI, SO

Pitcher of the Day

n/a

Commentary

Nice to see Sogard back on this list…

Padres MiLB May 22-25, Players of the Day - Weekend Edition

2009-05-25T19:51:00.001-07:00

Friday, May 22, 2009

Hitter(s) of the Day

Jaff Decker (Low-A): 1-2, HR, 2 R, RBI, 3 BB
Dan Robertson (Low-A): 4-6, HR, R, 2 RBI
Luis Durango (AA): 2-3, 2B, 4 R, 2 BB
Mike Baxter (AA): 5-5, 2B, 2 R, 4 RBI

Pitcher of the Day

n/a

Commentary

Will Inman made his AAA debut Friday night.

Saturday, May 22, 2009

Hitter(s) of the Day

Drew Cumberland (Low-A): 2-4, 2 R, BB, SB
Sawyer Carroll (Low-A): 3-5, 2 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, SO
Allan Dykstra (Low-A): 2-5, HR, R, 2 RBI, 2 SO
Mike Baxter (AA): 2-3, 2B, 2 R, BB
Mitch Canham (AA): 3-4, 2B, 2 R, BB, SB
Kyle Blanks (AAA): 1-3, HR, 2 R, BB

Pitcher of the Day

Mat Latos (AA): 4.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

Generally I would not put a 3 BB/4 SO performance up on my Pitcher of the Day list. However, Latos is the organization’s top pitcher and this was his AA debut. He would have gone deeper into the game but a nearly-hour long rain delay ended his debut.

Sunday, May 22, 2009

Hitter(s) of the Day

Drew Cumberland (Low-A): 3-5, 2 R, RBI
Allan Dykstra (Low-A): 2-3, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB
Cedric Hunter (AA): 4-5, R

Pitcher of the Day

Cory Luebke (High-A): 8.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

Drew Cumberland has been back for 5 games. He has 2+ hits in each of those games. Because of the near-month he was on the DL, Cumberland has only played 19 games. However, in those 19 games, he has 9 stolen bases and is yet to be caught.

Allan Dykstra is coming around… He’s hit .359 over his last 10 games to raise his average to .235 (still not good – but at least it’s not sub-Mendoza anymore). I suspect he’ll continue (not this pace) to raise his average to a more respectable high-200 rate. Despite the low batting average, Dykstra still maintains a .400+ on-base percentage.

Monday, May 22, 2009

Happy Memorial Day! To all of you who served, thank you. To those of you who have loved ones who served, thank you for supporting them! And to those of you who have loved ones who paid the ultimate price, your loss saddens me, but your sacrifice testifies to the price of our freedom. God bless you all and God bless America.

Hitter(s) of the Day

Jaff Decker (Low-A): 1-2, R, RBI, 2 BB, SB, CS
Blake Tekotte (Low-A): 2-4, R, 2 RBI, SB
Felix Carrasco (High-A): 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI, SO

Pitcher(s) of the Day

Nick Schmidt (Low-A): 4.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR
Jeremy McBryde (High-A): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO, 1 HR

Commentary

By the way, I know a lot of you liked other players left on the draft board more than Nick Schmidt, but even such, he’s a nice pitcher to have in the system.

I’m did lots of pre-draft work over the long weekend so I’m a little light on commentary tonight.

Decker & Pelzer on BA PHS

2009-05-22T12:29:00.000-07:00

Low-A OF Jaff Decker and High-A RHP Wynn Pelzer each made this week's Baseball America Prospect Hot Sheet in the "In the Team Photo" honorable mention catagory.

Low Class A Fort Wayne LF Jaff Decker (Padres) hasn't had any problems acclimating to the Midwest League. Decker hit .409/.480/.727 (9-for-22) with two home runs this week, upping his season line to .320/.490/.613 in 75 at-bats. The 19-year-old Decker didn't make his season debut with the TinCaps until April 24, but he's already tied for the team lead in home runs with five, and he ranks fifth in RBIs with 16...

and...

Only Mat Latos and Simon Castro, among Padres farmhands, can challenge high Class A Lake Elsinore RHP Wynn Pelzer for the distinction of having the most arm strength in the organization. Thus far, the 22-year-old has handled his assignment to the California League with aplomb, starting twice this week and going a clean 2-0, 1.88, while allowing three runs on seven hits while racking up 20 strikeouts and three walks in 14 1/3 innings. On the season, his 51 strikeouts rank third in the Cal League, and his 3.55 ERA ranks seventh...

Decker, in my opinion, is one of the best young hitters in all the minor leagues. And I won't go that high in my praise for Pelzer, but I will say that not only is just a step behind Latos in terms of arm strength, but he's also not that far off Latos' pace in terms of upside.

Unfortunately, as I pointed out in last night's post, Kyle Blanks is quite cold lately. He headlined BA's "Not-So Hot Sheet."

Kyle Blanks, lf/1b, Padres: While it's probably not a pure cause-and-effect relationship, Blanks, since playing his first game in left field for Triple-A Portland on May 10, has gone 6-for-43 (.140) with a lone extra-base hit (a home run). The 22-year-old also has struck out at an uncharacteristically high rate in that span—18 times in 43 at-bats, or 42 percent of the time. Kudos to Blanks for his willingness to play the outfield, where he hasn't roamed since 2005, but he won't be in line for a big league callup until he snaps out of his funk. This week, Blanks batted .087/.250/.087 (2-for-23) with five walks and seven strikeouts.

Padres MiLB May 21, Players of the Day

2009-05-21T22:09:00.000-07:00

Hitter(s) of the Day

Drew Cumberland (Low-A): 2-5, 3B, R, RBI, SO
Jaff Decker (Low-A): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, SO
Logan Forsythe (High-A): 0-1, 2 BB, HBP
Craig Cooper (AA): 3-4, 2 2B, SO
Matt Antonelli (AAA): 2-5, SO, SB
Will Venable (AAA): 2-4, 2B, R, SO
Chad Huffman (AAA): 1-3, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB

Pitcher(s) of the Day

Stiven Osuna (Low-A): 6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR
Brad Brach (Low-A): 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR
Wynn Pelzer (High-A): 7.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 10 SO, 0 HR
Ernesto Frieri (AA): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

What a day…

As I’m sure you’ve heard, the Padres agreed to a trade that would send Jake Peavy to the Chicago White Sox for (reportedly) Aaron Poreda, Clayton Richard, and two other pitchers. Jake Peavy exercised his right to veto the trade and will remain with the Padres.

Several of you have asked for my take on things, here’s the version that fits here: I would love to add Aaron Poreda to the system (LHP who throws 95+) and obviously it would be interesting to know who the other two pitchers would have been, but it’s rarely beneficial to trade away a true ace. I’m not trying to ride the fence – I can see the upside of both results.

Speaking of trades, Jody Gerut was traded to Milwaukee for Tony Gwynn Jr. The Padres will save at least $1m on the deal.

Mike Adams, yes that Mike Adams, pitched a scoreless inning (he actually started the game) with 1 walk and 2 strikeouts in San Antonio Thursday night.

Cubs prospect, and once-rumored future-Padre, Josh Vitters is getting tons of love for his hot start (.357/.385/.593) as a 19 year-old in the Midwest League (and deservedly so). But how about Jaff Decker? Decker has much better plate discipline and they have very similar HR rates (Vitters has 8 HR and is hitting 1 every 17.5 AB – Decker has 5 but is hitting 1 every 15 AB). Now Vitters does play a tougher defensive position (3B vs. corner OF) but Decker is easily every bit the hitter that Vitters is. So far this season, Decker is hitting .320/.490/.613.

I’m not certain Craig Cooper is a real “prospect” but he’s quite versatile and athletic and has always put up solid statistics:

College (Notre Dame):

Fresh: .303/.397/.385
Soph: .360/.441/.617
Junior: .325/.446/.502
Senior: .425/.522/.654

Professional:

Eugene (SS): .320/.418/.485 (60 games in 2006)
Ft. Wayne (Low-A): .333/.423/.476 (6 games in ’06)
Lake Elsinore (High-A): .317/.423/.476 (124 games in ’07)
San Antonio (AA): .282/.354/.407 (121 games in ’08)

So far this season Cooper is hitting .371/.438/.517 (38 games)

As to his athleticism and versatility, Cooper played some CF in college and reportedly plays an above-average 1B (though when I saw him Lake Elsinore he looked rough) and can play either corner OF.

Kyle Blanks will be okay, but he has gotten cold. In his last 10 games (going into Thursday’s action) Blanks is hitting .111 with 16 strikeouts in 36 AB. He went 1-3 Thursday night with a walk.

Who's #3?

2009-05-21T18:27:00.000-07:00

The second iteration of the Padres draft discussion is up at John Sickles’ site. Please head over and vote/discuss!

Padres MiLB May 20, Players of the Day

2009-05-21T07:39:00.000-07:00

Hitter(s) of the Day

James Darnell (Low-A): 2-3, HR, 4 RBI, BB, SO
Logan Forsythe (High-A): 4-7, HR, R, RBI, BB, SO
Yefri Carvajal (High-A): 2-4, 2 2B

Pitcher of the Day

Jeremy McBryde (High-A): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO, 1 HR

Commentary

Big news Wednesday with Mat Latos' and Will Inman's promotions. Latos was not promoted to High-A as I assumed, he was skipped High-A and was sent to AA. Will Inman was promoted from AA to AAA.

He didn’t make my Pitcher of the Day list, but Tim Stauffer had yet another strong relief outing. Stauffer has pitched in 4 games since his return to action and in each outing he has gone 2+ innings, allowed 1 hit, struck out 1+ without a walk and more importantly without allowing a run (totals: 8.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR).

People Do Not Know Moneyball

2009-05-20T13:37:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have a bone to pick with a guy named Pevey. No, not Jake - Marty Pevey, Peoria (Cubs’ Low-A) Manager…

Baseball America has a fantastic daily article called, “Daily Dish.” In Wednesday’s Dish, BA profiled Josh Vitters, Cubs’ 3B prospect (and the main player the Padres were reportedly getting if Peavy was traded to the Cubs), and his hot start (.371/.400/.598).

In the article, Pevey said,

"I spent 16 years with Toronto, who was the epitome of "Moneyball." They found out that didn’t really work, so they’re back to normal baseball, getting a good pitch to hit and hitting it hard.”

How many people are going either not read or not understand and yet continue to opine regarding the content thereof and then go further and misrepresent the facts anyway?

Moneyball has one philosophy: find inefficiencies and exploit them. In the late 90’s and early this decade that was on-base percentage…

So let’s get back to Pevey’s idiotic quote. “They found that didn’t really work…” “That,” is clearly Moneyball philosophies as he understands them. And by looking at previous comments in the article, we can tell Pevey is defending Vitters’ lack of walks (3).

The author, Jim Shonerd, wrote, “The only offensive category Vitters has really been lagging behind in is walks…”

So if we use basic logic here we can see that Pevey is deriding walks as an end-goal (I’ve got no problem with that). But he also said that Toronto is having success because they’ve gone away from that.

Now let’s look at some stats:

In Moneyball Billy Beane said strikeouts are the worst outs you can make. He also said that on-base percentages were more accurate predictors of success than batting averages. Walks are just one component of an on-base percentage. Ergo the more walks, the higher the on-base rate (In a perfect world a hitter bats .400 and doesn’t need to take a walk but what happens when the pitcher stops throwing strikes?).

So, based on Pevey’s comments Toronto shouldn’t be anywhere near top-of-the-pack in walks… Guess what, Boston leads the AL with 168 walks (yeah, that’s clearly not working), Toronto has 158 (the top 6 AL teams: Boston 168, Cleveland 161, New York 161, Tampa 160, Toronto 158, and Minnesota 156 – there’s 20-walk drop-off after the Twins).

Toronto’s current philosophies align perfectly with those perceived Moneyball ideals. Sorry Pevey.

The old-guard feels pushed aside (and rightly so) and is lashing out against the new way of doing things. But you can’t push guys like Pevey completely aside because their in-game management is critical to players’ development. Look, I cannot tell you how generate more power in your swing. I can’t watch you pitch and fix your mechanics. Guys like Pevey can. So I’m not saying Marty is a complete moron. If he was he wouldn’t have the job he does. He just needs to make sure he’s aware of the facts before he shoots his mouth off…

Latos to AA / Inman to AAA

2009-05-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

Hat tip to loyal reader, LynchMob...

MadFriars.com is reporting that Padres' über-pitching-prospect, Mat Latos, has been promoted to AA - skipping High-A.

Correspondingly, Will Inman, who has spent part of 3 seasons in AA has been promoted to AAA Portland.

Padres MiLB May 19, Players of the Day

2009-05-19T22:16:00.001-07:00

Hitter(s) of the Day

Drew Cumberland (Low-A): 1-3, 2 R, RBI, BB, 3 SB
Lance Zawaszki (High-A): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI
Chad Huffman (AAA): 2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI

Pitcher(s) of the Day

Simon Castro (Low-A): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR
Brad Brach (Low-A): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR
Corey Luebke (High-A): 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

System sweep!

Low-A: The Fort Wayne TinCaps beat the South Bend Silver Hawks 6-3 on the road.
High-A: The Lake Elsinore Storm beat the Lancaster JetHawks 4-1.
AA: off
AAA: The Portland Beavers beat the New Orleans Zephers on the road 5-1.
MLB: The Padres hosted and beat the Giants 2-1.

Now even though the Padres won 2-1, they put on a clinic in the fourth inning demonstrating how to lose games.

Scott Hairston singles.
With Adrian Gonzalez batting, Scott Hairston stole second base.
Adrian walks.
Kevin Kouzmanoff grounds into a fielder’s choice, A. Gonzalez out at second (1 out, Hairston to third base).
Chase Headley hit by pitch.
Nick Hundley pops to shallow right-field (2 outs).
Chris Burke grounds into fielder’s choice, Chase Headley out at second base (3 outs).

1st & 2nd with no out – no execution…
Bases loaded with 1 out – no execution (Hundley swung at a first-pitch breaking ball)…
Kouzmanoff, Headley, and Burke all had 0-2 counts. Headley was let off the hook by taking a pitch off his leg, but each of the three failed to have quality at-bats. I can understand taking a guess on a first pitch and swinging for the fences when the bases are empty, but with runners in scoring position, the Padres need to be disciplined and have quality at-bats. I’m not even upset that they didn’t score, I’m upset in the manner in which they failed to execute.

***

Drew Cumberland returned to action today with the TinCaps.

Chad Huffman is quietly showing that the San Antonio Missions’ home park had more to do with his poor 2008 numbers (.284/.383/.419 with 9 HR) than actual talent (.265/.381/.530 with 8 HR so far in 2009).

Brad Brach, the TinCaps’ closer, has pitched 16.2 innings so far this year and has allowed only 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 21.

Padres MiLB May 18, Players of the Day

2009-05-18T23:24:00.000-07:00

Hitter(s) of the Day

Blake Tekotte (Low-A): 2-5, HR, 2 R, RBI, SO
James Darnell (Low-A): 3-4, R, BB
Logan Forsythe (High-A): 2-4, 2B, RBI

Pitcher(s) of the Day

Mat Latos (Low-A): 6.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO, 0 HR
Cesar Carrillo (AA): 7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

Seriously… Let’s hope Mat Latos didn’t sign a long-term lease in Ft. Wayne. He won’t be there long.

Latos: 3-0, 25.1 IP, 10 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 27 SO, 1 HR

Padres MiLB May 15-17, Players of the Day, Weekend Edition

2009-05-17T18:17:00.000-07:00

Friday, May 15, 2009

Hitter(s) of the Day

Jaff Decker (Low-A): 3-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB
Allan Dykstra (Low-A): 3-5, 3B, R
Logan Forsythe (High-A): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB

Pitcher of the Day

n/a

Commentary

Decker is batting .316/.513/.649 as a 19 year old - one of the younger players in the Midwest League. Decker threw 93 mph off the mound in high school. He’s a legit right-field prospect.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Hitter(s) of the Day

Allan Dykstra (Low-A): 2-4, 2B, R, HBP
Chad Huffman (AAA): 2-2, HR, R, RBI, 2 BB

Pitcher of the Day

Wynn Pelzer (High-A): 6.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 10 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

The Fort Wayne TinCaps took a 2-2 tie into extra innings Saturday. Brad Brach pitched his second scoreless inning to keep the score tied in the top of the tenth. Then (from the MiLB.com recap):

- Jeudy Valdez grounds out, shortstop Reynaldo Navarro to first baseman Nelson Gomez.
- Jaff Decker singles on a ground ball to center fielder Alberto Diaz.
- Pitcher Change: Bayron Zepeda replaces Justin Mace.
- Sawyer Carroll singles on a line drive to left fielder Brendan Duffy. Jaff Decker to 2nd.
- Allan Dykstra hit by pitch. Jaff Decker to 3rd. Sawyer Carroll to 2nd.
- Matt Clark strikes out swinging.
- James Darnell walks. Jaff Decker scores. Sawyer Carroll to 3rd. Allan Dykstra to 2nd.

(I don’t like to give “Hitter of the Day” awards to multi-hit performances unless they include something extra: multiple walks, stolen bases, and/or extra-base hits. Decker and Darnell each could have made today’s list but I felt this recap might be better way to acknowledge their contribution - especially given the team effort on the win.)

Pelzer went off!

He’s been on this list a couple times but with the hot start Latos is having as well as some of the system’s hitters, Pelzer’s flying a bit under the radar.

Pelzer’s season stats:

5-1, 3.79 ERA, 38 IP, 31 H, 13/41 BB/SO ratio, 2 HR allowed

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Hitter of the Day

Mike Baxter (AA): 3-4, 2 2B, R, RBI

Pitcher(s) of the Day

Anthony Bass (Low-A): 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR
Will Inman (AA): 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

Eric Sogard returned to action today going 0-3.

Mikey’s famous!

Seriously though, Baxter is really having a nice year. He’s hitting .329/.380/.483 and has 18 XBH (39% XBH rate).

Cesar Ramos again did not make my list (any time a pitcher walks more hitters than he strikes out that will automatically exclude him from my list). But he did pitch 5.1 innings and allow only 1 run (5.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO, 1 HR). But if we look at Ramos’ season so far it’s actually quite interesting. So far Ramos has made 8 starts. On April 25th (Ramos’ 4th start) he allowed 6 earned runs. In his next start he allowed 3 earned runs. In every other start he allowed 2 or fewer earned runs. Overall he is sporting a 3.27 ERA over 44.0 innings. His peripherals are not quite as nice. He has allowed 1 more hit than innings he’s pitched for a .266 BAA and he’s walking nearly as many hitters as he’s striking out (19 to 24). What do we make of Ramos? Is he another Mark Buehrle? Or is another pitcher with too few strikeouts who won’t cut it at the big league level?

Last year, Inman just about removed himself from prospect status when he walked 71 in 135.1 innings. So far this year, Inman has walked 8 in 44.1 innings. Welcome back Will.

Latos back in BA PHS

2009-05-15T11:11:00.000-07:00

Latos makes a repeat appearance in Baseball America's Prospect Hot Sheet - this time as honorable mention...

Low Class A Fort Wayne RHP Mat Latos (Padres) has torn right through the Midwest League in his second go-round. In his only start this week, Latos, 21, tossed seven innings and allowed only one run on three hits while fanning seven, and he did it against Great Lakes, the MWL's best offensive team. The run was the first he'd allowed in three starts, and he's 2-0, 0.48 in 18 2/3 innings, so he may not be in Low-A much longer .

Padres MiLB May 14, Players of the Day

2009-05-14T22:46:00.000-07:00

Hitter of the Day

Lance Zawadzki (High-A): 2-4, 3B, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB
Luis Durango (AA): 2-3, 2 BB, SB
Cedric Hunter (AA): 3-6, 2B, 3 RBI

Pitcher(s) of the Day

Cory Luebke (High-A): 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

This just in: Zawadzki can hit – or at least, he’s seriously hot. In 91 AB the infielder has 3 doubles, 2 triples, and 9 home runs.

Padres MiLB May 13, Players of the Day

2009-05-13T22:25:00.000-07:00

Hitter of the Day

n/a

Pitcher(s) of the Day

Mat Latos (Low-A): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 SO, 1 HR
Tim Stauffer (AA): 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

Latos is a stud! He also can’t be staying in Fort Wayne very long.

Season stats:

18.2 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 19 SO, 1 HR

Midwest League hitters clearly can’t hit him. The Padres have to be promoting him to High-A soon.

Tim Stauffer's presence on this list is significant… Even when he was up and down as a starter in ’06-08 he would show us a few 93 mph fastballs. Before I go on, let’s review so no one makes inaccurate judgments:

May 2003: Tim Stauffer is one of 4 consensus top players in the upcoming draft (along with Delmon Young, Rickie Weeks, and Kyle Sleeth).
June 2003: In his last collegiate game in the Super Regionals (I think) Stauffer’s coach leaves him in the game for 150+ pitches.
June 2003: The Padres draft Stauffer #4 overall.
August 2003: Stauffer signs for approximately $750,000 (MLB recommended amount for slot is $2.8m) after revealing that he had something wrong with his shoulder (he only found out in July when he had an MRI).
April 2004: Stauffer makes his professional debut and spends only dominant 35 innings in High-A. Scouts, however, say that while he is overpowering High-A hitters, his pitches do not have the movement they had in college. His fastball is now straight.

The rest of his history is similar. He was not dominant in AAA (he skipped AA) but he did post a 3.54 ERA in 81 innings in 2004. He made his MLB debut the next year and was hit pretty hard. In 94 big league innings between ’05 and ‘07, Stauffer has posted a 6.37 ERA.

Why did I tell you all that? Stauffer missed all of 2008 recovering/rehabbing from an injury and is just now pitching again in official games. If he can get a little more “stuff” back that he previously lost, he could end up as a nice bullpen arm. Will he ever be the stud he was in 2003 as a University of Richmond Spider? No. But that does not mean he cannot be effective. We’ll keep tabs on him.

John Sickles' Mock Draft

2009-05-13T18:50:00.000-07:00

I have volunteered to be the Padres GM for John Sickles Mock Draft on June 6. Please stop by and comment/advise!

Padres MiLB May 12, Players of the Day

2009-05-12T23:29:00.000-07:00

Hitter(s) of the Day

Lance Zawadzki (High-A): 2-5, 2B, 4 RBI, 2 SO
Felix Carrasco (High-A): 3-5, 2B, R
Luis Durango (AA): 2-5, 2B, 2 R, RBI
Mike Baxter (AA): 2-5, 2 2B, R, 3 RBI, 2 SO
Kellen Kubacki (AA): 1-1, 2B, R, RBI

Pitcher of the Day

Cesar Ramos (AAA): 8.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

Matt Antonelli was back in the lineup for the first time this season.

So apparently Lance Zawadzki feels bad for not hitting doubles and he's trying to make up for lost time. In his first 19 games he had zero doubles, he has three doubles in his last two games.

Mikey's famous!

Kellen finally did what he does so well – hit an extra-base-hit - this one came as a pinch-hitter.

I’ve said many times I’m not Cesar Ramos’ biggest fan. But he’s had a few of these impressive games. If he can string some more of these together, he’ll justify the Padres use of the 35th pick in the 2005 draft. As of now, I remain unconvinced.

Baseball America profiled Cedic Hunter and Luis Durango on Tuesday.

Padres MiLB May 11, Players of the Day

2009-05-11T21:43:00.000-07:00

Hitter(s) of the Day

Cedric Hunter (AA): 2-4, 2B, R,
Will Venable (AAA): 1-3, 3 R, 2 BB
Chad Huffman (AAA): 3-5, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, SO

Pitcher of the Day

n/a

Commentary

I wrote a ton over the weekend. Go back and read that – again.

Oh yeah, Blanks homered again.

Padres MiLB May 8-10, Players of the Day - Weekend Edition

2009-05-10T18:06:00.001-07:00

Kevin Towers is an excellent GM. Some of his notable skills are one, making the most of trades and two, building a bullpen. So when the Padre bully struggled in 2008 I figured it was an anomaly. Now this year’s team construction is/was hampered by outgoing owner, John Moore’s divorce. As such, it’s hard to know how much of this bullpen’s composition and performance to blame on Kevin Towers and how much to blame on Moores.

2009 Bullpen statistics (as of May 9):

9-8, 4.60 ERA in 107.2 IP, 112 H, 11 HR, 50 BB, 81 SO, and 1.50 WHIP

Those stats do not lead to confidence in our ‘pen…

And don’t forget, with 14 of their 31 games at Petco those stats probably should look worse. It has to be time to pull the trigger on some bullpen changes.

May 8, 2009

Hitter(s) of the Day

Logan Forsythe (High-A): 2-5, 2 2B, R, 2 SO
Felix Carrasco (High-A): 3-5, 2B, 2 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI, SO
Mike Baxter (AA): 2-3, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 SF
Kyle Blanks (AAA): 1-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB
Chad Huffman (AAA): 2-5, HR, R, 4 RBI, 2 SO

Pitcher of the Day

Simon Castro (Low-A): 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

Forsythe: 39

Mikey’s famous!

Baxter doesn’t get a lot of love as a prospect – and realistically, he’s not a top prospect. However, he is a legitimate athlete and he could be one of those guys who can play a bunch of different positions and be a decent left-handed bat off the bench. He’s currently enjoying his best statistical season as a hitter.

This just in, Kyle Blanks is pretty good…

Blanks was one of nine 1B on Baseball America’s Top 100 list (here are those 9 1B, the minor league level they are playing at, and their current stats):

#17 Lars Anderson – AA: .236/.293/.368
#18 Logan Morrison – AA: .333/.556/.1.167 (2 games)
#23 Justin Smoak – AA: .354/.463/.566
#24 Eric Hosmer – Low-A: .221/.344/.299
#35 Yonder Alonso – High-A: .271/.328/.486
#44 Angel Villalona – High-A: .318/.345/.477
#50 Kyle Blanks – AAA: .304/.408/.559
#76 Chris Carter – AA: .288/.385/.459
#87 Freddie Freeman – High-A: .255/.336/.447

(statistics as of Saturday morning)

I’m not going to go out on a limb and say Blanks should top the 1B list, but I will say I think he’s underrated within this group.

Huffman’s been in a funk… It’s good to see him have a good night.

May 9, 2009

Padres prospect news of the day: Kellen Kulbacki was in the San Antonio lineup for the first time of the season Saturday night. I spoke with him just 3-4 days ago and he knew he was close to coming back (he was in extended Spring Training in Arizona) but he didn’t know when the Padres would move him to San Antonio.

Hitter(s) of the Day

n/a

Pitcher(s) of the Day

Jeremy McBryde (High-A): 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO, 1 HR
Wade LeBlanc (AAA): 5.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

Forsythe: 40? Does a “reached on error” count? Unfortunately, no… It was a nice run to begin a professional career…

Wade pitched in relief… Which is especially interesting considering the lack of LHP in the big league bullpen.

May 10, 2009

Happy Mothers’ Day honey! Thank you for being the mother of our two boys. I love you!

Hitter(s) of the Day

Jaff Decker (Low-A): 2-3, HR, R, RBI, 2 BB, SO
Sawyer Carroll (Low-A): 3-4, 2 2B, RBI, BB
Lance Zawadzki (High-A): 3-5, 2B, 3B, R, RBI
Yefri Carvajal (High-A): 2-5, 2B, R, 2 RBI, SO
Mike Baxter (AA): 3-5, 2B, R, SO
Cedric Hunter (AA): 3-5, 2B, 2 R, RBI

Pitcher(s) of the Day

Ernesto Frieri (AA): 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO, 1 HR
Joe Thatcher (AAA): 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

Before I comment on any hitters or pitchers performances on my list, Kyle Blanks played LF tonight. Nice!

So is Jaff Decker just hot, or is overmatching the Low-A competition? Jaff is hitting .317/.548/.659. He has 13 hits in 15 games and of those 13, 8 are extra base hits.

Going into Sunday’s game Lance Zawadzki had 8 XBH on the season. In a statistical oddity, all 8 were home runs. On Sunday, Lance hit his first double and his first triple of the season. Overall Lance is hitting .338/.407/.688.

Mikey’s famous!

Cedric made my opening-day “hitter of the day” but had been conspicuously absent (until the May 5 list) since then. However, if we look at his eight games, (Sunday through Sunday) we can see that he’s on quite a roll:

.387 with 3 2B, 8 runs scored, 3 RBI, 3 walks, and only 1 strikeout

Now there's the Cedric we know and love!

Padres Targeting Athleticism in June Draft - Tate?

2009-05-10T08:42:00.000-07:00

The San Diego Union Tribune has an article out today about the Padres intentions in June’s amateur draft and in the article they profile Donovan Tate.

The articles opens, “For several months, even years now, Padres scouts and some franchise veterans have talked about a crying need for the organization to become more athletic, in particular, to invest heavily in “live-body” athletes and pitchers with powerful arms…”

It is well known that the Nationals intend to draft Stephen Strasburg number 1 overall. After that, it’s anyone’s guess. Even if we believe the comment above, it really doesn’t point to what the Padres are likely to do with that third pick as nearly every top 10 candidate fits that profile.

As for Donovan Tate, I am intrigued by his athleticism but worried about scouting reports such as this one which says, “There are some questions about his bat and how long it will take to develop.”

Additionally, Tate is a top-flight high school football quarterback and has committed to U. North Carolina to play football and baseball. The U.T. reports, “…He has enlisted baseball agent Scott Boras as an adviser, and it's believed he is strongly interested in starting his baseball career.” Though that quote doesn’t gel with a March 24 Baseball America article (subscription required),

The son of former NFL running back Lars Tate, Donavan Tate is talking about playing quarterback at the University of North Carolina these days more than the MLB Draft.

"I want to attend college and play both sports," Tate said. "That's been my plan since I was a little kid. So I'm going to get started early, get acclimated to campus, throw some footballs around and get ready for the upcoming season."

I’m not convinced Tate is the best choice for #3 but there’s also the chance he could wind up being the best player in the entire draft. He is obviously an intriguing candidate.

"Mikey's Famous!"

2009-05-09T09:59:00.000-07:00

This story was written from my faulty memory as told by loyal reader, Paul R.

Paul was living in New York City. One night in June Paul was riding the train home from a Mets game back to his apartment. Now Paul is from San Diego and is a life-long Padres and Chargers fan. And he’s also every bit the draft-nerd as the writer of this blog. So one evening, on the train, Paul overheard three college-age guys talking about their friend Mike having been drafted by the Padres… Paul was sitting fairly close so he asked, “Mike Baxter?”

The three friends, in unison, looked at each other and yelled, “Mikey’s famous!”

The story doesn’t end there…

A couple years later, after a Cal League game, I was in the Storm clubhouse and met Mike Baxter and told him about my friend Paul. He had heard the story from his end and thought it was pretty cool to hear the other side of the story.

So, from now on, whenever Mike Baxter deserves mention as a “Hitter of the Day,” you’ll see “Mikey’s famous!” in the commentary…

Latos #4 on BA PHS

2009-05-08T13:23:00.000-07:00

RHP Mat Latos was rated the 4th hottest prospect on Baseball America's weekly Prospect Hot Sheet.

"...[Latos] didn't get back on the mound until this week after battling an ankle injury this spring, but he made a loud statement when he did."

...they also said...

"Latos' stuff has never been in doubt, and he shouldn't stay in low Class A long if he stays injury free and keeps dominating."

Jaff Decker made the "In The Team Photo" honorable mention catagory,

Low Class A Fort Wayne LF Jaff Decker (Padres) didn't fare well in the cold climates of the Midwest League in April, but the 19-year-old is heating up. Since May 1, the Padres' 2008 first-round supplemental pick has batted .357/.640/.714 (5-for-14) with two doubles and a home run on Thursday night . . .

And High-A infielder Lace Zawadzki is on "Helium Watch."

"...[A]ll he's done is hit since returning on April 16. He's up to .349/.431/.683 with seven homers in 17 games on the year..."

Padres MiLB May 7, Players of the Day

2009-05-07T22:42:00.000-07:00

Hitter(s) of the Day

Jaff Decker (Low-A): 1-2, HR, R, RBI, BB, SO
Logan Forsythe (High-A): 3-4, 4 R, BB
Felix Carrasco (High-A): 3-4, 2 2B, HR, 3 R, 4 RBI, BB, SO
Luis Durango (AA): 2-4, 2 R, BB, SB

Pitcher(s) of the Day

Mat Latos (Low-A): 5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR
Zachary Herr (Low-A): 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR
Will Inman (AA): 8.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR
Cesar Ramos (AAA): 7.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO, 1 HR

Commentary

Forsythe: 38

During the off-season, we heard that Latos would be pitching in Lake Elsinore for the season. After a minor pre-season injury (and a 2008 season where Latos tossed only 56 innings) the Padres sent Latos back to Low-A Fort Wayne. If he keeps pitching like he did in his 2 seaon-opening performances (combined: 11.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 12 SO, 0 HR) he’ll be pitching in Lake Elsinore shortly.

Herr gave up a hit! Herr gave up a hit! Stop the presses! That makes 3 hits in 13.1 innings. Cut the guy! Who cares that he’s only given up 6 combined hits and walks in those 13.1 innings with a 0.00 ERA.

Should the Nats &/or Padres take a hitter or a pitcher?

2009-05-07T10:56:00.000-07:00

So everyone says the Nationals should take Stephen Strasburg #1 overall... Or should they? For that matter, what should the Padres do?

Thanks to loyal reader Paul R. for the link.

Padres MiLB May 6, Players of the Day

2009-05-06T23:02:00.001-07:00

Hitter(s) of the Day

Jaff Decker (Low-A): 0-2, R, BB, SO, 2 HBP, 2 SB
Allan Dykstra (Low-A): 2-2, 2B, HR, R, 4 RBI, 3 BB
Jeudy Valdez (Low-A): 3-5, 2B, 2 R, SO
Logan Forsythe (High-A): 1-2, HR, 2 R, 2 BB
Yefri Carvajal (High-A): 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI
Will Venable (AAA): 2-3, 2B – Game 1
Kyle Blanks (AAA): 2-4, 2B, RBI, SO – Game 2

Pitcher of the Day

n/a

Commentary

Forsythe: 37

How ‘bout Jaff Decker’s night? Going hitless usually excludes a hitter from this list, but this was such an unusually successful night, I had to include it if only for reasons of curiosity. While Decker couldn’t manage a hit, he got on base 3 times and stole 2 bases… Not bad for the man with a Matt Stairs comp. Oh, by the way, Matt Stairs is a career .266/.358/.484 hitter. You know, maybe that Matt Stairs comp isn’t so bad, Stairs stole as many as 23 bases as a minor leaguer…

In the first inning of the Kane County vs. Fort Wayne game, Allan Dykstra walked to load the bases… In the third inning, with Jaff Decker on third base, Dykstra walked again. In the forth inning, Dykstra hit a grand slam. In the sixth inning, Dykstra led off the inning with a double. In the eighth inning, the Kane County Cougers’ pitchers resumed their wisdom of walking Allan. He’s not having a good season, but he’s showing some power and his walk-rate is expectedly impressive and he has 9 XBH on the season.

How soon until Kevin Towers orders Grady Fuson to get Blanks (.316/.414/.558) to play games in the OF so he can send Kouzmanoff (.221/.264/.308) to the minors and call up Gigantor?

Padres MiLB May 5, Players of the Day

2009-05-05T23:05:00.000-07:00

I hope you had a happy and safe Cinco de Mayo!

Hitter(s) of the Day

Jaff Decker (Low-A): 2-3, 2B, RBI, 2 BB
Lance Zawadzki (High-A): 2-5, HR, R, 4 RBI, SO
Cedric Hunter (AA): 3-4, 2B, 2 R, BB
Mike Baxter (AA): 3-5, 2 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, SO
Kyle Blanks (AAA): 3-4, HR, R, RBI,

Pitcher of the Day

n/a

Commentary

Forsythe: 36

In 11 games, Jeff Decker has 9 strikeouts (not good). He also has 9 hits and 14 walks for a .511 on-base percentage. Oh yeah, of those 9 hits, 5 are XBH (4 2B & 1 HR).

Zawadzki: 7 XBH and all 7 are HR

This is a good day. Cedric Hunter has been struggling. It’s nice to see him break out in a big way. I had a feeling that he might be back Sunday when he went 1-3 with a double… But this was nice. Welcome back to the list Cedric.

Mikey’s famous!

Blanks: .318/.423/.568 – No… He’s not a top prospect. What were you thinking getting excited about a Padres prospect?

Padres MiLB May 4, Players of the Day

2009-05-04T22:16:00.000-07:00

Hitter(s) of the Day

Sawyer Carroll (Low-A): 1-3, R, 2 BB, 2 SB
Jaff Decker (Low-A): 1-2; 2B, R, 2 BB
Lance Zawadzki (High-A): 3-5, HR, R, RBI, SO
Mitch Canham (AA): 2-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB

Pitcher(s) of the Day

Zachary Herr (Low-A): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR
Jeremy McBryde (High-A): 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

Not surprisingly, the TinCaps' CF speedster, Blake Tekotte, leads the team with 9 stolen bases. What is surprising is that the team's 6'4" RF is hot on Blake's heals with 7 SB - 6 in the last 4 games.

Zawadzki now has played 14 games in 2009. In those 14 games, he has 18 hits. Of those 18 hits, 6 are extra-base-hits. Of those 6 XBH, all 6 are home runs. Yes, the same hitter who had 26 2B, 5 3B, and 7 HR in 2008 now has 0, 0, and 6.

In and of itself, Herr’s performance does not merit inclusion on this list. However, in 12 innings so far this season he has allowed only 2 hits while striking out 19. The TinCaps are using Herr (him?) as late-innings reliever (though not the closer). The soft-tossing lefty will be an interesting pitcher to watch throughout the season.

Padres MiLB May 1-3, Players of the Day, Weekend Edition

2009-05-03T18:41:00.000-07:00

Friday, May 1, 2009

Hitter of the Day

Lance Zawadzki (High-A): 3-5, R, 2 RBI, BB, SO

Pitcher of the Day

Jeremy Hefner (High-A): 6.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO, 1 HR

Commentary

John Conniff of MadFriars.com turned me on to Zawadzki. He’s an interesting guy to watch. He can definitely hit. His 5 HR pace the Storm and he got there in 7 to 9 games fewer than other players on the club. He also is 3-for-4 in stolen base attempts… The most encouraging thing about him is that he’s doing all that as a SS. I have no idea how good his range is, but Baseball America rated Zawadzki’s arm as the best infield arm in the system. Like Jason Bartlett a few years ago, Zawadzki might be one of those unheralded Padres prospects who works out. Let’s just hope we get more out of Zawadzki than we got out of Bartlett (Bartlett was traded to the Twins for Brian Buchanan in Nov. 2007).

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Hitter(s) of the Day

Sawyer Carroll (Low-A): 3-5, 2B, 2 RBI, SO, SB
James Darnell (Low-A): 1-2, 2B, R, 3 BB

Pitcher(s) of the Day

Mat Latos (Low-A): 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR
Will Inman (AA): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR

Commentary

I’ve haven’t been following Sawyer Carroll closely, because I’m not sold on his “prospect” status. That said, he’s hitting fairly well… Nearly 41% of his professional hits have been for extra bases.

Mat Latos made his season debut Saturday night and looked as good as the Padres could have hoped. He needs to keep producing, but it’s unlikely he’ll be in Fort Wayne very long.

Will Inman strugled last year walking 71 in 135.1 IP - which works out to a 4.7 BB/9 IP. This year he has only allowed 5 BB in 24.0 IP (1.9 BB/9). If he keeps that up, he will vault himself into the Padres consideration as a solid starter (perhaps a #3 or #4 slot in the rotation).

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Hitter(s) of the Day

Sawyer Carroll (Low-A): 2-4, R, RBI, 2 SB
Logan Forsythe (High-A): 1-1, R, 4 BB
Luis Durango (AA): 3-4, 2 R, RBI, SB, CS

Pitcher of the Day

n/a

Commentary

If you didn’t see my post below, Blanks is now taking fly balls in the outfield… He hit his fifth HR on Sunday, but since it was his only hit of the day and the only time he reached base, I didn’t feel he comfortable naming him one of my Hitters of the Day.

Forsythe is often overshadowed by his fellow 2008 draftee and fellow third baseman, James Darnell. But don’t forget, the Padres drafted Forsythe 46th overall and Darnell 69th. Additionally, the Padres assigned Forsythe to the higher minor league level as well. Allowing me to make this comparative argument, Forsythe is hitting well: .321/.480/.487. Now, I’m not saying Forsythe is better than Darnell, but we need to be aware of how good Forsythe is too.

Blanks Impresses in LF

2009-05-03T08:05:00.000-07:00

At this point Blanks is just taking pre-game fly balls in the outfield. And while Fuson doesn't seem overly impressed...

Fuson described the results as "OK."

...and fellow Portland Beaver, Drew Macias does seem impressed...

"I think he's going to be fine," said Macias, who has played for both Triple-A Portland and the Padres this year and is rated by Padres manager Bud Black as the best all-around defender among Padres outfielders and prospects. "He's got enough athleticism, especially for his size."

...we can be impressed that Blanks is simply taking fly balls there at all. It would be best if we can find a way to get Blanks & Gonzalez bats in the lineup together - or if we can spin Blanks off for pitching (and having Blanks as tradebait for two positions is better than one).

James Darnel #7 on BA PHS

2009-05-01T12:22:00.000-07:00

If you have been following my 'blog, you know that James Darnell has been hitting well lately... Baseball America just ranked Darnell #7 on their Prospect Hot Sheet saying Darnell is, "a potential five-tool third baseman who ranks second in the MWL in on-base percentage (.481) and fifth in slugging (.589). "

Overall statistics: .286/.481/.589 with 6 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 22/14 BB/SO ratio, 4-1 in stolen-base attempts.

Padres MiLB April 30, Players of the Day

2009-04-30T23:59:00.000-07:00

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.

Padres MiLB April 29, Players of the Day

2009-04-29T22:51:00.000-07:00

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.

Padres MiLB April 28, Players of the Day

2009-04-28T22:33:00.000-07:00

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.

Padres MiLB April 27, Players of the Day

2009-04-27T22:29:00.001-07:00

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.

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

2009-04-26T21:34:00.000-07:00

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.

Padres MiLB April 23, Players of the Day

2009-04-23T22:19:00.000-07:00

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.

Padres MiLB April 22, Players of the Day

2009-04-22T23:25:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-22T11:34:00.001-07:00

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...

Injury Updates

2009-04-21T12:07:00.001-07:00

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.

Pades MiLB April 20 Players of the Day

2009-04-20T22:47:00.000-07:00

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.

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

2009-04-19T18:34:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-19T13:57:00.000-07:00

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

The first Q & A is up here.

Analysts On Drugs

2009-04-18T22:57:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-18T17:57:00.000-07:00

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.

Padres MiLB April 16, Players of the Day

2009-04-16T23:26:00.000-07:00

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!

Padres MiLB April 15, Players of the Day

2009-04-15T21:51:00.001-07:00

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.

Padres MiLB April 14, Players of the Day

2009-04-14T22:21:00.000-07:00

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.

Padres April 13, Players of the Day

2009-04-13T22:56:00.000-07:00

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.