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Padres MiLB July 1, Players of the Day

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...

...coming soon!

Padres MiLB June 30, Players of the Day

Hitter(s) of the Day

From Monday’s game – completed today:

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

Today’s games:

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

Pitcher(s) of the Day

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

Commentary

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mission to the Stars!

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

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

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

Congrats guys!

Padres MiLB June 29, Players of the Day

Hitter(s) of the Day

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

Pitcher(s) of the Day

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

Commentary

Nice AA-debut by Luebke.

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

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

Padres' 2008 signee, Jefri Pena Suspended

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

Pena was signed last year from the Dominican Republic.

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

Friday, June 26, 2009

Hitter(s) of the Day

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

Pitcher(s) of the Day

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

Commentary

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

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Hitter(s) of the Day

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

Pitcher of the Day

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

Commentary

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

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

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Hitter(s) of the Day

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

Honorable mention to the rest of Lake Elsinore Storm lineup.

Pitcher(s) of the Day

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

Commentary

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

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

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

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

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

Should I stay or should I go now?

Bill Center has an interesting article up today (Sunday) recapping Saturday night’s win over the Texas Rangers. More interesting than a simple recap, however, is his discussion of Kyle Blanks. Bill begins his article with this line:

Don't look for Kyle Blanks to be returning to Triple-A Portland anytime soon.

Later he reiterates that claim:

One thing that likely won't change for Blanks any time soon is the scenery. Today's end of interleague play won't signal a return to Portland for more seasoning for Blanks.

Now, if Bill Center was told that Blanks will be staying with the big league club, he doesn’t pass along that quote to us. Instead he gives us opinions of Buddy Black.

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

“But it makes sense to keep him if he's going to be in the mix in left and available to pinch-hit and do other things. I think that can happen.”

Now I am not going to tell you that Blanks is going back to Portland or that is not… But the Padres have Kouzmanoff at 3B and Headley needs to be in the lineup every day. Gwynn deserves to stay in the lineup and Padres need Hairston in there in CF.

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

I guess time will tell.

Zawadzki #11 on BA's PHS

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

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

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

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

Padres MiLB June 25, Players of the Day

Hitter of the Day

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

Pitcher of the Day

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

Commentary

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

“Mikey’s famous!”

Organizational Happenings

What a day!

The Padres made a bunch of organizational moves today.

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

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

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

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

And…

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

…were selected for the Futures Game.