Still ruminating on the Rangers-Reds trade. Now I’m trying to figure out what Cincy is going to do with Mateo. Their organizational depth in the outfield is unbelievable now, with Dmitri Young, Ken Griffey, Alex Ochoa, Michael Tucker, and Brady Clark in the bigs, and Adam Dunn, Austin Kearns, Jackson Melian, and now Mateo behind them in the minors.

Speaking of Clark, it’s nice to see someone from my alma mater (University of San Diego) make it to the big leagues. It doesn’t happen often, so I have to give a pretty big shout-out when it does. Probably the most famous baseball player out of USD was John Wathan, best known as the catcher who stole the most bases in a season.

While I’m on the subject of players from my alma mater, I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate Greg Sain, the Padres’ fifth round draft pick this year, on signing his first professional contract. Sain played third base and catcher in college, and he’ll be behind the plate in the Padres organization. He’s very strong and has a nice, quick stroke that translates into all-fields power. Reminds me a little of Phil Nevin in the way he plays. Congratulations, Greg, and good luck. Hope to see you back in San Diego real soon!