Due to various minor crises, today’s entry is a bit late and will be brief.

First, thanks to Fanstop folks for pointing out the following articles:

• Loretta eager for new opportunity (Padres.com)
• Breaking Out (Baseball Prospectus). The discussion of Jake Peavy is spot-on. If he works more than 170 innings this year or throws more than 115 pitches in a single game, the noise you hear will be me screaming. There are other talented young players in the system, but when you get down to it, Peavy and Sean Burroughs are the future of the Padres.

And speaking of prospects, check out Aaron Gleeman’s Top 50 prospects over at Baseball Primer. I don’t agree with all of his selections (Scott Kazmir seems a shade premature to me, while Kevin Youkilis’ numbers are eerily close to those of Bill Mueller at a similar stage of development–not that there’s anything wrong with that), but Aaron does a thorough job of explaining what he looks for in a prospect and supporting his choices. This is a solid piece of work.

Putting together a list like Aaron has is not an easy task. It involves sifting through an enormous amount of information and then striking a reasonable balance between upside and proximity to the big leagues. Everyone has their own comfort level along that particular continuum. This is a good thing, as otherwise there wouldn’t be anything to talk about when such lists are published. So go check out his article, and let him know what you think.

Before I go, just a reminder to drop me a line using the new mail form. Just click "E-mail" at the bottom of this entry and let ‘er rip. Tell me about your favorite player, musician, beer, whatever. Got an idea for a blog entry? Have something you’ve written that you’d like to see on Ducksnorts? Bring it on. Predictions for Sean Burroughs’ 2003 performance? Talk to me; I’ll accept submissions till Opening Day.