Second Base, Hoffman, and the Arizona Fall League

by Geoff Young on Aug 25, 2003

Lots to cover, so let’s jump right in.

Ugly game Sunday against the Expos. I don’t know if a catcher can have much of a worse inning than Miguel Ojeda had in the fifth inning. Passed ball, two stolen bases, two errors. The low point came with Jamey Carroll on second and Vlad Guerrero at the plate. Kevin Jarvis gets Guerrero to chase a high fastball for strike three. Ojeda starts trotting toward the dugout and flips the ball toward the mound. Carroll takes third. That’s not good.

Second Basemen

Josh Barfield was ranked #1 by BA’s Josh Boyd in his “Scouting Department” series (up from last year’s #5). Here’s what Boyd had to say about him:

Barfield ranked behind fellow Padres second base prospect Jake Gautreau at the end of last season, but Barfield wasn’t far off. Barfield made major progress this year in Lake Elsinore, while Gautreau has regressed. Younger than Hairston by nearly three years and Chase Utley (who would have ranked No. 2 if he weren’t in Philadelphia) by four years to the day, Barfield has developed more power this season, as evidenced by his 39 doubles and 12 home runs. He has tremendous bat speed and can drive the ball to right-center field with authority. Barfield needs to tighten his strike zone judgment. He’s not a pure second baseman either, leading some scouts to project him as a left fielder. He didn’t inherit his father’s outstanding arm strength.

The bat speed and ability to drive the ball to the opposite field are what have impressed me most when I’ve seen him play. I’m hesitant to make comparisons (although I’ll be doing just that after the season in a more detailed piece of research looking at Barfield’s career path to this point), but the names that come to my mind when I see this kid swing a bat are pretty big ones.

Jake Gautreau came in at #13 (down from #2). Boyd’s thoughts:

Gautreau hasn’t come close to his potential since signing as a first-rounder out of Tulane in 2001. In college he earned the nickname “Jake the Rake” by hitting .388 as a third baseman to lead Conference USA as a junior. A move to second base hasn’t produced the desired results: a lefthanded version of Jeff Kent. Much of his struggles can be attributed to ongoing bouts with colitis, which causes him to lose weight and saps his power and ability to drive the ball. The Padres will have to decide what do with Gautreau soon, though, as Barfield will be ready for a shot at Double-A next year. Gautreau’s increasing number of strikeouts won’t help his case.

I haven’t seen Gautreau play this year, but from his numbers, it’s clear that he’s not the hitter he was at Elsinore. How much of that can be blamed on colitis and other injuries I cannot say. I’ve been told by people with first-hand knowledge of the disease that colitis can be very difficult to deal with even for non-athletes. Here’s hoping Gautreau can win his battle with colitis and get on with his career and his life.

Trevor Hoffman

Hoffman made his 2003 season debut Saturday night at Elsinore. I was supposed to be at that game but due to a gig, I had to miss it. At any rate, he worked a scoreless seventh, allowing one hit (leadoff single to Angel prospect Casey Kotchman, who had four hits in the game) and striking out a batter (David Gates). Other items of note from that game: Rob Ramsay got the start and worked 5 2/3 innings, and Greg Sain was behind the plate. As for Hoffman, he’s scheduled to pitch again Tuesday night at Rancho Cucamonga. He’s slated to rejoin the Pads September 2 in Arizona. More coverage:

Arizona Fall League

Baseball America has its AFL preview out now.

Padre reps will be playing for the Peoria Saguaros this year and are as follows:

Speaking of Greene, he’s starting to draw some walks. Still only 17 in 281 at-bats at Portland, but at least he’s improving in that area.

Bobby Bonds

Bobby Bonds (B-R) passed away (ESPN) after an ongoing battle with cancer. Best known to the current generation as Barry’s dad, Bobby was a fine player in his own right. I don’t remember much about his playing days (I started following baseball around 1977 or so, but mainly the National League; Bonds didn’t return to the NL until 1980, and his final two seasons were pretty forgettable), but his most similar batter in history is Ron Gant, which is mighty fine company. Only in relation to his son’s achievements do Bobby Bonds’ achievements lose some of their luster. Then again, the same can be said of just about everyone not named Babe Ruth.

One thing I always hear people mention when talking about Bobby Bonds is the 189 strikeouts he amassed in 1970 as a member of the San Francisco Giants. What they often forget to note is that he also collected 200 hits that year. Bonds finished the season at .302/.375/.504, with 26 homers and 48 stolen bases. His OPS+ (OBP + SLG relative to league, park adjusted) was 135 that year. Oh, and he was just 24 years old. Bonds finished his career with an OPS+ of 130. To give some context, coming into 2003, Moises Alou was ranked 30th among active players (at least 3000 plate appearances) with a 129 OPS+. In other words, Bonds was no slouch.

I’m not sure why I’ve devoted this much space to a guy whose career I pretty much missed. Maybe it’s because, despite the fact that he absolutely destroys the Padres, I’m a big Barry Bonds fan. The man has taken the game to ridiculously high levels and it’s a joy to watch (although I don’t always feel that way at the time). I also like the fact that the greatest baseball player of my generation is taking time off in the middle of a pennant chase to mourn the loss of his father. Don’t get me wrong, winning is important and all. But there are still things Bonds and his teammates can do to make that happen; there is nothing anyone can do to make his dad come back.

Other News

  • Burroughs is leading man (U-T). I still like the idea of him in the #5 slot (especially given how well he’s done there), but this isn’t bad either. Wade Boggs did okay as a leadoff hitter with a line drive stroke, a good batting eye, and average speed. I give Bruce Bochy and company credit for at least thinking of Burroughs as a potential leadoff hitter.
  • Peavy’s effort more impressive considering wife’s illness (U-T). The more I learn about this kid, the more I like. I hope all is well in the Peavy household.
  • Padres win pitching duel on ball call (U-T). Was that a dominant performance by Adam Eaton or what? I caught parts of the game at my gig, and I still can’t believe what he did to Vlad Guerrero. That was some nasty stuff he sent up there.
  • San Diego Padres Stats Cool time saver: view all Padre minor league stats at once (courtesy of BA)

Okay, that’s all the time I have. I’ll try to sneak in a second entry later this week. Until then…

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