The Padres have called up the 21-year-old right-hander from Claremont, CA, to take David Wells’ spot on the roster and in the rotation. Germano, ranked #15 by Baseball America among San Diego prospects, works in the high-80s and throws strikes. His propensity for being around the plate without overpowering stuff invites comparisons to fellow finesse pitcher Brian Lawrence.

Germano got the nod over more experienced pitchers on the Portland staff. The passing over of former top prospect Dennis Tankersley is interesting. But the Pads have been known in recent years to push their top arms, even if they haven’t had a great deal of experience at higher levels.

How do Germano’s minor-league numbers stack up against those of some other recent graduates? Here they are, ordered by minor-league level:

A

              Age    IP  ERA HR/9 BB/9  SO/9  AVG
Germano,Ju  18/19 220.2 3.71 0.86 1.43  7.10 .279
Eaton,Ad       19  71.1 4.16 0.25 3.79  7.19 .287
Lawrence,B     22  80.1 2.80 0.56 1.46  8.85 .221
Peavy,Ja       19 133.2 2.90 0.40 3.57 11.04 .216
Perez,Ol       19 101.1 3.46 0.80 3.82  8.70 .230
Tankersley     21 141.2 3.49 0.57 3.62 10.23 .231

A+

              Age    IP  ERA HR/9 BB/9  SO/9  AVG
Germano,Ju  19/20 129.2 3.75 0.35 2.08  6.66 .271
Eaton,Ad    20/21 200.2 4.26 0.49 3.18  6.23 .293
Lawrence,B     23 175.1 3.39 0.31 1.54  8.52 .265
Peavy,Ja       20 105.1 3.08 0.51 2.82 12.30 .200
Perez,Ol    19/20 101.2 2.30 0.35 4.34 11.33 .213
Tankersley     22  52.1 0.52 0.17 2.06 11.69 .158

AA

              Age    IP  ERA HR/9 BB/9  SO/9  AVG
Germano,Ju  20/21  90.1 3.69 0.90 1.99  6.38 .265
Eaton,Ad    21/22 134.0 2.82 0.81 3.09  8.40 .216
Lawrence,B     24 126.7 2.42 0.43 1.99  8.46 .217
Peavy,Ja    20/21 108.1 2.74 0.58 3.49 11.05 .213
Perez,Ol       20  23.0 1.17 0.39 6.26 13.30 .147
Tankersley  22/23 120.1 2.47 0.52 3.37 10.84 .204

AAA

              Age    IP  ERA HR/9 BB/9 SO/9  AVG
Germano,Ju     21  17.0 3.18 0.53 2.65 5.29 .279
Eaton,Ad       21  21.0 3.00 0.43 2.57 4.29 .224
Lawrence,B  24/25  91.7 2.85 0.88 2.36 8.64 .251
Peavy,Ja                      n/a
Perez,Ol                      n/a
Tankersley  22/23  65.1 4.55 1.10 5.23 9.23 .242

Germano reaches the big leagues with just about the same number of innings above A-ball as Peavy had when he got the call. Unfortunately, Germano’s level of dominance is nowhere near what Peavy’s was in the high minors:

               IP  ERA HR/9 BB/9  SO/9  AVG
Germano,Ju  107.1 3.61 0.84 2.10  6.20 .267
Peavy,Ja    108.1 2.74 0.58 3.49 11.05 .213

It’s also worth noting that Germano’s strikeout rates have decreased as he’s advanced. This isn’t unusual, but it might be a sign that he’s not quite ready. Expect a lot of balls in play with Germano on the mound for the Pads. Short-term, he should be better than Junior Herndon but not in the class of a guy like Lawrence. Long-term, if Wells has to miss more than a couple of starts, it probably would be better to bring up Brian Sweeney or Joey Hamilton and let Germano get more innings in at Triple-A.

We shall see. Meantime, Padres and Pirates rained out last night so today they play two. Lawrence faces Kris Benson in the first game, then former Darren Balsley pupils Peavy and Perez square off in the second. And in another bit of good news, Rod Beck will be available to pitch Wednesday.

That’s all for now; more as it happens.