Off-day today, and I don’t really have much to say about the debacle against the Cubs this weekend so it’s just links.

• Peter at San Diego Spotlight talks a little about the results from John Sickels’ mock draft. Seems like everybody and their mother has the Pads taking Tulane left-hander Brian Bogusevic at #18. An interesting exercise. I look forward to Peter’s coverage of the real thing this Tuesday and Wednesday.
• Speaking of the draft, Padres’ scouting director Bill “Chief” Gayton gives a little insight into the thought process behind running the draft. Gayton acknowledges that “we’ve been using sabermetrics the last three years to some degree.” It is good to see a guy in a position like his even use the term “sabermetrics”; that’s not a backhanded compliment, it really is good to see. While we cannot know the organization’s exact methodology, it’s comforting to hear that they are taking a systematic approach of some sort. Not that I doubted that, but it’s good to hear nonetheless.
• And the NC Times offers more draft thoughts. Writer John Maffei, who also is a correspondent for Baseball America, mentions Bogusevic, as well as Long Beach State’s Pedro Ramos, who is more polished but who has less upside.
• Richard at Friar Faithful breaks down the improvement of Adam Eaton and Jake Peavy this year. I doubt there are any Padre fans who don’t echo Richard’s sentiment about getting Peavy locked up before the season to a long-term deal. That was a great move by Kevin Towers.
• High-scoring teams take cue from their hitters atop order (ESPN, via Baseball Musings). Fascinating article by Peter Gammons. Quoth Tigers third baseman and leadoff hitter Brandon Inge: “There is no question that if one works at it enough, one can learn and improve plate discipline.”

That’s all for now. And remember, I’ll be on “Outta Left Field” Wednesday night. Show starts at 5:30 p.m. Be sure to swing by the Hall of Fame bar if you’re at the game or call in if you’re watching on Channel 4.