Padres Month in Review: August 2006
Wed, Sep 6, 2006
by Geoff Young
The Padres went 13-15 in the month of August. Despite outhitting the opposition, .248/.326/.385 to .246/.305/.377, and again outhomering them, 26 to 23, the Pads managed to be outscored, 107 to 105. Adrian Gonzalez (.248/.333/.386 in 101 AB), Josh Barfield (.220/.273/.374 in 91 AB), and Mike Piazza (.203/.268/.344 in 64 AB) all scuffled, and Mark Bellhorn (.146/.255/.250 in 48 AB) did his best Vinny Castilla impression. Injuries to Khalil Greene and Chan Ho Park caused problems as well.
On a positive note, Dave Roberts tore the cover off the baseball (.371/.417/.454 in 97 AB). His outfield mates, Mike Cameron (.276/.342/.495 in 105 AB) and Brian Giles (.255/.402/.431 in 102 AB) contributed as well.
The pitching? Outstanding. Among big-league teams, only the A’s (3.25), Dodgers (3.27) and Astros (3.41) had lower team ERAs than the Padres (3.51) in August. Clay Hensley (1.82 ERA in 29.2 IP) and Jake Peavy (2.87 ERA in 37.2 IP) were brilliant in the rotation, while Trevor Hoffman and Cla Meredith hurled 24 1/3 scoreless innings between them, allowing just 12 hits and 3 walks during that stretch.
Power of Perception
The Padres sat idly by and didn’t make any signifcant moves to help down the stretch. The moves they did make either failed to address the areas of greatest need or came at too high a cost.
This is the perception, but how well does it match reality? Let’s take a quick look:
- 1 Aug 2006: Jose Ceda to Cubs for Todd Walker
- 24 Aug 2006: Evan Meek and cash/PTBNL to Devil Rays for Russell Branyan
- 1 Sep 2006: cash/PTBNL (now known to be George Kottaras) to Red Sox for David Wells — technically this happened in September, but we’ll include it for sake of completeness
Walker was brought in to play third base, which he hadn’t done in 9 years. Not surprisingly, he struggled there, particularly with his throws, and matched Castilla’s season error total in less than a month. Walker also has seen action at first and second base.
Branyan came over from Tampa Bay three weeks later to provide additional support at third. As with Walker, the cost was an A-ball pitching prospect.
Aside from the errors, what did two minor-league pitchers and future considerations net the Padres in August? Check it out:
| Player | AB | BA | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walker | 64 | .313 | .408 | .453 |
| Branyan | 12 | .417 | .467 | .917 |
| Stats courtesy of ESPN. | ||||
Put those together, and you’ve got a .329/.418/.526 line in 76 at-bats. Not bad.
Compare and Despair
But what about the Dodgers? They went 21-7 in August. They snagged Wilson Betemit right from under the Padres’ noses. Betemit is a potential short- and long-term solution at third base, and he would’ve only cost Scott Linebrink? How could the Pads watch their chief competitor make a deal for one of the best available options? And once the Dodgers did land Betemit, how come the Padres didn’t focus on Houston’s Morgan Ensberg?
Good questions. We’ve seen what Walker and Branyan have done since coming to San Diego, and we’ve seen what the Pads had to give up (not much) to get them. How about Betemit, Ensberg, and Linebrink? What did they do in August?
| Player | AB | BA | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Betemit | 93 | .237 | .287 | .484 |
| Ensberg | 67 | .209 | .404 | .299 |
| Stats courtesy of ESPN. | ||||
Betemit led the Dodgers with seven homers in August, but it came at the cost of a sub-.300 OBP. Ensberg got on base at a real nice clip but slugged like Sean Burroughs. Even if you took the best of Betemit and Ensberg (.404 OBP/.484 SLG), you’d end up short of the production provided by Walker and Branyan. And instead of two A-ball pitchers, you’d be missing Linebrink:
| IP | ERA | WHIP | K/9 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10.2 | 3.38 | 1.41 | 8.44 | |
| Stats courtesy of ESPN. | ||||
Not outstanding, but still pretty darned useful. If Linebrink is gone, then what? A rookie (Cla Meredith) as your main setup guy, with Alan Embree and Jon Adkins/Doug Brocail next in line? As much as I love what Meredith is doing, and as much as we statheads like to think that all relievers are interchangeable parts, I’m not sure how comfortable I’d be with him in the eighth inning role. Linebrink had a rough stretch earlier in the year and he’s far from the dominant reliever he was for the better part of three seasons, but he’s a lot more useful to the Padres right now than are two pitchers in A-ball.
Okay, but You’re Forgetting Maddux
No, I’m not. And I’m not forgetting Julio Lugo either.
Look, the Dodgers robbed the Cubs in the deal for Greg Maddux. They picked up a future HOFer and cash in exchange for light-hitting Cesar Izturis. Admittedly Maddux wasn’t having much of a season before coming to LA, but this looks terrible right now. Maddux went 3-0 with a 2.37 ERA in six August starts for the Dodgers. This leaves Padres fans scratching their heads, wondering why we couldn’t have gotten Maddux for a (s)crappy middle infielder. Well, if Manny Alexander were 10 years younger, maybe the Pads could have. But he’s not, so they didn’t. And honestly, who could have foreseen the run that Maddux is having? He sported a 4.69 ERA at the time of the trade and looked like he might be done.
Yes, I know it’s easy to look at Izturis-for-Maddux and wonder why the Padres had to part with a top prospect to land even fewer starts from the even older David Wells. We’ll get to that in a minute, but first I’d like to focus on the other deal the Dodgers made at the beginning of August.
On the same day they acquired Maddux from the Cubs, the Dodgers also picked up infielder Julio Lugo from the Devil Rays for minor leaguers Joel Guzman and Sergio Pedroza. I don’t know much about Pedroza, and frankly, I don’t care. The key to this deal is Guzman. He’s been a shortstop but he’s probably going to end up at third base or in a corner outfield spot. Guzman was ranked #26 by Baseball America among the Top 100 prospects for 2006. Check out this quote, from an anonymous scout, that accompanies Guzman’s name in said list:
I had scouted Chipper Jones and A-Rod before and to me, Guzman’s bat was better. At 16 years old, the kid was as good as or better than anyone I’d ever seen.
Acknowledging that people can get hyperbolic in their praise and that players don’t always develop the way we think they might, does this sound like the kind of prospect you’d give up for a guy like Lugo? Especially when you don’t even have a regular spot for Lugo and are forced to play him out of position? Tell me you wouldn’t be calling for Kevin Towers’ head if he’d been the one to make this deal. Put it another way: As a Padres fan, I’m thrilled that the Dodgers sent Guzman out of the division. The fact that Lugo hit .235/.319/.296 in 81 August at-bats for LA is just gravy.
Okay, but the Padres Still Overpaid for Wells
Yes, they probably did. It happens. But if we’re going to compare the Padres’ moves with those of the Dodgers, then we have to recognize that Kottaras is a much lesser light than is Guzman, and Wells likely will help the Pads more down the stretch and in the playoffs than will Lugo. In other words, if we’re going to credit our competitors for making good moves, we have to penalize them for making bad ones. And to my way of thinking, Guzman-for-Lugo is much worse than Kottaras-for-Wells.
Looking at this from a different angle, the fact that the Cubs undersold Maddux doesn’t (or shouldn’t) diminish Wells’ value to a playoff contender. If I’m dangling Wells and you start pointing to the Maddux deal as a reason you shouldn’t have to give up Kottaras, my response is, “Look, do you want him or not? I’m talking to three other guys, you’ve got 24 hours to decide.” Or something along those lines.
Moving Kottaras hurts, but it’s not going to cripple the organization. The Padres haven’t put all their catching eggs in one basket like they did years ago with Ben Davis (or at third base with Burroughs), and they’ll come out of this okay. In the same way, the loss of Guzman won’t kill the Dodgers because their farm system is so freakin’ deep. They can afford to fling prospects around because they’ve got a lot of them and other teams know it. When the Padres move one of their top kids, it stings a little more because the system is much thinner (although this is gradually changing).
The flip side is that our top prospects aren’t as good as a lot of other top prospects. This sounds like a justification, and maybe it is, but the Red Sox supposedly were asking the Dodgers for Matt Kemp, Andy LaRoche, or James Loney for Wells. I could almost see Loney, but even he is at least as good a prospect as Kottaras. Those other two guys are serious studs. The Padres don’t have anyone like Kemp or LaRoche lying around as trade bait. Most teams don’t.
Point is, even though the Padres may have overpaid for six weeks of Wells, Kottaras wasn’t going to help them down the stretch. The difference between sending Wells out there every fifth day versus Mike Thompson is, no offense to Thompson, potentially huge. Wells also gives the Padres another weapon in the post-season (assuming they get there) and sends a message to players that management is committed to winning. And before you dismiss that last argument as fluff, consider that the Pads will have a good deal of money to spend (or at least consider spending) on free agents.
As beautiful as San Diego is, it’s a fantasy to think that everyone will accept the so-called “San Diego discount.” These guys are rich beyond our understanding. They can live anywhere they want and be a day away from wherever they need to be. Most ballplayers want to win championships. And bringing in someone like Wells tells not only current players but also potential future players that if the club has a chance, they’re going for it. Pretty good selling point, I’d think. Seriously, how do the Pirates or Royals attract free agents?
Right.
Bigger Picture, Please
Sure, it’s simple. The Dodgers made some high-profile moves and got hot in August. We don’t know if the two events are related, but both of these things happened. The Padres made some lower-profile moves that are looking pretty good right now but so far they haven’t translated into wins. With a month remaining, the Friars are well within striking distance. Through games of September 3, Baseball Prospectus had them at roughly 50% to make the playoffs — better odds than those of the defending champion White Sox.
There’s still plenty of baseball left. It’s a drag that the Padres weren’t able to acquire the players that we wanted them to, but the guys they ended up getting have been contributing. If the Pads can stay healthy, they should be in pretty good shape. And once you get into the playoffs, anything can happen. Ask the 1987 Twins.
It doesn’t have to be beautiful, it just has to work. Like it or not, the Padres have given themselves a chance. August wasn’t great, but it wasn’t a disaster either. It only looks like one in comparison to what the Dodgers did.
But hey, it’s only one month. And if you don’t believe me, just look back to July, when our neighbors to the north tied Tampa Bay for the most losses (17) in the big leagues. They came back pretty strong the following month; who’s to say the Padres won’t do the same?
Picking up where last year's version left off, the Ducksnorts 2008 Baseball Annual provides in-depth analysis of and commentary on the San Diego Padres. Get your copy today.
September 6, 2006 at 1:39 am
Nice wrap-up Geoff. We knew Branyan was the missin’ link, didn’t we. One question. Would Meredith pitching the 8th really make you very nervous? Not me, buddy. Heck, I wouldn’t mind seein’ him in the 9th if Trevor needed a day off. Blasphemy!
September 6, 2006 at 3:13 am
Bellhorn’s numbers for July (.179 / .319 /.250 in 56 AB) and June (.136 / .208 / .341 in 44 AB) are just as bad as his August (.146/.255/.250 in 48 AB) numbers. Bellhorn was only good while Vinny was around (maybe the competition made him bring his game up). Once Vinny was gone, Bellhorn could slack off.
Branyan and Walker should ensure he spends the rest of the year on the bench.
September 6, 2006 at 4:02 am
Good read Geoff. Though i’d have to agree with surfin, if something happened to hoffy (knock on wood) or he needed a day off id keep linebrink at 8 and put cla in as closer before id try anything else.
September 6, 2006 at 5:50 am
Good stuff, Geoff. You hit the nail on the head, as usual.
Hopefully, the Pads can stay hot. I have not heard one analyst predict them to go to the playoffs. All they talk about on the “worldwide leader” is the Dodgers and Phillies. I even heard one guy (I think it was Joe Morgan) say that either the Phillies or Giants would get the wildcard.
No love for the Pads — that’s OK. They’re getting it done with underrated pitching and clutch hitting. They’re very much under the radar right now.
September 6, 2006 at 6:58 am
#4, Hahaha. It would be Joe Morgan to say that the Giants should win the wild card. That man’s infatuation with Barry Bonds knows no bounds.
September 6, 2006 at 7:01 am
Great recap Geoff! It doesn’t get much better than waking up in the morning to find great reading like that waiting for me on this blog.
September 6, 2006 at 7:24 am
Nice summary. Having been livid about skipping Betemit, I have been very impressed with Walker. I could look it up, but at one point he had 11 BB vs 1 K. His OPS is driven by OBP, which is fine with me. I guess that is why KT is one of the better GM’s in the game and I blog on other people’s sites.
Regarding the Dodgers, BP had this comment in a recent Transaction Analysis:
As Joe Sheehan warned, Colletti’s become something of an organizational digger wasp, hollowing out a healthy organization to give birth to the legend of his own genius. Flags do fly forever, but it’ll be years before we get a sense of the full cost of Ned’s quest for greatness to the organization. Certainly, discarding Nunez looks gratuitous, and the product of particularly poor planning.
Not talking about Lugo trade, but clearly depleting a strong farm system. I am bummed that we had to give up Kottaras, but I like our catching corps. I am guessing we get Piazza for another season, and will probably keep Bowen and Bard. I like Bard quite a bit, and am OK with seeing him in back there for a while. He has a good eye, some power and can switch hit. Works for me. Defense kind of sucks, but we’ll see.
4 in a row; from 4 back to 1 back very quickly. I remain nervous about streaks; if it is always darkest before the dawn, is it always sunniest before the eclipse? Taking it a game at a time; sweeping the Rockies would be quite an accomplishment, so let’s hope we can keep it going.
September 6, 2006 at 8:11 am
I got this off of SI.com. The souce is the Chicago Herald, I think:
Dusty Baker is going to try to wipe the Cubs’ stink off him and get another job, but it may not be easy. He has been linked to jobs in Seattle and San Diego, but Bruce Bochy has a year left on his Padres deal and in the unlikely event the Pads eat that, Art Howe is a decent bet to reunite with Sandy Alderson.
– Daily Herald
I hope there is nothing to this rumor. Art Howe? Are you freakin’ kidding me?
September 6, 2006 at 8:14 am
5:
My opinion of Morgan has declined steadily this year. The guy was a great second baseman, but his opinions on things are downright bizarre. For example, he could be the only human that actually likes (actually loves) Barry.
He should just ask Bonds out and get it over with.
September 6, 2006 at 8:28 am
When Art Howe was in Oakland he did as he was told and the A’s were fine (won more than a little, just not in the playoffs)… When he went to NY to manage the Mets, he was givin free reign to make whatever moves he wanted, and Mets lost a bunch.
Howe doesn’t bother me, Baker’s been mentioned by writers. As long as Alderson’s here, Baker will NOT be our manager.
September 6, 2006 at 8:37 am
For the record, Buster Olney has been saying that our Pads will make it to the playoffs…as the wild card.
Steve Phillips recently said he thought the Pads had the best pitching and that they were very likely to win it…he did stop short of picking them, but he did show some love.
September 6, 2006 at 8:40 am
Howe was terrible in NY. Seemed like a nice enough guy, but could not handle it at all.
If they fire Bochy and hire Howe, I have a problem with that. Bochy is a better manager.
September 6, 2006 at 9:16 am
Thanks for the August recap, Geoff. Made my day started better.
September 6, 2006 at 9:42 am
They were ranting yesterday on WFAN here in NY that the Padres team is mediocre at best and there was no way we were making it “in”.
I had a good chuckle when it was pointed out that our bullpen and entire pitching staff was mediocre. I mean, we lead the NL in ERA…what the hell!
As for Meredith, I kinda like having him available to pitch whenever we need him, rather than tying him to a specific inning. If Bochy needs him in the 6th, he comes in. If he needs a grounder to get out of a jam, Meredith is in. Much more useful to me, than to have him just strictly in say in the 7th or 8th, sometimes when the game is 6-3 (our favor) or such.
September 6, 2006 at 9:51 am
Masticore
If that was the Maddog on the FAN, you know he’s only saying that stuff b/c he’s a Giants fan! Right now, the Pads have as good a shot (if not better) than anyone else in the Wildcard race.
If there’s one thing we’ve got, it’s pitching!
September 6, 2006 at 9:52 am
Masticore, the only thing you listen to WFAN for is:
-Arrogant Yankee fans
- Now Arrogant Met fans
and you have to understand that when Pedro’s arm falls off this October, Met fans will shutup.
September 6, 2006 at 10:21 am
I actually love the FAN — couldn’t live without it. Keeps me sane (but drives my wife INsane).
But by far the best thing is when either the Mets or Yankees are do something terrible.
The fallout from the Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano trade a couple of years ago was great to listen to. Mets fans were calling in, totally despondent.
And nothing was better than the day after the Sox beat the Yanks in the 2004 ALCS. Priceless. I loved it.
September 6, 2006 at 10:44 am
I know Maddog is a San Fran fan, and he can be biased - he never thinks much of the Padres. I usually tune in to WFAN or ESPN Radio lunchtime to see what’s going on, and definitely take it all witha grain of salt.
BTW, read a blurb in today’s USA Today that said that Piazza won’t be coming back as the Padres weren’t planning on excercising his option, and that he’d consider returning to the Mets if they wanted him. Not sure if there’s any truth to it, but wanted to throw it out there.
September 6, 2006 at 10:56 am
Also, the SD-UT reported that Knott would be called up still…
Which for the record I think is excellent, well deserved, and should help us as a RH PH the rest of the way.
September 6, 2006 at 11:05 am
About a week ago, Steve Phillips picked the Padres to pass the Dodgers and win the NL West. Which is closer to happening than it was a week ago.
September 6, 2006 at 11:21 am
A note about the Padres pitching: Among with ERA, they also lead the NL in road ERA (4.02), which means Petco Park isn’t skewing their pitching strenth, at least in this instance.
As for the offense, they are 14th in the league in runs. But in road runs, they move up seventh in the league. So the Padres’ hitting may be about the league average and not terrible. Probably closer to the truth.
As for defense, the Padres are second in the majors and first in the NL in defensive efficency, which measure the percentage of balls in play that are converted into outs.
http://www.baseballprospectus......40435825d1
I think this has more to do with the Padres’ pitching success, much more, than anyone has talked about. If Peavy or Young aren’t striking batters out, it’s the defense that is retiring batters. Cameron’s defense, plus some pretty good offense, has make him team MVP. Gonzalez, Barfield, Greene and Roberts (now that he’s in LF) deserve praise, too.
September 6, 2006 at 11:21 am
GY, nice job on the recap.
On the Bochy rumor, I don’t believe any rumor that has Boch going somewhere else. This team is content and, I think, playing better than people expected. I think Boch factors into both of those issues.
September 6, 2006 at 11:23 am
GY - THANKS! Awesome recap & analysis … right on!
Here’s a nit … you said “1 Sep 2006: cash/PTBNL (now known to be George Kottaras) to Red Sox for David Wells — technically this happened in September” … technically this happened in August, didn’t it, so that Wells will be on the playoff roster?
I assume what you mean is that the trade didn’t impact any of the August stats … but those August stats are ancient history now … ONWARD we go … to OCTOBER!
September 6, 2006 at 11:30 am
re: 22 … LaMar … as things stand right now, I agree with you. There are so many options … so many decisions that a manager must make … so many outcomes which are nearly-random … that it’s easy to find “mistakes” … the key is to know whether or not a manager is making more of these than an alternative. When I think in these terms, I remember manager’s in the Padres past (and managers of other teams, present and past), and I’m basically satisfied with Bochy … ie. I think he’s “above ML average” … so that the risk of his replacement being worse is “likely”.
Things on my wish list for Bochy to do …
- “promote” Meredith in the reliever pecking order to be above Linebrink
- use PH’ers more often now that we have more of them on the bench
… what’s on your wish list?
September 6, 2006 at 11:40 am
Masticore: I agree with you on Bochy’s usage of Meredith, that he is more useful to the team when he’s not tied down in the 8th inning role. Of course, I wish that Bochy would just use his best pitchers in the highest leverage situation, regardless of inning. Having Meredith free to pitch whenever is a good step in that direction.
Unfortunately, the acquisitions of Branyan and Walker don’t make Bellhorn irrelevant, since both of them hit left-handed. So, if the team faces, say, Tom Glavine in the playoffs, there could be a left side of the infield of Manny Alexander and Mark Bellhorn. Matches up well with Reyes and Wright, doesn’t it?
September 6, 2006 at 11:45 am
#23: Correct. I used ESPN as my source and they got it wrong:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....s?team=sdg
I should have double-checked. Thanks for the catch, LM!
September 6, 2006 at 11:46 am
I agree with Masticore on Meredith. The guy has been absolutely huge in some very high leverage situations in the 6th and 7th innings. I’d rather have him come in with men on 2nd and 3rd and one out in the 6th than to start the 8th. Meredith cleans up other people’s messes, Linebrink’s messes have been of his own doing. I’m really looking forward to watching this in the playoffs, bringing in our terminator to shut down a rally in the 6th and have him go two innings to get to Linebrink and Hoffy.
I also agree with Lynch, Bochy is above average. He may have some tendencies we don’t like but he has definite strengths and rarely does something completely boneheaded. Baker would be a horror show, I feel sorry for the fans of whatever team he ends up with.
September 6, 2006 at 11:46 am
#21 - just because the road ERA is as good as the home ERA doesn’t mean there was no park effect. They probably overachieved on the road and underachieved at home (normal statistical fluke), but the park helped the home stats look better. In other words, in a neutral home park, the home/away split might be 4.50/4.02, for a ~4.26 composite.
September 6, 2006 at 11:50 am
I’m still struggling to come to grips with the fact that we have Blum as our SS the rest of the way out. And Manny A shouldn’t even be an option. I suppose his “D” is better than Blum though, at least range wise I would think.
I guess Alexander is there to provide a bonafide major league fielding SS, rather than some of our other AAA players who just dabble in the position (Leone, Hill, Matranga).
I might have rather had Luis Cruz from Mobile…at least he’s regarded as a “plus” fielder.
September 6, 2006 at 11:52 am
re 24: LM, I think a manager has to be a psychologist sometimes. The primary thing on my wish list is to have Boch give Linebrink some confidence. I think that’s what Bochy is trying to do, by still sending him out in the 8th. I don’t see the same Linebrink on the mound that we are all used to seeing, and it’s not just his pitching. I think he got shelled earlier in the year and it’s almost as if he expects it to happen again. I think his confidence is shot after giving up a bunch of home runs and some “Ducksnorts” and he needs a few easy innings to get his mojo back.
Last year, we saw him eventually pull Aki from his role to give him a chance to regroup. I think he’ll have to do the same thing this year, unless Liney can turn it around.
September 6, 2006 at 12:07 pm
LaMar … well said / good point … confidence is a real thing … and it matters.
September 6, 2006 at 12:36 pm
Geoff,
Excellent work today (again). More than enough to make me reconsider whether remarks I made a couple weeks ago were, in retrospect, rash. As a leading proponent of the “I Like Kevin Towers’…Head On a Platter” school of thought, I did say that my criticisms were subject to revocation if we won at least one playoff game. And I’ll stand by that. KT has, I believe, mortgaged some of our future (both actively by Kotteras for Wells and passively by passing on Betemit for Linebrink), for a chance at the dance now. So IF we rumba well into the night, it’s all good. But if we stay home, or are shown the door after three passes around the floor, it’ll be a long winter. On tinterhooks we await the judgment of History.
September 6, 2006 at 1:12 pm
re: 28
The road ERA (4.13) is not as good as the home ERA (3.93) or the overall ERA (4.02), and I hope I didn’t convey that. Actually, I should have checked the home ERA instead of just the other two, because they are third in home ERA.
What I meant to say was that they are all pretty close to each other, where in previous seasons, I don’t think they were.
I still think the major strength of the team is its fielding, and that has been the least talked-about aspect of the team, probably because it’s the least talked-about aspect of any team.
September 6, 2006 at 1:14 pm
Kevin - Your point was correct, that our run prevention is among the best in the league, regardless of park factors.
September 6, 2006 at 1:20 pm
so what’s the deal with Greene? Is he out for the rest of the season?
September 6, 2006 at 1:24 pm
As impressive of a raw talent Guzman is, the Dodgers weren’t impressed with his work ethic. I know a hitting instructor in their organization who felt Guzman was a good kid, but he said the Dominican simply didn’t put the time in to hone his hitting skills.
Guzman is still a physical monster. Hard to believe a guy a 6′6, 250 pound man has the athleticism to play short.
September 6, 2006 at 1:38 pm
dprat,
I disagree with you. Kottaras has a decent shot at being an All Star catcher because of his hitting, but the organization isn’t sure he’s good pan out as catcher because of his receiving, game calling, and his lack of ‘take charge’ attitude… Hundley on the other hand doesn’t have those defensive questions and is only 1 or 2 levels behind Kottaras (depending on how you look at things - Kottaras was ‘demoted’ to AA for their playoffs)… Plus, while we can’t expect a combined 36 2B, 29 HR, 106 RBI, 72 R, .291 BA season out of catchers next year, Bard & Piazza should produce a lot more than Kottaras does in 2007…
September 6, 2006 at 1:41 pm
It still hurts when Greene tries to grip and swing a bat, so he is a pinch-runner until that changes.
September 6, 2006 at 1:41 pm
Thanks Geoff, great recap! What an up and down month. Not for the faint of heart.
re: 18
Haven’t we known all season that Piazza’s option wouldn’t be picked up? THought the prevailing wisdom was the team would tear that up and do a new deal. His commentary on his stay in SD, especially regarding Bochy’s use of him, make it seem like he’s content to stay if the team wants him back (and, I’m sure, gives him some respectable raise).
September 6, 2006 at 2:12 pm
re 39: a catcher who can hit .280 w/ 25 HR (20+ games left) in less than 450 AB is pretty valuable… And I don’t think we should expect a HUGE dropoff next year. Mike’s option is for $7m (I think - too lazy to double-check at the moment)… He has a $500k or $1m buyout… I expect us to buy him out and re-sign him for around $3.5-5m
September 6, 2006 at 2:13 pm
Geoff, excellent work on the recap. Thanks so much for all the effort and work that you do on this blog. It’s a great source for all things Padres. Keep up the great work! Nice Props on Channel 4 last night. Thrilled that Ducksnorts was mentioned first. Aren’t the best always mentioned first?
September 6, 2006 at 2:20 pm
Nice new tagline, Channel 4 endorsee…
September 6, 2006 at 2:23 pm
As a fellow blogger with a competing site (competing or complimentary?), SD Girl is right, Geoff, the first, and still the best, kudos…
September 6, 2006 at 2:49 pm
Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle just said (on “PTI”) that Bruce Bochy has done the best of any manager. I don’t that he based that on any or if he knows what he’s talking about or if he’s just pron to hyperbole, but it was interesting that he said that.
September 6, 2006 at 4:01 pm
OT … Oliver Perez with a CG today … http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/boxscore?gid=260906321 … think he’ll be in the playoff rotation?
September 6, 2006 at 11:05 pm
Thanks, all, for the kind words. I seriously couldn’t do any of this without you guys.