Wednesday Morning Notes
Wed, Sep 27, 2006
by Geoff Young
Just a few bullet points today. As always, feel free to add anything I may have missed:
- Peter Friberg breaks down Albert Pujols’ at-bat against Cla Meredith in Monday night’s game. I’m in total agreement here; you just don’t see Pujols take swings like the one he took on that 2-2 pitch. Meredith had some sick, sick movement on that thing.
- Peter’s also got a nice recap of Tuesday night’s victory and a look at who might play whom in the playoffs. It’s too early for me to seriously think about that latter question, but I think Peter makes two great points about the game last night. First, the home plate umpire was brutal — he took the bat out of Russell Branyan’s hands during a key at-bat in the seventh and did the same to Geoff Blum two batters later. Fortunately, Mike Cameron hit a two-run single between those two to give the Padres the lead. That single, incidentally, came on an 0-2 pitch that caught way too much plate. Yadier Molina was set up a foot outside, but a visibly exhausted Chris Carpenter missed his spot and Cameron made him pay.
- Exhausted or not, Carpenter is a legitimate Cy Young Award candidate (heck, he won the thing last year), and I echo Peter’s sentiments that the Padres deserve a great deal of credit for coming back against a guy who hadn’t allowed more than four runs in a game at home all season. For kicks, here’s how Carpenter had performed over his previous five starts at Busch Stadium: 42 IP, 20 H, 3 R, 1 HR, 5 BB, 34 SO. Point is, when you beat a guy like that on his turf, it’s not something to take for granted. The Padres never were intimidated by one of the league’s finest and got to him in a way that few others have in 2006.
- What else? Oh, yes — the folks at Outsider Radio were kind enough to have me on yesterday’s show. It’s mostly review material for you guys, but whatever we can do to spread the word. Big thanks to Brandon Rosage and Joe Jackson for letting me riff on the Padres for 20 minutes.
- The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that Khalil Greene is close to returning. Geoff Blum has done a surprisingly good job in his absence, but this is a totally different ball club if a healthy Greene is able to play in the post-season. Also, Brian Giles, who sprained an ankle while rounding second on Tuesday, will miss tonight’s finale. The injury isn’t considered serious and Giles is expected back in the lineup “within a few days.”
- Others have mentioned this to me in private, and reader LaMar notes it in yesterday’s IGD comments: Why isn’t there much buzz about Kevin Towers as potential executive of the year? Jay ran some numbers the other day, and they paint a pretty compelling picture. As demonstrated by the “experts” who can’t figure out why the Padres are still contending this late in the season, Towers and the entire front office have done a tremendous job with this club.
We’ll have the IGD up and running at 4 p.m. PT as the Padres look to sweep the Cardinals in St. Louis. I’ve got a fever, and the only prescription is more playoffs. Go Padres!
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September 27, 2006 at 8:33 am
Cla is on 1090 this morning at 840am.
September 27, 2006 at 8:33 am
Back to civilization after a brief honeymoon. I wanted to add that our wedding was in traditional Padre colors - Navy Blue and Orange, my favorite colors for years (for obvious reasons).
Glad to see the Padres really pick it up when they needed to. Hopefully we can keep the pressure on. Time is running out for LA/Philly.
September 27, 2006 at 8:42 am
Meredith for ROY!
I realize it’ll never happen, but if he doesn’t get one vote something is wrong considering his performance and the context it’s been in.
September 27, 2006 at 8:46 am
Geoff…I found Ducksnorts this season and have enjoyed talking Pads baseball. I usually find myself happy with your analysis and look forward to reading/checking/posting on Ducksnorts throughout the day…but this morning, I have to say that I am not in agreement with you (or yesterday’s posters or 1090 for that matter).
I won’t rehash the whole thing (Post 269 from Tuesday’s IGD says most of it), but the thought of KT as exec of the year is a farse. Other candidates that deserve it…in no particular order:
Larry Beinfest — Florida Marlins
Ed Wade — Phillies
Omar Minya — NY Mets
And as much as it pains me, I think the case could even be made for Ned Colletti of the Dojers…
Every GM has wins…that is why there are in the position they are in. They know how to evaluate talent, balance $$ and skill, and play the politics game…
But there are also colossal blunders for most GM’s. I just think that Towers has just as many of those as he does wins…and that does not make a top filght exec this year or any year.
September 27, 2006 at 9:02 am
OK, missed the shift in attention and posted this under last night’s IGD. Re-posting here b/c I’m interested in what you all think:
Hidden bonus last night: by roughing up Carpenter, the Pads may have given Trevor’s CY candidacy a boost. I was listening to ESPN radio yesterday and they were interviewing Rob Neyer. The host (forget who that was) mentioned Trevor for Cy Young and wanted Neyer’s take. Neyer was lukewarm, talking about Webb and Carpenter, but noted one of those two has to finish strong this last week and get to 17 wins, and that even 17 is a REALLY low W total for a CY winner. He seemed inclined to support Hoffman if neither Carpenter or Webb steps up. Webb had a good start last night, but no decision, so still sitting on 16 W’s. We get one more crack at him Sunday. Carpenter’s case took a big blow.
September 27, 2006 at 9:10 am
TO tried to off himself last night. Go Padres.
September 27, 2006 at 9:15 am
Clayton…I don’t think that Neyer has a vote…
And many guys that do have a vote don’t think closer should win the Cy Young. The good thing is that we don’t have a dominant starter this year and Trevor has accumulated a lot of goodwill. Add in that he is a nice guy and reporters respect/like him and this is the best chance to win it since 1998.
Unfortunately, this season feels a lot like 1998 for Trevor.
September 27, 2006 at 9:19 am
Masticore317: Congrats, and welcome back!
CM: I’ll have to look more closely at Beinfest, Wade, and Minaya. I don’t see Colletti in the discussion — his main contribution has been in not screwing up the great work by predecessors Paul DePodesta and Dan Evans. I’m not saying KT should win the award, but he should at least be given strong consideration.
September 27, 2006 at 9:26 am
Towers is a genius at trades and picking up free agents but I think that there needs to be a co-GM to do contract extensions. KT has been absolutely horrible at that. First Klesko and Nevin and now Giles. It’s funny in that as soon as the Padres get out from the terrible Klesko extension they are saddled with another aging poorly performing overpaid veteran. Oh well, at least Park’s salary comes off the books this year too!
September 27, 2006 at 9:27 am
I don’t think Coletti should be anywhere in the discussion, other then signing Nomar who has he actually brought in?
The deals for Lugo, Betemit and Baez hardly look to be working out in his favor.
September 27, 2006 at 9:31 am
Geoff, I respect that. I just don’t see it. The bad is REALLY BAD and the good has been good.
We keep giving him love for the Cla/Bard trade…but you can’t discount the inital Mirrabelli portion. We are happy about Branyan, but that was try #3. We think that Barfield is a revelation, but we forget that Bellhorn was also a KT guy. We love how the Pads have been playing since Boomer gave the locker room a jolt, but we seem to gloss over his 0-2 record, 22.1 IP of 4.5 ERA and a bout of gout (Gout? Are you kidding me? What is next, Scurvy?). We even rightfully give him credit for Cameron, but we are glossing over the 3 year/$30mm + we gave to Giles to what, hit .270 with 13 bombs?
I have been a KT fan for years…he lost me this season. And when we look at Exec of the year, the good and bad have to be weighed.
September 27, 2006 at 9:34 am
I posted this in yesterday’s forum by mistake.
Re:Towers. I have never been a huge fan, but he has done well this season with a limited budget. The acquisition of Bard and Merdith is a steal - thos guys combined will probably play 10-12 seasons, while Mirabelli (and Loretta) might have 2 seasons each in them. And Loretta has been terrible this year. Castilla was a huge mistake, but considering the Pads gave up a pitcher (Lawrence) who was declining rapidly (and subsequently missed the season with injury), it wasn’t much of a loss. The other options were Joe Randa, who stinks, and Corey Koskie, who batted 230 times this season before getting hurt. Bellhorn was a non-roster invite who was never expected to be more than a utility guy, played fairly well for a quarter of the season, and then turned into…well…Mark Bellhorn. He’s not a good bench option but he had his moments.
Wells was a silly deal but if you consider all the players we sent the Bosox this year (Mirabelli, Loretta, and Kottaras) and the ones we got back (Meredith, Bard and Wells) the advantage is still with SAn Diego. I think Bard will stick around for many years as a backup catcher/occasional starter, while I think Kottaras will end up being a backup first baseman/DH/ left-fielder/occasional catcher for 5 or 6 seasons.
The Pads are 17th in the majors in payroll this season, about 1/3 of the Yanks payroll. So they can’t realistically carry an all-star at every position like the Yankees can. They have to do the best they can with a cheap bullpen, home-grown starting pitching and role players.
Amazingly enough, looking at this list, do you realize that 8 of the top 10 teams in payroll might miss the playoffs?
Anyway, Here’s the payroll list - top 10 and contenders - numbers are from April.
1. Yankees - 194 Million (not including Abreu and Lidle)
2. Boston - 120 (missed playoffs)
3. Anaheim - 104 (missed playoffs)
4. Whitesox - 103 (missed playoffs)
5 Mets - 101
6. Dodgers - 100
7. Cubs - 94 (missed playoffs)
8. Hou - 93 (not including Clemens, which would leapfrog the astros into 3rd)
9. Atlanta - 90 (missed playoffs; won’t finish above .500)
10. SF - 90 (ditto)
Other Contenders:
Cards -11th -89 million
Phils -12th - 88 (this includes Abreu and Lidle)
Detroit - 14th - 83 million
Padres - 17th - 70 million
Minnesota - 19th - 64m
Oakland - 21st- 62 million
September 27, 2006 at 9:36 am
Oh yea, I just said that a case could be made for Ned Colletti not that he should win…The other 3 are guys I would put ahead of Towers.
September 27, 2006 at 9:43 am
Re # 11:
Giles is 4th the National league in walks and is 18th in OBP. While I’m sure there are more valuable right fielders available out there, I’m not sure that any are available for 10 mil a year, and I know for a fact that batting average and home runs are a pretty lousy way to evaluate a player.
Giles has had a below-average season, sure. But this type of player (draws walks, hits for decent power, gets on base, doesn’t waste at bats) tends to age well, and, frankly, do you really think SD has anyone better in the minors? Johnson is looking like a career fourth OF, while McAnulty will almost certainly end us as a 1B/DH type.
September 27, 2006 at 9:44 am
re 7 - understood, was more in the vein of how his thinking may/may not represent that of the voters.
The difference from ‘98 in my mind is there are just no great SP candidates this year. You had Glavine at 20 W’s and sub 2.50 ERA, Kevin Brown taking away Padre-sympathizer votes, Maddux with a vintage year, Smoltz (how did we beat that Braves team in the playoffs???).
Counterpoint to that is that when Gagne won, he was lights out to a degree TH hasn’t reached (55 saves, 1.20 ERA/0.27 WHIP)…but, he also had weak SP competition - yes, Ortiz had 21 W’s but horrible peripherals (including a 3.80ERA and 100+ BBs), the other candidates were Prior (18-6/2.43/0.31) and Schmidt (17-5/2.34/0.29) - great peripherals but low Win totals.
September 27, 2006 at 9:45 am
David, I will take my chances with Ben Johnson.
Unless BG finds his HGH shipment, I think what we see is what we got.
And for the record, I was all for the trade and still do the trade back then.
September 27, 2006 at 9:49 am
You know, looking up those cy young votes, I realized Jake Peavy has never received a single vote for CY. Is that right? Not even a token 3rd place vote?
September 27, 2006 at 9:54 am
And also, and I hate to keep bringing things up, but the trade with Texas was a steal - San Diego got a 1B with a 301/359/503 line who plays good defense, a pitcher who came within 2 outs of a no-hitter last week. And, in case you didn’t notice, Young leads the majors in batting average against. That’s right, he has allowed a lower BA than Santana, Webb, Carpenter, etc. And he’s 9th in the majors in ERA. Sledge has been a nice backup. Do you think the Pads really miss Eaton and Otsuka? Aki’s been fine but Eaton missed most of the season. If Kt doesn’t make that trade San Diego is in 3rd place right now - how often does a GM make a trade that results in him aquiring the team’s best hitter and best pitcher?
September 27, 2006 at 9:59 am
#16
I would like to find out if Johnson can play, too. If the Pads let Roberts and/or Cameron walk this season I suppose we’ll find out once and for all in 07. He looks good in a uniform, he comes with all kinds of praise, but then you see him play and it’s just….ho hom. I hope he proves me wrong.
September 27, 2006 at 10:02 am
Talk about nit picking with KT, you are seriously complaining about Bellhorn? What did they give up for him? How much is he making?
I can’t imagine signing Bellhorn as a backup to 3B and 2B, only to see him have a terrible year takes the executive of the year away from KT-every team has a bench player who has a bad season.
Now if you want to argue that the Wells trade was stupid and everyone else in baseball knew Castilla was washed up-I think those are valid points.
Also I don’t see how anyone could possibly give the award to Minaya-since when does simply signing the most expensive guys to fill your holes make you a good GM?
I don’t see any of the other GM’s bringing in anything close to Young and Agon for less then 10M + per season.
Mark
September 27, 2006 at 10:09 am
re 20 - I agree with Mark on Minaya, definitely. That’s like giving Cashman the award (though the ability of the Yankees farm system to keep producing guys like Melky Cabrera, etc, despite trading away prospects each year is a huge nod in his favor).
I know what you mean on the Bellhorn angle of “what did we give up for him”, but keep in mind the ‘opportunity cost’ of Bellhorn sucking up a spot on the bench all year and giving Bochy a tempting LH option that he’s succumbed to all too often. We should have cut bait on him at the same time as Vinny and EY, since we were doing that sort of housecleaning.
I think, bottom line, this may be KT’s most polarizing year. Some of the best moves ever (Bard/Meredith, Young/Gonzo/Sledge) and head-scratching-est ever too (Bellhorn, Castilla, hate to say it-Wells).
September 27, 2006 at 10:21 am
re: 5 … Trevor for Cy Young!
We need to create BUZZ … call the talk shows … post to blogs … spout off on podcasts …
Trevor’s doing his part … we can and need to contribute!
September 27, 2006 at 10:23 am
CM, what’s with the pessimism? Giles had a bum knee for the first half of this season. We’re going to win our division and have the second best record in the NL. Who do you give credit for that? I mean, GMs get credit for the good and the bad, but the sum of their work is what they should be judged on. The sum of KT’s moves have resulted in a pretty freaking good team. What are the moves you would have rather seen made? X Nady in CF? Linebrink for Ensburg? I mean, it’s clear LA overpaid for the guys they got. I just don’t get the cynicism. This thing is at least half full.
September 27, 2006 at 10:25 am
Yes, Castilla was washed up, but BLaw wouldn’t have paid any returns either. It was a fairly cheap risk that did provide some defensive value.
September 27, 2006 at 10:39 am
Here’s notes from Will Carroll @ BP …
I’ve received a lot of questions about Trevor Hoffman and his sore shoulder. Look, the guy set the saves record in the midst of six appearances in eight games. If he can pitch and pitch effectively that often, the shoulder can’t be that much of a problem. Whether the problem isn’t serious or whether Hoffman can take the pain isn’t clear. His mechanics look no different to my eye than they did earlier in the season, but television angles aren’t ideal for this type of look. Earl Weaver famously said “the hitters will tell me when the pitcher is done.” The hitters have spoken loud and clear on Hoffman, often as they walk back to the dugout.
The Padres look to be headed to October, and they’ve done it despite the loss (and poor play) of Khalil Greene. Expected to be done for the season, Greene has made some strides in the last ten days and has a chance to return. He’s not starting Tuesday night in St. Louis, but Tom Krasovic reports that his return only has a couple more hurdles in the way. It’s risky for any team to put a player like Greene on the postseason roster, so watch for the Padres to make absolutely sure they won’t be a man down in October.
September 27, 2006 at 10:41 am
And one more OT note from WC @ BP …
Remember when I said Ken Griffey Jr.was done for the season? What I meant to say was that he could pinch-hit and might hit a homer. He was limping noticeably as he trotted.
September 27, 2006 at 11:14 am
Geoff, thanks for links, I had to go back and watch that strikeout over and over again. I just could not stop marvelling at Pujols swinging like that. He has spent so much time tweaking his stance (up to about 2 years ago I think) specifically so he can see the ball as well as possible and thus NOT take swings like that… Wow.
September 27, 2006 at 11:31 am
Also I wanted to point out that today’s USA Today has a huge article on Trevor. I don’t have an electronic link, because I have the physical newspaper, but I’m sure it’s on their website if anyone wants to look.
Pretty good piece, even if it’s a few days late.
September 27, 2006 at 11:36 am
Mark…The nitpick comes b/c I just don’t see KT as Exec of the year. If we are arguing MVP or Cy Young or any of the awards, you have to discuss the good and bad. For example, Pujols has put up MVP type numbers, but so has Howard. If I have to nitpick, a lot will come down to how the Cardinals have played down the stretch vs. Phils have. Nitpicking has to take place to decide some of these awards.
Friar Fan…The Pessimism is long brewing. We are doing very well this year. I am very happy with this. I am having a lot of fun with this. I renewed season tickets for 2007 (Year #12 and counting). The critique comes from 3 angles…#1 the discussion on Exec of the Year. #2 the mediocre Padres Offenses. #3 the poor results from our farm system. I don’t knock all the moves. I love X Nady, but that trade was a steal and everyone said so at the time. I thought the Young/Gonzo/Sledge trade was an absolute coup and laughed when we did the deal b/c it was so good. I think we just need to step back and evaulate the whole body of work, not just the good things.
September 27, 2006 at 11:39 am
Re: 28 — Here is the USA Today link…
http://www.usatoday.com/sports.....ocus_x.htm
September 27, 2006 at 11:40 am
I think the point I was trying to make was that every other GM has made bigger mistakes then KT….nobody is perfect and I can’t come up with another deal as lopsided as the Eaton/Aki for Agon/Young deal.
September 27, 2006 at 12:04 pm
I’m with CM on the KT business - his #269 from yesterday pretty much is exactly my feeling. I gave KT alot of rope for all the years he’s been here, but this year I had to cut him adrift. As Clayton notes, he’s had some big scores this year, and big failures, but which is the real KT?
Loretta for Mirabelli? or MiraBelli for Bard/Meredith?
Castilla as everyday 3B? or the NY deal?
Wells/Kottaras? or the Texas deal?
The fact that the ones in the lefthand column were so predictably awful (I’m tempted to use the word “clueless”) suggests to me that he is not that great when it comes to evaluating talent, and certainly not great enough to be Exec of the Year. I will make the important exception that KT has consistent talent in evaluating relievers, but the rest seems to me the product of shooting from the hip and sometimes getting lucky - and this year especially so.
But I said I’d take back my harsh words for KT if we won “a single playoff game,” and it’s saying something about how good I’m feeling about this team that I think I should raise the bar to “a single playoff series.” Love my Padres, but Exec of the Year, sorry, no.
September 27, 2006 at 12:07 pm
On another note how in the world is our payroll only 6M higher then Minnesota?
September 27, 2006 at 12:11 pm
I can come up with a few…especially in the last 10 years, but that is not the point.
That deal was a joke…we took them to the woodshed. I just am saying that when I get evaluated, they say way to go CM, you just closed a HUGE deal. What a great job. They also say, “CM, you need to spend less time on the internet reading about baseball and writing stupid stuff on Ducksnorts. You get a 2% raise.”
Maybe this is a discussion for the off-season…let’s revisit it then. My timing is bad…
GO PADRES…but I still don’t want to see Houston make it to the playoffs…that 3 headed beast at the top of the rotation is Scary…with a capital S!!!
September 27, 2006 at 12:15 pm
re 33 - debt service requirements?
September 27, 2006 at 12:28 pm
I look at KT this way - Last year, we scored 684 runs, and allowed 726, which works out to about a 76-86 season. This year, after yesterday’s game the team has scored 706 runs and allowed 661 runs, which works out to 84-73 over 157 games. Over 162 games that is a 86-76 season.
So we got a 10 game turnaround from last season based on the runs score/runs allowed, despite having zero contribution from Klesko, and huge regressions from our top starter and hitter from 2005. That, and the payroll stayed essentially the same. Pretty much the only player from last year having a better year is Woody Willams.
The Dodgers have improved, but their salary increased by $15 mil. The Mets underplayed their RS/RA by 7 games last year (their pythag win total was 90 last year), and are overplaying their RS/RA number by 5 games this year. Whereas they were 21-24 in 1 run games last year, they are 32-19 in 1 run games this year.
So KT’s moves this year greatly altered the ability of the team to score/prevent runs from the previous year. Despite making the playoffs last year, the Padres were not a good team. This year, precisely because of the moves that Towers has made, they are.
September 27, 2006 at 12:30 pm
#36 - good summary. Would add that the Doc is having a much better year this year than last.
September 27, 2006 at 12:35 pm
I had some points to make about KT upgrading the team, but Jason just made them a lot better than I would have.
I vote for Beinfest as exec of the year though.
September 27, 2006 at 12:36 pm
Trivia question: What qualifies a pitcher as a rookie in a particular season?
The reason I’m asking is that I’ve heard some claiming that Matt Cain of the Giants should be the ROY in the NL, but Clay Hensley had fewer innings logged in the bigs at the beginning of this year than Cain. If Clay Hensley is still considered a rookie this year, shouldn’t he be getting heavy consideration for NL ROY?
I’m just asking…
September 27, 2006 at 12:37 pm
Jason, is that an arguement for Exec of the Year or for KT keeping his job?
OT, did anyone see that Buck O’Neil was hospitalized today? It will be a sad baseball day when he passes away. Don’t know who he is? See here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buck_O‘Neil and here http://www.nlbpa.com/o_neil__j....._buck.html
September 27, 2006 at 12:41 pm
I just read Peter’s report on his interview with Padres’ farm hand David Freese … if your a prospect-jukie like Peter (and to a much more limited extent, like I), then it’s highly recommendable … http://padresrundown.blogspot.com/ … THANKS, Peter!
September 27, 2006 at 12:45 pm
re: Hoffman as a Cy Young Award candidate–
I’m a big Hoffman fan. In fact, I just finished my coverage of his record-breaking save:
http://www.padresnation.com/pl.....ecord.html
But I don’t see how he is a Cy Young Award candidate.
Through Sept. 21, Webb had 23.4 pitching win shares.
Carpenter had 22.2.
Arroyo had 21.8.
Oswalt had 20.2.
Those are the candidates.
Hoffman had 10.6 pitching win shares.
Why the disparity? Those starters have pitched 213+ innings. Hoffman has pitched 61 innings. His ERA is 1.92
Also, Kevin Brown, not Hoffman, should have won the Cy Young Award in 1998.
September 27, 2006 at 12:47 pm
From today’s BA’s Northwest League (home of our Eugene Emeralds) chat:
Q: Greg from Los Angeles asks:
What are your thoughts on David Freese? I know he played in only 18 games in this league, but his combined numbers at Fort Worth and Eugene were great. Do you think he will make the Padres top 10 prospect list?
A: Aaron Fitt: Freese is an RBI machine with pretty good pop to all fields. He’s also got decent actions and arm strength at third base — he’s a nice sleeper prospect. Not sure he’ll make the Padres top 10, but I would think he’s a candidate for their top 20.
That’s about where I have Freese ranked in my top 25 (I’m sitting on it until after the Playoffs)…
September 27, 2006 at 12:49 pm
Well siad Kevin, I thought it was pretty “bush league” for the Padres to pimp Hoffy back in ‘98 over KB just because they knew Brownie would not be back.
That said, this year Hoffy should be a candidate.
September 27, 2006 at 12:49 pm
re: 39
Qualifications for a Rookie: not more than 45 days on a major league roster from opening day to August 31, inclusive, and had not exceeded 90 official at-bats or 45 innings pitched.
Neither Matt Cain nor Clay Hensley should be considered for ROY. The position players — Dan Uggla, Hanley Ramirez, Ryan Zimmerman — have been too good to let other players in the discussion. Only three players are listed on a ROY ballot.
September 27, 2006 at 12:51 pm
GY, now you are the man! cool little icon for knuckle curve on the browser tab
September 27, 2006 at 12:59 pm
re:44
Thanks. Hensley was under the 45 innings at the beginning of the year, but I don’t know about the 45 days (same goes for Cain). I would disagree regarding only considering position players for ROY, although a good case can be made for any of the three you mentioned. Where would the Padres be without Hensley this year, especially the way he has been pitching during the heat of a pennant race? I’m not saying he should win, but he (and Cain) should be getting national press as a legitimate NL ROY candidate this year.
September 27, 2006 at 1:07 pm
It’s not based on “where would this team be without them?” It’s based on who is having the best season.
And I don’t think it should only go to position players. It’s just that this season’s postiton players are better than this season’s pitchers.
Let’s think about the word candidate. To me, a player has to be mentioned on a number of ballots to be a legit candidate. Only three players are on a ROY ballot. I think Zim, Ramirez and Uggla are going to push everyone else off the ballot.
Also, Josh Johnson has probably been better than Hensley or Cain.
Having said all that, I’m a Hensley fan. He’s been great during the past month. I think he should be the Padres No. 3 starting in the playoffs. But I’m afraid Bochy will favor Woody or Wells because they are veterans. Hensley, Meredith and Barfield — it will hard for the Padres team to pick their rookie of the year.
September 27, 2006 at 1:59 pm
Going off topic (What was the topic, again?), I’ve been on the road the last couple of days and have been listening to Ted and Jerry. While I have been accused of being easily entertained, my favorite call was Jerry’s when he announced, “So the inning ends, three up and three down (long pause) after the Cardinals score 3 runs.” (Which also wasn’t right, since the 3 runs were scored after one out.)
September 27, 2006 at 2:07 pm
Jerry’s a legend, but he’s done… Of course he’s still better than Ted. Ugh.
September 27, 2006 at 2:10 pm
Jerry’s best call ever…
Long fly ball to right. Gwynn going back. His head hits the wall and its rolling back toward’s second.
Could be worse, we could be subjected to 162 games of Flannery in the booth.
September 27, 2006 at 2:15 pm
Flan isn’t bad when he’s doing color, but when he give Ted an inning off and does the play-by-play he shows his ineptitude.
September 27, 2006 at 2:17 pm
OT again…but a fun one to pocket for November…
http://www.nypost.com/sports/m.....herman.htm
The NY Post says that Carl Crawford will be shopped this season. He is under a reasonable contract through 2010, he has speed, defense, and pop. Could he be a good fit for the Pads LF situation next year? I say yes. Now, what would we have to give for him? Good question…think they would take KG and Chris Young?
September 27, 2006 at 2:18 pm
Actually the Rays have some 3B bats that we might be VERY interested in…maybe we could swing a big deal with them. Ahhh, hot stove, I love it.
September 27, 2006 at 2:20 pm
Kevin, based on your criteria, Clay Hensley is a rookie. He did not have 45 days on the roster by August 31st last year ( He was recalled 7/18/05 - making 44 days of major league service last year).
September 27, 2006 at 2:22 pm
Another gout occurence. Now that’s research…
8/7/05 Giants Placed LHP Kirk Rueter on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to July 30, with gout in his right big toe.
September 27, 2006 at 2:26 pm
Matt Cain is also ineligible, as his contract was purchased Aug 26th. Oops, I said Hensley was a rookie. Meant to say he is not. Both pitched 47 innings (and change).
September 27, 2006 at 2:27 pm
Methinks “gout” is a ML code word for hangover!
September 27, 2006 at 2:30 pm
57: how could that possibly apply to David Wells, though?
September 27, 2006 at 2:52 pm
It’s 45 days on roster or 50 IP (Clay is a rookie)
September 27, 2006 at 2:54 pm
Crawford would be nice as a CF but we need a power bat… Geoff and I exchanged e-mails this week about Aaron Harang… I’d rather get Harang and Soriano than spend 75% of the wad on Zito…
September 27, 2006 at 2:56 pm
playoff tix on sale saturday
http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com.....mp;c_id=sd
September 27, 2006 at 2:59 pm
In Geoff’s link about Khalil, the Union says that if Khalil comes back, the Club would have to decide who should get the final playoff roster spot, Bellhorn, Manny or Khalil.
If Khalil can swing a bat, or bunt, for that matter, is that really a decision?
September 27, 2006 at 3:12 pm
58: Good point, I know DW is a teetotaler, so it must not be. I was only joking though in my original post.
September 27, 2006 at 3:16 pm
Crawford would be a great get, but if it costs them Young with the huge prices for pitching it probably won’t be worth it in the long run.
Now if you can deal Greene for Crawford and then find another ss-it’s a no brainer.
Mark
September 27, 2006 at 3:18 pm
Peter…If we even had a snowball’s chance at Soriano, I would do backflips (understand that at 6′5, 265lbs that is really a feat!)…If we could get Harang in here I would be moderately happy…If we sign Zito for anything more than a 3yr + Option deal I will scream and yell…cause that is all I could do.
Zito is a pipe dream…I think maybe even more than Soriano. He is going to command 5 years…SA would not do that. He is going to command $13-16mm per…SA and JM would not do that.
If we spend that kind of money it would be on a positional guy with power and speed…know of any out there? How about Soriano or Crawford?
September 27, 2006 at 3:23 pm
Also, Zito is represented by Scott Boras.
September 27, 2006 at 3:39 pm
63: Yeah, me too.
September 27, 2006 at 4:03 pm
Masticore, sorry to point this out, but, hey, the honeymoon is over.
Traditional Padres colors are Brown and Gold!
Congrats on the nuptials!
September 27, 2006 at 4:16 pm
68 - oh, yes, Pat, you are *traditional*!!! I like it!
BTW, can somebody forward this link to David Wells … http://www.healthcastle.com/gout.shtml … thanks!
September 27, 2006 at 4:53 pm
re: ROY … Zim hit #20 tonight …
And let’s not forget Anibel Sanchez!
re: 41 … Kevin - my favorite part of your Hoffy coverage is the SI Cover … http://www.padresnation.com/pl.....ffman.html … yow!