Spring Training IGD: Padres vs Royals (26 Mar 07)
Mon, Mar 26, 2007
by Geoff Young
first pitch: 7:05 p.m., PT
television: Channel 4SD
matchup: our guy vs their guy
You know who I’m looking forward to watching in this game? The Royals’ Alex Gordon. Dude destroyed Double-A pitching to the tune of 325/.427/.588 last year in his first pro exposure. Yeah, Wichita is a great hitters’ park, but this looks like the next Mark Teixeira to me.
Gordon is batting a robust .391/.500/.630 this spring. Not to discredit what he’s done, but bear in mind that Cactus League numbers can be a little — well, let’s just say that Joey Gathright has homered.
Padres stuff? Mainly I’m hoping that everyone stays healthy over the next week and is ready to go come Opening Day. Yes, Todd Walker is about to be released and we’ll talk more about that tomorrow; meanwhile, enjoy the game…
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.
March 26, 2007 at 6:24 pm
Ive thought since MGiles arrived, that if he does well, it’s a decision which you’d rather have coming off the bench–PMac or Walker? Forget the money, I think at this point I’d pick PMac, assuming the Padres arent worried about this knee problem. Strickly on the basis of pinch hitting and spot coverage, what do you think ?
March 26, 2007 at 6:38 pm
I’d rather have McAnulty as the spare lefty bat on the bench (.282 v. .260 EQA projected), and Walker’s D is pretty bad at 2B, but I’m just terrified this is going to lead to more playing time for Geoff Blum.
March 26, 2007 at 7:32 pm
GY - was great to see ya on Saturday night … Didi/Tara/Joe - ditto to you, too!
Hey Malcolm & Steve, thanks for saying hi (@ Peoria yesterday) … I like the folks I meet when I wear a Ducksnorts t-shirt to a Padres game
Now I’m confused about the situation when KT got hit with the foul ball … I saw it and it was amazing how fast that ball bee-lined thru the screen and into him … what’s confusing is the initial UT report on Sunday said that Hoffman was pitching and a Padre minor leaguer (Baxter) was batting … well, obviously that’s not right … now today, they are sticking with Baxter being the batter … http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com.....mp;c_id=sd …
March 26, 2007 at 7:35 pm
Clay Hensley looks really difficult to catch. That ball moves like crazy.
March 26, 2007 at 7:36 pm
One more note of interest from the link in #3 …
How about those home run hitting Padres? San Diego got home runs from Khalil Greene and Adrian Gonzalez on Sunday, giving them 38 for the spring — the most among Major League teams.
… and that’s not counting Branyan’s foul bombs … nor Adrian’s MASSIVE BOMB yesterday … it hit WAY up the batter’s eye in dead center … so that’s 30 feet up at 410+ feet away … CRUSH-O-MUNDO!
March 26, 2007 at 7:51 pm
3 … also at the link to mlb.com is links to highlights from the recent spring games … you can see Peavy get some air when he lost his grip on the bat following a BIG swing during the March 24 game … and you can see Adrian’s blast off the batter’s eye during the March 25 game …
March 26, 2007 at 7:56 pm
Question from yesterday’s game … Cameron got a base hit in his first AB … and then immediately left for a runner … Malcolm said he thought it looked like Cameron was hurt a bit … anybody else see that or read anything about that?
I see Shabala is playing CF tonight … http://mlb.mlb.com/news/boxsco.....b_sdnmlb_1
March 26, 2007 at 8:00 pm
Hilarious. An usher just brought KT a catcher’s mask.
March 26, 2007 at 8:01 pm
1: No question I’d rather have McAnulty. But was it legal? If Walker files a grievance and wins, we’re out his contract plus a lot of goodwill. No matter what we’re out some goodwill among other players.
March 26, 2007 at 8:02 pm
Yes, Cameron has a slight hamstring issue. Nothing serious, just precautionary.
March 26, 2007 at 8:04 pm
LM. Make sure you give us a heads up the next time you’re coming down our way. Yesterday’s game really charged me up for the season as did the “Let’s go Padres” chants in Marysville.
March 26, 2007 at 8:07 pm
#2 We’ll be particularly vulnerable to simultaneous injuries to Marcus and Greene.
March 26, 2007 at 8:23 pm
12 … you’re forgetting about Manny … he’ll be just a short plane ride from Portland away
March 26, 2007 at 8:24 pm
A middle infield of Manny and Blum is terrifying.
March 26, 2007 at 8:32 pm
#12 - We already would be particularly vulnerable to simultaneous injuries to those two. Walker can only play 2nd (and he really can’t play there very well), so if both got hurt we’d be seeing Manny Alexander anyway, if just to play late inning defense. I still think San Diego could be well-served by stashing a legitimate 2b/ss defensive guy in AAA - and, lo and behold, the Cubs just sent out Tomas Perez. He’s highly preferable to Alexander.
As far as Walker, yeah, I agree that it looks bad, releasing him after he won Arbitration, but the facts are pretty irrefutable :
1) He stunk in Spring Training (I know, ST stats don’t tell a whole lot, but if you’re being pushed for a spot you gotta hit better than .225, especially when you can’t field)
2) The Padres have plenty of lefthanded options that are defensively challenged (PMac, Branyan, Cust)
3) Walker is 33. Players that have his skill set - Dave Hansen, Mark Sweeney, Orlando Palmeiro, Orlando Merced - didn’t exactly improve after age 33. His most-comparable players according to Baseball-reference are Jose Vidro, Randy Velarde, John Valentin and Gil McDougald. All of those guys were washed up by 33.
4) Walker went 0-9 in the loss to St. Louis in the NLDS last season. That counts for something.
This isn’t like Tony Gwynn being sent out; Hell, it’s not even like Phil Nevin’s unceremonious dumping. It’s Todd Walker: He was a Padre for 3 months.
March 26, 2007 at 9:11 pm
Re #3
We just got back from Peoria it was great meeing Lynchmob and Malcom as well as GY and and Didi, and I hope to mee more of you at the next meet up!
March 26, 2007 at 9:14 pm
Khalil’s 2 for 3 tonite. I can’t believe he’s hitting .440.
Is that a 13-game hitting streak now?
March 26, 2007 at 9:24 pm
Box score is showing some problems with infield defense tonight …
E: Giles, M (2, fielding), Kouzmanoff (1, throw).
March 26, 2007 at 9:31 pm
The problem I have with Walker being released is that you got him last year to spell Barfield against tough righties and it worked out….
Walker v. RHP with SD
August .328/.408/.475
Sept .267/.340/.378
Barfield v. RHP
August .194/.250/.284
Sept .254/.266/.381
and I know Giles had the off year last year but I think that it was important to still have Walker to spell Giles against tough righties, even if he has stunk it up this spring. $3.9 million is a lot but who else is that money going to go to?
___
on another topic has anyone got these new hats… are they any good?
March 26, 2007 at 9:52 pm
#18: The Kouz error doesn’t happen if Gonzalez is at first. The throw was low but catchable.
March 27, 2007 at 6:01 am
Does anyone know how the AAA roster rules work? Is it a 25 man team just like a MLB roster? I think I read somewhere once that it was a few extra guys, but I can’t remember where.
Thanks.
March 27, 2007 at 6:52 am
Ryguy…the hats are ugly. MY buddy bought one while we were in Peoria and we spent the whole day laughing at him.
Lynch…Re. 5…on the 18th of March, we were sitting right behind home plate…We had just been discussing AGon’s ‘line drives” and suddenly he hit a BOMB to dead center…It cleared the batter’s eye. I have only seen one other guy do that, Rob Deer. It was amazing.
March 27, 2007 at 7:03 am
#19,
Really small sample size there, and M. Giles hasn’t seemed to struggle at all against RHP in his career - last year he hit 273/356/401 against righties, and his career numbers against righties are 285/361/445 (his career numbers against lefties are virtually identical - the slugging percentage is a little higher vs. lefties). Since there’s not really a platoon disadvantage for M. Giles, the only reason why you need a backup 2B around is for injury purposes, which means you’d like to have a 2B that can actually field. Sadly, for all of Walker’s strengths, defense is not one of those things that Walker “does”, which means he’s nothing more than a left-handed pinch-hitter and the Padres already have a couple of those on the roster.
As far as what we can spend 3.9 million on? Well, technically it’s only about 3 million, since the Padres have to pay 900K of Walker’s salary. 3 million would be a nice backup infielder who can really field, or another arm in the bullpen.
March 27, 2007 at 8:24 am
22 … CM, that’d a been a blast to see … I looked for highlight video @ mlb.com but couldn’t find it …
GY - have we done a poll projecting how many HRs Adrian will have in 2007? I’ll start the bidding at 30
March 27, 2007 at 8:35 am
#24: Nope, but we’re doing one now.
March 27, 2007 at 9:16 am
GY … can you alter the poll to include 31-35 and 36+? I think there’s a better chance he hits 36 than 20 (barring injury).
March 27, 2007 at 9:31 am
Lynch, I got much love for you man, but you are nuts! 36 bombs is a lot of bombs…
March 27, 2007 at 12:40 pm
27 - mark the tape! How about this CM … I propose an Over/Under of 30 1/2 … I’ll take the Over … you take the Under? After what you saw on March 18th? I know what I saw on Sunday, and I’m taking Over
My comment #26 isn’t meant to imply that I think he’ll get 36 … just that I think 36 is more likely than 20 … and so since I don’t expect anyone to pick the “0-20″ option on the poll, I’d be interested to see if anyone else would pick a “36+” option …
March 27, 2007 at 12:42 pm
Oops, I just notice that someone has chosen the 0-20 in the poll … who dat? If I were a bettin’ man (and I act like I am sometimes), I’d take all the “Over 20 1/2″ action I could get …