Friday Links (25 May 07)
Fri, May 25, 2007
by Geoff Young
Tough loss on Thursday (recap | boxscore), but in light of Wednesday’s gift, I can’t complain too much. Besides, the Padres won another series and it’s hard not to like that.
To the links…
- Greene’s play just a reaction (Padres.com). Coaches and teammates gush over Khalil Greene’s spectacular spinning play on Tuesday night to rob the Cubs’ Ryan Theriot. It should come as no surprise that Greene actually practices that move.
- How does Trevor Hoffman get guys out? (Friar Watch). Anthony deconstructs Trevor Hoffman’s May 20 outing against the Mariners. I find the pitch Trevor used to retire Adrian Beltre particularly fascinating. It missed badly, but the speed fooled Beltre just enough.
- Bowen enjoys being a Padre (Padres.com). Corey Brock chats with backup catcher Rob Bowen:
The biggest similarity between the Twins and Padres is that both clubhouses are tight-knit groups. Everyone here gets a long and we all hang out with each other. You talk about team camaraderie, and I think that’s a big thing. It all starts in the clubhouse. You feel comfortable with everybody.
Regardless of whether “chemistry” can be quantified, there’s a lot to be said for guys liking their job and being happy to show up for work every day.
- Giles’ knee keeps him on bench (San Diego Union-Tribune). The lead here is about Brian Giles‘ knee, but what interests me are that a) the Padres only have “mild interest” in recently released right-handed masher Craig Wilson and b) Trevor once attended a Metallica concert with Rob Dibble.
- Crazy Idea Dept: Matsui As A Friar? (San Diego Spotlight). Rich at San Diego Spotlight makes a modest proposal: Clay Hensley and Paul McAnulty or Terrmel Sledge for Hideki Matsui. It’s a fascinating idea, and I wouldn’t mind seeing Matsui come to San Diego. (For one thing, my mother-in-law would stop following the Yankees.) That said, the fact that Matsui’s game is so similar to that of Brian Giles gives me pause. Still, I like the way Rich is thinking here — trying to redistribute talent to shore up weaknesses makes a lot of sense.
- Longview native Bud Black has Padres on track, and no one seems surprised (The [Longview, Wash.] Daily News, via LaMar in the comments). Mostly fluffy, but a nice read.
- Sign of Hope (The Columbian). Thanks to a reader for sending this article on Padres farmhand Ryan Ketchner. You may recall that Ketchner is deaf, but did you also know that the last deaf pitcher in the big leagues retired in 1908? I saw Ketchner in January at the Temecula Winter Warm-Up, and he provided one of the evening’s funnier moments.
- Bounty Hunter (Yahoo! via LynchMob in the comments). I’m having trouble getting into the “who do we get to play center field next year” mindset when we’re a game out in May, but with the recent discussion on Ichiro Suzuki and Andruw Jones, here’s a sobering reminder about Minnesota’s Torii Hunter: “He’s making $12 million this year, and there’s every reason to think he could get $15 million a year for five years.” And this is a guy who has nowhere near the visibility and marketability of Ichiro.
- Excerpt: The most overrated CF of all time (ESPN, via Phantom in the comments). Speaking of Andruw, I think we al realize that he’s slipped quite a bit since his heyday. Still, and without doing the research that Jayson Stark has, this assessment seems a tad harsh. We are talking about a future Hall of Famer here. The salient point for us, as Padres fans, is that a team looking to procure Andruw’s services likely will pay for perception rather than reality. That is a problem. I swear I’ll have more intelligent thoughts on center field at some point — give me about six months, hopefully after we’ve won the World Series.
- I’ve added a link to coolstandings.com in the sidebar. Thanks to LaMar for the heads-up.
And now, here’s Les Nessman with the hog report. Er, I mean Peter with the Padres Prospect Report…
by Peter Friberg
You will not see all the notable performances from the night before, but you will see the notable performances from those who are actually prospects.
AAA
Luis Cruz: 3 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 2 RBI; HR
AA
Chase Headley: 4 AB, 0 R, 2 H, 0 RBI; 2B
Sean Thompson: 3.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR
High-A
Matt Antonelli: 4 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 0 RBI; 2B, SO, SB
David Freese: 3 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 RBI; 3 SO
Chad Huffman: 4 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 RBI; 2 SO
Low-A
Cedric Hunter: 5 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 RBI - .267/.348/.329
Rayner Contreras: 4 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 0 RBI; 3B
Commentary:
Luis “might as well call me ‘Devi’” Cruz is now hitting .169/.217/.344.
Matt Antonelli now has 9 doubles, 2 triples, 5 home runs, and 13 stolen bases and a 31/32 BB/SO ratio. Assuming a 450 AB season, Matt is on pace for 24 doubles, 13 home runs, and 34 stolen bases this season. Nice.
Eleven strikeouts by the Lake Elsinore Storm — one walk… Ouch!
Cedric is scuffling.
* * *
[Ed note: This week, Peter is profiling the top pitchers available in the 2007 draft. Below is the final installment. Enjoy!]
Draft Preview: College Pitchers
The following are a collection of collegiate pitchers who are draft-eligible. I compiled the list based on Baseball America’s top 50 collegians. BA’s top 50 list is copyrighted, so I removed the ranking order; players are listed alphabetically. Stats are through games of May 24, 2007.
RHP Wes Roemer (Cal State Fullerton)
3.30 ERA, 8-6 in 109.0 IP, 113 H, 47 R, 40 ER, 21 BB, 118 SO, 4 HR, .268 BAA
Roemer has great strikeout and walk rates… However, the BAA is too high and the unearned runs worry me… Roemer might be victim of his own size (most collegiate 6′ pitchers are actually 5′10″). Color me interested.
LHP/1B Joe Savery (Rice)
2.41 ERA, 8-1 in 74.2 IP, 60 H, 24 R, 20 ER, 33 BB, 51 SO, 1 HR, .228 BAA
Ho hum, another draft, another Rice starter who will be a top draft pick… In the last three drafts Rice has had eight pitchers taken in the first five rounds of the draft. Savery will likely be another first-round selection. He isn’t overpowering, as you can tell by the low strikeout total, but hitters are not making solid contact either (only 14 extra-base hits).
LHP Daniel Schlereth (Arizona)
2.76 ERA, 2-0 in 29.1 IP, 22 H, 13 R, 9 ER, 24 BB, 42 SO, 1 HR, .214 BAA
Daniel is the son of Mark Schlereth, former offensive guard for the Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos, etc. This is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, Daniel’s dad can tell him what it takes to succeed: work. On the other hand, Mark doesn’t need the money. He might be content to lead a privileged life (I’m guessing the former is more likely).
The one home run allowed by Daniel Schlereth is the only extra-base hit he’s allowed all season. The walk rate is atrocious, but the strikeout rate is sublime. He isn’t allowing a lot of hits, and the opposition is clearly not making good contact. Schlereth is intriguing — to say the least…
LHP Nick Schmidt (Arkansas)
2.85 ERA, 10-3 in 117.0 IP, 82 H, 42 R, 37 ER, 50 BB, 107 SO, 9 HR, .201 BAA
Nick isn’t giving up many hits, but he has given up his share of long balls. He has also walked more than you would like. He’s rated right around that mid-20’s spot the Padres will pick and his size is certainly nice, but that statistical profile worries me.
[Ed note: See also scouting report at MiLB.com.]
RHP James Simmons (UC Riverside)
2.08 ERA, 10-2 in 108.1 IP, 87 H, 39 R, 25 ER, 13 BB, 107 SO, 7 HR, .214 BAA
Riverside, Calif., is in the heart of the High-A California League. And the UC Riverside home park, Riverside Sports Complex, faces northwest. Part of what makes the Cal League so hitter-friendly are the winds of the high desert area. I bring this up because Simmons has allowed 7 HR and 13 doubles and it doesn’t bother me. The one red flag I see is the disparity between runs allowed and earned runs. Did Simmons’ defense let him down, or did he give up a bunch of runs after meaningless errors? All in all, I like this kid; his walk rate is strikingly good and his BAA is equally impressive.
LHP Cole St. Clair (Rice)
1.80 ERA, 0-0 in 15.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 18 SO, 0 HR, .160 BAA
Cole St. Clair apparently wasn’t healthy for all of 2007 but has racked up six saves and impressive rate stats (albeit in a small sample size)… However, 6′5″ lefty closers don’t grow on trees.
LHP Tony Watson (Nebraska)
3.94 ERA, 6-4 in 93.2 IP, 91 H, 48 R, 41 ER, 26 BB, 80 SO, 9 HR, .261 BAA
Last year, as a draft-eligible sophomore, the Baltimore Orioles drafted Tony in the 17th round. According to Baseball America, Watson was willing to accept money consistent with a second- to fourth-round pick… Watson does have shoulder surgery in his history, but Watson’s stuff reportedly does not suffer because of it.
Watson does not have the 1+ strikeout per inning I like to see, but I still like him more than some of other “finesse” lefties…
RHP Casey Weathers (Vanderbilt)
2.21 ERA, 10-2 in 40.2 IP, 19 H, 12 R, 10 ER, 18 BB, 59 SO, 1 HR, .144 IP
I’m generally not a fan of taking a closer in the first round. Weathers might be an exception. According to Baseball America’s Draft Tracker, he’s the 20th best player in the draft. He’s allowed just one extra-base hit. He’s giving up approximately 1 hit every 4.1 innings and has a WHIP of less than 0.91. By the way, he throws in the mid-90s…
RHP Jordan Zimmerman (Wisconsin-Stevens Point)
2.35 ERA, 9-0 in 69.0 IP, 48 H, 17 R, 20 ER, 16 BB, 80 SO, 4 HR, .201 BAA
Wisconsin-Stevens Point is a Division III school, so Jordan should be dominant to be rated as a top 50 collegiate. His hit rate is exceptional, his walk rate is outstanding, his strikeout rate is solid… Pending a stamp of approval from the scouting department, there’s a lot here to like.
Thanks, Peter.
That’s all for now. The Brewers are in town Friday night for the first of three. We’ll get to see Anthony Gwynn (who is going by the moniker Tony Gwynn Jr. as a pro) play in his hometown.
And hopefully lose. 
First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. PT. As always, we’ll have the IGD up and running about an hour before then. Happy Friday, folks, and go Padres!
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.
May 25, 2007 at 8:17 am
I object! I may know nothing about sports, but I am NOT balding…
May 25, 2007 at 8:41 am
Thanks for all the draft info Peter. It’s nice to be able to read stuff about prospects and our draft for those of us without a BA subscription. I really enjoy your takes on each of the players skills sets and the disclaimers . Thanks again!
May 25, 2007 at 9:06 am
closers love metal
May 25, 2007 at 9:13 am
What about securing Tony Gwynn Jr. to play CF in Petco next year?
Even though he’s not a marquee agent, that would have to be a good PR move for the team.
May 25, 2007 at 9:19 am
Baby, if you ever wondered,
wondered, whatever became of me….
Bailey Quarters — Yummy!
Thanks for the WKRP reference, GY!
May 25, 2007 at 9:25 am
“As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.”
May 25, 2007 at 9:55 am
4.
I have definitely thought about that thousands of times but something tells me the Brew crew wouldn’t do it. Those bastards if I remember correctly they took him 1 pick before us didn’t they? If they wouldn’t let us have him in the draft I doubt they will let us have him after he has made it to the bigs. They have such a good young core of players I doubt they will mess with it for a while. It would be cool though.
May 25, 2007 at 10:09 am
7: Yeah, I’m not even sure what the Brewers need right now. I know they just recalled Braun, hoping that he can at least somewhat competently play third for them since he can produce like a monster at the plate.
I wonder if we dangled like a Germano/Hensley out there, if they’d take that. Of course, that begs the question of whether or not you believe Tony Gwynn Jr. is worth that.
Any thoughts on this?
May 25, 2007 at 10:15 am
To make up for Brian Giles being on ESPN’s Ten Most Overrated MLB Players yesterday, they’ve posted this link http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....id=2882388 with Hoffy at #2 and Jake at #4.
ESPN does apparently pay attention to the Padres, just not on television. I haven’t read the article yet, so if the bury our guys, I apologize.
May 25, 2007 at 10:57 am
Ex-Padres news, from SI:
Oliver Perez? The Mets are in first place by 1 1/2 games over Braves. Head-to-head, the Braves are 6-3 vs. Mets, with all three losses coming against Perez. Put it another way: The Braves are 6-0 vs. the Mets when Perez isn’t pitching.
Good to see Oliver Perez doing well.
Not sure that Gwynn Jr. is going to like Petco. We’ll see this weekend.
Yes, the Brewers did pick him right before the Padres’ spot.
May 25, 2007 at 11:19 am
#6: Enjoy…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZByndN_ffyw
May 25, 2007 at 12:22 pm
I am sorry but I want no part of Gwynn JR. I just do not see him as anything more than a reserve OF.
May 25, 2007 at 12:31 pm
9: Brian Giles of the Brian Giles Award for Unheralded Greatness?
May 25, 2007 at 12:41 pm
13: My reaction when I heard that OG was on the Most Overated list was, “Who the hell rates him that highly anymore? Nobody in San Diego…”
May 25, 2007 at 12:43 pm
It would be unfair for skinny tony to have to develop at the major leauge level in the same city that his dad was a star in. The fans here would expect way to much out of him.
May 25, 2007 at 12:44 pm
Anyone notice how much the Padres are mentioned in trade trash talk going on over at MLB Rumors? Of course MLBR is just reporting what they see, but there seems to be a lot of talk right now.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/
May 25, 2007 at 1:11 pm
I think it’s natural that a lot of trade rumors would include the Padres. They have a total surplus of arms in the bullpen and some clear weaknesses, namely a right-handed hitting outfielder and bench help. It’s completely foolish for them to carry 12 pitchers, they barely have enough work for 10.
I don’t think they should trade Hensley as I think that Germano is probably a mirage and I think that both Wells and Maddux are one year and out guys. Plus the likelihood of Wells making it through the season without being injured is probably zero. And the fact that Hensley was the best starter on the Padres during the 2nd half of last season. The obvious move is to trade Linebrink as he is a free agent after this season. The main problem is what they can get in return. Linebrink to the Phillies for Burrell is possible, but I’m not sure the Padres what a beached whale playing in their outfield (the memories of Klesko floundering around out there are probably too strong). Ideally, they’d get a right handed hitting LF who can field, but who fits that?
May 25, 2007 at 1:47 pm
But what about Wily Mo as reports suggested? He’s sitting, hits 6% HRs on the road and 5% at home, plays CF, RF and could easily play left, is 25, and is only paid $1.875. He’s 6-3, 245 with power. Bat him 4th and I dont care about the low # of walks.
May 25, 2007 at 2:09 pm
8 … Brewers called up Braun? Wow, that’s huge news … I think he’s a stud … let’s hope he starts off slow!
11 … thanks for the link … truly a classic …
12 … as much of a TG fan as I am (I bought a brick, I’m going to Cooperstown, etc) … I just don’t think TGjr will be much of an MLB player … but then again, he’s already far exceeded my expectations … so what do I know.
17 … agree that trading Hensley is not a good idea …
18 … I’m up for Wily Mo in LF …
Here’s a note from BP today …
Best National League Matchup (Best combined chances of making the playoffs according to the BP’s Postseason Odds): Milwaukee Brewers @ San Diego Padres
You’ve got to like a team that understands that maintaining early success is not a given, and has a willingness to change on the fly. Understanding that their weakest offensive link has been third base, the Brewers have called up slugging corner infielder Ryan Braun from Triple-A Nashville … Braun arrives with enough time left in the season to mount a Rookie of the Year campaign in the NL.
May 25, 2007 at 2:14 pm
Also from BP … kinda nice to see the Dogs on this list
BP STAT OF THE DAY
Bottom 5 NL Team Defenses, by Defensive Efficiency
Team, DEF_EFF
Cincinnati Reds, .681
Colorado Rockies, .683
Florida Marlins, .683
Pittsburgh Pirates, .685
Los Angeles Dodgers, .692
May 25, 2007 at 4:39 pm
6 & 11: LOL… but interestingly more at 6 than at 11, that is, I found my memory of it much funnier than seeing it again was. Some lesson about the context of the time in that, maybe.
May 25, 2007 at 4:59 pm
Hey, PF … what’s up with Luis (don’t call me Devi) getting a promotion to AA?
http://www.minorleaguebaseball.....x_arkaax_1
May 25, 2007 at 5:15 pm
I dont’ konw who writes for rotoworld.com, but they are *RIGHT ON* in their comments about Chris Young today …
Chris Young allowed one run and three hits over seven innings and fanned 10 Thursday in a no-decision against the Cubs.
Young was at 93 pitches and clearly had another inning left in him, but with the score tied and two on in the bottom of the seventh, the Padres had to go to a pinch-hitter. Unfortunately, they chose the wrong one and didn’t score as a result. That failure hurts what’s shaping up as a strong run for NL pitcher of the month honors. Young is 3-1 with a 1.36 ERA during May.
… to which I highlight “they chose the wrong one” … HOW? WHY? What is Bud’s reasoning for sending up Blum to PH? Why doesn’t somebody ask Bud about this? Somehow, we, the fans, need to create some pressure on this … how can we do that, GY? How?
I thought perhaps some strong comments to our MLB beat writer in his blog might get his attention enough to ask a pointed question or 2 (http://coreybrock.mlblogs.com/coreybrock/2007/05/quarter_grades.html#comments) … but subsequent comments got to attacking Corey more than “staying on message”, I’m sad/sorry to say …
Other ideas?
May 25, 2007 at 5:23 pm
A nice bit on TGjr … http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com.....p;c_id=mil …
Here’s something I consider unfortunate …
Tony Sr. will not be there for the start of the series because he will be coaching the Aztecs in the Mountain West Conference Tournament in Las Vegas.
Bummer … I just think it’s gonna be special tonight (or whenever this weekend) when TGjr makes his first PA at Petco …
May 25, 2007 at 5:29 pm
The Padres may have lost last night, but the highlights of Young’s 10K and Adrian’s DP at mlb.com are very fun to watch … http://tinyurl.com/2l6wx5 … that DP is just smooooooth!
May 25, 2007 at 5:39 pm
Ichiro! with HR #4 tonight … http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/boxscore?gid=270525107
May 25, 2007 at 5:49 pm
Chase Headley continues … http://www.minorleaguebaseball.....x_arkaax_1 … just a simple 2B with RBI … but the guy has just being doing it game-in and game-out … I’m still in no rush to promote him to AAA … but … maybe after he plays in the AA All-Star Game and/or the Futures Game