Forgot to post this during the season. From September 17:
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.
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I don't always read blogs, but when I do, I prefer Ducksnorts.
November 21, 2007 at 7:51 am
Nice pic. Think T. Sledge will ever have a bronze statue out there too?
November 21, 2007 at 8:58 am
Steve Finley a possibility, even remotely? Is that a “like a fine wine” sort of deal?
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....id=3121934
November 21, 2007 at 9:21 am
I love that they used Fat Tony rather than Big Hair Tony…
I love me some Fat Tony!
November 21, 2007 at 1:15 pm
Happy Thanksgiving to all
November 21, 2007 at 4:17 pm
I wonder if Edgar Gonzalez will get a legit shot at being a midseason callup.
Marshall McDougall doesn’t look bad either.
I’m excited about Adam Bass too, he’s 6-6 and a starter but I suspect KT will look at him as a reliever.
November 21, 2007 at 5:46 pm
If nothing else, McDougall will always have this:
http://www.ncaasports.com/base.....tory/18383
November 21, 2007 at 7:47 pm
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/ru.....=mlb,54618
Brocail gone as well ?
Our blog ‘whipping boys’ (Brocail & Blum) are of value to Astros.
November 21, 2007 at 9:19 pm
Did anyone else hear Smith and Werndl when they were talking about Joe Sheehan’s article about the NL MVP yesterday? Rarely will you hear such idiocy. My favorite part was when the said the “propeller heads” should stay out of the MVP discussion entirely and that the award should be based on “watching baseball.” Because I’m sure every voter watched every single game this year and nobody looked at the (inferior) “traditional” stats.
November 22, 2007 at 3:56 am
Torii Hunter to the ANGELS. Maybe there will be some interest in Willits or Nathan Haynes now.
November 22, 2007 at 7:07 am
Thanks for the pic of TG’s statue … reminds me I gotta get down there to see it for myself … and find my brick … I think it’s cool that I have a piece-of-Petco!
November 22, 2007 at 9:37 am
Just wanted to say thanks to all of you for the education and the laughs I get out of this site. Now, while we’re waiting for dinner, anyone want to spark up a quick “KG — stay or go” discussion?
November 22, 2007 at 9:50 am
MLBTradeRumors.com is reporting that Liney got a 4 yr, $19 million deal from the White Sox. Good for Linebrink. I’m glad he’s getting his money and not from us.
November 22, 2007 at 10:27 am
11: Regardless of how valuable or problamatic you may think KG is, there are virtually ZERO options out there at SS. We can’t trade a legitimate SS when we do not have other options.
November 22, 2007 at 10:37 am
Padres need a backup catcher as well. How many times can they reach into the scrap heap and pull out servicable backstops ? Seems like they go to this well every year and end up pulling out something decent.
Here is the Cinderella story of 2008. 30 year old Edgar Gonzalez has a good year as the regular starting second baseman next to his brother Adrian……ahh, the Hot Stove almost burnt me……
November 22, 2007 at 2:54 pm
13: PF, I’m a KG supporter. I just thought I’d spark up the usual debate.
November 22, 2007 at 7:08 pm
Kenny Williams has gone mad. Four years?
November 22, 2007 at 7:13 pm
14: How many times? Four.
November 23, 2007 at 9:09 am
Re: 16…that is 4 years…one for each MPH his fastball will drop…
ESPN is reporting it is a done deal, pending a physical.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....id=3123781
November 23, 2007 at 10:30 am
Oh, CM, you’re too nice. Really.
November 25, 2007 at 9:01 am
I think that we’re hoping for a Miguel Cabrera to the Angels to fall through so we can pick up Willits. Looks like he’ll be involved in any Cabrera deal. So, the Hunter deal is crazy for a number of reasons, but he does give them quite a lineup next year.
Wow, those two 55M dollar CF options last year (PIerre and Matthews, Jr.) both may lose starting jobs this year…yikes.
November 25, 2007 at 9:12 am
Is Ryan Freel a possibility for CF/2B for the Padres? Ken Rosenthal indicates that he might be available here: http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7480346
Even though he had a bad season for the Reds last year, it looks like injuries were a factor. The three previous years he’d had OBP’s above .360. I’d be interested…
November 25, 2007 at 5:26 pm
21: That was at GABP, though.
November 25, 2007 at 6:37 pm
btw, im not sure if people knew that Joe Kennedy RIP, he was born in La Mesa, went to some high school in el cajon and went to grossmont college as well. really sad to see a local boy die so young. 28 years old
November 25, 2007 at 7:44 pm
Re: 23 he went to El Cajon Valle High
November 25, 2007 at 7:58 pm
21, 22: Freel’s always had good OBP skills no matter the park, going back through his minor league days. I don’t know about him at 2b. He was pretty good there statistically in 2005, but he’s only played 96 games at 2nd in the majors.
I’d be interested at the price of a lower ranked minor leaguer. I wouldn’t want to spend a major league reliever or a top 10 prospect on him. I’d rather save those assets for a better player.
November 25, 2007 at 9:06 pm
25: Can Freel play a good enough center to even be considered? (honest question)
November 26, 2007 at 7:39 am
26: Not sure. His defensive numbers from The HardBall Times put him in acceptable but not great territory. Willy Tavares, the aging version of Jim Edmonds, etc. Freel’s continuing injuries aren’t likely to help him play plus defense in center.
But THT’s RZR is, I think it’s fair to say, still evolving. It might not be the best tool for evaluating defense.
You know who comes out looking pretty good as a CF by the RZR rankings? Randy Winn. His RZR in center the last two years combined is above 900. If he could maintain that for a whole season, that’s as good as Cameron and Beltran.
November 26, 2007 at 8:11 am
Here is something I thought was a little odd. Apparently the people over at BA think the Brewers Ryan Braun has a future in CF. With guys like Hall, Hart, Gwynn and even Weeks I thought it was weird that they tabbed Braun at center.
http://www.baseballamerica.com.....65240.html
November 26, 2007 at 9:48 am
28: I wonder if they transposed Hart and Braun. Hart’s played CF before.
That projected lineup could break Seattle’s record for most HR in a season, 264. They have 3 potential 50 HR bats in Fielder, Braun, and LaPorta; Weeks, Hall, Hardy, and Hart can all hit between 25-30. If they keep Hardy at short and play Hall at 3b, wow.
November 26, 2007 at 10:06 am
Re: playing in the NL Central wont hurt them either.
November 26, 2007 at 10:11 am
I would love to try and take Hart off their hands. If they would take any of our pitching prospects for him I’d probably do it without blinking.
November 26, 2007 at 10:27 am
#1 Termell will eventually get his statue….he may also be hitting leadoff for the Padres this year. He has so much potential.
November 26, 2007 at 11:17 am
30: It was only 2 years ago that the Padres won the NL West with 82 wins. Divisional strength is fluid. The Cardinals, Cubs, and Astros have all been willing to spend big money in the past.
If you’re talking about ballparks, only two NL Central parks have really been pro-hitter recently - Cincy and Chicago. NL West teams actually play a couple more games in hitter friendly parks because we have one less team. They do get to beat up on the most consistently bad NL team, Pittsburgh.
November 26, 2007 at 11:18 am
31: I’d really like Hart, too, but I don’t see how it would work. They’d probably want major league ready pitching. We don’t have enough of that as it is.
November 26, 2007 at 11:34 am
34.
Yeah I agree. I don’t think it would work either I just really like Hart.
November 26, 2007 at 12:29 pm
Re: 35 would a combo of Cla Meredith and Manny Ayala get it done?
November 26, 2007 at 1:05 pm
36.
I think they might be interested in Meredith but I doubt they are really willing to deal Hart. If anyone is available it would seem to me that it would be Bill Hall or TG JR. Believe me if I was KT I think I would be bugging the Brewers like crazy but if I was the Brewers I wouldn’t see much on the Padres that I would give him up for.
November 26, 2007 at 1:31 pm
37: Agree. Hart is a really good starting OF and the Brewers farm is probably still better than ours, even with all the youngsters they’ve graduated. Ayala isn’t going to be of much interest and Meredith isn’t enough for a starting position player.
If Hensley was still healthy, he’d be the kind of player they might take. But if he was healthy, the team (not me) probably wouldn’t give him up.
November 26, 2007 at 1:59 pm
Re: 37, 38 yeah I kind of figured that, that was the best package I could come up with the that did not include Bell or LeBlanc.
November 26, 2007 at 4:50 pm
Jayson Stark reported that the Reds are shopping Freel and would be open to moving Josh Hamilton. I’d be all over Hamilton if he were available. He put up a +1.000 OPS last year against righties. Although he was helped a bit by his home park, he still had a +.850 OPS on the road. Anybody else willing to gamble on Hamilton? Other ideas as to the cost? I’d imagine that Meredith and LeBlanc or similar might get it done…
November 26, 2007 at 9:55 pm
Brocail has been signed by the Astros, so we pick up a supplemental draft pick there…yay!
http://www.myfoxhouston.com/my.....geId=6.1.1
November 27, 2007 at 1:28 am
Interesting article:
http://baseballanalysts.com/ar.....p#comments
Another reason that it’s curious about all the Erik Bedard trade being bandied about. Look at Jake’s number of pitches. He still needs to be more efficient.
I wonder what his numbers look like as the season progressed.
November 27, 2007 at 12:57 pm
Here’s what some yahoo thinks …
Hot Stove Daily
The Padres might wind up overpaying free-agent hitters.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/ne.....;type=lgns