I tried to watch some of the USD – Long Beach State game on Sunday at Cunningham Stadium, but it was brutal. These kids haven’t been playing for some time, and it showed. I’ve never seen so many walks and wild pitches.
To the winter leagues…
Friday, November 2
Saguaros 11, Javelinas 5 (box | recap). Matt Antonelli, batting sixth, singled, doubled, and drew three walks in five trips to the plate. Nick Hundley, in the #8 hole, went 2-for-4 with a walk and 3 RBI. The Saguaros pounded out 15 hits on the day. Jonathan Ellis worked a 13-pitch perfect eighth, while Will Startup needed just 10 pitches to close out the victory, allowing a one-out single before inducing a game-ending double play started by Antonelli. Ex-Padre Sean Thompson couldn’t find the plate and took the loss for the Javelinas.- Azucareros 6, Licey 0 (box). Yordany Ramirez batted eighth and went 1-for-3. He played right field in this one to accommodate Felix Pie, whose name has surfaced in rumors involving the Padres. (Incidentally, Kansas City’s David DeJesus is mentioned as another possibility in the linked article. I’ve been tracking him for some time; I think his combination of on-base skills and defense would make him a good fit for Petco Park.)
- Escogido 4, Aguilas 3 (box). Vince Sinisi, batting third and playing left field, hit his second homer of the season. It came off Jose Lima. Geez, how is that guy younger than I am? Ex-Padre Bernie Castro homered for Aguilas; he has two home runs this winter after hitting one all season. A bunch of former Padres in this one: Juan Melo, Freddy Guzman. What the heck is Luis Polonia doing in the Aguilas lineup? He could break a hip or something.
- Mazatlan 5, Navojoa 3 (box). Oscar Robles doubled twice in four at-bats. Luis Cruz, playing third base, went 0-for-3 with a walk. Brian Myrow is playing first base for Mazatlan; why wasn’t I informed? Batting cleanup, Myrow went 2-for-2 with two walks. As he does everywhere, he’s hitting the tar out of the ball (.316/.469/.447). I don’t care if he’s 31 years old; someone should be able to use this guy.
- Mexicali 2, Guasave 1 (box). Jared Wells faced four batters in the eighth — one reached base on an error by the shortstop, and another, former big-leaguer Armando Rios, knocked a two-out single. Wells has been predictably inconsistent for Mexicali this winter.
Saturday, November 3
Surprise 6, Saguaros 5 (box | recap). Antonelli, batting ninth, went 1-for-3 and laid down a sacrifice bunt. Will Venable singled twice in four at-bats out of the cleanup spot; he got the start in left field. John Hudgins started and allowed one run over three innings. He gave up just one hit but walked three batters. This was Hudgins’ second start in 2007. He threw 49 pitches in the first one and 46 more on Saturday. Best to err on the side of caution after such an extended layoff.- Gigantes 4, Escogido 3 (box). Sinisi doubled and walked in five plate appearances.
- Licey 6, Estrellas 3 (box). Ramirez, again in right field, went 2-for-3.
- Mazatlan 6, Navojoa 1 (box). Robles went 1-for-3, Cruz went 1-for-2. On the other side, Myrow went 1-for-4.
- Mexicali 7, Guasave 6 (box). Wells worked an inning and two-thirds, allowing one run on one hit and one walk. He entered with runners at the corners and one out in the eighth, and a 3-0 lead. The first batter Wells faced, former big-leaguer Jolbert Cabrera, knocked both runners home with a double. A passed ball and wild pitch scored Cabrera, tying the game. Wells then walked a batter and allowed a stolen base before getting out of the inning without further damage. He then worked a perfect ninth — two grounders to short and a strikeout (looking). I guess if you’re looking for silver linings, you could point to the fact that Wells bounced back strong in his second inning of work. Eh…
- Caracas 7, Aragua 6 (box). Paul Abraham lived a pitcher’s dream. He entered with two out in the eighth and his team trailing, 6-4. Aragua third baseman Luis Maza was nailed trying to steal second. Caracas then scored three runs in the top of the ninth and won, 7-6, giving Abraham the victory without ever retiring a batter.
Sunday, November 4
- Aguilas 6, Licey 0 (box). More right field for Ramirez: 0-for-3 with a strikeout.
- Escogido 6, Estrellas 6 (box). Sinisi had himself a nice little weekend. He homered in four at-bats on Sunday. Bearing in mind the extremely small sample (40 PA), he’s putting up some solid numbers (.343/.400/.686) in the Dominican. Seriously, what can Terrmel Sledge do that Sinisi can’t? Hopefully it’s not the same thing that kept Paul McAnulty out of a job in ’07.
- Mazatlan 4, Navojoa 3 (box). Mazatlan completed the weekend sweep at home. Robles went 1-for-4 with a solo homer in a losing cause. Cruz moved up to the #3 spot and started in center field, going 0-for-4. I should mention that technically Cruz is a minor-league free agent, but since he played in the system this year, we’ll keep tracking him. (Same goes for Ramirez in the Dominican Republic and Abraham in Venezuela.)
Tunes: Joe Pass, Billie Holliday, Eric Alexander, Nat Adderly, Walter Blanding, Herbie Hancock, Winard Harper, David Hazeltine, Red Holloway, Wes Montgomery.
The organization better be careful because the average fan won’t be happy with a lower payroll number then last year, even if it comes with a better team.
If they were to deal KG for Rich Hill and Felix Pie(don’t kill the messenger but I’ve seen it mentioned a few places now), sign Clement/Prior for the #5, sign Eckstein for SS ……….we’re talking about a payroll number getting down there close to 50M.
Is there a reason why we need to trade KG
2: Well, he’s an out machine for one.
Well KG is the type of player who is usually over valued as they move through arbitration(high HR, RBI, low BA, zero BB) and the days of KG being cheaper then his production probably ended last season.
They need to either sign KG to a 4 year deal(taking away 2 years of FA) or look to deal him for a package similar to Pie/Hill.
Look at it this way, would you rather have:
-2 years of KG
or
-6 years of Pie and 5 years of Hill?
I think, considering the financial ramifications of the pitching staff over the next 2 seasons that this is an easy call.
being a red sox fan you dont know how lucky you are to have a short stop like KG
5: Being a Padres fan, you don’t know how lucky you are to be a fan of the WS champion.
Im a padres fan also so I guess Ive got the best of both worlds huh huh
Still, trading Khalil opens up a bigger hole than it solves. We have NOTHING in the organization to replace him. Why on earth do you create that kind of hole in your defense if its unecessary?
It still amazes me how underrated Khalil is, even by his own fans. Why on earth do you think over 2/3 of the team in baseball would love to have him?
Here’s a hint: It’s not because he sucks.
1: Although I know what you’re saying, I don’t see any reason why the Padres can’t increase payroll. Even if they think they’ve built a better team with 55m, why not add 10-15m onto that? If it’s spent responsibly, which I trust that it will be with this FO, there’s a good chance that it may push this team over the top (at least into the playoffs for sure, if not further). Of course, like I’ve said before, I can’t see the books.
#1: That’s not going to happen. Some of the comments at MLB Trade Rumors are hilarious — Khalil, Bell, and a prospect for Pie straight up; uh, okay — but I’d be surprised if the Cubs would move Pie and Hill for Khalil.
#3: LOL. Let the religious debate begin.
#4: Who plays shortstop next year? If history is any judge, it will take us about 40 years to find an adequate replacement for Khalil at the position.
#5: As Padres fans, believe me, we’re all too aware how lucky we are to have a shortstop like Khalil.
“The organization better be careful because the average fan won’t be happy with a lower payroll number then last year, even if it comes with a better team.”
Then the average fan can… well… bugger-off. KT/Alderson need to continue to improve the team. They can do it w/ an even smaller payroll, kudos to them.
My guess, however, is that the 2008 Padres will be closer than to $70-75mm mark…
Well not sure if “lucky” would be the word I would use to describe having the 9th best ss in the NL.
Yeah I know he hits HR and plays good D….but that .291 OBP is a DISASTER for the offense
Re 9: The Padres already do spend more than $55 million a year on player salaries; they just do it differently than some teams. The 2006 team ended up paying approximately $70 million to the team’s players and former players who had money owed them. The 2007 team was in the $65-67 million range when all was said and done, and still could owe about $3 million more to Todd Walker through the arbitration grievance procedure.
Their payroll spending seems appropriate for a team in their market size with their financial considerations and with their priorities of bolstering player development and keeping high profile talent in their front office. If you think they should be spending more on major league players, please tell us from where that additional money is going to come.
Of all NL SS:
Khalil ranks sixth in Win Shares with 19. He trails, in order, Ramirez, Rollins, Tulo, Reyes, and Hardy.
Khalil ranks fifth in RZR with .848. He trails, in order, Vizquel, Reyes, Gonzalez, and Tulo.
Khalil ranks 8th in VORP with 23. This puts him in the range of Ryan Zimmerman (23.9), Jason Varitek (23.4), Matt Kemp (23.4), Brian McCann (22.8), Ryan Church (22.2), and Kenji Jhojima (22.2).
As GY points out in 10, Khalil isn’t readily replacable. He’s obviously not the best SS in the baseball, but I think it’s fair to say he’s in the top third of SS. He’s still pretty cheap, and he is a fan favorite. He’s also the best SS the team has ever had.
Not that I am for trading KG but if we did that to get a huy like Pie there are some guys out there we could go after. If the Indians are not done with Barfield they might be willing to move Peralta or Cabrera. The Rangers might be willing to move Young. I still like the idea of going after Brandon Wood from the Angels. Not that any of those guys would be nearly as good at the position other than Young but there are options should they go that route.
Re: 1 if the cubs offer Pie and hill for Greenie you have to take that deal. Also if the club gets past the NLDS with a lower payroll I dont think you will hear any complaints from fans.
Re: 3 NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! dont start the debate again!
Top 10 shortstops in Padres history:
1. Khalil Greene
2. Garry Templeton
3. Tony Fernandez
4. Ozzie Smith
5. Chris Gomez
6. Damian Jackson
7. Enzo Hernandez
8. Bill Almon
9. Ramon Vazquez
10. Hector Torres
It’s disgusting how close Deivi Cruz is to making this list.
Crisp, Lugo and a pitching prospect for KG
RE: 18 how much of Lugo’s contract do the redsox take?
18.
Nope we’re good but thanks!
Unless that pitching prospect is Buchultz (or however you spell that guys name) that trade is how do Boston fans say… RETADDED
3 for 1 and padres get 100% of lugos contract
13: I’ve seen this discussion here before and I’ll admit that you (and many others here) know more about the Padres payroll status than I do … anyway with that out of the way, is that the proper way to look at it? I think you would have to do it like that for every team and see where they fall. If you’ve done that or know where that data is, I’d be interesting in seeing it.
Again, I can’t see the books … I assume they are making money but I don’t know. Spending an extra 5-10M can certainly gain you revenue in the end (like what Nate Silver was talking about in his recent unfiltered post, if you read it). Let’s say with a 65M payroll they project to win ~88 games. Spending an extra, say, 10M and now projecting at ~91 wins may very well be worth it in ensuring (or helping to ensure) a playoff spot instead of being right on the edge (those numbers are of course all made up).
21.
Why would we want 2 players that can’t hit and are going to cost us like what $8-10 miliion more a year?
Re: 21 No way, unless like KRS1 said unless Buchultz or Lester is the pitching prospect.
Lester Buchholz Crisp lugo for Peavy, KG and Headley
RE: 25 now your really starting to sound like a red sox fan
#25: Only if it is Tod Peavy:
http://www.peavyentertainment.com/about.html
Crisp and Lugo will do well away from Boston
re 25: Glad to see 2 WS victories makes Red Sox fans as ignorant of other teams as the Yankees fans have always been.
To get Peavy you’d have to START with: Bucholz and Lester.
Also, if you can read the local paper here, you’re not getting Headley for Crisp
25.
Huh….
My first thought is no but I would have to think about it. CB and Lester would be sick to have coming up but I can’t imagine taking on Lugo and getting rid of Peavy. If I was going to trade Peavy it would probably only be for top prospects and no big contracts from unproductive players coming back.
9: They’re barely spending any more money bolstering player development now than they did in the Dark Old Days. That’s at least a pink herring, if not a bright red one. Still drafting limited players who will sign for slot. They’re even passing on higher upside players who’d sign for slot.
They don’t need to spend more on major league payroll to win…..forever. They may need to spend more for 2008 and 2009 just to stay even. Until they strengthen the farm system enough, for both producing players who will play for us and who can be traded, they’re going to find it hard to fill all the holes in the roster. You can’t trade Headley to fill 3 holes.
28.
What makes you say that? Is it their past performances?
Speaking of the Red Sox: Anybody else sick and tired of hearing about how well they develop players?
Your 2 best hitters were both FA’s and last I checked Papelbon, Youkoulis, Pedroia and Ellsbury although a nice group is not getting you out of 3rd place on their own.
Re 22: I strongly suggest you start with the Forbes reports. Once understood properly, you should see that the Padres usually don’t make money on a yearly basis, and instead are at break even/lose a little operating status. They are apparently okay with that.
It would of course be great if they spent $5-10 million more on player payroll each year. You have yet to indicate where that money will come from. Also, if every other team in the division and/or league does the same, such as if there is a boost in mlb.com revenue of $5 million this year, the marginal value of spending such money should be approximately zero on average.
The Padres are in a division where the Dodgers and Giants have substantially more resources and can and will outspend the Padres substantially. They are also in a division with two teams, Rockies and Diamondbacks, that bring in and spend about the same as they do, but appear to have built their farm systems better. All of that puts the Padres in a very difficult spot competition wise. It is remarkable that they have done as well as they have since moving into Petco, and they should be commended for it.
re 34:
I think a lot of the public’s complaints fall into 1 catagory:
-What responsibility does Moores have to reinvest his real estate company’s(JMI) profits from the ballpark district back into the team?
-Also it is going to help a ton once the current cable deal is done.
Re: 34 & 35 man the Padres financial debates are almost as bad as the KG ones.
arn’t they signed with channel 4 untill 2011?
Crisp’s numbers for Padres in 2008
305 15 75 40sb 390obp
wow 75 RBI’s at petco as a lead off hitter?
forget that those are Antonelli’s numbers sorry
34: I have always given great credit to the Padres management and been rather indifferent about the ownership (because I honestly don’t know much about it). Generally, it’s the baseball moves that I’m concerned about. I’ll look into the forbes reports sometime like you suggest.
So, yeah, I don’t know where the money will come from. Moores pocket maybe? Again, I think the extra money could very well work out as a profit overall. Even if spending goes up across the league, the Padres spending that extra 5-10 million could net them a couple extra wins, and a playoff appearance (and a couple of series wins possibly, although there’s of course a ton of luck there). Also, the Padres (I think) will spend that extra money better than say 90% of teams, so it will indeed benefit them more even if everyone else does it.
I’m not one of those “spend, spend, spend!” fans … I think they just may need to spend a little more to keep up as a couple of you have mentioned. This doesn’t involve the front office at all — they’ve done a great job, imo, regardless of the payroll.
38.
Lay off the sauce pal it’s not even noon you can’t be that drunk already.
also a 390 OBP when his career high is 345? 15 HR’s at petco when he only hit 6 at fenway? wow man dont quite you day job I dont even think the psychic hotline would take you.
its 2:30 here in Boston
21, 25, 28, 38 & 40-
not to be an ass or anythin, but do you know anything about baseball? or do you just know their names and the color of their jerseys?
Been a Red Sox fan for 45 Years I think I know what Im talking about why do you have to be like that
46- those trades were so lopsided towards the red sox….
your gettting lester and Buchholz a starting center fielder and a shortstop for a guy your not going to resign and shortstop you dont want
i like khalil, and lugo is absolutely brutal. he was good for like 1 month at the end of this year. crisp wont get better here….. i just dont see that happening. his defense would be ideal, but we need a guy with more than JUST range
the prizes would be lester and bucholz, but theres no guaruntee with ANY prospect. and they better be ready to toe the slab the second this season starts otherwise our whole team would suffer by the loss of peavy and khalils 20 some homers. peavy is really our ONLY guaruntee for our staff at this point and time. (maddux is old, and young seems to be streaky…and perhaps isnt used to his large frame quite yet)
Re 35: The emotionally satisfying answer is “as much as it takes to make the Padres a WS winner”.
The only rational answer is “none”, unless you think there is some sort of moral imperative for baseball owners to spend from their privately and separately gained revenues for the benefit of their teams. Some owners do do that on occasion; Moores has been one of them. However, there is no legal or logical imperative that he do so.
Fans who complain this way would have a better argument in my opinion if they were to argue the converse – that the Padres should be paying money to JMI; they wouldn’t be in a new stadium downtown if JMI had not agreed to shoulder the risk of the downtown development at a time when no one else stepped up. The City would never have allowed Prop C to go before the voters without a redevelopment district that had private backing.