Friday Links (7 Mar 08)
Fri, Mar 7, 2008
by Geoff Young
Greetings from Peoria (well, presumably I’m there — I’m doing the ol’ fake-a-rooni today and posting in advance; blogger’s best friend, yo). Hey, look, here are some links:
- Our friends at Gaslamp Ball note that Jerry Coleman has written a book. It’s called An American Journey: My Life on the Field, in the Air, and on the Air
(aff link), and it’s coming out April 28. You know the Colonel has some stories to tell.
- Tom Krasovic chats with Padres owner John Moores, who likes the direction his club is headed (hat tip to Steve C. in the comments). Some people will be pleased with what Moores has to say, others not so much. In other words, business as usual.
- Krasovic also has written about the Padres’ new Dominican training facility, scheduled to open in April. Krasovic is keeping busy these days: he also has articles up on Greg Maddux and Callix Crabbe.
- Over at Friar Forecast, MB looks at the Padres outfield defense, which appears to have been improving in recent years. Guess we’ll see how much of that was due to the presence of Mike Cameron.
- Randy Wolf isn’t pitching well. In related news, these games don’t count. As long as he stays healthy, I don’t care what his Cactus League ERA is. Seriously, Chris Young sends his regards:
Chris Young, 2006: Spring vs Regular Season IP ERA H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 Statistics are courtesy of The Baseball Cube. Fake 20 9.45 13.05 1.35 6.30 4.95 Real 179.1 3.46 6.72 1.41 3.46 8.23 Yawn, wake me when the season starts. If Wolf is having problems in May or June, then we’ll talk. Until then, I’ll assume he’s going to pull things together when it matters.
- Baseball Prospectus’ Kevin Goldstein ranks the Padres farm system #12 in MLB (hat tip to Pat in the comments). That’s up from #29 last year. Still not great, but moving in the right direction and fast.
- Speaking of prospects, the latest installment from right-hander Dirk Hayhurst is up at Baseball America (hat tip to Schlom in the comments). Good stuff, as always. It’d be sweet if we could access all of his entries from a single point. This will do for now, I suppose.
Happy Friday!
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 7, 2008 at 7:49 am
Interesting to review the IGD from last years Rocky playoff game. http://ducksnorts.com/blog/200.....ct-07.html
New year, new season, but it still sucks. That was a crazy three-day weekend for the Padres.
March 7, 2008 at 8:16 am
I’ve got about 20 or so short videos posted from my day @ Peoria yesterday … walked around all the practice fields … and then went to the game … a *very* good day …
http://www.youtube.com/LynchMob98
Question (repeat from end of yesterday’s thread) … is this a Ducksnort? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk0t0SvAT4w
March 7, 2008 at 8:22 am
And some pictures posted here … http://picasaweb.google.com/Ly.....08PeoriaAZ
March 7, 2008 at 8:55 am
A few notes/thoughts from yesterday …
- Jake looked very good … lots of pitches had batters off balance … looks like 2 hitters were able to guess fastball and connect, I’m not worried about that …
- Even Ianetta stole a base (on Jake/Barrett)
- Wells’ inning was as good as can be … he looked good … he’s bigger than I expected … threw with pop …
- Cla really struggled to get the last out of the game …
- I noticed Crabbe coming in for Edmonds “too soon”, but didn’t notice anything about Edmonds getting hurt (ie. he didn’t visibly limp off the field that I saw/noticed) … his ABs on Tuesday and yesterday looked OK … I’m still upbeat about Edmonds …
- McAnulty did not excel in RF yesterday … he had a poor throw on a SacFly opportunity … and Spilbourghs triple went right over his head (perhaps it would have gotten over 90% of RF’er head, but he just looked awkward on the play) … but he did hit the ball sharply in 2 of his 3 ABs …
- I think Venable’s HR hit the top of the RCF wall … which is about 385 … and he followed that with a line-drive out to the CF’er in the 7th …
- Khalil looked *VERY BAD* in 3 ABs … yikes, it was scary how clueless he looked … 2 K’s looking, followed by an AB with more bad swings to lead off the 5th … whassup? I’m not worried, just sayin’ … it was very noteworthy …
- Myrow continues to hit *every* ball very hard … I feel sorry for the guy … he just doesn’t fit on the Padres … but he will go “Jack Cust” on us if/when we trade him to the AL … he will …
March 7, 2008 at 8:59 am
Also, Chase looked bad taking a called 3rd strike in his only AB (following Venable’s HR and a Crabbe single) in the 6th …
- Ambres made one nice catch in CF … but was unnotable in 2 ABs
- Edgar Gonzalez with a solid line drive single to LF … and great hustle into 2B even though the throw to the plate was cutoff … I’m liking that guy a lot … he’s not in camp because he’s Adrian’s bro … he’s in camp because he’s a player!
March 7, 2008 at 9:08 am
How long do we wait (and I’m not over-reacting to his injury) before we start actively hunting for a replacement for Edmonds? I know that many of us were dicussing Willitls last nite, and I still think he’d be a great option for us to explore.
If Edmonds’ calf strain is more serious, do we make a move before ST is over?
March 7, 2008 at 9:10 am
Masticore … you can get a good Bass-fix here …
http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com.....mp;c_id=sd
March 7, 2008 at 9:10 am
4: Thanks for the information. Based on the radio broadcast yeseterday, Khalil’s ABs sounded as bad as you described. I always wonder how much to worry about our hitters at this point, since it’s still pretty early in ST.
That’s kind of the wierd paradox about ST. If a guy does well, you’re excited but reserved. If a guy does poorly, you’re mcuh more “eh”.
March 7, 2008 at 9:11 am
6 … if Edmonds is out more than 3 games, then I’ll jump on that badnwagon, but until then, Jim’s the man …
March 7, 2008 at 9:34 am
Attempting to spin the awkward AB’s and called strikes, as well as address Phantom’s question, I don’t think it’s significant at all at this point. Hitting is about seeing the ball and timing the swing with the pitch. Therefore, it is not at all surprising to me guys are looking at called strikes, third or otherwise, as well as looking awkward. It takes some time to get used to seeing live pitching and get your timing. That’s what ST is for.
March 7, 2008 at 10:19 am
Yea, I have never worried about spring performance. I mean a guy like Khalil could hit .150/.150/.200 and I don’t think I’d care. Then again, he could hit .600 and it wouldn’t change my opinion of him much either. I think it’s useful for players to tinker with stuff and of course get ready to play. Also scouts can get some looks at different guys and things like that. As far as spring stats, though, I’ve never given them much of a thought. But maybe that’s something to look into …
March 7, 2008 at 10:25 am
http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com.....mp;c_id=sd
Bud doesn’t sound confident about Edmunds at all.
March 7, 2008 at 11:01 am
Spring Notes:
*Yeah, Khalil’s line was pretty ugly but he’s proven time and again that he’s the type of player that can strike out in his first three AB’s and homer in his fourth to put the team ahead. Frustrating, but I’ll take his defense and power anyday … as long as he’s batting sixth in the lineup and not in the heart of the order.
*Will Venable seems to have some serious power, although he hasn’t shown much during his minor league career. I wouldn’t count him out of the Padres’ plans for 2009 if he can show that kind of power in Portland this season.
*I think Crabbe is showing he belongs on this team because of his ability to play infield and outfield but what about that heated battle between Gonzalez and Rodriguez for a backup infielder job? They’re both 7 for 11 although Gonzalez has shown much more pop.
*Some NL West Spring Training analysis:
http://www.sdpadrefan.com/NLWESTUPDATE.html
March 7, 2008 at 11:22 am
This sounds more serious: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.c.....index.html
KT, get on the phone and give your counterpart in Anaheim a call. We may need a CF - soon.
March 7, 2008 at 11:30 am
Has Giles appeared in a game yet? Everything I have read/heard says that he is good to go but with Edmonds going down his return becomes a little more important.
March 7, 2008 at 11:57 am
I worry about Willits’ near total lack of power. If he can’t hurt pitchers when they make bad pitches, why would they bother to try to make quality pitches against him? That said, he could probably handle the position defensively, which is more then pretty much anyone else on the roster.
As far as Khalil goes, I think that he should bat 7th or 8th. He just makes too many outs to hit in the middle of the order.
March 7, 2008 at 12:05 pm
16: I worry about it, too, but there are players who have maintained their OBP with little power. And Willits hasn’t just been getting by working walks, he’s got a career .301 BA over 3 full seasons, which starts to feel replicable.
Willits might be the player that Eric Owens fans think he was.
March 7, 2008 at 12:15 pm
16 & 17: I think Willits would be a great leadoff guy for us. Him and Antonelli setting the table for Kouz and A-Gon next year would be very nice.
Re: Khalil - I think he needs to bat sixth.
Hairston just hurt his former team with a first-pitch jack.
Thanks D-Backs!
March 7, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Hairston just went yard? Nice. That LF battle is getting intense. All four candidates are deserving at this point.
I heard Sandy Alderson on 1090 this morning. It sounds like they are definitely leaning towards sending Headley to Portland to start the season so he can work on his defense. Plus, he said he didn’t want to deplete his outfield depth. I’m guessing he was referring to P-MAC being out of options and not wanting to lose him if he were designated for assignment.
March 7, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Man, our Chris Young has discovered how to hit or something. He had 6 hits all of last year (in 46 at bats - he also had 5 walks; how the hell does a 6′10″ pitcher get walked 5 times?), and this spring he’s got 2 hits in 2 at bats.
March 7, 2008 at 12:52 pm
17: Eric Owens fans think Willits is a player?
March 7, 2008 at 1:01 pm
21: I guess I assumed they would, we’d need to find some and ask them.
I liked watching EBO play, but he was badly miscast as a starter.
March 7, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Ben B gets his BP chat question on Headley answered:
http://www.baseballprospectus......chatId=433
That’s encouraging.
Later on “Richard” gets a more discouraging answer on the Padres overall hopes.
March 7, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Willits will be just another OF in the plethora that the Padres have. He’s not a starter. Jody Gerut has more chance with the Padres than Willits.
March 7, 2008 at 1:35 pm
24: Are you kidding? Willits is most definitely a starter. His .390 OBP last year was no fluke, given his career numbers. He very capably manned CF for the Angels last year and would likely be fine at Petco.
I’ll take a kid like Willits over Gerut any day. Gerut’s been tearing it up, but you’ve got to wonder about his knees. Willits would likely excel in Petco due to his speed. I’d expect him to be a lot like Dave Roberts was for us, which was good.
March 7, 2008 at 1:37 pm
24: CF in Petco is no place for a guy with that many knee surgeries in his recent past, who was probably stretched in CF before he got hurt. The only real CF in that plethora is DaVanon. If Willits isn’t a starter, DaVanon isn’t either.
If Edmonds can play 120 games, we can probably cover the rest of the season with in-house options. How comfortable does everyone feel that he’ll play even 100 games?
March 7, 2008 at 1:39 pm
24, 25: I’d love Gerut to make the team, because he’s got some offensive skills and he seems like a good guy. But he sure seems to be an emergency CF at best, like Hairston.
March 7, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Re: 20 I wonder how he would do in LF on his off days…
March 7, 2008 at 1:41 pm
24.
Wow, that’s a pretty bold statement and I totally disagree! Willits would immediately become the fastest, best hitting, on base, and probably fielding outfielder out of the current bunch of guys competing for our jobs right now. The only category missing there is power. He has none but you can take the good with the bad. If we could get him at a decent price he would probably become the best outfielder we had the first day he showed up. As long as you are not counting on him to hit for power he seems to have everything else you would want for a CF’r in Petco.
March 7, 2008 at 1:43 pm
25: That sounded more confrontational than I intended, so I’m sorry for that.
Here’s Roberts’ BR page: http://www.baseball-reference......da07.shtml
Here’s Willits’: http://www.baseball-reference......re03.shtml
I think it would be reasonable to assume Willits is capable of hitting more doubles at Petco if he can shoot the gaps.
March 7, 2008 at 1:47 pm
26.
After this latest set back I would guess that Edmonds and myself have about the exact same chance at playing 100 games this season. I bought into the Kool-Aid after reading about how all his off-season workouts left him in the greatest shape and blah blah blah but yesterday I got kicked back into reality. Imagine what happens when he starts roaming Petco. The more ground he has to cover the worse off we are.
March 7, 2008 at 1:48 pm
31: I agree. I was fairly optimistic about Edmonds and when I heard calf strain I thought, “meh.”
But who the hell MRIs a “calf strain”? That sounds mighty suspicious to me, and I was a huge advocate for Willits even before we got Edmonds. I think Willits would be ideal in PETCO.
March 7, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Buster Olney is reporting that Kyle Lohse is willing to accept a one year contract for between $4 and $10 million. I’d certainly sign him if I could get him at $4m. However, that’s quite a range, isn’t it?
“I need $10m to sign, but I’ll also sign for 40% of that.”
March 7, 2008 at 2:14 pm
33: I’d have to guess some of that is posturing. After all, it’s a week into ST and he’s still unemployed.
But agreed. If we could get him for $4M, I’d do it as well. Our fourth and fifth starters aren’t inspiring a good deal of hope so far.
March 7, 2008 at 3:23 pm
7 - Thanks LM, I was just gonna post that article! Awesome!
March 7, 2008 at 3:29 pm
I don’t know if they can get Willits but the Angels have another little lefty CF named Nathan Haynes in camp. He is out of options and there is no room at all in the Angels’ outfield so he’ll either be traded or designated. So far this spring, he’s 3-10 with 3 BB, 0 K, and 2 SB. His minor league numbers aren’t as good as Willits but they’re not bad at all. He hit .386 with a .462 OBP and 14 SB in AAA last season, although he only played in 44 games (injury problems?). He’s also stolen as many as 42 bases in the minors.
http://minors.baseball-referen.....i?pid=6394
Just throwing that out there. The Padres never really go for the obvious and Willits is an obvious name that comes up when discussing outfield help.
March 7, 2008 at 4:03 pm
22: I knew what you meant, Tom. It was a willful misreading on my part. And I agree with you about Owens being miscast as a starter; as much as I liked him, he was a good 4th OF.
March 7, 2008 at 4:24 pm
23: Thanks for the pointer to the chat transcript. It was interesting reading his responses to the SD questions.
Did anyone notice the question about Roberts versus DeRosa and the CF issue from the Cubs fan? He completely ignored the Roberts question and focused on how it seemed the Cubs FO is down on Pie. Wouldn’t it be sweet if they went after Crisp, as suggested by the person asking the question, and we could somehow nab Pie?
I know it’s wishful thinking, but it would be so nice.
March 7, 2008 at 4:31 pm
RE BP Chat: We also got a shout out in the question about So Cal BP events. No book signings are scheduled, but he said they might try to get a “Pizza Feed” setup in San Diego becasue they’ve been successful here before.
That would be cool. I’ve been to two, not sure if they had one last year while I was out of town, but I’d love to go to another one. Hopefully they can get KT to speak this time instead of SA.
March 7, 2008 at 4:42 pm
37: I knew you were joking, I was just an abject failure in my attempt to continue the joke.
March 7, 2008 at 6:10 pm
Here’s an mlb.com article on AGon’s older brother:
http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com.....mp;c_id=sd
March 7, 2008 at 6:39 pm
I’m starting to think that EGon actually has a chance at making the team. And I don’t mean the guy from Ghostbusters.
March 7, 2008 at 7:45 pm
36: I hadn’t realized that Haynes is out of options. If he can play a legit CF, I’d like to see him get a shot–he’s obviously mastered AAA…
March 7, 2008 at 11:16 pm
Photos from Friday:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/g.....066755272/
Enjoy!
March 7, 2008 at 11:19 pm
Another creative option for center field would be to acquire Ben Francisco from the Indians. He’s blocked by Grady Sizemore, but has but up some solid numbers at the plate and on the basepaths. He’s scheduled to start the year in AAA currently.
http://www.thebaseballcube.com.....isco.shtml
March 8, 2008 at 7:09 am
9 … OK, I’m on the “panic about CF” bandwagon
2-3 weeks???
13 … Venable has not done anything that can be described as “serious power” … there’s *hope* that he will develop average power … the MadFriar’s set an over/under line on his HR count this seaon at 16 … and took the UNDER … allthewhile saying they hope they are wrong … and from the looks of him in spring, he may be improving … but it still seems like a long shot …
15 … no Giles (OG) in a game yet … they are being cautious and have lots of other OFers to look at (in fact, it’s a plethora of OFers, ido (in didi’s opinion)) …
19 … thanks for the report on what SA said on 1090 … I’m thinking that (starting Headley at AAA Portland) makes sense also …
39 … Pat - send emails to BP guys asking for a Pizza Feed @ Petco this year … I’ve been droping them an email monthly about it … they skip’d 2007 but the replies I’ve been getting seem like they are planning to do again in 2008 … KT spoke in 2005 and SA in 2006 … both were *EXCELLENT* … I think the BP guys respond to input from their subscribers
44 … 11:16pm … whew, not as bad as I had fear’d
Malcolm … I’ll be at the game at Peoria on Sunday, call me!
Notes from yesterday (Friday)’s game …
- the big story was Stansberry’s meltdown in the field … that’ll cost him any hope for roster spot … ugly
- Hairston’s first two ABs were everything you’d want and more … HR on first pitch of the game … and a blistering double over the LFers head in the 2nd …
- Myrow with another SHOT … a smoked double over the 1B bag … dude deserves some DH time …
- McAnulty’s AB was OK … he rip’d a foul ball … then lined out to RF …
- Chase worked a walk in his PH appearance …
- CY looked as sharp as ever! Cameron struggled, as did Hampson … Lopez looked OK … Guevara set ‘em down 1-2-3 …
March 8, 2008 at 7:28 am
didn’t see this posted yet….2-3 weeks is right…..probably more.
Playing out just as many imagined.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/.....adres.html
March 8, 2008 at 7:52 am
LM, I’m not a subscriber to BP, but I can definitely send them an email. Cheers.
March 8, 2008 at 10:25 am
I’m from St. Louis. I’ve watched Jim Edmonds for years now. He’s definitely on the decline. He’s got a very visible whiny attitude on the field. He makes borderline difficult catches in the outfield look miraculous. Seems like he’s playing the game half asleep. I’ve lived in San Diego for 3+ years now and I’m a Padres fan. I’m disappointed that Edmonds is now a Padre. And yes I agree that he’ll play no more than 100 games this year and put up paultry numbers. His defense is a far cry from his gold glove years.