Sportswrappin’
Thu, Mar 27, 2008
by Geoff Young
As I’ve mentioned, Derek Togerson was kind enough to have me on as a guest of NBC 7/39’s “SportsWrap” this past Sunday evening. Our segment was the Padres preview, so there wasn’t really an opportunity to pimp the book. Still, we had a great time talking baseball. Some highlights:
I cited the continued development of Chase Headley as the most exciting item of the spring and said that we’d see him at some point during the season, but that the left field job probably was Scott Hairston’s for now (we taped this on March 15). I also noted that the Padres wouldn’t bring Headley up as a stopgap solution — an everyday job would need to open up for him, and given the age and injury concerns of Jim Edmonds and Brian Giles, this could happen sooner rather than later.
Derek and I also talked about the rotation. I said that Chris Young’s second half was a fluke related to his oblique problem and that assuming he’s healthy, he’ll be a stud. I said that Randy Wolf should be effective, and the key would be whether he could stay healthy; if the Padres get 25 starts out of him, they’ll be in good shape. For the #5 spot, I advised against expecting anything from Mark Prior and said that I wasn’t excited about our other options.
When Derek asked me to “bottom line” the season, I said the Padres would win 85-86 games but not make the playoffs because the NL West is just too strong. As I did last spring, I picked Arizona to take the division. Derek went with Colorado.
Thanks again to Derek and the gang for having me on the show!
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 27, 2008 at 8:43 am
Ah man I’m sorry I missed this GY, do you know if there is any video of it posted on the web?
March 27, 2008 at 8:49 am
Tradegy has hit the Padre family …
http://blog.oregonlive.com/bre....._dies.html
Mitch Canham’s brother, Lance Cpl. Dustin L. Canham, died March 23 in what the Department of Defense is describing as a non-hostile incident in the African of country of Djibouti.
March 27, 2008 at 8:52 am
I think you are right, it is Arizona’s division to lose…I think the Rockies are probably a 4th place team…I think I am clearly in the minority here.
March 27, 2008 at 8:52 am
GY- Keep the faith!!!! Padres are going to the -ship this year!!!
March 27, 2008 at 8:52 am
I don’t buy Colorado as a legit contender this year. I see AZ as our biggest competition, and they were incredibly lukcy last year.
I think we’ll be OK and I think we’ll fare much better in the division than the rest of the world seems to think.
March 27, 2008 at 8:53 am
2: I completely agree about Colorado. I don’t know why more people are buying the hype, but what they did in September was literally inconceivable. The chances of them repeating that play are minimal at best
March 27, 2008 at 8:56 am
Anyone know what’s up with the game tomorrow? I just heard something about an exibition game at PETCO (I have no idea how I missed that). My father and brother in-law are in town from San Francisco and they want to get tickets. Anyone know if they are still available?
March 27, 2008 at 8:56 am
The dodgers scare me a bit more than the rockies do, but then again the dodgers always scare me until about May when half of thier team goes on the DL.
March 27, 2008 at 9:00 am
Re: 6 Padres.com still has tix available if you still work down town I would walk to the box office on your lunch break and check it out.
http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com.....sp?c_id=sd
March 27, 2008 at 9:14 am
I’m afraid I could see this team losing 86 games as easily as winning 86.
March 27, 2008 at 9:21 am
10: That’s fair.
March 27, 2008 at 9:28 am
2- Thats a sad story. Does anybody remember the name of the Cpl that was drafted out of the Marines at MCRD San Diego?
March 27, 2008 at 9:30 am
Re: 10 I think they win 86 games if Greene plays 150 games, Wolf makes 25 starts, Giles plays 150 healthy games, they figure out CF and Hoffy forgets about last October. Any combination of those things not happening could set them up to lose 86 games.
March 27, 2008 at 9:33 am
Re: 13 also if P-Mac/Gerut put up average ML #’s in LF and Germano shows the same progress during the season as he did during ST then I think the Pads have a shot at winning 88 to 90 games this year.
March 27, 2008 at 9:40 am
My pessimism is based on the OF situation, fragility of the starting rotation and the possibility we’ve seen the best from Greene and the other infielders. Of course, I’m the dope who predicted a .960 OPS from Kouz.
Now if the IF has a collective fairly monsteriffic season, Hairston produces and the starting staff stays mostly healthy, then … 86+ here we come. I’m not that bullish on AZ either. I want to see those youngsters put up the numbers they’re supposedly capable of. It’ll be fun to watch the Dodgers’ OF situation, too. Just gotta stay away from Dodger Thoughts if Pierre gets too many ABs at expense of Kemp or Either.
March 27, 2008 at 9:53 am
9.
Thanks Steve! I was already planning on going over to the stadium at lunch to find out :).
March 27, 2008 at 10:21 am
12:
Cooper Brannan is the Marine the Padres signed last season.
http://minors.baseball-referen.....?pid=34266
I think people don’t realize how dangerous being in the military is, combat or no combat. For example, the unit I was in Iraq with in 2003 lost more to accidents to combat deaths, and it wasn’t really that close. Out of the 4000 or so deaths in Iraq I’ll be a sizable percentage of them (at least 10-20%) are from non-hostile causes.
March 27, 2008 at 10:30 am
17 … I saw Brannan at Peoria a couple of weeks ago … so he’s still pitching … reports I’ve read at MadFriars indicate he’s improved a lot in the past year … and still has a long way to go (as do all pro players at the lower levels)
March 27, 2008 at 10:30 am
As far as the Padres contending I think the three biggest keys are Wolf being healthy the entire season, getting production out of CF (whether it’s mostly healthy Edmonds bouncing back or Hairston being able to handle it defensively) and getting production out of the 5th starter spot. If all those things happen I think they can contend if the Dodgers or D-backs stumble (I expect the Rockies to be around 80 wins).
The obviously need to stay healthy too (really the biggest key) because they have zero depth in a lot of places. If Giles and Edmonds are both injured the OF could be horrible if Hairston can’t play CF. Same thing with the pitchers as it will be frightening if Wolf gets injured and Germano (or whoever) can’t fill the 5th slot adequately (seeing a game started by Rusch, Ledezma or especially Estes fills me with horror). And they have absolutely no adequate SS backup, I think an injury to Greene would be nearly as crippling as one to Jake.
March 27, 2008 at 10:34 am
#1: I don’t believe so. Copyright and all that.
#2: Very sad.
#3: I honestly see the first four spots as something of a crapshoot. The only thing I’m sure of is that the Giants will finish last.
#5: The Snakes may have been “lucky” last year, but they also didn’t play up to their ability. There’s some terrific young talent in Arizona, and with a full season under their belts, they could become dangerous at any moment.
#10: A lot would have to go wrong, but yes, that is entirely possible. For one thing, our interleague schedule is brutal.
#17: Here is a photo of Brannan from ST:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gyoung858/2317434631/
March 27, 2008 at 11:19 am
I think we should let the season play out.
March 27, 2008 at 11:19 am
Corey Brock has today’s lineup in his blog …
CF Scott Hairston
RF Paul McAnulty
1B Adrian Gonzalez
3B Kevin Kouzmanoff
DH Tony Clark
SS Khalil Greene
C Michael Barrett
LF Justin Huber
2B Callix Crabbe
SP Chris Young
… featuring our newest Padre in LF!
March 27, 2008 at 11:21 am
21 … I bet it will, whether we want it to or not!
And I’ll bet we’re all wrong … not about everything, mind you … but most the details, anyway …
March 27, 2008 at 11:33 am
Matt Murton didn’t make the Cubs roster:
http://www.suntimes.com/sports.....08.article
He’s better then Huber I think and if they can get him for nothing I would take a shot. A platoon of him and Giles in RF would be good. Now maybe they can add Anthony Reyes too and that could help some of the depth problems.
March 27, 2008 at 11:49 am
#23: I’ll bet you’re right!
March 27, 2008 at 11:49 am
BA has a look at the status of all the Rule 5 picks …
http://www.baseballamerica.com.....1#more-841
… which says this about Guevara: has posted gaudy strikeout rates in Double-A with his screwball and would give the San Diego bullpen a unique look, one that NL batters don’t often see.
March 27, 2008 at 11:58 am
Count me as the wildly optimistic homer. 91 wins, here we come! My fantasy world involves one of Wolf or Prior having a huge year (probably Wolf), Headley coming up quickly and playing well in left or someone else playing well enough to hold him off, and Edmonds having mostly healthy bounceback year.
So maybe this isn’t particularly realistic, but I think it’s within the realm of possibility.
March 27, 2008 at 12:21 pm
24: Isnt Matt Murton contradicting your school of thought? Why would we want a player that cant make a Major League club?
March 27, 2008 at 12:26 pm
OT … WC @ BP reports this about Milton Bradley … ready to be the Rangers’ everyday DH, he’s taken some turns in the outfield without any setbacks … I’ll be rootin’ for him!
March 27, 2008 at 12:34 pm
29: I really think that Rangers team could suprise some people if Bradley and Hamilton can make 140 starts each.
March 27, 2008 at 12:39 pm
28:
It depends on the player. Murton has his limitations of course (why else would he not make the roster?) but his strengths fit in well with the Padres as he’s a great hitter against left-handed pitchers and the Padres have two outfielders (4 if you include Gerut/McAnulty) that probably need to be platooned. He’s not Jody Gerut as he’s actually spend the past 2 seasons in the majors, not sitting at home rehabbing his knees. Just because the Cubs are too stupid to use him doesn’t mean that the Padres should be. Since he has talent he’ll cost more then the other Padre pickups but it probably won’t be a lot.
As for Reyes, he’s much younger then Rusch and Estes so there’s the potential for him to improve unlike the other two (not to say that Rusch can’t be successful as a reliever since they seem to much more of a crapshoot). Reyes also has a much better minor league track record then the players of a similar age (Germano and Ledezma) even though his time in the majors has been pretty terrible. I also like Reyes because he’s a fly-ball pitcher which Petco will help.
March 27, 2008 at 12:46 pm
I’ve touched on this before the Padres need to take advantage of Petco Park. Since we can probably assume that they are never going to sign an elite, big name hitter (they either won’t want to come here because their stats will take a hit or the Padres won’t want to pay for them) they have to be aggressive in signing pitchers. Anthony Reyes is a perfect target for them — he’s young so in theory he’s coming into his prime and he’s a fly-ball pitcher that strikes people out. If he successful they can either trade him or let him walk and take draft picks. And if you sign them to one year deals it doesn’t really cost you anything, especially if they fail which a lot of them would (since you aren’t signing sure things). And if the strategy works out, other free agents might take discounts to come to Petco on short-term contracts to enhance their value. If you are going to have to overpay for hitting, shouldn’t the opposite be true?
March 27, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Um guys, CY just got absolutely DRILLED on a line drive. He’s still pitching, but this is potentially very worrisome.
March 27, 2008 at 1:04 pm
#24: if Giles is healthy, I don’t really like the idea of platooning him… mainly because he’s a sketchy enough leadoff candidate as it is, and I don’t really see anybody else leading off on a regular basis. Plus, I’m optimistic that he will be healthy and have a much more productive season than last year. Also defensively, there’s nobody I like in RF in Petco better than Brian Giles. He might be getting old, but I love watching him charge out there and he’s got way more experience with the tricky dimensions (the porch and the bullpen mounds) than anybody else.
March 27, 2008 at 1:05 pm
I’m not sure if it’s related to his getting drilled, but CY is no longer pitching. He finished the third, but Ledezma is now in. Can anyone confirm if this was the plan before the game (i.e. did they read this somewhere)?
March 27, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Color me pessimistic, but we still don’t hit and lack speed so how are we going to score runs? Predict the second half sees Padre starters and bullpen collapse under the weight of having to win 1-run games every night, similar to last year, oh, and lots of LOBs. Guessing 83-85 wins, but that won’t be enough to make the playoffs. Maybe then, we can start with some good young talent.
March 27, 2008 at 1:24 pm
34:
Historically Giles has been much stronger against RHP then LHP (career OPS of 975 vs. 778). He’s also been bad against LHP the past two years (675 and 624) although he at least had a 346 OBP against them. Since Murton’s career OPS is 892 (ignoring park effects) that’s a sizable improvement over Giles offensively and not much of a defensive decline, if any. If Giles hits again at home like he did last year (awful) then he certainly needs to platooned in Petco (he had zero power against lefties and at Petco, his SLG might have been under 300 at home). I don’t know if I’d platoon Huber with Giles though, he doesn’t have the major league track record that Murton does (only 106 PA’s so far).
March 27, 2008 at 1:32 pm
#37: good points, good numbers… but who do you have leading off when Giles isn’t in the lineup?
March 27, 2008 at 1:33 pm
I really like the Justin Huber pickup. This is the kind of move that K.T has had so much luck at mining gold. I have a feeling that Huber will excel as a Padre.
March 27, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Looks like Chris Young and Barrett were able to catch Willie Bloomquist stealing 2nd before Young’s exit. Hopefully more CS’s to come this season…
March 27, 2008 at 1:43 pm
35: This is the time of year they want to stretch guys out so I’d be surprised if it was a planned early exit. Hopefully it’s more precautionary than anything else.
March 27, 2008 at 1:48 pm
31 … when was the last time you saw Murton play, and how did he look? I’m wondering if anything might have changed since you last saw him play that would be the basis for the Cubs cutting him?
March 27, 2008 at 1:55 pm
TK @ UT reports Prior’s on the bump pitchin’ BP …
http://www.signonsandiego.com/.....st_bp.html
March 27, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Well, I don’t think the Cubs are going to straight up waive him (if they do there is no way the Padres would have a chance at picking him up). His numbers in the majors are pretty good (especially his numbers against LHP) and his numbers in the minors are great:
http://www.baseball-reference......ma01.shtml
I think he just got caught up in a numbers game in Chicago as they needed someone who could play CF as their projected starter is rookie Felix Pie (why 31 year old Reed Johnson is that player is beyond me and could explain why the Cubs are the Cubs). For what it’s worth, Murton’s defensive numbers in the outfield are above average according to Baseball Prospectus (of course that might not mean anything).
I have no idea why the Cubs never gave him a fair shot. He doesn’t have a lot of power for a corner OF but he’s been good at getting on base — historically that’s not a good match for the Cubs. I made the joke yesterday that maybe it’s because he’s a ginger kid — with the amount of day games the Cubs play there could be something to that.
March 27, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Hey, a Travis Chick sighting in today’s game …
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/boxsco.....b_seamlb_1
HRs by Hairston and KG … 3 hits by KK … Huffman/Cooper/Macias now in the game (at RF/1B/CF) …
btw, MF reported that Macias will go to AA San Antonio … with Vanable in CF at AAA Portland! And similarly, Hundley will be the C at AAA Portland with Colt Morton going to AA San Antonio …
March 27, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I made the comment about Murton not fitting in well in Chicago because he has red hair and fair skin as a joke but maybe there is something to that? He has 464 PA’s in the day and 465 at night, here’s are his splits:
D: 269/330/412 13 HR
N: 324/400/500 15 HR
March 27, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Padres explode for 6 runs off former-Padre-farmhand Travis Chick!
Macias, Huffman, Cooper and Durango all in the rally!
March 27, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Geoff and DS getting a shout out from some of THE heaviest hitters in the sabremetric community!!!
http://www.insidethebook.com/e.....view_book/
Congrats, Geoff!
March 27, 2008 at 2:30 pm
36: PM you need to read some of the things GY has posted and written about the Padres O splits. We have a good offense; it’s just masked by playing 81 games at Petco.
March 27, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Baseball Cranks NL West report:
http://baseballcrank.com/archi.....2008_n.php
No love for the Pads.
March 27, 2008 at 2:44 pm
49: We have an above average offense. I don’t know if it is good. It’s better than people think, but other teams come in and hit at Petco, you would think the padres could figure it out, playing 1/2 their season there. Their whole approach changes at Petco it seems.
March 27, 2008 at 2:53 pm
News Flash … in case it’s not obvious yet … Callix Crabbe is a *great* guy … and a decent hitter … and a good utility glove man … but the guy is a disaster on the bases … today, just for example, he both gets PO’d and CS’d … ug … remember, this is the guy that Fick CS’s in the first spring instrasquad game … I suspect he’ll be red-lighted once the regular season starts … which, based on his spring results, is fine by me.
March 27, 2008 at 3:03 pm
“I have no idea why the Cubs never gave him a fair shot. He doesn’t have a lot of power for a corner OF but he’s been good at getting on base”
Huge Brewers/NL Central fan here… There’s really no reason - just that they didn’t utilize him properly. Murton isn’t much of a defender, but iirc he’s not horrid. He mashes LHP (career .326/.399/.510/.909) & has been respectable v. RHP (career .280/.346/.425/.771), most notably that he gets on base fairly well v. RHP.
They have Soriano who doesn’t miss much time in LF, and signed Fukudome to play RF (who really won’t be much of an upgrade over the production they had from RF in 2007 anyway). Not sure why Murton didn’t fit in, as Fukudome is a lefty. He’s never gotten a fair shake from the Cubs. He’d seem to fit in well for the Pads.
March 27, 2008 at 3:05 pm
49, 51:
Padres opponents hit 235/294/336 at Petco while the Padres hit 235/310/378. This led to 323 runs for the Padres and 278 for their opponents. The difference was power — the Padres had 126 2B, 19 3B, 72 HR, while their opponents had 118 2B, 16 3B, 45 HR. The Padres also had 295 walks and HBP while their opponents only had 245. Interestingly, the Padres had only 30 steals at home (with 8 CS) while the opponents had 85 (and 12 CS).
The Padres only outscored their opponents on the road by 30 (418 to 388).
So to say that they collectively haven’t figured out to hit in Petco is incorrect. The only truly awful hitters at home last season (among the returnees) were Greene, who has never hit here, and Giles who has never shown that kind of split before.
March 27, 2008 at 3:10 pm
#48: Very cool, thanks for the heads-up!
March 27, 2008 at 3:15 pm
54: Those are two pretty key players in the Padres offense and it hurts to not have them hit at all at home.
I didnt say overall the visiting team hit better than the Padres, but some teams came in and hit well (Baltimore, Philly, Mil). Padres’ pitching actually made it hard for any teams to hit well against them home or away.
March 27, 2008 at 3:19 pm
50: I swear that I’m not trying to be overly homeristic, but I refuse to understand why everyone is so down on our team. Why on earth are we all of a sudden supposed to plummet back to earth. I don’t think the Rox and the Dodgers will be as good as everyone predicts. The D-Backs should end up being our principal competition.
March 27, 2008 at 3:31 pm
51: Good, above average, seems like splitting hairs to me. Besides, that was last year and we really need to worry about this year.
BTW, where can you get team stats, not individual, for visiting teams to Petco? I’d be surprised if any other team/s have really hit all that well at Petco except in very small sample sizes.
March 27, 2008 at 3:32 pm
57 … I think the definition of “homeristic” might be refusing to understand why everyone [else] is so down on our team
I think it’s easy to see OG’s age and recent knee surgery … Edmonds recent performace and injuries … and a lack of anyone “proven” in LF … and be pretty down on the Padres, just for those 3 reasons. Then add to the mix that last year’s #4 starter is a year older and is now the #3 starter, and even the strength of the team (starting pitching) can be seen to have flaws.
I’m OK coming in under the radar … I’d prefer to be a surprise … and that’s what I expect (unless that’s an oxymoron)!
March 27, 2008 at 3:33 pm
55: You’re welcome. I was totally stoked for you! That is a big ol’ feather in your cap, imo.
March 27, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Hmmm, thanks for FJ’s blog, I just read this note from a UT article …
The Padres are to send $50,000 or a player to the Royals within 30 days. They preferred Cubs corner outfielder Matt Murton but were unwilling to give up a prospect for him. “We’ve had interest in (Huber) for a couple of years,” said General Manager Kevin Towers.
March 27, 2008 at 3:40 pm
61 … that same UT article had this update on Edmonds …
In his first at-bat since a calf strain sidelined him March 6, Jim Edmonds, appearing in a minor league game, hit a home run, then added two singles in three more at-bats.
Edmonds did not play in center field, and even after the 3-for-4 showing, Black described Edmonds as doubtful for Opening Day. If Edmonds goes on the disabled list, he would be eligible to return April 5.
March 27, 2008 at 3:50 pm
61:
I guess that makes sense. Murton is clearly better but we don’t know what the Cubs were asking for him. Plus the last time the Padres traded for a Cubs role player it didn’t work out too well (Jose Ceda for Todd Walker).
I got all the stats from Baseball-Reference. The home road splits show the effect Petco Park has — 806 total runs on the road vs. 601 at home. That’s a huge difference.
March 27, 2008 at 4:22 pm
I’m still fascinated by the lack of understanding of park effects.
March 27, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Attention USD fans … the first college stats are out …
http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/college/?p=377
Your national strikeouts leader is San Diego lefthander Brian Matusz, who has 71 through 44 innings. That’s 20 more than second-place Aaron Crow of Missouri and Kyle Blair of USD.
March 27, 2008 at 4:55 pm
#58 - I think baseball-reference.com would have the team stats, but I don’t have time to check, sorry. Maybe look under the “League” section on the left-hand column/toolbar on the front page.
March 27, 2008 at 5:18 pm
I’m totally in with the Murton thing.
Don’t know why the Cubs don’t just use him. He’ll be a good platoon for OG except for figuring out the quirky corner of RF at Petco. Hitting-wise he’s complementary to OG. It would interesting to see if the Cubs will make him available. The Padres and Cubs are pretty good trading partners in the past.
Nice to see Huber in the lineup. I think he’ll be a good addition. Surprised that the Royals are not using him as a DH. It is funny to think that the Padres can’t find any place to use Jack Cust and yet, here’s Huber, who’s basically the same player from the right side. I just hope this doesn’t mean P-Mac is left off the roster when the team breaks camp.
Still need those pitchers, though, as the Padres’ road pitching numbers were pretty terrible last season. I don’t see the Cards letting Anthony Reyes go.
March 27, 2008 at 5:21 pm
65: This is nice.
“A pair of Big West teams are atop the ERA leaderboard. No. 7 UC Irvine has the nation’s best ERA (1.86), and No. 5 Long Beach State is second (2.12).”
Geoff and I had a great time watching UC Irvine-USD game up there last month. If you are around in April, we plan to see the rematch at USD.
March 27, 2008 at 5:21 pm
They have splits for everything.
Here’s the Padres batting splits from last season:
http://www.baseball-reference......;year=2007
Here’s the complete NL splits:
http://www.baseball-reference......;year=2007
You can see from the 2nd link how much Petco depresses hitting (the next lowest split was about 18% higher — RFK)
March 27, 2008 at 5:24 pm
68:
It’s amazing that UC-Irvine is good. The baseball team got cut the same year as my men’s track and cross-country teams (damn Title IX!) and they only brought it back 7 years ago. They got good pretty quickly.
March 27, 2008 at 5:33 pm
70: Yes, that is an amazing story. The new ballpark is very nice. Geoff compared it to some minor-league parks. Plus, Tuesday night are $2 nights. Sweet and free parking for those games. Have you gone back up there? Too many constructions going on still…Under Construction Indefinitely still rings true. Zot Zot!
March 27, 2008 at 5:37 pm
67: I hated giving Cust away, but there’s no way to slice it, his defense is atrocious. I still think he could have been useful. Huber’s a better defender and a viable emergency catcher.
This team would be a lot more solid with a true CF. Edmonds doesn’t count anymore. Maybe Hairston or Gerut turns into one; stranger things have happened.
March 27, 2008 at 5:54 pm
72: 100% accurate wrt to Cust’s defense. And I guess we’re left with hoping that Hairston or Gerut can pass as a CF this year.
March 27, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Today’s game summary at UT says …
“Because I was under the weather I wasn’t worried with the results,” said Young, who had been bothered by flu-like symptoms the past four days. “I’m ready to go. I feel good.”
… seems like I’ve read that a couple of the players have had “flu-like symptoms” recently … bleh …
March 27, 2008 at 7:48 pm
74 … and also this …
Padres OF Jim Edmonds went 1-for-4 with a walk in a minor league game.
March 27, 2008 at 8:04 pm
Re: Cust & Huber
Cust is a better hitter (more power & more walks) but he strikes out a TON (1233 in 3786 MiLB AB - comparing Minor league numbers b/c we have a larger sample size). Huber, on the other hand, has 548 SO in 2391 MiLB…
I once heard an expert describe Cust’s defense ability, “As a first-basemen, he’s a lawn orniment, as a left-fielder, he’s something less (paraphrased).”
March 27, 2008 at 8:58 pm
With a rate of 56% in 2007, is Jack the new king of the Three True Outcomes?
March 27, 2008 at 9:57 pm
66: Cheers!
67: I really think the thing which held him back, and why they acquired Huber, is Cust being LH. We had other LH options and Petco is much better suited to a RH hitter, imo. But I totally get your point about how similar they are as players and odd they would release one (trade him?), yet trade for the other.
68: I’d really like to see the USD-Irvine game. What day are you guys going?
March 27, 2008 at 10:01 pm
69: Thanks. I’ll have to get more familiar with the PI. I subscribed a while ago, but I haven’t been able to get it to put out team or league splits like that.
March 27, 2008 at 10:02 pm
77: Yeah! With K’s like that he is the next Rob Deer!
March 27, 2008 at 10:11 pm
76: Friberg is back. Yeay. Must be baseball season starting soon.
Thanks. I hope Huber is way better a defender than Cust.
78: I think the game is going to be on April 15 during the day since that field has no light. Would be great if you can join us, Pat. Of course, there is a Padres game that night also.
Read an article that the Padres was more interested in Murton than Huber but wasn’t willing to trade a prospect for Murton and instead is going to send probably cash to the Royals even is the trade is officially PTBNL for now.
I’m guessing that means that Josh Greer might just be a pitcher the Padres would try to get to the ML level yet. Losing Ceda, Meek, Rosales, Soria in trades/draft last season depleted the Padres’ arms collection. Or the Padres don’t think Murton is that much better than Huber. Nice to have the RH hitter in the lineup.
I’m counting on Germano to win 10-12 games this year. That would be great.
March 27, 2008 at 11:20 pm
79/Pat: That really isn’t part of the PI (well, maybe it is .. I don’t know). Just go to the Padres team page then click on splits (either bat or pitch) and that’s what you get. From there you can get the league splits, too (up top).
March 27, 2008 at 11:48 pm
70: I think a lot of credit has to go to CSUF. UCI’s coach was bred from that system and UCI has definitely benefitted from it.
March 27, 2008 at 11:51 pm
68: I’ll be at the CSUF vs USD game in Fullerton if anyone is around in April. As well as the SDSU/CSUF games obviously.
March 27, 2008 at 11:59 pm
83: Yes, that helps the recruiting season also in 2001 during the program first year when they didn’t compete for the season, I think.
Dave “2007 Head Coach of the Year” Cerrano, however, has moved on to coach at CSUF and he’s been replaced by Mike Gillespie of the USC Trojans fame. That helps any program, right?
84: Up for a road trip, GY?
March 28, 2008 at 7:24 am
Re: 57 - Phantom…might have a lot to do with the OF situation being very questionable, the distrust of Wolf/Germano/Bill Neverheardofya being at the back-end of our rotation, the lack of depth in the middle infield, Trevor’s collapse at the end of last season, and, most importantly, the dogmatic obsession with making the Rockies seem better than they actually are.
March 28, 2008 at 7:25 am
Oh yea, and I type that as someone who thinks that they will battle the Dodgers for 2nd place all year long.