Triple-A — Portland 6, Salt Lake 3
Peter Ciofrone (RF): 1-for-5
Chase Headley (3B): 1-for-5
Brian Myrow: 2-for-3, BB
Chip Ambres (CF): 1-for-2, 3B, BB, HBP
Nick Hundley: 1-for-4, 2B
Craig Stansberry (SS): 1-for-4
Matt Antonelli: 0-for-4
Enrique Gonzalez: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 0 HR, 2 BB, 6 SO
Mauro Zarate: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 HR, 0 BB, 1 SO
Carlos Guevara: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 HR, 0 BB, 0 SO
Joe Thatcher: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 HR, 0 BB, 0 SO
Double-A — Arkansas 9, San Antonio 2
Drew Macias: 1-for-3, 2B, BB
Chad Huffman: 0-for-2, BB, SF
Kyle Blanks: 1-for-4
Colt Morton: 0-for-4
Seth Johnston: 0-for-4
Mike Ekstrom: 3.1 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 0 HR, 1 BB, 2 SO, HBP (7 GO)
Manny Ayala: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 HR, 2 BB, 2 SO
Ayala threw 39 pitches. Presumably he’s building up arm strength before being moved back into the rotation.
More coverage at the San Antonio Express-News.
High-A — Lancaster 5, Lake Elsinore 0
Javis Diaz: 0-for-4
Eric Sogard (DH): 1-for-4
Cedric Hunter: 0-for-4
Rayner Contreras: 1-for-3, 3B
Justin Hampson: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 HR, 0 BB, 2 SO
Nice rehab outing from Hampson… Bill Center at the U-T wonders whether Sogard will be promoted soon (h/t JP). Given that Sogard is in his first full season as a pro and slumping at the moment, it wouldn’t seem likely… Idle speculation, methinks…
Low-A — Great Lakes 5, Fort Wayne 3
Luis Durango: 1-for-3, BB, E
Andrew Cumberland (SS): 2-for-3, BB
Justin Baum: 1-for-3, BB
Shane Buschini: 0-for-2
Yefri Carvajal: 1-for-4
Felix Carrasco: 0-for-4
Robert Woodard: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 HR, 0 BB, 2 SO
Cumberland has knocked two hits in three straight games… Sounds like there was some wackiness in this one…
Draft Watch: Anthony Hewitt
With the draft almost upon us, I figured I’d start looking at some players who might be available when the Padres make their first pick at #23. The club also has picks at #42 (for Doug Brocail) and #46 (for Mike Cameron) in the supplemental first round, #69 in the second, #101 in the third, and #111 in the supplemental third (for failure to sign 2007 pick Tommy Toledo).
There’s an old axiom that says you select the best available player regardless of position, especially early in the draft. That said, there are certain types of guys that the Padres probably should be targeting. If I were running things, I’d be looking at middle infielders, guys with on-base skills, and power arms. Over the next few days, we’ll examine some of these players.
pre-draft rankings:
- Baseball America (sub), 41
- Brewerfan.net, 23
- PG Crosschecker, 39
- John Sickels, n/a
Hewitt possesses terrific raw power and athleticism, drawing praise also for his work ethic, but he may not stick at shortstop. Sometimes compared to ex-Padre Ron Gant, Hewitt is committed to Vanderbilt. He’s a very risky pick, and he might be a reach at #23 but could be a nice find with one of the supplemental picks if he’s still on the board.
- Scouting report with video (MiLB.com)
How about Nick Maronde http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/events/draft_report/y2008/index.jsp?mc=maronde 6’3″ LHP HS – throws low 90s.
High-risk, but potentially high-reward. Don’t know how committed he is to Florida. Projected in the first supplementary round – might be there for #42.
Before Center wrote that comment about Sogard – does he ever look at the stats?
This month Sogard is hitting .244/.374/.256
A big guess, is no, he probably won’t be promoted.
#1@Sean Callahan: The odds of them taking Maronde would appear incalculable. HS pitcher, strong college commitment, advised by Boras. Unless the Padres have decided to abandon the slotting system, there’s no chance.
If Zach Collier is still there at 23, they could go there. Jonathan Mayo of MiLB.com told me the Padres have developed a rapport with him and really like his tools. A HS outfielder in the 1st round would be a major change for the organization.
Reese Havens, the SS out of South Carolina, seems like a kid who would be on our board.
#3@Tom Waits:
A High School OF would be a huge change for the organization but I really like Issac Galloway. Not as much as I liked Michael Burgess last year but I think Galloway has the ability to develop into a really good player if he can develop his power a bit. That’s just my 2 cents though.
#4@KRS1:
1. Yeah, passing on Burgess burned me last year, and it’s still painful. He’s had some K issues this year, but he’s 19 years old in the Sally League slugging 516.
2. Can’t see the Pads taking Galloway. Too many question marks on his swing. Maybe if he falls, but I can’t find any judgment on how committed he is to SDSU.
Hewitt sounds interesting – if Headley ever moved out of the outfield, maybe have huffman at LF with Hewitt at RF, there’s some potential heavy hitters with guns at the corners
How bout giving Ciofrone some love for winning the Triple A player of the week award…Been watching this kid, I really like his stroke. I think he could possibly be a suprise much like a Dan Uggla…
#3@Tom Waits: So we’re basically saying if you have high upside (and likely then to be a Boras client), we’re not interested? Seems like a strange way to try to build a strong system.
A financial portfolio of nothing but CDs might never lose huge amounts of money, but you’re never going to get rich and you might not even keep up with inflation (see Dodgers, Los Angeles). Asset allocation says you make some higher-risk investments knowing that some will pan out and some won’t. The goal is to come out ahead in the long run….
“Investing” for the World Series requires taking some risks along the way.
#8@Sean Callahan: You’re preaching to the choir. The “we’re” in “we’re not interested” is the Padres, not me. What makes the most competitive sense, and what the Padres will do, are not always the same thing, and it’s most noticeable in the draft.
#9@Tom Waits: I’m still hoping that the lack of real “risky” picks has been due to trying to first fill the system with decent “safe” picks so that there would be something to fall back on when future “risky” picks potentially fail. This would be the year to make riskier picks if that was the strategy.
#9@Tom Waits: I’ve made a concious decision to use ‘we’ after GY’s post a while back about referring to the Padres.
I wasn’t trying to imply that you were supportive of the policy. I understood that you were only explaining the Padres unstated (?) policy.
I didn’t know Maronde was a Boras advisee – I’ve just kept tabs on him, seeing as he’s one of the few players to come out of New Zealand…