Hey, look, a box score. The Padres lost, 13-12, to the Mariners (those rapscallions!) in 10 innings. Nick Hundley, James Darnell, and Logan Forsythe all homered for San Diego. Starter Tim Stauffer got shelled. Samuel Deduno took the loss.

Here’s my favorite bit from the game recap:

San Diego third baseman Chase Headley, a switch-hitter who has vowed to hit better from the right side this year after posting a .217 average against lefties in 2010, went 2-for-2 with a walk against left-hander Luke French.

Three plate appearances… I’m glad Headley’s got that problem licked. Sample size much?

Anyway, some people (among them, thankfully, Padres GM Jed Hoyer) believe that spring training statistics don’t mean anything. I say horsefeathers. Like a double rainbow, they might not mean what you think they mean, but they do mean something… namely, that actual baseball is just around the corner.

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Linkage…

• PADRES: Team hopes center fielder Maybin’s newfound job security allows him to realize vast potential (North County Times). So say we all.
• Hudson gets his work done at his earliest convenience (U-T). Quoth Hudson’s father, on the Padres during workouts: “I look at those cats out there. They’re in good shape, they’re playing good ball. But first base isn’t a whole lot of moving. No question I could play first base. Piece of cake.”
• Barker teaches Padres value of fundamentals (Padres.com). Glen Barker, Padres Minor League outfield and baserunning coordinator, is working with outfielders on their positioning. Quoth Barker: “A lot of guys have difficulty going back on balls, so guys tend to play deeper. But at PETCO, when you play deep, you give up a lot of in-between hits. If we can get them comfortable playing in a little bit, that all helps. If that happens, pitchers are confident a guy can run a ball down and take away hits.”
• In post-Adrian world, Venable will be shifting into high gear on basepaths (U-T). Quoth right fielder Will Venable: “It’s not just (about) being a base stealer, but being a good baserunner: the awareness you need to have, the technique to be as efficient as possible … the little nuances that you can pick up from the pitcher that can help you with your jumps.”
• The PCL Padres: February of 1936 (RJ’s Fro). Your latest history lesson…
• Breaking New Grounders: Ground Balls Since 1950 (FanGraphs). Curious. See also fun lists of best and worst groundballing seasons during that stretch. I’m surprised Chris Young doesn’t make the latter.
• Pitching mechanics, the uncertainty of data, and fear (Hardball Times). Money quote: “PITCHf/x data (to date), while very interesting, is riddled with errors that we probably cannot permanently fix (we do not know the uncertainty).” This is a fascinating read, and I look forward to the rest of Kyle Boddy’s series. (PITCHf/x aficionados might also enjoy Max Marchi’s latest.)
• Angels hope playing the numbers game adds up to something special (Los Angeles Times). From the article: “And the Angels monitor how their minor league hitters fare against the 20 pitchers with the best earned-run averages in each league to determine which prospects have mastered a level or hit pitchers with the best stuff.” I wonder if the Padres do something similar? [h/t BBTF]
• Baseball America’s top propects, 10 years later (Orange County Register). Of players in the Padres organization at that time, Jake Peavy has been the most productive big leaguer. The runner-up will blow your mind: Rodrigo Lopez. [h/t BBTF]

Tagged as: cameron maybin, chase headley, chris young, double rainbow, ground balls, jake peavy, james darnell, jed hoyer, logan forsythe, nick hundley, orlando hudson, pcl padres, petco park, pitchf/x, rodrigo lopez, sample size, samuel deduno, seattle mariners, Spring Training, tim stauffer, will venable