What the heck, let’s try this again. You wanted open comments; go ahead, say something…
If you’re stuck for ideas, here are a few prompts to get you started:
- Who are your one or two breakout candidates for the 2011 Padres, and why?
- Which of the newcomers are you most excited to see?
- On a scale of 1 to 10, how did the front office do this off-season?
Take a moment to read the comments policy and then dazzle me with your brilliance.
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- Year of the Pitcher or Year of the Smaller Bat? (Royals Authority). Veddy intedesting…
- Interview: Dave Magadan (FanGraphs). Long-time readers know I love Magadan.
- This annotated week in baseball history: Jan. 30-Feb. 5, 2011 (Hardball Times). Richard Barbieri’s latest celebrates my wife’s home state of Hawai’i. Former Padres outfielder Shane Victorino shows up here.
- The Worst 30 Home Run Season Of All-Time (Beyond the Boxscore). Former Padres Vinny Castilla, Dave Kingman, Jose Valentin, and Joe Carter make appearances. Kingman also pops up on this list of awesome. Of course, when Kong pops up, it’s usually a homer.
- The Most Important Thing You Will Read This Week (SBNation). There is evidence that fielding skills fade earlier than hitting skills. Jeff Zimmerman examined this a while back for infielders and outfielders.
- 2011 top 10 prospects: Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres (Hardball Times). Edinson Rincon at no. 7 is a bit of a stretch, but I love his bat… he could be an impact guy.
- Trying to remember the 2010 San Diego Padres: Game 6 (Ludwick comes up HUGE… just not for the Padres) (Avenging Jack Murphy). Title says it all.
- Kielty among three additions to Padres’ system (Padres.com). I used to think Bobby Kielty and Matt Riley were going to be studs… same with John Curtice and Mike Restovich. Turning prospects into useful big leaguers is hard. Also, welcome back to David Newhan, who played for the Padres in 1999 and 2000.
- Boots Poffenberger: No Taming That Tiger! (Seamheads). Doesn’t that name sound like something Ben Roethlisberger would use when he’s checking into a hotel? Anyway, Poffenberger played for the Padres in 1942 and 1946. Interesting cat… I’m guessing David Wells would approve.
- Stick a Fork in the Grapefruit League (FanGraphs). I have nothing to add; I’m just fired up that spring training is almost here. Can I get an amen from the choir?