While the Padres have been busy losing winnable games, I’ve been busy doing life stuff. In lieu of actual content, here are some links…
- 5000+ PA After 1932 With OPS+ 100+ & Never An All-Star (Baseball-Reference). Former Padres Matt Stairs, Kevin McReynolds, Tony Gonzalez, Tony Phillips (sort of), Doug Rader, Keith Moreland, and Jose Cruz Jr. appear on this list.
- Harang’s comeback (Inside the Padres). Tom Krasovic talks about Aaron Harang.
- Padres face small-market problems (Los Angeles Times). One person’s problem is another’s challenge. I appreciate Jeff Moorad’s honest appraisal: “Are we going to win 90 games this season? Probably not.” [h/t Gaslamp Ball]
- The rise of retired numbers (Hardball Times). Don’t expect Trevor Hoffman’s number to remain unretired much longer.
- General draft trends (Hardball Times). These are always fun. Note the overwhelming representation of players from California. (And on a similar note…)
- For Ramsay, love gets the save (Padres.com). Remember former Padres left-hander Rob Ramsay? This is a touching story about his battle against brain cancer.
- The Ogando List: Relievers turned starters (SweetSpot). Former Padres closer Goose Gossage makes an appearance; his former teammate, Craig Lefferts, does not.
- Latos strong in 2011 debut; Padres fall to Reds (Friar Forecast). Myron takes a closer look at Mat Latos’ first start of the season. Kras does the same.
- Contender or Pretender? The Predictive Value of the First Ten Games of the Season (ACTA Sports). Adrian Gonzalez’s new team has gotten off to a slow start, and there may be a legitimate reason to worry. [h/t BBTF]
- Fifteen Years of “Tainted” Titles? (Platoon Advantage). Much as I would love to claim the Yankees cheated their way to the championship in 1998, there is a Caminiti-sized elephant in the room that prevents me from doing so.
- Who’s The Youngest In Each League (Baseball America). The Padres are represented by Anthony Rizzo, Jaff Decker, Rymer Liriano, Reymond Fuentes, and Jose Dore. [h/t Watson Files]
- The PCL Padres: Stylish George (RJ’s Fro). Learn more about George McDonald of the 1936 PCL Padres, who celebrated his 93rd birthday less than a week after fellow ’36er Bobby Doerr celebrated his.
- Minor League Observations from Week 1 (Friarhood). Peter Friberg notes, among other things, that Lake Elsinore third baseman Edinson Rincon committed four errors in this past Sunday’s game. I would like to add that only one of those came in the final six innings, so he did improve as the game progressed. Heh…