Notes and Links

Archive for the ‘Notes and Links’ Category

Here, There, and Everywhere

Thursday, September 4, 2008
by Geoff Young

My latest article at Hardball Times looks back at a 1989 game in which the Cleveland Indians collected six hits, all home runs. Joe Carter knocked three of them. Carter, you may recall, came to San Diego the following year and gave a convincing demonstration of how utterly useless the RBI statistic is. Ten men in MLB history have driven in 100 or more runs with a sub-90 OPS+. Carter is the only one to do it twice. Way to go, Joe. Turning to the present, the good folks at Right Field Bleachers have taken the time to chat with me about the Padres as ...

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Posted in Future Friars, Notes and Links | 5 Comments »

Light Posting This Week

Monday, August 18, 2008
by Geoff Young

Posting will be light this week. Nothing much is happening with the Padres right now (aside from the signings of Allan Dykstra and James Darnell, I suppose), and a few other projects are demanding my time: I'm working on a quick survey of compensatory draft picks through history -- We've already touched on Rafael Palmeiro being drafted by the Cubs as compensation for "losing" Tim Stoddard to the Padres, but how about the Blue Jays getting Shawn Green for losing Bud Black, or the Rockies getting Jody Gerut for losing Walt Weiss? I'm also working on the 1969 chapter of the Ducksnorts 2009 Baseball Annual -- ...

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Posted in 2009 Baseball Annual, Administrivia, Notes and Links | 58 Comments »

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Random Friday Stupidity

Friday, August 15, 2008
by Geoff Young

I was hoping to have some original content today, but it's been a long week at work and I haven't been able to formulate my thoughts on various topics as well as I'd have liked. Here are a few things I'm wondering right now: Why did Chase Headley suddenly discover plate discipline on June 12 (zero walks in first 88 PA this year; 16 in 110 since then)? Why does Jake Peavy pitch about as well in losses as Nate Robertson does in wins, and what would Peavy's record look like with Robertson's run support? Why do some people think I'm an optimist? Were the 2003 Tigers really worse than the ...

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Posted in Notes and Links, Open Thread | 51 Comments »

Go Read Stuff

Thursday, July 10, 2008
by Geoff Young

The Padres are taking the day off and so am I. Go read stuff: The Verdict Is In (It Might Be Dangerous... You Go First). Paul DePodesta discusses the art of making deadline deals. Chris Long Q&A (Friar Forecast). MB chats with front office staffer Chris Long about the Padres' draft strategy.

Posted in Notes and Links | 31 Comments »

Air Supply or Suicide?

Friday, June 27, 2008
by Geoff Young

Reader Didi and I had an excellent time in Section 214 (prime foul ball territory) on Thursday afternoon... well, except for the whole losing thing. It was good to be reminded that hanging out at the ballpark and enjoying a big-league game with friends is way more fun than just whining about the team all the time, which isn't particularly productive or even interesting. I'm preparing for my trip up to Oregon, so this will be brief. Three quick items: I'm happy to note that long-time Padres minor-league observer Peter Friberg (he did the reports here in 2007) has relaunched his blog. Be sure to check it out when you have a moment. Another friend and colleague of mine, Eric Seidman (of ...

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Posted in Notes and Links | 115 Comments »

Three Pitchers and a Former GM

Wednesday, May 14, 2008
by Geoff Young

I'm kinda winging it today. We'll see what happens... This has been floating around for a few days now, but Paul DePodesta has a blog. I've added it to the ol' blogroll as well as to PadreBlogs.com. One of DePo's first posts concerns the effects of Petco Park. The entire post is well worth reading, but here's one passage that stands out to me: In each of the past 4+ seasons, the Padres have had a higher OPS than our opponents while playing in Petco. The total line since the opening: .246/.321/.379 for the Padres and .243/.303/.376 for the opposition. Over 342 ...

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Posted in Notes and Links | 109 Comments »

Friday Links (9 May 08)

Friday, May 9, 2008
by Geoff Young

Don't know how we ended up with so many of these, but here they are: Padres can't pin hitting woes on Petco (ESPN, h/t parlo). Quoth Khalil Greene: I'm not going to consistently say it, but the ballpark plays a major factor in it -- more than anybody lets on at times. That's the reality of it. You don't want to make excuses and say, "I would have done this if the ballpark was a different size." But as a hitter, if you hit a ball 380 feet the other way and it's a fly out, that's hard to overcome. If anyone has a right to complain, it's Greene (see pp. 26, 27, and 55 ...

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Posted in Notes and Links | 78 Comments »