Coming On Like a Hurricane

by Geoff Young on Jan 14, 2011 (20) Comments

In the wake of Trevor Hoffman’s recent retirement announcement, I thought we’d go dancing in the dark, walking through the park and reminiscing. Or we could just skip all that and head straight for the rolling thunder and pouring rain… Continue reading ›

One-Hit Wonders: Jim McAndrew to Colt Morton

by Geoff Young on Jan 13, 2011 (3) Comments

This is Part 9 of a 13-part series examining the 65 men who have collected exactly one hit as a member of the San Diego Padres. The current installment features a man who pitched one game for the original Padres, the father of a former big-league pitcher, a key member of the ’98 National League championship squad, the man who gave up Tony Gwynn’s first hit, and a catcher with prodigious power who struggled to make contact.

Brain Dump: Stuff in the Works

by Geoff Young on Jan 12, 2011 (5) Comments

If I don’t share these with you, I risk not committing. Here are things I’m working on and hoping to publish at Ducksnorts or elsewhere over the next, oh, couple months or so…

Padres Top 20 Prospects for 2011

by Geoff Young on Jan 11, 2011 (27) Comments

I hate prospect lists because they imply a level of certainty that doesn’t exist. That said, the process of creating such a list helps clarify where an organization’s strengths and weaknesses lie. Besides, other people love them and I am nothing if not a man of the people. Continue reading ›

I Almost Prayed in Albuquerque: Isotope Stadium’s Cruel Glow

by Geoff Young on Jan 10, 2011 (2) Comments

In Summer 2007, I drove from San Diego to Cooperstown for Tony Gwynn’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. This is the final installment of a nine-part series covering the first day of my journey.

After weaving a path across the heart and several limbs of Albuquerque, I found the hotel around 9 p.m. and checked myself in. I was exhausted and irritated, and my legs were hurting from softball. (I’d started playing earlier in the summer for the first time in more than a decade. I forgot that I’d aged since then and I strained both quads while “sprinting” down the first-base line.) Continue reading ›

Friday Links (7 Jan 11)

by Geoff Young on Jan 07, 2011 (9) Comments

Looking for Hall of Fame links? There were so many, they got their own space. For everything else, please press “0″ or hold for the next available operator… Continue reading ›

One-Hit Wonders: Frankie Libran to Darrell May

by Geoff Young on Jan 06, 2011 (2) Comments

This is Part 8 of a 13-part series examining the 65 men who have collected exactly one hit as a member of the San Diego Padres. The current installment features a weak-hitting shortstop, three journeyman pitchers, and former big-league manager. Continue reading ›

Hall of Fame Links

by Geoff Young on Jan 05, 2011 (7) Comments

Congrats to Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven for making the cut. Barry Larkin is getting there, while Tim Raines and Alan Trammell continue to lag. Trammell in particular concerns me, and I suspect he will follow his former double play partner, Lou Whitaker, into hoping for help from the Veterans Committee.

But enough of my yammering; here’s what other folks have to say… Continue reading ›

Me, Elsewhere: Tossed in Translation

by Geoff Young on Jan 05, 2011 (0) Comments

My latest at Hardball Times revisits an earlier article about a toy introduced by Bill James back in the ’80s that translates a hitter’s line into a pitching line. Why would you do this? Well, because it’s fun.

The new article focuses on 2010 performances and features “matched pairs” of hitters and pitchers. Among these are a few current and former Padres, such as Shane Victorino (matches with Jake Westbrook), Jon Garland (Jhonny Peralta), and Wade LeBlanc (Gaby Sanchez).

A few other Padres didn’t make the final cut, but you may find their comps interesting:

                   IP   H  R ER HR BB  SO  ERA HR/9 BB/9 SO/9
Chase Headley   156.2 161 77 69 11 56 139 3.96 0.63 3.22 7.99
Tom Gorzelanny  136.1 136 70 62 11 68 119 4.09 0.73 4.49 7.86

Jason Bartlett  125.0 119 56 50  4 45  83 3.60 0.29 3.24 5.98
Wandy Rodriguez 195.0 183 95 78 16 68 178 3.60 0.74 3.14 8.22

Garrett Jones   158.1 146 73 66 21 53 123 3.75 1.19 3.01 6.99
Carl Pavano     221.0 227 95 92 24 37 117 3.75 0.98 1.51 4.76
Clayton Richard 201.2 206 89 84 16 78 153 3.75 0.71 3.48 6.83

Fun, right? Go read the article.

Hall of Fame and Off-Season Moves

by Geoff Young on Jan 04, 2011 (4) Comments

Two of my colleagues/friends at Hardball Times have penned articles that should be of interest to Padres fans.

First up, Myron Logan examines Jed Hoyer’s moves this winter. Myron’s thoughts pretty much mirror my own, and his discussion of Adrian Gonzalez is spot on:

With only one year left on his team-friendly deal (he’ll make $6.3 million in 2011), Gonzalez’s value is diminished. He’s a great player, sure, but starting in 2012 he’s going to be paid at a near free-market rate, and that is going to minimize his surplus value. From a business perspective, the Padres have maximized Gonzalez’s prime years while paying him much less than his worth, then traded him away for younger workers at just the right time.

Myron also breaks down each of the moves by projected WAR, and the results are enlightening. It isn’t so much that the Padres have lost a great deal of talent as redistributed it more evenly. In other words, all their eggs are no longer in the Gonzalez basket. Yeah, it still stings but diversification of assets is a good thing.

Chris Jaffe, meanwhile, predicts 2011 Hall of Fame results. He does this every year, and it’s always a fun read. This year’s hopefuls include former Padres Roberto Alomar, Fred McGriff, and Kevin Brown, as well as San Diego native Alan Trammell. One of those guys stands a great chance of being elected.