Beck, Lawrence, and Stauffer

by Geoff Young on Jun 04, 2003 (Comments Off) Comments

So, if the Padres didn’t use Rod Beck in the ninth last night, then why exactly did they sign him? One of the things a big-league bullpen should be capable of doing is holding a lead. These aren’t guys you bring in only after the damage has been done. I feel horribly for Brian Lawrence right now. He’s thrown two beautiful games in a row, only to see his manager’s complete lack of confidence in the ‘pen undermine those efforts. Very frustrating.

Granted, Lawrence hadn’t thrown as many pitches last night as in the Milwaukee game, but how does Bruce Bochy go the mound with Bobby Higginson at bat and Jesse Orosco ready, and come away without bringing Lawrence with him? Maybe Bochy shared Rick Sutcliffe’s opinion that Lawrence’s kicking at the dirt after allowing a leadoff single on an 0-2 pitch signified that the right-hander was still competing.

I dunno, I tried to tune Sutcliffe out last night. When he focuses on things he knows (like pitching), Sutcliffe can be very good. But last night he didn’t have much to say (but talked a lot anyway). I lost interest when, early in the game, he referred to yesterday’s first pick overall Delmon Young as Dmitri Young’s son and then used that to segue into a discussion of Gary Matthews Jr.

Whatever.

The Draft

I’ll have more to say about this in the coming days, but for now I just wanted to point out an article on Pads’ first-round pick Tim Stauffer. A reader alerted me to this one: Stauffer bound for West Coast (Saratogian.com).

Stauffer’s hometown paper in New York includes a scouting report from Kevin Towers, thoughts from Stauffer and his family, and the information that the right-hander will start at Eugene in the Northwest League once he signs. The story’s writer also has his own blog, which is well worth a visit.

More later…

Bad Poetry and Other Musings

by Geoff Young on Jun 03, 2003 (Comments Off) Comments

My friend Dan and I were rummaging through a used bookstore in North Hollywood the other day, and I stumbled onto an amazing book called Very Bad Poetry. As the editors note, to write truly horrible poetry requires, among other things, "an enviable confidence that allows one to write despite absolutely appalling incompetence." I was planning to share excerpts from this tome every now and then, but I see now that someone has already done this. Anyway, bearing in mind that laughter is best enjoyed with others, I hope you’ll get as big a kick out of these as I have.

Michael Johnson

Yes, it’s true! The Padres have signed 2002 second-round pick Michael Johnson. Thanks to Clemson’s early exit in the NCAA tourney, there was a small window of opportunity for the Pads. Deadline was 9 PM PST Monday, and according to scouting director Bill Gayton, who sat in for a half-inning of last night’s TV broadcast, the deal was struck around 8:15. I think many of us fans had all but given up hope on signing Johnson, who is slated to begin his pro career shortly at Lake Elsinore.

According to Baseball America, the signing of Johnson means that the Pads will take a college pitcher with their first pick, either Richmond’s Tim Stauffer or Wake Forest’s Kyle Sleeth. San Diego also signed right-hander Jared Wells (31st round) and outfielder Brian Wahlbrink (43rd round) from the 2002 draft.

In other draft news that probably doesn’t belong in this space but which I’m too lazy to stick anywhere else, John Sickels gives his thoughts on the top prospects in this year’s class.

Speaking of the NCAA Tourney

Belated congrats to the USD Toreros, who made it for a second straight year. They put up a good fight against juggernaut Cal State Fullerton and Notre Dame, and actually managed to beat Arizona. Another step in the right direction for Rich Hill’s program.

Rod Beck

Geez, is he really only 34? Seems like he’s been around forever. Anyway, he’s a Padre now. Charles Nagy (who actually was doing pretty well in long relief) was outrighted to Portland but isn’t expected to report. Given the way the Padre starters have been pitching, it seems to me the club might be better served with a guy who can soak up more innings. But what do I know.

The Battle of Who Could Care Less

With apologies to Ben Folds, the Tigers are coming to town in what could be the least meaningful rematch of former World Series adversaries ever. Hard to believe it was just 19 years ago that these two clubs battled for the championship. Detroit arrives just two games behind the Pads in the race for last place. The hometowners need to take two out of three to stay ahead of the Tigers.

Padres Claim Linebrink Off Waivers

by Geoff Young on May 31, 2003 (Comments Off) Comments

For a team that can’t win many games, there sure is a lot happening. Brian Tollberg, all but forgotten, came back last night and pitched four perfect innings before faltering. The Pads have also claimed former Astros’ pitcher Scott Linebrink off waivers. Great, great pickup–we’ll get to that in a moment. Finally, in an interesting series of events, the Pads have settled their lawsuit over a denied insurance claim for Randy Myers. Reportedly this will give the club $8M more to spend. On the heels of this comes the rather cryptic suggestion that the Pads "hope to add a significant player who is on the trade block for financial reasons."

Surreal, ain’t it?

Corrections

I don’t normally take the liberty of correcting other people’s work, but this one can’t stand as is. It’s the Associated Press’ report on Boston’s abuse of, er trade with, the Diamondbacks. The troublesome spot is paragraph six, which reads:

Kim is best known for his Yankee Stadium meltdowns in Games 4 and 5 of the 2001 World Series, but has had a solid career with Arizona.

As a favor to the editors who originally missed this, I’d like to give you the corrected version:

Kim is best known for surviving the 2001 World Series, despite the best efforts of his manager to destroy the young pitcher.

Anyway, I’m glad to see Kim leave Arizona for a couple reasons. First, the Pads won’t have to face him anymore. Second, the kid deserves better than Bob Brenly. Diamondback fans are going to hate this trade in a couple years (or sooner). Shea Hillenbrand, the career .284/.317/.432 hitter? They didn’t even get the right Boston third baseman!

Wonder if the Pads could move Keith Lockhart for John Patterson. Hey, Lockhart is a good veteran presence.

Scott Linebrink

Great pickup here. What were the Astros thinking? Linebrink‘s numbers aren’t eye-popping but the guy has a good arm when healthy and he’s got some upside. The 26-year-old right-hander was a second-round pick of the Giants back in 1997, out of Southwest Texas State. Linebrink made his Padre debut last night and pitched a scoreless ninth. Tell you what: If I’m Jaret Wright, I’m more than a little concerned:

            IP H  HR BB SO  ERA
Linebrink 32.2 40  4 14 17 4.13
Wright    27.1 40  5 17 25 7.57

Plus, Wright has been particularly brutal of late. His last five outings:

 IP  H HR BB SO   ERA
6.2 14  2  7  7 14.85

Don’t want to get too excited about a guy like Linebrink, but I like the fact that Kevin Towers and company are at least paying attention. Linebrink is a gamble worth taking. Just like Wright was. The fact that Wright hasn’t worked out doesn’t make it any worse of a gamble. With luck, Linebrink will turn out better.

Personally, I’ve seen Linebrink in person once. I can’t give a scouting report, and even if I could it was several years ago so it might not be accurate.

1997. San Jose. The just-drafted Linebrink makes his home debut for the Cal League Giants. The only things I remember from the game are that Linebrink threw hard and struck out 10 in 6 innings (if memory serves), and that the starting pitcher for Stockton was current White Sox reliever Kelly Wunsch.

Just for grins, I went back and looked for an old report on Linebrink. Here’s one, from John Sickels’ 1999 book:

He can get his fastball to 93-95 MPH with movement and also has a good slider and a forkball he uses as a changeup… Linebrink throws hard and throws strikes. He missed time last year [1998] with a sore shoulder, so injuries may be a problem. If he stays healthy he has a good future. Grade B-

For further grins, here are Sickels’ reports from that year on some other current Padres:

Adam Eaton
He has a 93-MPH fastball, a change, a curve and good control, but his performance in the high Class-A Florida State League was lackluster. He also missed part of the season with shoulder trouble. Eaton is your standard projectable young pitcher. He has a good arm and good makeup but will have to prove he can stay healthy… Grade C

This one will break your heart:

Gary Matthews Jr.
He’s a fine athlete with good speed, moderate power, good command of the strike zone and excellent defensive skills in center field… On the downside, he strikes out a bit too much for comfort, but given his high walk rate I don’t worry about the whiffs very much. Matthews has great range in the outfield and can handle center without difficulty. The Padres have a pair of potential Seven Skill talents in Matthews and Mobile teammate Mike Darr. They shouldn’t have problems filling holes in the outfield for some time. Grade B+

By all that is Kory DeHaan and Shane Victorino in this world, I should hope not!

Ramon Vazquez
He seldom is referred to as a prospect but Vazquez has the first thing I notice about a hitter: command of the strike zone. his power is limited and he’s not a .300 hitter, but he draws a lot of walks, doesn’t strike out excessively and is young enough to have growth potential. His defense at shortstop is sufficient. He has decent range and isn’t overly error-prone… I like his walks and his age but want to see him in Double-A. Grade C+

Kevin Walker
Walker was drafted in the sixth round in 1995 out of Kerry Wood’s high school in Texas. A tall left-hander, Walker’s fastball is in the 86-88 MPH range but has good movement. He has a solid changeup and has worked on improving his curve, though it’s still erratic. His control is good but could be better. His stuff doesn’t overpower people and the more command of it he has, the better off he’ll be. There isn’t much that stands out about Walker or his numbers, but he’s young, stays healthy and usually throws strikes. That gives him a chance. Grade C

Hope you enjoyed that little stroll down the well-traveled memory lane.

We’ll wrap things up today with a special weekend edition of the Mailbag. Today’s letter comes from J.B., who writes:

Thanks for the great Pads site. If you looked into your crystal ball, what would Ramon Vazquez be doing in a couple years? Getting stronger and becoming an impactful offensive player, or being shoved aside by Khalil Greene?

Also, does it pain you that D’Angelo Jimenez was given up on so quickly? I’ve seen him play a few times here in Chicago, and he seems to be a very solid player with decent pop for a middle infielder.

Thanks for writing, J.B.! To answer your first question, I have no idea. And I don’t think the Padres do either. This may seem like the easy way out, but bear with me here. Vazquez, in my estimation, is a solid big-league shortstop. He’s also a good top-of-the-order hitter, at least against righties. But there are people in the organization who feel his best position is second base, so it is possible that Greene will move him to the other side of the bag.

Problem there is that the Padres also have Jake Gautreau and Josh Barfield at second in the minors. Gautreau is closer but his colitis is seriously complicating things for him. Barfield’s future, from what I understand (and having seen him play second base on more than one occasion, it makes sense to me), is likely in the outfield.

But here’s where thing get really interesting. Supposedly the Pads are poised to make a run at Oakland’s Miguel Tejada or Japan’s Kaz Matsui to take over at shortstop. What, then, happens to Greene? Can’t move him to third, Sean Burroughs (and, in his own mind, Phil Nevin) is already there. Can’t move him to first, that’s Nevin/Ryan Klesko territory. Outfield? Not likely. Xavier Nady, Mark Kotsay, and one of Nevin or Klesko will be out there. Which leaves second base. Which puts Vazquez to the bench or on another team.

The more I think about the entire situation, the less clear it becomes to me how everything will be resolved. If I had to take a WAG, I’d say that come 2005, Matsui will be at shortstop, Greene will be at second base, Barfield will be playing left field at Portland, and Gautreau and Vazquez will be playing elsewhere. But really, so much depends on what the Pads do this off-season in terms of pursuing a free agent shortstop.

That and a red wheelbarrow.

Anyway, I hope the Pads find a place for Vazquez. The kid can play.

As for your second question, I’ll answer it this way: I’m sorry Jimenez didn’t work out here. I should point out that he wasn’t given up on quickly. Here’s what he did as a Padre:

  G  AB   H 2B 3B HR BB  SO  BA OBP SLG
173 629 162 30  4  6 73 131 258 333 347

Those aren’t bad numbers, but they’re not great. And there were some pretty serious questions about his desire when he was in San Diego. Jimenez got off to a good start this year with the White Sox, and that’s nice to see. I hope it works out for him there.

My only regret is that Kevin Towers wasn’t able to get more of value for Jimenez. On the other hand, he gave up a few months of Watermelon Man to get the guy, so it’s hard to complain too much. Sometimes things work out, sometimes they don’t. Jimenez didn’t; maybe he will with the Pale Hose.

That’s my time. Thanks, you’ve been a wonderful audience. Drive home safely!

Mailbag

by Geoff Young on May 29, 2003 (Comments Off) Comments

So the Padres won last night despite the fact that starter Carlton Loewer retired just three batters. Charles Nagy did a yeoman’s job in long relief, holding the Brewers at bay while Ramon Vazquez, Brian Buchanan, and the rest of the Friars scrapped their way back into the game.

Gary Bennett finished things off in the bottom of the ninth with a two-run bomb, an inning after Rondell White was robbed by Geoff Jenkins of what would have been a three-run blast. Still not sure I’d have had Xavier Nady bunting with a 2-0 count to get to Bennett in the ninth, but good outcomes have a way of obliterating questionable decision-making.

After Nagy’s five innings of one-hit ball (using only 62 pitches), is it time to move Randy Keisler out of the rotation or even back to Portland? Nagy doesn’t have much left in the tank, but it’s no longer about wins and losses; it’s about saving the bullpen and the young starters. Let Nagy soak up some innings. He faced 16 batters Wednesday night. Allowed a single and a walk; recorded 10 groundball outs and 3 punchouts. The Pads could use some of that.

. . .

First one is from David Lizerbram, who writes:

Dig your blog, read it as often as you write it. Go Padres, etc. As I now live far, far away in Los Angeles, I rarely get to watch the games, so I appreciate you giving us the real deal.

I also love Tom Waits. A small correction regarding your lyric transcriptions: I believe it’s “Peacoat,” not “P-Coat.” It’s the type of coat sailors wear; if you saw it you’d know what I was talking about.

Although, for all I know, P-Coat may be an acceptable alternate spelling. If so, please disregard this correction.

Having been reared by English teachers, and having spent much of my professional life editing the words of others, I’m a sucker for this kind of thing. I looked up "peacoat" at m-w.com; they call what David describes a "pea jacket."

Apparently the "pea" is derived from the Dutch pij–a kind of cloth. Bartleby.com corroborates this theory, so even if it’s not true, it’s at least defensible. :-)

And speaking of defensible, I actually lifted the original lyric directly from officialtomwaits.com. I also did a little searching and found instances of "P-coat" in use: see, e.g., Wool P-Coat Jacket (this also has a nice picture of said coat).

So it would appear that "P-Coat" is an alternate spelling that is in use. Whether it is acceptable or not is a matter of taste, I suppose, but if it’s good enough for Tom Waits, it’s good enough for me.

David also asks:

With our outfield situation as it is, do you think it might be time to pick up a free agent? I know there’s a guy playing for the Newark Bears who you might have heard of. Could he play center? Is this a totally off-the-wall suggestion? Even if so, what do we have to lose?

I don’t think a free agent will do much for the club one way or another. Truth be told, I think the time to pick up a free agent was this winter, when a guy like Orlando Palmeiro was available. But he would’ve just taken valuable playing time away from Shane Victorino, and we can’t have that.

I wouldn’t mind seeing Rickey Henderson back in San Diego. It doesn’t seem like a real good fit for either side, but he sure is fun to watch. Could he play center? If Jesse Orosco can notch saves, then I’ll say Rickey can play center. Heck, he’s still a better option than Buchanan out there.

Interesting idea. I don’t see it happening, but I like the way you’re thinking.

Next up, a note from Anthony Trifiletti:

I’ve heard some talk of Oliver Perez possibly being converted to closer somewhere down the road. I suppose that’s one way to keep him from throwing 140 pitches in 4 innings. What do you think? I’d rather give him plenty of time to learn how to throw strikes, even if it takes him two or three more years in the minors.

Why haven’t they fired Bochy? I don’t think a change is going to make a huge difference but someone needs to light a fire under these guys. I really like Bochy but maybe he’s more suited to a veteran team that already knows how to win. And while they’re at it maybe they should look at getting a new medical staff, they’ve been decimated by injuries the last two seasons.

Regarding Perez, anything is possible. I think his getting work in out from under the San Diego microscope will do him a lot of good. I think the fact that Darren Balsley is now the pitching coach for the big club is a good sign for Perez and all the young arms. I suppose Perez could be looked at as a closer if he can’t gain more consistency as a starter. But I’m with you; give him a chance to prove that he doesn’t belong in a rotation before switching him to the bullpen.

As for Bochy, this is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. I like what he did for the Padres in 1996 and 1998. His style of sitting back and letting guys go about their business works really well with a veteran club, where players expect their manager to respect them. But with kids who need more guidance, I’m not sure Bochy is the best man for the job. With the exception of Xavier Nady, whom he is handling pretty well, Bochy seems to have trouble figuring out what to do with young, inexperienced players.

This, of course, can be a problem when you have a team full of young, inexperienced players.

As I mentioned yesterday, Bochy is pretty tight with owner John Moores, who on more than one occasion has said that his manager isn’t going anywhere. It’s unfortunate for Bochy and the Padres. The losses and the inconsistent effort are taking their toll on Bochy, no doubt. And I don’t know that the kids are developing as well as they could be under a manager more accustomed to working with youngsters.

Give Bochy a mid-market team with a bunch of vets, and he’ll thrive. The Astros, for whom he once played, immediately spring to mind as a great fit for him (not that they’re necessarily in the market, but we’re just hypothesizing here). But Moores loves Bochy. The players appear to like him. Nobody is in a hurry to make a move, so we can only hope that Bochy, like Captain Picard, learns to deal better with kids.

Speaking of Star Trek, this is more than a little scary.

And speaking of nothing in particular, here are a few sites that are showing up in my referrer logs. Check these out when you have a moment:

  • etaoinshrdlu Writer Rolin Moe’s fascinating blog. I’m on his reading list along with Wil Wheaton and William Gibson. Not that I deserve to be among such company, but there I am.
  • No Pepper Braves blog. Brad talks about his team winning games; I find it hard to relate.
  • Universal Baseball Blog Ben Jacobs talks about all kinds of baseball-related topics. Nice to see someone who grew up watching A-Rod, Nomar, and Jeter examine Barry Larkin’s career and reach the conclusion those of us who watched him in his prime already knew: he’s a Hall of Famer.
  • Jake’s Radio ‘Blog He’s Jake, he has a blog.

Finally, I leave you with this vamp on Abbott and Costello’s famous routine. Enjoy…

Peavy, Bay, and the Farm

by Geoff Young on May 28, 2003 (Comments Off) Comments

Well, that sure was fun last night, eh? I can live with giving away the ballgame. I don’t like it, but I can live with it. What really gets me is the fact that the Padres have a manager who hasn’t learned a valuable lesson from the Adam Eaton experience and who still doesn’t know the correct answer to the following question:

Your 21-year-old stud right-hander has just thrown 8 shutout innings, using 110 pitches in the process. Do you:

  1. Pat him on the back, tell him he did a good job, and hand the ball over to the bullpen?
  2. Send him out to throw 11 more pitches in the ninth like a real man?

Is Bruce Bochy really the best person for this job at this time? I don’t think so. Give him a veteran team, he’ll do fine. But I’m not impressed with the way he’s handled Eaton, Jake Peavy, Ramon Vazquez, or Sean Burroughs over the past couple years. Unfortunately, John Moores is Bochy’s biggest backer, so this is what the Pads get.

For the record, here are Peavy’s pitch counts so far this season:

128
120
111
110
110
110
104
102
93
93
82

Maybe Peavy can develop a blister problem, I dunno. Let’s hope history doesn’t repeat itself.

In other news, didn’t it break your heart to see Roger Clemens fail in his attempt to win #300 at home the other day? Yeah, me neither. I cannot deny the man’s greatness, but I still don’t like him one bit.

Roster Moves

Jason Bay, broken wrist, out 4-6 weeks. Infielder Jermaine Clark up from Portland to take his place. In his 2001 book, John Sickels gave Clark a grade of C+, noting that he has a weak arm and isn’t great at turning the double play but that he has speed, gaps power, and a good batting eye. In 19 games with the Beavers this season, he was hitting .185/.338/.333, with 13 walks and 9 strikeouts in 54 at-bats.

On the Farm

Portland: Oliver Perez worked six walkless innings at Tucson last night (second straight start, no free passes). Jay Witasick and Kevin Walker each pitched an inning in the 4-2 loss. Wiki Gonzalez collected three hits. Tagg Bozied drew a walk, to give him now 17 on the season against just 23 strikeouts in 139 at-bats. His overall numbers (.230/.319/.374) still aren’t anything to write home about, but he is making progress in his main area of weakness (strike-zone judgment).

Mobile: Cory Stewart punched out six in as many innings in a 3-1 loss to Chattanooga and now has 65 strikeouts in 55 1/3 innings. Khalil Greene had two hits and is starting to show signs of life, now hitting .264/.327/.401 (although he seems to have forgotten how to take a walk–just 2 in his last 86 at-bats after 13 in his first 96).

Ft. Wayne: Brian Whitaker and Dale Thayer combined on a one-hitter in a 2-0 victory over xx. I tend not to put a lot of stock in what a closer in the Midwest League does, but Thayer’s numbers are ridiculous: 22 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 6 BB, 34 SO. Kennard Jones (.296/.424/.377) continues to be an on-base machine.

Winning, Lake Elsinore, and Tom Waits

by Geoff Young on May 25, 2003 (Comments Off) Comments

PADS WIN! PADS WIN! PADS WIN!

Sorry, but it really is that exciting. Two hits from Sean Burroughs in the #3 hole. Four times on base for "cleanup hitter" Dave Hansen. An opposite field homer from Rondell White. And the big story, a two-hitter from Brian Lawrence to beat Curt Schilling and the Diamondbacks, 5-1.

Okay, Lawrence threw a few more pitches than I’d have liked to seen from him. I was listening to the game on the way back from Elsinore (more on that in a bit) and screaming for the Padres not to let him start the ninth after throwing 113 pitches. But thankfully he was very efficient in the final frame. And thankfully it wasn’t Jake Peavy out there.

Anybody notice how the pitching is back now that Bennett is healthy and catching again? I never, ever thought I’d say these words, but thank goodness Bennett is back. And Lawrence for that matter. Hadn’t seen him pitch a game that well in a long time.

Meanwhile, Back at the Lake

Observations from the Storm game last night against Rancho Cucamonga:

  • Uberprospect Casey Kotchman was not in the lineup for the Quakes.
  • Rancho catcher Jeff Mathis, ranked #5 among Angels prospects by BA, can rake. He singled, doubled, and flied to deep left-center in four trips to the plate. Narrow stance, good balance, short stride. First impression: reminded me a little of Mike Lieberthal or Paul Konerko. Didn’t do much behind the dish to distinguish himself one way or the other. He also appears to run pretty well and have good instincts on the bases.
  • Rancho southpaw Jake Woods (#15 prospect) spun a six-hit shutout. I didn’t track pitches, but the way the Storm hitters were attacking early in the count, I’d be surprised if he broke 100.
  • For Elsinore, Josh Barfield singled in four at-bats and was robbed of another hit on a terrific diving catch by Rancho’s right fielder. In the field, Barfield makes things interesting. He made a spectacular diving stop and throw from his back on a ball that wasn’t quite routine but that probably didn’t warrant a dive. He also ran into first baseman Jon Benick on a foul popup, causing the latter to drop the ball for an error.
  • Storm left-hander Jason Wiedmeyer worked in the mid-80s, topping out at 88 MPH. He didn’t pitch particularly well, but he also didn’t get much help from his defense. It was Wiedmeyer’s first loss in five starts this season.
  • Left fielder Marcus Nettles had a rough night. The box score shows that he had a hit in three at-bats. What it doesn’t show is that he took bad routes in left, had two guys tag up and go to third in the same inning on medium-deep fly balls, and made some horrible baserunning decisions the one time he did reach base.
  • Mike Wodnicki worked the ninth and was consistently in the 92-95 MPH range with his fastball. A little more gas than I’d remembered from him.

Tom Waits, The Heart of Saturday Night

The compositions on this 1974 release feature engaging melodies that still sound fresh today. The arrangements are tight and harmonically rich, with liberal use of strings and horns. The pace of the album is also solid, with natural movement between slow waltzes and swinging blues, between full arrangements and just him and a piano. The lyrics are imagistic and sometimes surprising.

For years I’ve resisted the notion that lyrics added anything to a song beyond the means by which to carry a melody (hence my liking of, e.g., Cocteau Twins, whose haunting tunes are unobstructed by intelligible words). But thanks to songwriters such as Waits, I’m slowly coming to appreciate well-crafted lyrics.

I won’t bore either of us with "analysis" of Waits’ words (which would only devolve into a rant on the unknowability of authorial intent anyway), but I will present a few lines for your consideration. Assign whatever meaning to them you see fit, but pay attention to his use of language. This works best if you read the lyrics out loud:

You know the bartenders
They all know my name
And they catch me when I’m pulling up lame
And I’m a pool-shooting-shimmy-shyster shaking my head
When I should be living clean instead

  –Fumblin’ With the Blues

I admit that I ain’t no angel
I admit that I ain’t no saint
I’m selfish and I’m cruel and I’m blind
If I exorcise my devils
Well my angels may leave too
When they leave they’re so hard to find

  –Please Call Me, Baby

A cab combs the snake,
Tryin’ to rake in that last night’s fare,
And a solitary sailor
Who spends the facts of his life
like small change on strangers…

Paws his inside P-coat pocket
for a welcome twenty-five cents,
And the last bent butt from a package of Kents,
As he dreams of a waitress with Maxwell House eyes
And marmalade thighs with scrambled yellow hair.

  –The Ghosts of Saturday Night

Maybe it’s because he lived in San Diego for a time and I know some of the places he mentions in his songs, but I enjoy this album tremendously and have yet to grow tired of it even after dozens of listenings. If you like the blues, if you like beat poetry, if you like cool bass lines, I highly recommend this one.

More info on Tom Waits: officialtomwaits.com

More Roster Shuffling

by Geoff Young on May 24, 2003 (Comments Off) Comments

Happy Saturday. Usually don’t come here on the weekends, but what the heck.

Lots goin’ on, let’s get started.

Maybe I should rename this blog Padre Roster Moves. Nah, can’t write a theme song around that.

  • C Gary Bennett off DL
  • C Michael Rivera back to Portland
  • OF Gary Matthews Jr. claimed off waivers from Baltimore
  • OF Jason Bay up from Portland
  • OF Mark Kotsay to DL
  • OF Shane Victorino designated for assignment

What’s not to like here? Well, except for Kotsay going to the DL, but he was hurt so what are you gonna do? Bennett is healthy again, which should help the pitching staff (3.42 ERA with him behind the dish according to ESPN, 6.56 with other catchers). Matthews is a monumental improvement over Victorino, and Bay should do an adequate job in center till Kotsay’s return.

Bay, who after a torrid (.370/.495/.765 in 81 at-bats) April had struggled mightily (.217/.295/.261 in 69 at-bats) in May, knocked a solo homer off Arizona closer Matt Mantei in his big-league debut. Who knows what to expect from him in the short term. Anything can happen in 50 at-bats. But he’s certainly a step up from Victorino or Brian Buchanan. Speaking of Buchanan, this appeared in my in-box from good friend Medea’s Child after mentioning the possibility that Big Buck might see time in center:

Actually, I kind of like Buchanan. A Buchanan/Matthews platoon might be surprisingly productive, if you’d be willing to live with the occasional bad defense vs. lefties.

Just to be clear, I like Buchanan quite a bit myself. But not as a center fielder. Or a left fielder. Or a first baseman. He’s a DH biding his time in the NL. Buchanan is a good hitter who can hit the ball a long way, but thanks to some pretty nasty injuries earlier in his career, he really doesn’t move around all that well.

As for Victorino, Kevin Towers probably should have his keys to the Rule V draft taken from him. Much like former-Chargers GM Bobby Beathard’s habit of trading up in the draft to pick a guy everyone else had slotted three rounds later, Towers’ adventures in speculation have grown tiresome. The idea here is to field a big-league ball club. If you have to jump a stud prospect like Jake Peavy or Xavier Nady from time to time, so be it. But you don’t let them ride pine the entire year. So why should a kid who doesn’t have that kind of potential be allowed to rot on the bench in the hope that three years from now he might become the next Gene Kingsale? Guys like that can be found on the waiver wire all the time (see Matthews, Gary Jr.).

I’m not picking on Victorino. He did the very best he could in a difficult situation, but was in way over his head and being asked to do too much. Nothing that transpired here is his fault. He was put in a position to fail, and that’s exactly what he did. With luck, he’ll be able to resume his career with the Dodgers and maybe turn into a productive player at some point. I wish him nothing but the best.

Silver Linings

No sense in reporting on the games these days. Pads lost again, big surprise. Now it’s just a matter of finding silver linings. Here are a few:

  • Bay’s first big-league homer
  • Carlton Loewer: 95 pitches in 6 1/3 innings
  • Ramon Vazquez: single, double, and walk
  • Sean Burroughs, logging some time in the #3 hole; even in a game where he doesn’t get a hit, this is good to see
  • Kevin Walker and Jay Witasick rehabbing at Elsinore; they’re not pitching particularly well, but they’re pitching

It ain’t much, but you take what life gives you.

I’m outta here. Tom Waits will have to wait (pun intended) another day.

Two Outfielders and a Pitcher

by Geoff Young on May 23, 2003 (Comments Off) Comments

First off, let me start by saying my readers absolutely rock. Mere hours after my plea for an answer to Gabe F.’s question, the legendary (don’t mean to embarrass you, but it’s true!) Vinay Kumar steps to the plate and knocks one out of the park, with a spreadsheet and instructions on how to use it.

Did you know that in 2000, the home team won the first game of a series 55.5% of the time? Well, thanks to Vinay, now you do. Amaze your friends, annoy your enemies with this new knowledge. It’ll be great fun. Anyway, give it up for Vinay. Thanks for the assist!

Gary Matthews, Jr.

I sponsor his page over at Baseball Reference.

I wrote an article about him and Mike Darr in this space about five (!) years ago.

And now, according to Peter Gammons on Baseball Tonight (though I can find no mention of it online), the Orioles have placed him on irrevocable waivers. If this is true, I’ve got two words for Kevin Towers: SIGN HIM!

No, he’s not that great. But in case you missed it, Mark Kotsay was placed on the DL. Shane Victorino is the only other guy on the roster who can play center field but he can’t hit a big-league fastball (which begs the question of why he’s wasting a roster spot, but I digress). The Padres appear to be steadfast in their insistence at keeping Jason Bay at bay (or, more accurately and less punningly, at Portland). Which means the Padres’ new center fielder is–please, no laughing; this is serious business here–Brian Buchanan.

Buchanan, it should be noted, stands 6-4 and weighs 230. Big Buck runs reasonably well for a big guy, but he makes Bubba Trammell look like Cesar Geronimo in the outfield. Or Cesar Cedeno. Cesar somebody. Crespo? Salad? I dunno. The point is, Buchanan has no business being anywhere near center field. And an outfield alignment of Rondell White, Buchanan, and Xavier Nady could be terrifying, especially if you’re the guy on the mound and you tend to allow fly balls.

Speaking of Which

Have you noticed that White’s numbers this year are a lot like Trammell’s career numbers?

                   BA OBP SLG
White (2003)      279 335 474
Trammell (career) 263 341 462

Yawn. Next topic.

Oliver Perez Revisited

I know we just talked about him yesterday, but he made his fourth Triple-A start last night and it was a good one:

 IP H R ER BB SO
6.2 7 1  1  0  8

Can you guess which number I like? Hint: it’s in bold.

Places to Go, Things to Do

Couple new (to me) sites worth a visit:

  • eteams Baseball Rules — More than you ever wanted to know about the rules of baseball
  • D-Rays Blog — David Bloom offers passionate and intelligent discussion on the AL’s newest team

That’s all for now. Next time we’ll talk about Tom Waits, the inevitability of derivation in creative works, and Bruce Bochy’s future with the Padres (though not necessarily in that order). Thanks for stopping by, and have a great Memorial Day weekend. See ya soon…

Mailbag

by Geoff Young on May 22, 2003 (Comments Off) Comments


Ducksnorts, Ducksnorts;
Is it a duck?
Is it a snort?
Is it a Dutch spectator sport?

Sorry, been recording stuff the past few days. Got to thinking we might need a theme song here at Ducksnorts.

Or not.

. . .

So, the Pads were swept by the Brewers. Shut out by Wayne Franklin. Yes, I’d say we’ve hit a new low.

Here are my new goals for 2003:

  1. Fewer than 100 losses.
  2. Continued improvement from Sean Burroughs, Xavier Nady, and Ramon Vazquez.
  3. Lower pitch counts from Jake Peavy.
  4. A healthy Brian Lawrence, Adam Eaton, and bullpen.
  5. A decent prospect in exchange for Rondell White and his large contract.

I guess a sixth goal would be umpires who know the difference between balls and strikes, but that may be too much to ask. Yeah, I’m still pretty steamed about that pitch to Vazquez Monday night that was called a strike to end the game. Not that it means much in a season like this, in terms of getting the victory. But it’s disheartening to see your guys battle back, only to have the game taken away from them on a call like that.

Oh well, let’s get to the mail.

Our first letter comes from Gabe F., who raises an excellent question:

I am trying to calculate the percentage of visiting (road) teams that win the 1st game of a series. I wanted to find out this % for all the MLB teams. I am looking to go back as far as 1990.

Thanks for your time, and I like the young arms on the SD staff.

Gabe, thanks for writing. I’m going to ‘fess up right away and say that I don’t know the answer to this one. Off the top of my head, I’d think a good place to look for this sort of thing would be Retrosheet but I honestly don’t know. Before you get discouraged, Gabe, here’s where the power of the people comes into play.

If there is anyone out there reading this who knows where Gabe might find the information he seeks, please drop me a line and let me know. Gabe said some real flattering stuff in the part of his message that I didn’t publish (I blush easily), so the least we can do is lend a hand, right? Besides, now that he’s planted this question in my head, I’m curious to know the answer myself!

Next up, we hear from Anthony Trifiletti:

I just found your site via a link at baseballprimer.com, glad to see a Padres site that offers some intelligent commentary. I’m originally from New Hampshire, now living in San Diego so I have dual loyalties to the Sox and the Padres. It seems like folks out here aren’t as passionate about baseball but maybe having a lousy team for several years in a row will do that. Hopefully all the young guys will continue to develop and we’ll have a decent team in the new park.

First off, Anthony, thanks for stopping by and dropping us a line. Second, I have several theories about the relative lack of passion among fans in this part of the world. In no particular order:

  • Folks on the West Coast have the reputation of being more laid-back than their brethren back East.
  • There are a lot of other entertainment options available, and if some stupid sports team isn’t doing well, to heck with ‘em, let’s go hiking/sailing/surfing/whatever instead.
  • Stadium snafu.
  • Clay Condrey, Keith Lockhart, Shane Victorino.
  • Baseball is boring.

Anyway, I’m pretty excited about the way Burroughs and Nady are hitting the ball right now. And Peavy threw only 89 pitches yesterday, so there’s hope.

Finally, the much-respected and well-traveled Anonymous chimes in with a question about Ollie Perez:

Can you give me an update on Oliver Perez? I haven’t heard much about his pitching in Triple-A. When do you realistically think he’s going to make it back up and when he does, do you think he can put up anything like the numbers we saw last year? If you don’t think he can make it back this year, when do you realistically think (if he stays healthy) he’ll start capitalizing on his immense talent?

Thanks for any info you can provide.

P.S. What kind of year do you expect Mark Kotsay and Xavier Nady to ultimately put in the books?

Perez is pitching well at Portland. This is a good sign, because after the immediate success he enjoyed last year, it would have been easy for him to sulk. In three starts so far, Perez has a 2.08 ERA, with 8 walks and 14 strikeouts over 17 1/3 innings. And according to Jonathan over at PDX Beavers, he looked pretty good in his debut.

For all the optimism that three minor-league starts may afford, it’s premature to get overly excited. There is still much work to be done. Perez needs to establish and maintain a consistent delivery, and he needs to have the confidence and ability to throw more than just his fastball for strikes. He needs to learn how to pitch.

My personal opinion is that the promotion of Darren Balsley to the big-league pitching coach position bodes well for the young lefty. Balsley is the guy who first got good results out of Perez at Elsinore. That said, I’d want Perez to get at least 10-12 starts at Portland before even thinking about bringing him back to San Diego. This isn’t some minor tweaking here. This is a kid making the transformation from thrower to pitcher.

I wouldn’t expect a lot out of Perez this year. I do think he’ll be a part of the 2004 Padres, although some have speculated that it may be as a part of the bullpen. Again, that’s just speculation at this point. Personally, I don’t know. I think the important thing for him right now is to get in some good work away from the spotlight. I remain guardedly optimistic about Perez for the long haul. The talent is there; now he needs to learn how to use it.

As for Kotsay, here’s my take. He’s hurting. I’m not a doctor, nor do I play one on television, but back/neck problems are not to be taken lightly. I have a feeling he’s going to struggle a bit this year. It’s a shame, too, because coming into the season, he looked real good and appeared poised to take the next step. I suspect Kotsay’s numbers will be down a little from 2002 when all is said and done, and we’ll have to wait another year for his breakout season. It should mean more then anyway.

With regard to Nady, I’m already pleasantly surprised by what he’s done. I knew, based on what I’d seen of him at Elsinore, that he would hit. I thought there would be more of an adjustment period, and I didn’t expect him to be this good on defense. The two most encouraging things about Nady’s offense are (a) he’s drawing walks at a decent rate–not like he did in the Cal League, but better than in the PCL–and (b) he’s responded well to the league’s first adjustment to him. He’ll face more slumps this year, but the fact that he was able to come out of the first one so quickly is encouraging. I expected Nady to scuffle more in the first half and then come on strong after the All-Star break. I still think he’s going to have a good second half. He’ll finish up in the .270-.285 range, with 20-25 homers. And he’s only scratching the surface.

Thanks, all, for the letters; keep ‘em coming. And be sure to let me know if you know where to find the answer to Gabe’s question. Otherwise I’ll have to bust out more of the Ducksnorts theme song on you, and I’m sure nobody wants that.

I’m out of here for now. Meantime, why not check out the transcript (and audio) of Abbott and Costello’s Who’s on First? (thanks to my buddy Tom for finding this one).

Enjoy!

Padre Shuffle

by Geoff Young on May 19, 2003 (Comments Off) Comments

Hello. How ya been? Feels like years since I’ve written. Or since the Padres won a game.

Lots going on, but I’m a little short on time, so we’ll get to some of it now and come back for the rest later.

Hey, Hey, Hey, Do the Padre Shuffle

Okay, that was lame. Anyway, here’s what’s been happening of late:

  • RHP Clay Condrey to DL with a strained ERA, er, left oblique
  • RHP Brandon Villafuerte to DL with a strained right shoulder
  • LHP Roger Deago back to Mobile
  • RHP Charles Nagy up from Portland
  • RHP Carlton Loewer up from Portland
  • LHP Randy Keisler up from Portland
  • LHP Mike Bynum to Portland
  • RHP Adam Eaton off DL
  • RHP Kevin Jarvis, LHP Kevin Walker, and RHP Jay Witasick from 15- to 60-day DL
  • C Wiki Gonzalez to Portland
  • C Miguel Ojeda up from Mexico City
  • Greg Booker fired; Darren Balsley named new pitching coach
  • RHP Jon Huber promoted from Ft. Wayne to Lake Elsinore
  • LHP Rob Ramsay promoted from Lake Elsinore to Portland

Something had to give with Condrey and Deago. They couldn’t get hitters out. Losing Villafuerte hurts, because in addition to pitching well since being removed from the closer’s role, he’s also been resilient. Nagy is a guy who could help soak up some innings and maybe take some pressure off the kids (even if only to demonstrate how little it takes to keep a job in the big leagues). Loewer and Keisler actually have some (but not much) upside. Loewer worked 6 2/3 innings in his 2003 debut, throwing just 98 pitches in a losing cause. How many runs did he allow? Who cares. He saved the bullpen, and he kept the prospects from getting slagged.

Bynum, who was busy putting Ken Dixon to shame with 10 homers in 19 1/3 innings, will try to get his game back together at Triple-A. Eaton will try to stay healthy.

As for Jarvis, Walker, and Witasick, I keep hearing conflicting reports. One day they’re close to returning, the next they’re on the 60-day DL. I have no idea.

Gonzalez and the $4M remaining on his contract continue to haunt the Padres, while Ben Davis continues to develop for the Mariners. Ojeda is 28 years old and stands as good a chance as anyone currently in the organization of becoming the catcher of the future. No, that is not a compliment to Ojeda. Oh, and this also means that the Pads’ most effective pitcher so far in 2003 is now in the minors.

Booker’s firing comes as no surprise. Padre pitchers have allowed more walks than anyone in the NL this year, and trail only Cincinnati and Milwaukee in home runs allowed. Only the Reds sport a higher team ERA than the Pads. And the Padres’ most high-profile young arm, Oliver Perez, struggled miserably and was sent back to the minors (although in fairness to Booker, it wasn’t his decision to bring up the talented but erratic left-hander to San Diego after just four starts above Class-A ball).

Booker did get in this great quote, though:

You can prepare a donkey to run in the Preakness, but he probably won’t run very well.

Yeah, Booker was dealt a pretty lousy hand in many respects (Trevor Hoffman, Kevin Jarvis). But the bottom line is he didn’t get the job done.

Balsley is a Mt. Carmel HS (Billy Beane, Eric Chavez, Eric Munson, among others) grad who drew rave reviews for his work with Peavy, Perez, Mark Phillips, and Dennis Tankersley at Lake Elsinore and Mobile the past few years. The hope here is that he’s better suited to developing young arms than Booker evidently was.

Huber is a power righty who continues to intrigue me. Ramsay is recovering from brain tumor surgery and reportedly hit 87 with his fastball at Elsinore last week.

Bad News

  • Keith Lockhart hit a homer in yesterday’s loss to the Braves. Good luck trying to convince Bruce Bochy he doesn’t belong on the roster now. Lockhart doesn’t even have enough of an arm to pitch mopup.
  • Three homers in two days to Vinny Castilla?
  • Jake Peavy: 110 pitches Friday night
  • Ramon Vazquez in May: .220/.277/.322 in 59 at-bats
  • Mark Kotsay in May: .196/.315/.217 in 46 at-bats
  • Shane Victorino leads the club with six stolen bases
  • Ryan Klesko seems to have forgotten how to hit lefties: .111/.256/.167 in 36 at-bats

Good News

  • Mark Loretta in May: .296/.387/.500 in 54 at-bats
  • Xavier Nady in May: .389/.450/.574 in 54 at-bats
  • Sean Burroughs in May: .311/.373/.489 in 45 at-bats
  • Burroughs against southpaws: .280/.400/.600 in 25 at-bats
  • The Pads are assured of losing no more than 149 games this season

Other News

Here’s some stuff that’s been piling up on the desktop:

Okay, that’s all for now. I know a bunch of you have e-mailed me over the past several days. I’m still sifting through all of your letters and I hope to run a mailbag sometime later this week. So if you are one of the fine folks who took the time to write in, thanks for your patience. We’ll get to those real soon. Keep ‘em coming!

Meantime (and this is a phrase you never want to utter about your team), let’s hope the Pads can gain some ground on the Brewers this week. Later…