Cheering for Nordberg

by Geoff Young on Jan 14, 2009 (12) Comments

I watched a replay of the ’98 NL West clincher Tuesday night on Channel 4. Mel Proctor and Rick Sutcliffe called the game (with Mark Grant handling the John Weisbarth “roving reporter” role), which made me realize how very dearly I will miss Matt Vasgersian this year.

The fun part of that game, of course, was that the Padres came back from a 7-0 deficit to beat the Dodgers, whose pitchers forgot how to throw strikes in the sixth inning. The cameras kept cutting to a visibly uncomfortable Glenn Hoffman, who managed the Dodgers at the time. The only thing missing was the voiceover: “Want to get away?”

It was strange to see guys like Ken Caminiti and Jim Leyritz before their lives fell to pieces. Those were happy times for Padres fans, but now it’s a little bittersweet in a Nordberg kind of way.

Meanwhile, at Wrigley Field that day, the Cubs and Brewers played a ridiculous game that featured, among other things, Sammy Sosa’s 60th home run of the season. Proctor and Sutcliffe went on at length about what Sosa and Mark McGwire were doing for the game of baseball. The Padres even planned to honor Sosa when the Cubs came to town later that week.

Was that really a decade ago? It’s funny, you don’t hear a lot of talk about honoring Sosa and McGwire these days… probably won’t for a while.

Back in San Diego, a few more items grabbed my attention:

  • Fresh off the disabled list, Mark Langston made his second career relief appearance in the seventh inning, retiring Matt Luke on a weak grounder to first baseman Wally Joyner. Proctor and Sutcliffe talked about how popular Langston was among his teammates, and speculated that his curve ball might prove effective against left-handed hitters in the postseason.

    It did, in spectacular fashion, when Langston struck out Tino Martinez with the bases loaded in Game 1 of the World Series to end a Yankees threat in the seventh and preserve a 5-5 tie. Home plate umpire Richie Garcia saw things differently, of course, and Martinez remained at-bat, eventually knocking a grand slam that put the game and series out of reach.

  • Trevor Hoffman entered the game in the ninth to AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells.” Although we came to take that for granted over the years, at the time it was still new and Proctor actually explained what was happening. Then again, with Proctor, one could never be sure whether he explained things for our benefit or his own.

    Either way, the crowd of 60,823 was delirious. Hoffman put a couple runners on before fanning Luke (who had driven in five runs on the night) with a steady diet of change-ups to end the game. Once upon a time, Hoffman could get away with that approach against lefties. Actually, “get away” isn’t the right phrase; I think “dominate” paints a more accurate picture.

Good times, those…

* * *

Speaking of Hoffman, reader Schlom points us to Josh Kalk’s examination of the all-time saves leader’s repertoire. One of Josh’s conclusions is this:

If the ninth inning rolls around and there are several tough lefties due up it would probably be a better bet to have Brian Shouse (if resigned) or Mitch Stetter try for the save.

Given that Hoffman isn’t as effective against lefties as he used to be, I’m inclined to agree.

* * *

Finally, the Padres have signed second baseman Chris Burke [h/t Kevin] to a 1-year deal worth $650,000. Bravo. If you’re going to stick a guy who couldn’t hit his way out of a wet paper bag at second, at least have the decency to get him cheap.

Burke will compete with Matt Antonelli and Travis Denker for the starting gig. My guess is that Burke will land the job, before eventually yielding to Antonelli and retiring from baseball to put the band back together.

The Padres also re-signed right-hander Mark Prior. Whatever.

What Up, Dawg

by Geoff Young on Jan 13, 2009 (9) Comments

Former San Diego Surf Dawgs outfielder Rickey Henderson

Congratulations to Rickey Henderson on being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. My favorite memories of Henderson are his slide into home after hitting the homer that gave him the all-time runs scored record, the wedge shot down the right-field line that fell just fair for his 3000th hit, and of course, his tenure (not 10 years) with the San Diego Surf Dawgs. Rickey was one fun dude to watch play the game.

Congratulations also to Jim Rice, the third best left fielder on this year’s ballot and a fine ballplayer — sort of the Moises Alou of his day. I won’t speak ill of Rice; it’s certainly not his fault he’s in Cooperstown. Still, there are several similar players who haven’t been voted in, and I’m at a loss to explain why Rice was anointed the representative Hall of Famer from that lot.

Finally, congratulations to the voters for failing again to elect Tim Raines and Bert Blyleven. It takes a special kind of effort to do that, and not everyone would be up to the task. Way to go.

You Don’t Have to Go Home, but You Can’t Stay Here

by Geoff Young on Jan 12, 2009 (10) Comments

Trevor Hoffman has signed a 1-year deal with the Milwaukee Brewers for $6 million with incentives that could kick it up to $7.5 million. Like football’s Brett Favre, Hoffman now has the pleasure of being almost universally associated with one team despite neither starting nor finishing his career with that team.

We’ve got lots to cover here. I’ll hit the cold, analytical stuff first and then get to the warm, fuzzy stuff. Get comfortable; you don’t just dismiss a guy like Hoffman with a few sentences.

What Happens to Trevor?

Hoffman has a lot working against him. He’s 41 years old, he no longer neutralizes left-handed hitters, and he’s moving to a division with some mighty cozy parks. I don’t want to rip on someone I adore and respect, but it’s hard for me to imagine this ending well for him.

The age thing pretty much speaks for itself. Yeah, Hoffman’s workouts are legendary and nobody is better prepared, but at some point that won’t be enough.

Beyond his age, though, there’s the diminishing effectiveness against lefties. Hoffman’s bread-and-butter pitch is his change-up. It’s a large part of the reason he’s handled southpaws so well over the years — well, before his 2002 shoulder surgery anyway.

The gap between Hoffman’s performance versus righties and versus lefties was non-existent during the first decade of his career. Since the surgery — with the exception of 2006, which was anomalous in many ways — he has given more and more ground to left-handers.

The following chart shows Hoffman’s OPS against for righties and lefties, as well as a meta-ratio that divides the former by the latter. This basically shows us, in relative terms, how effective he has been against hitters from either side of the plate over the years. I’ve excluded 2003 because Hoffman worked only nine innings after coming back from surgery and that’s not a reasonable sample.

Chart showing Trevor Hoffman's effectiveness versus right-handed batters and left-handed batters; click for larger version

A ratio of 1 means that Hoffman handled righties and lefties equally well. Higher numbers indicate greater success against lefties, lower numbers indicate the opposite. You can see that from 1993 to 2002, he was consistently above 1. Since the surgery, however, lefties have been pretty comfortable hitting against him.

Anecdotally, the numbers match the visual evidence. I’m thinking specifically of Tony Gwynn Jr.’s triple on September 29, 2007, that helped knock the Padres out of playoff contention and Jose Cruz Jr.’s two-out walk on April 2, 2008, that set up Lance Berkman’s game-winning three-run homer.

Once upon a time, hitters of their caliber would have had no chance against Hoffman’s change-up. The difference in that pitch now versus 10 years ago may not seem like all that much to you or me, but it’s enough to change the outcome of games and sometimes entire seasons.

The other issue with Hoffman is that, as those of us who have watched him in recent years know, he has zero margin for error. If he misses by even a little, balls get hit hard. That isn’t so much of a problem at Petco Park and in the NL West, but his new environment is generally less forgiving.

Here are the PA/HR numbers for each of the NL West parks from 2008, with the least favorable pitching environments presented first (league average was 37.3 last year):

  1. Coors Field: 34.0
  2. Chase Field: 39.3
  3. Dodger Stadium: 42.5
  4. Petco Park: 46.6
  5. PhoneCo Park: 66.8

Here are those same numbers for the NL Central parks:

  1. Wrigley Field: 29.4
  2. Great American Ballpark: 29.5
  3. Miller Park: 30.4
  4. Minute Maid Park: 31.9
  5. Busch Stadium: 39.0
  6. PNC Park: 41.8

Hoffman’s new home park and three of the five other parks in his new division yielded more homers per at-bat than Coors Field. He will play half his games at home and nine each in Chicago, Cincinnati, and Houston. That works out to 108 games (i.e., two-thirds of the Brewers’ schedule) in places that were more homer friendly than Coors.

If you weight the numbers according to how many games his current and past team will play at each venue in 2009, Hoffman is going from a situation where 72% of his games were in parks that allowed a homer every 38.5 plate appearances to one where 78% of his games are in parks that allowed a homer every 29.5 plate appearances. Hoffman faced 180 batters last year, so the difference works out to about 1.4 homers, which doesn’t seem like much until you realize that one badly timed home run can ruin a closer’s season.

What Happens to the Padres?

Well, this is simple. Heath Bell takes over as the Padres first closer other than Hoffman since the late Rod Beck in 2003. Bell has minor-league closing experience and was one of the best relievers in baseball in 2007.

Last year, however, things got interesting in a “Scott Linebrink might be losing it” kind of way. Although Bell finished with a better ERA than Hoffman in 2008, the newly crowned closer did most of his damage before the All-Star break:

Heath Bell, 2008 by Half
  PA BA OBP SLG
Statistics are courtesy of Baseball-Reference.
First half 198 .209 .269 .291
Second half 126 .264 .355 .415

That’s roughly the difference between Doug Flynn and Von Hayes. Personally I’m more comfortable with a guy who turns hitters into Flynn than one who turns hitters into Hayes (or Scott Hatteberg if you’re too young to remember Hayes).

I have concerns about Bell. The second-half fade, the drop in strikeouts, and the drop in velocity all cause me to wonder how effective he will be as Hoffman’s successor.

Then I remember that the Padres lost 99 games last year and I wonder how wise it would have been to blow 15% of the payroll on a 41-year-old legend with no margin for error. Put it this way: If Bell stinks, at least he’s cheap and he won’t break our hearts while we’re watching him stumble toward the end of his career.

What Happens to Me?

This is a little trickier. Obviously I’ll miss the face of the franchise. On the other hand, I’ve had years to prepare for life after Hoffman. The only real surprise is that he’ll be pitching somewhere else rather than relaxing at home with his family — at least to start the season.

I have many fond memories of Hoffman: The ’96 and ’98 seasons, of course; being there for saves 479 and 500; watching his kids warm up in the bullpen at Peoria toward the end of a spring training game. (Friar John shares some more gems.)

I’ve also had the pleasure of seeing Hoffman in person. He made a couple of appearances at company events where I used to work. He’s a very positive guy who is more gracious with his time than anyone has a right to expect from a future Hall of Famer.

I’m sad that Trevor Time is done. Again, I’ve been expecting this for a long time, so it’s not exactly devastating news.

I’m sadder for Hoffman because I don’t see this working out well for him at all. I hope to heck that I’m wrong, but his skill set isn’t well suited to the NL Central’s small ballparks.

The Brewers make their first trip to San Diego toward the end of July. Assuming everything works out as planned, you may want to get out to one of those games the weekend of July 31 – August 2 and pay your respects.

Also, the Brewers train in Arizona, so if you see Hoffman during Spring Training, be sure to wish him luck. I have a feeling he’s going to need it.

Thanks for everything you’ve done for the Padres and San Diego. Now go out and make me look like an idiot for doubting your ability to succeed against the odds.

Trevor Hoffman delivers a pitch

Scoreboard following Trevor Hoffman's record-breaking 479th career save

Scoreboard following Trevor Hoffman's 500th career save

Moorad to Buy Padres?

by Geoff Young on Jan 05, 2009 (59) Comments

I trust everyone enjoyed their holidays. I walked all over town, watched a boatload of Dresden Files and Extras, and finished the first draft of the Ducksnorts 2009 Baseball Annual. It currently weighs in at 265 pages, so I’ll be spending the next few weeks trying to whittle that down a bit.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, reports indicate that Jeff Moorad is interested in buying the Padres. Moorad, who resigned as CEO of the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, is a former player agent whose philosophy in running an organization appears to align well with that of John Moores. As the U-T’s Tim Sullivan notes:

In partnership with Ken Kendrick, Moorad’s tenure in Arizona was characterized by an infusion of youth, a reduction in payroll and a reliance on computer analysis. That strategy sounds strikingly similar to that which the Padres have espoused with uneven results, so much so that Moores declared the Diamondbacks, “almost a poster child of how clubs should be run” in a September story in the Arizona Republic.

The rest of the article is filled with quaint righteous indignation, my favorite passage being this:

If Moorad and his associates have the means to buy the ballclub, their first order of business ought to be restoring the shattered faith of the Padres’ many disaffected fans. The quickest way to achieve that would be to declare that the fire sale is finished and to plow enough cash into the product to show sincerity.

So cash equals sincerity. I think I missed that day in class.

Anyway, if Moorad does purchase the Padres (and it’s still not clear to me what role the Moores divorce plays in all this), I have a few suggestions:

Keep citing a World Series championship as the goal

Sure, it’s hopelessly unrealistic, seeing as how 97% of teams will fail in a given year, but people love hearing that crap. The trick is to say it with conviction. Prop glasses help, if you remove them at just the right time: “Our goal is… [dramatic pause, followed by removal of glasses] …to win a championship.”

You don’t have to believe this tripe, you just have to make fans believe you believe it. You know that a more reasonable goal is to be competitive, say, four years out of five (as the Padres have been since moving to Petco Park), but you mustn’t give voice to that truth.

As Karen Armstrong observes in A History of God, “Humankind cannot bear very much reality.” So lie to the fans; spin them a colorful yarn that gives them a reason to believe — talk about will and commitment, hard work and dedication, whatever — just make stuff up that sounds good. Then, once they’re happy with your little story, get back to the business of positioning the team to be competitive 80% of the time.

It’s all about perception. Once you’ve convinced the fans that you’re gunning for a World Series title, it doesn’t really matter what you do.

Keep the current front office intact

Count me on the side of Ray Lankford at Sacrifice Bunt. The brain trust has a plan and it’s mostly working. Hire someone charming to tell the media and fans a lovely story of hope or whatever it is they need, and let the decision makers focus on what they do best, i.e., make decisions.

The good news is, Moorad is the man responsible for hiring Josh Byrnes as GM of the Diamondbacks. During his time with the Red Sox, Byrnes worked with Bill James, so I think it’s safe to assume that Byrnes is reasonably well versed in performance analysis. And presumably Moorad wouldn’t have hired Byrnes if he didn’t value that aspect of his game. This should bode well for Sandy Alderson, who was the first GM to put James’ theories to use in a real working environment.

Kevin Towers? Well, Moorad interviewed him for that same D’backs GM job a few years ago. And Towers’ trade record pretty much speaks for itself.

Moorad has been running a franchise on a shoestring budget; he gets how that works. So does the current Padres front office. Given their familiarity with the system, it would be foolish to throw all that knowledge out the window, and Moorad doesn’t strike me as a fool.

Change the team’s name to Chargers and slap yellow lightning bolts all over everything

The Chargers brand has gotten under San Diegans’ skins in a way that no other sports franchise’s has. At the very least, people won’t hate you when you finish the season with a .500 record and still reach the playoffs.

Yeah, I’m kidding on that last one. Sort of…

Happy Holidays; See You in ’09!

by Geoff Young on Dec 19, 2008 (21) Comments

Work, book, and family demands are kicking into high gear, so I’m ducking out early this year. Happy, merry, whatever you celebrate. Be safe, be well, and enjoy. I will see you back here sometime the week of January 5.

Links for 18 Dec 08

by Geoff Young on Dec 18, 2008 (8) Comments

Before we get to the rest of the links, I have to call my own number. I’ve got a new article up at Hardball Times that looks back at some old projections I did here at Ducksnorts many moons ago. Good fun…

Lots to cover this morning:

  • Padres experienced relative success in Moores Era (San Diego Union-Tribune). From Tom Krasovic’s article: “John Moores presided over four Padres trips to the postseason, a World Series appearance and the construction of a downtown ballpark.” Shhh, you’re going against the Angry Fan Company Line that Moores is a crappy owner. Enough with you and your silly little facts.
  • Past and present Padres players respond to the team’s possible sale (U-T). I’ll use this as an excuse to remind folks that, as with the “Jake Peavy trade,” it isn’t news until something happens. When “possible” is removed from the preceding headline, then it becomes news.
  • Moores seeking buyers for Padres (Padres.com). Barry Bloom injects a harsh dose of reality into the ownership story, offering this tidbit on John and Becky Moores:

    Together, they own 90 percent of the team, and because of community property laws in the state of California, Becky shares 50 percent of that asset. She must agree to any sale, and in the event that they can’t come to an agreement, the California state court presiding over the divorce would be the arbitrator.

    Cool, sounds like that should be a snap. Seriously, how hard can it be to get two people involved in divorce proceedings to agree on the sale of something valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars? [h/t Steve C]

  • Notes from MLB’s Winter Meetings (U-T). More common sense from Krasvoic. Don’t expect the Padres to be sold anytime soon, which means… get used to the low payroll (or hope for a Christmas miracle).
  • Padres Contract Projections. Speaking of payroll, Websoulsurfer is a newish Padres blog that has the Padres projected to spend about $41 million on the current roster in 2009.
  • Peavy talks off, Padres CEO says (Padres.com). Speaking of the current roster, “hold” has always been an option with Peavy, although people seem to forget that. The Padres went out and tested the market, didn’t like what they saw, and then walked away. People do this all the time with houses, which depending on what part of the world you live in may or may not be more expensive than Peavy.
  • Is Peavy a product of Petco Park? (ESPN). Speaking of Peavy, Rob Neyer chats with readers about how well the right-hander would do in less pitcher-friendly ballparks. Neyer’s explanation of why Peavy struggled in 2006 — “he was just terribly unlucky” — isn’t entirely satisfying. That may have been part of the problem, but anyone who watched Peavy pitch in ’06 can tell you he had a heckuva time putting hitters away once he got ahead of them. Now, the root cause for that phenomenon remains unknown (I’ve heard his participation in the World Baseball Classic offered as an excuse, but I’m not sure how much stock I put into that). Anyway, we’ll never know until/unless Peavy actually leaves, but it’s fun to toss these things around in December. Beats watching football. ;-) [h/t Kevin]
  • Padres’ Giles sued by ex-girlfriend (Padres.com). This doesn’t sound good:

    Padres’ outfielder Brian Giles is being sued by his former girlfriend as part of a lawsuit that alleges Giles battered her while she was pregnant, causing her to have a miscarriage.

    Without knowing the whole story, my first reaction is to wonder what happened to the criminal charges. Seems to me that if something like this actually happened, it would merit more than a lawsuit. But I’m admittedly ignorant of the way these things work, so who knows.

  • Former Padres pitching coach dies (Padres.com). San Diego native Dave Smith, who served as the Padres pitching coach from 1999 to 2001, died Wednesday of a heart attack at age 53. My condolences go out to his family and friends.

Geez, I’m just spreading all kinds of holiday cheer today. Not that you want to take pleasure in the misery of others (unless they really deserve it, heh), but it does make you appreciate what you’ve got…

The Girls Ran Screaming Behind Him on the Beach

by Geoff Young on Dec 17, 2008 (4) Comments

Do you remember where you were when the Ben Davis Era (TM) ended? Neither do I. Let’s face it, that’s not the sort of thing one remembers in a life full of Things That Matter (TM).

(What’s up with all the TM’s, anyway? Or as I like to say, WUWATTA? (TM))

Quick refresher: The Padres took Davis with the second pick overall in 1995, ahead of Jose Cruz Jr., Kerry Wood, Todd Helton, Geoff Jenkins, Roy Halladay, and 1660 other guys. The track record for high-school catchers isn’t real good, and early in his career, Davis looked like he would join the ranks of those who had failed before him.

In his first full pro season, Davis hit .201/.264/.286 at Rancho Cucamonga. Granted, he was 19 years old, but… just yuck. In his 1997 Minor League Scouting Notebook, John Sickels had this to say about Davis:

He isn’t the second coming of Steve Chilcott quite yet, but Ben Davis is struggling, which shouldn’t really surprise anyone… He could still develop into a fine player. But it is less likely than it was a year ago, and if history is any guide, it wasn’t that likely to begin with.

Yep, a Chilcott mention. That is never a good thing… Sickels gave Davis a grade of C-minus, which is the lowest grade he’ll give a prospect.

But Davis improved with the bat over the next few years and, after brief stints here and there, stuck with the big club in 2001. That season he hit .239/.337/.357 in 138 games — not great, but acceptable for a 24-year-old at a demanding position. The future looked, if not bright, then… well, it had sort of a glow… let’s say it was like a cheap motel in a bad part of town; maybe some letters were missing.

Then on December 11, 2001 (it’s coming back to you now; perhaps you were at a holiday party with some co-workers — whatever happened to that guy who collected rubber bands?), Davis was traded to Seattle, where only the mighty Dan Wilson stood between him and greatness.

Dan Wilson. You remember him, right? He was basically the Deivi Cruz of catchers.

But a funny thing happened along the way. Davis never took hold of the starting job.

Who could have seen that coming? Certainly not me. I actually lamented the departure of Davis (and not just because of those cheesy commercials that showed him running along the beach followed by screaming girls — whatever, dude), figuring he’d turn into a solid contributor for the Mariners:

I still believe Davis is going to be a Mike Lieberthal type offensive player and one of the better defensive catchers in baseball. Wiki Gonzalez is a nice ballplayer, and it’s good to see him get a shot to start, but when all is said and done, he won’t be anywhere near what Davis will be.

First off, how sad is it to be arguing about Davis versus Gonzalez? It’s less interesting now than “paper or plastic” ever will be.

Second, guess which of those guys stuck around the big leagues longer? Hint: It’s not the first-round pick; it’s the guy taken in the minor-league phase of the Rule V draft. Because, you know, he just wasn’t good enough to stick with the Pirates.

On a more symmetrical note, it’s worth pointing out that both guys have a career OPS+ of 78. Why is that worth pointing out? Look, enough with the questions already.

You know what, this post is going nowhere. Hey, at least Ramon Vazquez came over in the deal. He gave us a couple good seasons before being flipped to Boston in the Dave Roberts deal and eventually, improbably, driving in seven runs in a game while playing for the Rangers.

Eh, this has no flow. I’m done. Write your own ending.

Links for 16 Dec 08

by Geoff Young on Dec 16, 2008 (1) Comments

Wait, do you smell something? No, not that; I think it’s links…

  • Club and closer still need each other, but can they mend the fences? (U-T). It seems that Trevor Hoffman and his agents may have overplayed their position. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Hoffy back with the Padres in 2009. (Melvin Nieves at Sacrifice Bunt takes a closer look — pun somewhat intended — at the situation.)
  • Radio hosts Bill Werndl, Joe Tutino are ‘let go’ by XX Sports 1090-AM (U-T). For those who still listen to talk radio, Philly Billy is gone. I never understood the appeal, but it sucks to see a guy lose his job.
  • Top 50 Prospects for 2009. MLB.com unveils its top 50 prospects for 2009. The Padres’ Kyle Blanks checks in at #47. Nice to know folks are finally getting wise to the big kid from New Mexico.
  • Morning Extras: Media Bailouts and Where Do You Get Your News? (The700Level.com). I’ve been thinking a lot about the sports media lately because one of the chapters in the Ducksnorts 2009 Baseball Annual focuses on them. From the article:

    Hits make advertisers happy because hits and views and uniques means that people are showing up. Advertisers like it when people show up.

    The author is talking about the Internet, but the concept is the same in radio and television. And it’s not just the sports media, of course. Where does news end and advertising begin? Good question, always worth asking… usually more than once.

  • Reds acquire catcher Hernandez from Orioles for outfielder Freel (Sportsline). This happened a while ago, but I’ve been wondering — pretty much since they signed him — when the Orioles would get sick of paying Ramon Hernandez to be a shadow of his former self. Congrats to Peter Angelos and company for finding a way out of that horrible contract.

That’s all for now. The bird is the word…

Writing the Book (15 Dec 08)

by Geoff Young on Dec 15, 2008 (4) Comments

I’m pressed for time this morning, so we’ll be quick. Work and various other commitments kept me from writing at all during the week, so it was another 20-hour weekend. Really, with enough coffee, almost anything is possible.

Oh, and I’m sporting a sweet mullet these days. Think of a cross between Barry Gibb and Larry Fine. Did I just ruin your day with that visual? Good.

It’ll all come off once the book is done. That’s pretty good incentive to keep writing, methinks.

Where was I? Ah, yes, the book. I plowed through more of the prospects chapter. It’s approaching 40 pages and I haven’t even gotten to the pitchers yet. I’m hoping I’ll have more time to work on stuff during the week and maybe finish this chapter by the end of next weekend. That would be nice, because there’s a lot more to do in other areas.

What else? Speaking of prospects, Peter Friberg and Ben Davey (Padman from Friar Forecast) have published their top prospect lists over at MadFriars.com.

And I’ve penned a little something over at Baseball Digest Daily about former big-leaguer Cliff Johnson. There isn’t much of a Padres connection, except that the article was inspired by Russell Branyan. And Johnson was kind of like Gene Tenace, I guess, if you want to keep it old school.

Okay, I think that’s it. Why do I feel like I’m missing something? Oh well, I usually feel like that. The house hasn’t burned down, though, so I think we’re good.

For now…

Ducksnorts Top 20 Prospects

by Geoff Young on Dec 13, 2008 (10) Comments

The good folks at MadFriars.com have published my list of top 20 Padres prospects. As always, this list represents a snapshot in time. I’m expecting a few of these names to shift places by the time I send the book off to the printer in February.

That said, I feel pretty good about the list. The guys who are giving me the most trouble are Mat Latos and Jonathan Galvez (whose careers could go any number of directions at this point) and Will Venable (who refuses to stop impressing me despite what his statistics say).

I also love that Jaff Decker checks in at #4. Do you know how many years he would have been our best prospect? That’s no knock against Decker — I’m a big fan — but a little organizational depth never killed anyone…