OBG08 Revisited: Pitchers

Friday, October 10, 2008
by Geoff Young
We're looking back at our pre-season community projections. On Wednesday we covered the hitters; today we turn to the pitchers. Left-Handers Justin Hampson, 2008  IPERA Projected484.21 Actual30.22.93 Our most optimistic projection had Hampson at a 3.50 ERA. Joe Thatcher, 2008  IPERA Projected582.86 Actual25.28.42 We missed this about as badly as we could. So did other people: CHONE had Thatcher's ERA at 3.67, Marcels had it at 3.86, ZiPS at 2.96. Randy Wolf, 2008  IPERA Projected1244.18 Actual190.14.30 Wolf's ERA for the Padres was 4.74. The bigger shock is that he made it through a season healthy for the first time since 2003. I wouldn't mind seeing him back in San Diego next year. I can think of worse options, many of which I got to see firsthand after Wolf was traded to the Astros. Right-Hander...

Hayhurst Takes Off, Eh?

Tuesday, October 7, 2008
by Geoff Young
Right-hander Dirk Hayhurst has been claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays. Dirk was gracious enough to chat with us not long ago. Although his Padre career lasted just 16 2/3 innings, it got his foot in the proverbial door. Here's wishing Dirk all the best in Toronto (one of my favorite cities) as he continues to pursue his baseball dreams. Also, Josh Bard and Shawn "What Am I Even Doing on This Team?" Estes have filed for free agency. Bard and Estes spent much of 2008 on the disabled list. Despite his struggles this year, Bard ends his Padre career with some solid numbers: .282/.358/.412 in 268 games. Bard turns ...
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One Less Reason

Wednesday, August 20, 2008
by Geoff Young
As you are no doubt aware by now, the Padres have traded Greg Maddux to the Dodgers for two minor-league players to be named later or cash. According to Tom Krasovic at the U-T, "By Oct. 15, the Padres will choose two Dodgers minor leaguers from a list of five already agreed upon by the two clubs." Cash apparently is an option that "would come into play only if injuries weaken the identified trade list." Thoughts? Yeah, I have a few... I'm thrilled for Maddux. He's a class act who has ...

IGD: Padres vs Braves (13 Jul 08)

Sunday, July 13, 2008
by Geoff Young
Padres vs Braves 1:05 p.m. PT Channel 4SD, DIRECTV 740 AM 1090, FM 105.7, XM 188 MLB, B-R Saturday night's game can be broken into two distinct categories: Good: The '98 team was honored before the contest (Gaslamp Ball has sweet photos). Chase Headley drew his first walk of the year. Greg Maddux stole a base. The post-game fireworks show rocked. Not so much: A Braves fan sitting near us kept asking Tim Hudson for his warmup jacket throughout the game. Joe Thatcher gave up a mammoth homer to a Ferengi (I'm pretty sure that violates at least one rule of acquisition). The fireworks show included "Hero" as sung by Bob Dylan's ...

IGD: Padres vs Braves (12 Jul 08)

Saturday, July 12, 2008
by Geoff Young
Padres vs Braves 7:15 p.m. PT Channel 4SD, DIRECTV 737 AM 1090, FM 105.7, XM 189 MLB, B-R We had a great time at the Baseball Prospectus event Friday night. Big thanks to Dave Pease and Joe Sheehan for organizing, the Padres for hosting, and of course Paul DePodesta for being incredibly generous with his time. I'm sworn under threat of Very Nasty Things, Indeed (TM) not to repeat what was said, but I think it's safe to note that DePo referenced Schopenhauer, Thomas Paine, and Malcolm Gladwell in his talk. He also answered all of our questions with patience, thoughtfulness, and as much candor as his position permits. Several Ducksnorters made it ...

IGD: Padres vs Twins (25 Jun 08)

Wednesday, June 25, 2008
by Geoff Young
Padres (32-46) vs Twins (41-36) Greg Maddux vs Glen Perkins 7:05 p.m. PT Channel 4SD AM 1090, FM 105.7, XM 183 MLB, B-R Glen Perkins? I'm not sure we could score three runs off Marlin Perkins right now.

Padres Farm Report (21 Jun 08)

Saturday, June 21, 2008
by Geoff Young
Fun win Friday night. A buddy of mine scored us some sweet seats in the Toyota Terrace for the excellent price of free. Among other things we got to see Greg Maddux pitch a gem and Chase Headley knock his first homer in San Diego. My wife and I particularly enjoyed watching Headley and Khalil Greene homer, as well as watching Paul McAnulty battle in the eighth to work a walk against Detroit's Joel Zumaya and then fall over the fence along the right-field foul line to make a game-ending catch. We saw all three of those players when they were at Lake Elsinore (not at the same time), and it's cool to see them now contributing at the big-league level. The only ...