pitchers

It Could Be Worse; Just Ask the Mariners

Thursday, September 25, 2008
by Geoff Young

Bullet points this morning: I've got a new piece up at Baseball Digest Daily that talks about the challenges facing the Seattle Mariners this off-season. Here in San Diego, the Padres have their work cut out for them as they attempt to rebuild, but there's something to be said for not owing Jarrod Washburn, Miguel Batista, and Carlos Silva a combined $30.35 million next year. One idea I have for the Ducksnorts 2009 Baseball Annual is a quick survey of the Padres' last 10 drafts. I'm thinking of something along the lines of what Scott Lucas has done at Ranger Rundown, with maybe a little more commentary. ...

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Posted in 2009 Annual, Notes and Links | 5 Comments »

Partly Focused, with a Ten Percent Chance of Useful

Thursday, September 11, 2008
by Geoff Young

Like that new Metallica song, I'm scattered and unfocused today, with hopefully a touch of good stuff in there somewhere... Folks have been singing the praises of Cha Seung Baek because his fastball actually creeps into the mid-90s. I look at his track record and apparent disinterest in attacking hitters, and have concerns, but Monday night against the Dodgers he made Manny Ramirez look terrible twice. In the fourth inning, Baek kept pounding fastballs in on Ramirez, who eventually popped weakly to the right side of the infield. Then in the sixth, on a full count, Baek got Ramirez to chase a fastball out off the plate. ...

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Posted in Notes and Links | 14 Comments »

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Putting ‘Em On, Letting ‘Em In

Wednesday, June 11, 2008
by Geoff Young

One area where Padres pitchers have struggled so far in 2008 is with runners in scoring position. Opponents are hitting .270/.371/.434 against them in those situations. Only four teams -- the Marlins (823), Tigers (837), Rockies (859), and Rangers (916) -- have allowed a higher OPS. Unfortunately, Padres pitchers also rank seventh in MLB in plate appearances with RISP. Bad combination, that. Last year, opponents hit .266/.343/.391 against Padres pitchers with RISP. The OPS of 733 (rounding error) was good for sixth best in MLB. Here's a more detailed look: Opponent OPS with RISP MLB YearPadresTotalLowHigh Statistics are courtesy of Baseball-Reference and are through games of June 10, 2008. 2007733780711874 2008805756654916 We're not concluding anything here, just observing... * * * Quick programming ...

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Posted in Baseball | 15 Comments »

Padres Farm Report (5 May 08)

Monday, May 5, 2008
by Geoff Young

Before we get to Sunday's games, here's a brief chat I had with John Conniff, of MadFriars.com, about his impressions from a recent trip to Portland: Ducksnorts: The big names at Portland, of course, are Chase Headley and Matt Antonelli. How do they look so far this year? Conniff: Obviously by the numbers that they are putting up not that great. The big difference that I could see from them this year from last at San Antonio is they are both having trouble adjusting to the fact that Triple-A pitchers can throw strikes early in the count with their secondary pitches and have better fastball command than Double-A. Consequently they are both hitting behind in the count it seems nearly every time and are ...

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Posted in Interviews, Minors | 2 Comments »

Friday Links (11 Apr 08)

Friday, April 11, 2008
by Geoff Young

Quick reminder: The Ducksnorts 2008 Baseball Annual is on sale. People tell me it doesn't suck, so go buy a copy or three. To the links... Jake Peavy has a mysterious substance on his hand (Yahoo!, h/t Kevin) and suddenly the "national" media knows where San Diego is. Solid effort, guys. Love this quote from Peavy: There's nothing on my hands that's not supposed to be. I thought it was funny that it was such a big deal. I've got no problems with anytime anybody needs to check me. In other words, he says "bring it," which is exactly what ...

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Posted in Notes and Links | 51 Comments »

Random Roster Notes

Tuesday, March 18, 2008
by Geoff Young

Brian Giles saw his first action this spring on Monday. He went 0-for-2 against the Diamondbacks in Tucscon, but who cares? The important thing is, he was in the lineup and able to play right field. Quoth Giles: This was a pretty good test. I know it was only three innings, but the conditions weren't that good out there. It's a little wet in the outfield, and it's windy and cold. Meanwhile, Rule V draftee Callix Crabbe is pushing hard to make the Padres' Opening Day roster. Batting eighth and starting at third base on Monday, Crabbe singled twice and doubled in three trips to the plate. He's hitting .415 this spring, which doesn't tell us as much as his career .369 OBP ...

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Posted in Roster Notes, Spring Training | 41 Comments »

Spring Training Notes (19 Feb 08)

Tuesday, February 19, 2008
by Geoff Young

I kind of run on autopilot around here sometimes and forget to ask y'all what you want. Let me know if there's anything specific you'd like me to focus on this spring or whatever. I'm open to suggestions, but if I don't hear anything, I'll just assume all is well and keep doing whatever the heck it is I do around here. Meanwhile, back to our February optimism: Jim Edmonds underwent an insane workout regimen this past off-season (hat tip to Coronado Mike). Quoth personal trainer Jim Moss, a member of the Los Angeles County SWAT team: I told him that just because we're 38 doesn't mean we're over the hill. ...

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Posted in Notes and Links, Spring Training | 57 Comments »