Padres Farm Report (23 Jun 08)

Monday, June 23, 2008
by Geoff Young
Triple-A -- Tacoma 1, Portland 0 Matt Antonelli: 1-for-4 Will Venable (CF): 0-for-2, 2 BB Justin Huber: 0-for-4 Brian Myrow: 0-for-3, BB Chip Ambres (RF): 0-for-3, BB Nick Hundley (DH): 0-for-4 Luis Rodriguez: 0-for-3 Wade LeBlanc: 7 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 HR, 0 BB, 9 SO, HBP The Beavers and Rainiers combined for a total of five hits -- not your typical PCL game... Rodriguez is hitting .100/.217/.200 in eight games since returning from the disabled list. Part of that may be due to rust, part due to the fact that -- strong start notwithstanding -- he's ...
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Posted in Minors | 36 Comments »

Familiar Refrain

Thursday, February 14, 2008
by Geoff Young
On pages 141-143 of his 1985 Baseball Abstract, Bill James launches into a discussion of whether baseball dynasties are a thing of the past. This is technically his essay on the San Diego Padres, who were the defending National League champions, although only two paragraphs focus on the Padres: I do not see the Padres as a great team, and I do not see them as likely to repeat. They've got three infielders that I wouldn't put in the top fifteen men at the position. With Terry Kennedy's defense and baserunning, he's got to hit a whole bunch before he can help you, and he hit .240 last year. Their bench is thin. They've got a couple of great young outfielders and real good depth in ...
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Posted in Open Thread | 78 Comments »

Padres tickets  Chargers tickets  Sports tickets

Matched Pairs: Batters

Monday, January 14, 2008
by Geoff Young
I'm addicted to Baseball-Reference's PI tool. For grins I ran a search on everyone who has accumulated 1500 or more career plate appearances with the Padres (39 in total) and ordered them from top (Fred McGriff) to bottom (Enzo Hernandez) according to OPS+. Then I looked for "matched pairs" -- guys who have the same OPS+ (give or take a point). The rankings referenced in each entry are from the upcoming Ducksnorts 2008 Baseball Annual. Let the fun begin: Another Retired Number? PlayerYearsPABAOBPSLGOPS+ Ryan Klesko2000-20063333.279.381.491134 Dave Winfield1973-19804512.284.357.464134 I've got Klesko as the best first baseman in club history and #6 left fielder. Winfield is the #2 right fielder and tied for 10th in left field. Logjam in Center Field PlayerYearsPABAOBPSLGOPS+ Mark Kotsay2001-20031647.283.355.426112 Steve Finley1995-19982640.276.334.458112 Kevin McReynolds1983-19861983.263.319.438111 It's amazing to me ...
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Posted in 2008 Annual | 32 Comments »

Friday Links (11 Jan 2008)

Friday, January 11, 2008
by Geoff Young
Before we get started, thanks to everyone who volunteered to help out with the book. Once I've finished about a dozen more player writeups, the first draft will be complete. The plan is to get that done today or tomorrow, then read through everything on Sunday and Monday to make sure I haven't overlooked anything really stupid. Then I'll start sending stuff your way, probably Wednesday or so. Speaking of the book, I'm having a lot of fun with the player dashboards. I love the fact that Cla Meredith and Chris Young pitch on the same staff, and when you see how they recorded their outs in 2007, I think you can understand why. There aren't two more different types of pitchers in all ...
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Posted in Notes and Links | 71 Comments »

Fifteen Singles

Wednesday, December 26, 2007
by Geoff Young
Did you know that the Padres once broke double digits in runs without the benefit of an extra-base hit? Yep, it happened against the Atlanta Braves at the Murph on September 20, 1985 (box score). Garry Templeton went 4-for-4 out of the leadoff spot, scoring four runs and driving in two. Tony Gwynn added three hits and drove in four runs, as the Padres cruised to an 11-1 victory on the strength of 15 singles and 6 walks. Right-hander LaMarr Hoyt spun five shutout innings to win his 15th game of the season. Southpaw Gene Walter worked the final four to pick up his third save. The Padres held a ...
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Posted in Baseball | 21 Comments »