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Observations from the Weekend

Monday, September 1, 2008
by Geoff Young

First off, if your #2 hitter lays down a sacrifice bunt in the first inning -- as Luis Rodriguez did on Friday night -- then you probably need to find another #2 hitter. Second, for as indifferent as I generally am to the stolen base, it disturbs me that Willy Taveras has more than twice as many by himself this year than does the entire Padres roster. (It also astounds me that Taveras has so many steals despite being a useless hitter -- and people scoff at the notion of there being a continued need for Tony Womack's skill set.) Anyway, it was fun to watch the kids ...

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Posted in Baseball | 21 Comments »

Padres Farm Report: Spotlight on Portland

Thursday, August 28, 2008
by Geoff Young

Portland Beavers in a Box: Record: 69-70 Runs Scored: 695 Runs Allowed: 764 BA/OBP/SLG: .265/.350/.431 (Pacific Coast League: .277/.347/.443) ERA: 5.04 (PCL: 4.84) DER: .632 (PCL: .637) Source: Baseball-Reference. This may be the weakest minor-league team in the Padres organization. In a league that emphasizes scoring, the Beavers' offense is a little below average, while their pitching and defense are considerably worse. The roster features a mix of legitimate prospects, suspects, guys who could have a career on the fringe if everything breaks right, and veterans who aren't going anywhere soon. The best of the lot are second baseman Matt Antonelli (whom I ranked as the Padres #2 prospect entering the season), center fielder Will Venable, and left-hander Wade LeBlanc (#7). Others potentially in the ...

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Posted in Minors | 1 Comment »

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Padres Farm Report (8 Jul 08)

Tuesday, July 8, 2008
by Geoff Young

FYI, I'm way behind on my email. I don't expect that to change anytime soon. If you're expecting a response from me, it may be a while... Triple-A -- Fresno 11, Portland 10 Craig Stansberry (SS): 3-for-5, 3B, BB Peter Ciofrone: 1-for-4, BB, HBP Will Venable: 1-for-4, 2B, 2 BB Justin Huber (1B): 0-for-5, SF Vince Sinisi: 2-for-5, BB Colt Morton: 3-for-6, HR Matt Antonelli: 0-for-4 Cesar Ramos: 4.2 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 2 HR, 2 BB, 3 SO, HBP...

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Posted in Minors | 13 Comments »

Padres Farm Report (7 Jul 08)

Monday, July 7, 2008
by Geoff Young

Triple-A -- Portland 4, Tacoma 3 Craig Stansberry (SS): 1-for-3, HR, 2 BB Chip Ambres (DH): 2-for-4, BB Brian Myrow: 0-for-5 Justin Huber (LF): 2-for-4, BB Will Venable: 1-for-4, BB Colt Morton: 0-for-3, BB Clay Hensley: 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 HR, 2 BB, 5 SO (99 pitches, 60 strikes) With the Beavers down, 3-0, in the ninth, Stansberry launched a three-run bomb to left. Five batters later, Venable drove home Ambres with an infield single. Hensley, after making a brief cameo with the Pads in Denver, returned to the Portland, where he enjoyed his ...

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Posted in Minors | 3 Comments »

Padres Farm Report (29 Jun 08)

Sunday, June 29, 2008
by Geoff Young

Note that these reports will be on hiatus while I'm driving around California and Oregon. I'll be at the Beavers game on Monday and the Emeralds game on Tuesday. My schedule is very aggressive, but I'll try to sneak in some info, pix, and/or videos from the road. If not, they'll have to wait till I return... Triple-A -- Portland 7, Colorado Springs 2 Matt Antonelli: 2-for-4, BB Chip Ambres: 2-for-4, SF Will Venable: 0-for-1, 3 BB Nick Hundley: 1-for-4, HR Peter ...

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Posted in Minors | 6 Comments »

Padres Farm Report (28 Jun 08)

Saturday, June 28, 2008
by Geoff Young

Triple-A -- Colorado Springs 12, Portland 2 Matt Antonelli: 1-for-3, BB, E Luis Rodriguez: 0-for-4 Chip Ambres: 1-for-4, 2B Brian Myrow: 0-for-3, BB Will Venable: 1-for-2, BB Nick Hundley: 0-for-3, BB Vince Sinisi: 1-for-4 Cesar Ramos: 3.2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 0 HR, 3 BB, 3 SO, 2 HBP Adam Bass: 2.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 SO Edgar Gonzalez: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 HR, 1 BB, 2 SO, 1 HBP Joe Thatcher: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, ...

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Posted in Minors | 10 Comments »

Padres Farm Report (27 Jun 08)

Friday, June 27, 2008
by Geoff Young

This whole Allan Dykstra thing has me a bit puzzled. I'm glad that the Padres are investigating whether Dykstra's pre-existing medical condition might cause further problems, but I wonder why this is becoming an issue during contract negotiations. Maybe before drafting him would have been a better time to resolve any lingering concerns? With the injury to last year's first-rounder, Nick Schmidt, you'd think the Padres would want to err on the side of extreme caution. I guess they are, but the timing seems a little strange. Here's hoping it all works out okay. Triple-A -- Portland 5, Colorado Springs 4...

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Posted in Minors | 4 Comments »