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Keith Law's Top 100 Prospects includes four Padres

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Yesterday Keith Law released his annual list of Top 100 Prospects ($). Four Padres made it to his list, and three of them are in the Top 50.

#33: Austin Hedges

The minors' premier defensive catcher is one of the best bets on the list to have a long MLB career, although it remains to be seen what kind of role he has. His glove will keep him playing as long as he's healthy, regardless of whether or not he hits, but he has the raw power to become an impact bat for the position as well.

The highest-ranked Friar on Law's list is unsurprisingly Austin Hedges, who climbed three spots in the rankings from 2013. He has been one of the most talked-about prospects in our farm system since he was drafted in 2011 and decommitted from UCLA to sign with the Padres. He played in the All-Star Futures Game last Summer, as well as the AZL Fall Stars Game last Fall. He also topped the Top 10 Padres Prospects lists at both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus. MLB.com ranked him #24 overall in their 2014 Prospect Watch Top 100 and #2 among catchers. Hedges is probably still a year away from major league playing time, but we'll get to see some of his stuff this Spring when he joins the boys at the big league camp for his second straight year as one of 18 non-roster invitees.

#39: Matt Wisler

The main knock on Wisler is his delivery, as he doesn't use his lower half as much as he should and he pronates his pitching arm late, with his front foot already touching the ground. That leads to some inconsistency in his slot, but he hasn't had any trouble yet with command or control, only with his feel for his changeup, which he can't turn over properly when his arm drifts down.

He's an 80-grade competitor and a diligent worker, giving him a better chance than most pitchers to reach his ceiling, which for him is a No. 2 starter who can handle 200-plus innings a year.

Wisler was much further down in MLB.com's Top 100, where he came in at #78. Another product of the 2011 draft, who decomitted from Ohio State to sign with San Diego, Wisler has become one of the fastest-rising pitchers in the league after getting to Double-A San Antonio in 2013. Law seems to think so too, considering he ranked Wisler in his Top 50 after leaving him out last season. He was ranked just behind Hedges in both Baseball America's and Baseball Prospectus' Top 10 lists. He'll be at major league camp along with Hedges, so look forward to seeing them both this Spring.

#48: Max Fried

Fried had a good but not ideal first full year in pro ball, showing improved stuff and staying healthy but struggling more with command than anyone might have anticipated...

... He's very competitive with great makeup, so no one doubts he'll make this adjustment in time and cut his walk rate as he moves up; he'll have to do so to continue to project as a future No. 2 starter.

Drafted 7th overall in the 2012 First-Year Player draft, Fried rounds out the top 3 Padres prospects by both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus. MLB.com also ranked him #43 on their Top 100 list and #3 amongst lefty pitchers. He moved down Law's rankings by 12 spots compared to 2013, but still made it in his top 50. Like Hedges and Wisler, Fried isn't expected to move past Double-A this season, but he'll be fun to watch.

#94: Hunter Renfroe

He's a plus runner with a strong arm and should be an excellent defender in right, saving up to 10 runs per season between his glove and his arm. The question on Renfroe, and it's a significant one, is his pitch recognition and the resulting trouble he has making contact...

Hunter Renfroe was originally drafted out of high school by Boston in the 31st round of the 2010 draft, but thankfully for us, he decided to play college ball at Mississippi State. He became a standout player for the Bulldogs, and entered the draft again in 2013, when the Padres selected him as their top pick (13th overall) and signed him a month later. He quickly became a fan favorite after interacting with fans at Social Media Night, on the same night he signed his contract. He split time between Eugene and Fort Wayne last season, with his promotion coming after he helped his team win the Northwest League's All-Star Game.

Watch out for Law's lists of Top 10 NL West Prospects, scheduled to be released tomorrow.


Yankees throwdown: Masahiro Tanaka vs. Hideki Irabu

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For the first time since 1997 the Yankees have acquired the most hyped Japanese pitcher on the market. That's where the similarities between Masahiro Tanaka and Hideki Irabu should start and end though. We hope.

Way back in 1997 the Yankees were riding high after a thrilling World Series win that snapped an 18-year drought for the franchise. Heading into the season they shored up an already solid pitching staff by signing David Wells as a free agent and seemed poised for a repeat. Naturally, George Steinbrenner needed more and knew exactly where to get it.

In January of that year the San Diego Padres shrewdly purchased the contract of a highly touted, flame-throwing Japanese pitcher named Hideki Irabu. In fact, this move was so shrewd that it combined with the Hideo Nomo signing two years prior and the Alfonso Soriano signing in 1998 to inspire the posting system that we know and love today. The problem for the Padres was that Irabu refused to play for them and made no secret that the only MLB team he would play for was the Yankees. By May, the Yankees worked out a deal that would give them the rights to sign Irabu in return for a package including prized prospect Ruben Rivera and a bag full of cash. Irabu then quickly signed a four-year contract worth $12.8 million. That may not seem like much in today's context, but it was certainly nothing to sneeze at. Just ask Frank Costanza.

When Irabu finally arrived in the Bronx he showed up looking not so much like a baseball player in his prime but more like a 40-something Jonathan Winters. Despite his girth, the scouting reports that painted a picture of a power pitcher with excellent command could not be ignored. If Nomo had removed the stigma surrounding Japanese players in Major League Baseball just a couple years earlier, Irabu was set to take it one step further and prove that not only did they belong, but they could also be among the league's elite.

With the hype machine in full effect and the eyes of the world watching, Irabu's first start did not disappoint. He cruised to an easy win, striking out nine Detroit Tigers in six and a third innings and earning the praise of his catcher and current Yankee manager Joe Girardi. That was where the honeymoon ended though. Irabu was inconsistent at best until he was demoted to the bullpen in September after consecutive starts in which he failed to make it out of the fourth inning. For all of the fanfare that followed him into New York, he just seemed like another dime-a-dozen pitcher who could throw hard but with little effectiveness. Forget elite, he was becoming a classic bust.

The Yankees looked past the rude awakening he got in his rookie year and kept him in the back end of the rotation for the next two seasons. He proved to be serviceable in that role but never lived up to the lofty expectations originally placed on him. During the two dominant playoff runs the Yankees had over that span, Irabu was an afterthought, getting lit up by the Red Sox in his lone appearance. In retrospect, the highlight of his Yankees career took place after a 1999 exhibition game in which he failed to cover first base on a ground ball. A frustrated Steinbrenner then called him a "fat toad" and a legendary nickname was born.

Following the 1999 season, Irabu was shipped to the Montreal Expos for a pair of young pitchers, Jake Westbrook and Ted Lilly, who would go on to have productive careers with teams other than the Yankees. By 2002, he was out of MLB, and by 2004, he was finished with professional baseball altogether. The troubled and enigmatic Irabu would continue to appear in the news now and then for the wrong reasons until July 2011, when he tragically took his own life at just 42 years old, a heartbreaking end to an unfortunate story.

Now we're 17 years removed from Hideki Irabu's signing and some Yankee fans might be worried that they're making a similar mistake in acquiring Masahiro Tanaka. Outside of their nationality, though, they have very little in common. For starters, Tanaka actually looks like an athlete. This shouldn't matter much, but weight was always an issue with Irabu and even these days writers love to cite CC Sabathia's weight as a reason for his performance. Fitness will never be a concern for Tanaka.

The most important way in which these two differ, however, is their skill set. By all measures, Tanaka is simply a better pitcher than Irabu ever was. At 25 years old, Tanaka has already logged more innings in Japan than Irabu had at 28 and with better results. Tanaka has matched Irabu's impressive strikeout rate while walking half as many batters. He has also surrendered home runs at a significantly lower rate and put up an overall ERA more than a full run better than Irabu. Whereas Irabu had immense raw talent that he could not quite harness, Tanaka comes to the Yankees a proven, polished pitcher. He has the quality stuff that every big league pitcher needs, but also the command to make that stuff effective. His insertion into the top of the rotation seems appropriate, not a reach.

The pressure, or lack thereof, on Tanaka from his home country should also not be looked over here. When Irabu headed to the other side of the world, he had the weight of Japan on his shoulders. He was the one that was going to prove that Japanese players should be considered among the best in the world. Every start, every inning, every pitch was a national event that required undivided attention. He's far from the only person that would have cracked under the same unfathomable burden. Since then, dozens and dozens of Japanese pitchers have passed through MLB with most of them performing admirably, even if Yankee fans would like to forget one in particular. The urgency of watching a particular Japanese player in the US has worn off considerably, to the point that Daisuke Matsuzaka and Yu Darvish can pitch without the eyes of the nation all over them. That's all good news for Tanaka.

Does this mean that Tanaka is a slam dunk and will pitch his way right into Cooperstown? Absolutely not, but under this set of circumstances his chances are as good as any that he'll make it big in The Big Apple.

Jason Parks Wanted LHP Daniel Norris in the Baseball Prospectus Top 101

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Baseball Prospectus has a post up today on prospects who just missed the Top 101 list published a couple days ago. If you'll recall, Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez, and Alberto Tirado all made the grade, while only the first two made Keith Law's list. The "just missed" includes ten players who were in consideration to be in the Top 101, but just missed out in the end. Left-handed pitcher Daniel Norris is included and Jason Parks thinks the 2011 draftee definitely deserved to appear in the main list, saying:

He was as high as no. 80 on a few rough drafts, but slowly trickled down the list before falling off completely so that a few high ceiling/high risk types could get their day in the sun. As much as they belonged, their inclusion shouldn’t have come at the expense of Norris. As far as I’m concerned, this is a top 101 talent.

That's quite a confident endorsement for a pitcher who still has been held back by command and control issues. The stuff is clearly there, though and the solid delivery leads Parks to believe that the command will eventually come around:

...the delivery is actually pretty smooth and his athleticism and overall feel point to a brighter future on the command front.

In his tools ratings, Norris gets 6's thrown on his fastball and slider, as well as a 5+rating on the changeup.Take a look at the delivery for yourself in the video below, which features a look at Norris' fastball and curveball:

Also included on the just missed list are Red Sox prospects 2B Mookie Betts and RHP Allen Webster as well as 2013 draftee crush of yours truly, OF Hunter Renfroe, who was passed over by Toronto in the most recent draft eventually ending up going to the Padres at #13. Renfroe was left off the list for a slightly personal bias for Parks:

I tend to undervalue college bats in favor of higher risk Latin American talent that will probably fail to develop and leave me sad, lonely, and pickling from the inside out.

Keith Law's Top 10 Padres Prospects

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The ESPN Insider profiles the best of the Padres' farm system.

In our third installment of worshiping at the altar of ESPN-spawned prospect lists, we have the top 10 Padres prospects ($) as determined by the ESPN prospects guru Keith Law. We already knew that the Padres have a talented farm system ranking #9 in all of baseball according to this source. We also knew that the first 4 names on the list would be Austin Hedges, Matt Wisler, Max Fried and Hunter Renfroe since all were ranked by Law in his top 100 prospects. Today we got to see the rest of the list along with some info about some key prospects that just missed:

RankProspectPosition
1Austin HedgesC
2Matt WislerRHP
3Max FriedLHP
4Hunter RenfroeRF
5Casey KellyRHP
6Dustin Peterson3B
7Joe RossRHP
8Zach EflinRHP
9Andy LockettRHP
10Rymer LirianoRF

The name at number 5, and the first name of the list that has actually appeared in a Padres uniform, should not come as a big surprise. Even though he is coming off Tommy John surgery the prospect people still really like what he brings to the table. He is seen as someone that will end up as a regular in the middle of a major league rotation for years to come.

Law is a bit higher than most on Dustin Peterson in the 6th spot. Many see his upside, but being that he was drafted just last June in the 2nd round there are others that are a little more guarded than Law.

2011 first round pick Joe Ross is also a regular on these lists. Tyson Ross' brother throws hard, has a prototypical body and an advancing feel for the game. He still needs polish though, and a #7 ranking by Law is a bit higher than where some have put him.

In some of his comments Law mentions #8 Zach Eflin, along with Ross and Walker Weickel (who he parenthetically refers to as the Padres' #13 prospect).

(The three pitchers) all flash plus stuff but need to work on command and turning lineups over three times. Eflin is the most advanced on the mound, sinking the fastball and going to a plus changeup for swings and misses, throwing a slider now that projects as average.

I have heard that about Eflin before, he has a better feel for the game than most, but Ross has more upside. Weickel needs a better feel and his stuff does not have the potential that Ross' does.

Coming in at #9, Andy Lockett is the biggest surprise on the list. He is not a complete unknown as I recall prospect gurus that came to Peoria to check out the Padres' young arms being impressed with him. He is a big guy at 6'5" 225 lbs according to baseball-reference.com. Law calls him a sleeper:

Andy Lockett missed all of 2013 (outside of three short relief outings in the complex league) with a blister issue that just wouldn't clear up; when that's not an issue, he'll run his fastball up to 94 with sink and shows a plus change. His arm works well and his slider was better than ever in instructs last year, although that won't really count until he can throw it against live hitters.

Lockett was a 2012 draftee out of high school, so even without the blister issue you would expect him to be a year behind that of Ross, Eflin and Weickel. His experience thus far has been a limited number of outings for the short season rookie ball team in Peoria. He will get a chance to live up to this praise in Fort Wayne this year.

The last man on the official list is Rymer Liriano. Law seems to have docked Liriano a little more than most for missing the 2013 season due to Tommy John surgery. Law mentions that Liriano "desperately needed those at-bats to continue to work on recognizing off-speed stuff." I do not think anyone could argue with that, but at still just 23 years of age there is time for Liriano to recover. However, Law also mentions that the outfielder had not lived up to his potential before the injury either, so there is plenty of ground to cover to get him read for a big league career.

Other prospects mentioned in the story were SS Jace Peterson (referred to as the #11 prospect), newly acquired RHP Jesse Hahn (#12) and another surprise in SS Josh Van Meter (#14). Peterson has been a fixture on many of these types of lists, but falls off Law's top 10. His age with regards to level of play is questioned (he will be 24 in May and starting AA ball), but the feeling is he can play either middle infield spot in the majors at some point. Law is skeptical of Hahn's health (as well he should be), but does refer to him as a likely "premium reliever" if the pitching prospect's arm does not allow him to start. Van Meter was a 5th round pick in last June's draft. His defense is his calling card and is good enough to elevate him to top 15 prospect status according to Law. The bat will need to develop though.

I am not a scout and have no means with which to criticize any prospect list, but I can point out a couple curiosities. There was no mention of Burch Smith. I do not know if Law left him off because of some sort of eligibility (Smith had too much service time last year to still be eligible for the rookie of the year, despite not pitching enough innings to be disqualified). Most prospect sites kept him eligible for their lists and had him in the top 10 or a near miss. Alex Dickerson has no such eligibility issues and had been a consensus top 15 prospect for the Padres since being acquired from the Pirates. There is nary a mention of him here.

Sunday Rockpile: The Rockies single biggest factor in 2014

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Road offense, pitching, beating the division, or injuries. What will be the single biggest factor for the Rockies in 2014?

After reading Jay's piece on how Nolan Arenado is the key to 2014 and listening to the triumphant return of Purple Row Radio, I got to thinkin', "what's the one aspect of the game that can or will impact 2014 the most for the Rockies?"

My question is not about players, but about phenomena that surround the game. So I thought of a few and figured I'd use one of my lifelines and ask the audience as well.

Road Offense

The Rockies road offense has a well documented history of being as frustrating as being stuck in two inches of Atlanta snow. I think this is one place where the addition of Justin Morneau will really help the team. I haven't heard a good reason yet why his good road numbers (and low strike out rate) won't maintain in Colorado.

It seems to me like improving on road offense was a major factor in acquiring Morneau (and trading Dexter Fowler) because if the Rockies can improve in this area I think they have a decent shot at contention.

Pitching

Pitching is on everyone's list for the entire history of baseball. You can't win without pitching and apparently if you are the Colorado Rockies, you can get historically good pitching from the top three slots and still lose. If the young guys in the rotation continue to improve rather than regress the Rockies may have one of the best rotations they have ever had.

If things play out more evenly though, and there are struggles with consistency and/or injuries, the Rockies may need to call on their depth (Lyles, Gray, Butler) which could either see a dramatic loss or spectacular gain depending on how things play out.

With the team making it's home at Coors, the Rockies aren't likely to win a lot of 1-0 games in 2014. They've had offenses that could keep the team afloat despite bad pitching before. If the rotation comes out mostly bad, can the Rockies survive? If the rotation comes out mostly good, can the Rockies contend?

Beating the division

You can only win the games right in front of you, so all other things aside the Rockies must beat up on the NL West. The Dodgers may be able to buy the division but they can't buy both Wild Card spots too. I'm not yet convinced that the Giants or Padres are anything to worry about yet and I didn't like the Diamondbacks off season.

With the added depth on the club, I feel the Rockies are less likely next season to drop as many "we could have stolen that game!" games. Against teams with mediocre talent like San Francisco and San Diego, this should lead to more wins that count twice (kinda) since they are divisional.

If the Rockies can dominate inside the division (maybe go .500 against the Dodgers) everything else could fall into place.

Injuries

You know it. I know it. They know it. Injuries have killed the Rockies the last few years. Call it excuse making if you like, but if the Rockies could get full seasons from their two highest paid players, they would probably win more baseball games.

Bad health could derail another year. If in June we are talking about when Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez and Brett Anderson and Jorge de la Rosa are all coming off the DL, then we are also talking about a team with very little hope. Conversely, if all those guys (especially the first three) give us healthier than normal seasons, well then all bets are off.

OFF-TOPIC.

Poll
What will be the biggest factor for the Rockies in 2014?

  99 votes |Results

Yasmani Grandal could be ready for Opening Day, per report

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The Padres catcher suffered a torn ACL in July.

Injured San Diego Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal could be ready for Opening Day, according to Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Grandal suffered a torn ACL in July and had surgery to repair it in August.

More from Gaslamp Ball: Padres' No. 1 prospect is a catcher

It usually takes about nine to 12 months to recover from this particular injury, and Grandal will only be eight months removed from surgery when the Padres play their first game of the season. However, Center reports that Grandal believes he will be ready and that the team is "cautiously optimistic" that he is right. Said general manager Josh Byrnes, via Center:

"Opening Day is possible for him...We have to hold him back somewhat during spring training even if he feels 100 percent. We will monitor him during spring training."

If Grandal is not ready to go, then San Diego has other options behind the plate. Nick Hundley played a career-high 114 games in Grandal's absence last year and held his own, posting a .233/.290/.389 line (94 OPS+) with 13 home runs and positive defensive metrics. Hundley, a 30-year-old who has spent all six of his major league seasons with the Padres, represents a solid backup plan as a steady veteran with good defense and a bit of pop in his bat. The team also has Rene Rivera on its 40-man roster; the 30-year-old appeared in 23 games for the Padres last year and posted a 596 OPS.

However, the best-case scenario for San Diego is that the 25-year-old Grandal is healthy and ready to go. Although he was limited to just 28 games last year and struggled to a 693 OPS, the switch-hitter was fantastic in 60 games as a rookie in 2012 -- .297/.394/.469 (142 OPS+) with eight home runs and nearly as many walks as strikeouts. If he could build on those numbers over a full season, he could be a big help to the Padres in their quest for their first playoff berth since 2006. The team has finished with a 76-86 record in each of the last two seasons.

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Indians News & Links 2/3/2014: Super Bowl Hangover Edition

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While we were all busy watching Denver's epic display of bed crappery, the baseball world continued to revolve, albeit slowly.

Watching sports on Pacific time is odd. It's 8:25 pm here. I'm still slightly buzzed from five hours of Super Bowl drinking which started at 3 pm, and packed full of Candian KFC and Little Caesar's. Something doesn't feel right, and I'm not sure which part of the previous three sentences is to blame. Anyway, on with the baseball news:

Indians news

What could the Indians get in a Masterson trade? | Cleveland.com (Paul Hoynes) - A Hoynes mailbag wherein a non-Cleveland resident besmirches Justin Masterson's sense of self worth and suggests we trade the ungrateful bum. Hoynes suggest that the Indians know his worth based on talks in December, are confident they can avoid arbitration, but much less confident they can sign him to a multi-year deal.

And just in case you make it a point to not contribute page views to CleCom but were still curious about Hoynsie's HOF votig credentials, here's where he stands on pitcher wins:

Wins are still the most important stat in baseball and a starting pitcher who is a consistent winner is still one of the most important players on a team.

Headdesk_medium

via 3.bp.blogspot.com

Kipnis content to watch and wait at the plate | Indians Baseball Inside (John Grimm) - Jason Kipnis saw an increase in both his walk and strikeout rates in 2013. The rate at which he swung at pitches was the fourth lowest in the majors. His patient approach at the plate means he's going to walk a lot, but it also means he's vulnerable watching a lot of third strikes blow past him.

Who is the Tribe's most hated opponent? | Wahoo's On First (Brian Heise) - I hate to link to list "articles" that force you to click through to a new page for each entry, but I thought this could spark some discussion on a slow news Monday. For the record, I don't agree at all with their #1.

Around the league

Market heating up for Nelson Cruz | NBC Sports (Drew Silva) - Seattle seems to be leading the charge, but there could be up to five other teams in on the sweepstakes, including Detroit.

Orioles, Phillies, and Pirates in a bidding war for A.J. Burnett | NBC Sports (Bill Baer) - Is it April yet?

LGFT Tony Sipp signs with Padres | NBC Sports (D.J. Short) - Minor league contract with an invite to spring training.

Miscellany

Uecker provides more details about Major League IV | Fox Sports (Ricky Doyle) - I guess it can't really get worse than III, can it?

Russell Wilson could was pretty good at baseball, too | CBS Sports (Mike Axisa) - Wilson makes a slick diving stop in this video, which is only slightly less glamorous than stomping Peyton Manning in the Super Bowl.

Remembering Philip Seymour Hoffman as Art Howe | CBS Sports (Mike Axisa) - Remembering one of the world's other great Phils.

Video: Beach Boys playing at Jack Murphy Stadium in 1983

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I've been watching a conglomeration of some local news stories and unedited raw video from a post game Beach Boys concert back in 1983.  If you're old enough to remember, the Beach Boys started playing annual concerts at Jack Murphy Stadium after Padres games in 1982.  This was long before they sang at Dodger Stadium.

I believe from the clues in the video that this concert took place on Sunday, May 8th after the Padres beat the Cubs 5-3.  The reported attendance for the game was 41k but news reports said an additional 11k showed up just for the concert.  There were so many people jumping and dancing in the stands that city engineers were worried that it would cause structural damage to the stadium.  They can be seen with with surveying equipment outside in the parking lot.

There was plenty of reason to be excited about this particular event because the Beach Boys had their entire line up back together.  In 1983 Brian Wilson was back with the group after a long hiatus.  He had been under control of a malevolent therapist, his longtime girlfriend and assorted drugs for the better part of a decade.  Unwilling or unable to get out of bed most days and living an unhealthy lifestyle caused him to balloon to 325 lbs.

However in the year prior Brian was fired from the group as part of an intervention that eventually restored him to relatively good health and led to him rejoining the band in concerts.  The band members comment on how great he looks and feels, suggesting that his return was somewhat recent. Sadly, this was also the last time youngest brother Dennis Wilson played the drums at Jack Murphy because he drowned in December of 1983.

In an interview segment Mike Love talks about how the band loves doing baseball concerts and how it all started in San Diego.  He says it's beautiful and loves coming into town, especially to a packed stadium.

In the unedited video section there's a part where the perv camera man follows and zooms in on the buttocks of a girl in pink hot pants walking up the steps of the outfield.  Soon after the crew tries to take an overhead picture of the stadium and crowd by tying a 35mm camera to balloons.  These were the days before remote control GoPro helicopters.

The Beach Boys eventually come out on the field in classic cars and start to play.  Local High School cheerleaders dance on the field in front of them wearing the B-100 FM sponsored shirts. With the music playing the perv cameraman takes the opportunity to scour the crowd for dancing women and zoom in on jiggling boobies for later personal use.

The last half of this video is the crowd dancing and cheering like crazy people. Let me tell you that the city engineers had reason to worry about the structural integrity of the stadium.  You've never seen a crowd this wild and involved in a concert.  Certainly not post game concerts in the last 30 years.  Can you imagine even a few people dancing like this at a Liquid Blue concert in the 90's?  It was a different time, a better time.  This video makes me want to buy some short O.P. corduroy shorts, grow a mustache, hop in a time machine, become a television cameraman and go to a game.


Padres' Little League Initiative will return in 2014!

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We've had some tweets directed our way asking if the Padres would continue their popular Little League Initiative after its champion, former CEO Tom Garfinkel departed the team.  I didn't know myself until I found this information page hidden on Padres.com this morning:

Padres Little League Initiative | padres.com: Community

The Padres' commitment to youth baseball continues in 2014 with their signature Youth Baseball Initiative.

Yes!  Either this is relatively new news or the Padres made the announcement very quietly.  I feared that their greatest public outreach program would be forgotten after last year's regime change.

When this program was first announced in 2011, I explained the genius behind the idea. Kids often times choose their MLB team allegiance very early due to their association with their corresponding Little League team.  By saturating 5 Little League districts throughout San Diego with Padres uniforms they're laying a foundation for Padres fandom.  In a town full of transplants and tourists creating a sense of civic pride is of the utmost importance.  Not only that but now these kids who have seen their team clad in nothing but boring blue, white and gray get to see their team in full color for the first time.  Many will get to experience the Padres in their true brown and gold colors for the first time ever.

Here's some fun facts for 2014 provided by the Padres:

  • 50 leagues will be part of the initiative
  • That's 1,076 teams in total
  • They'll provide more than 14,700 jerseys
  • Nearly 30 Opening Day Visits

Jedd Gyorko: Second-Base Power Play

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Padres second baseman Jedd Gyorko smacked 23 home runs in his rookie debut. Is he already second base's most homer-friendly option?

Petco Park is best known for its pitcher-friendly dimensions. The extreme pitching environment even led to one embarrassed writer recommending volatile right-hander Edinson Volquez once or twice in 2013. After pitching to an abysmal 6.01 ERA in San Diego, Volquez is now a Pirate and that writer won't be making the same mistake again.

On offense, San Diego was 25th in wOBA (Weighted On-Base Average), while ranking in the bottom third in runs scored (618) and home runs (146). Third baseman Chase Headley backed up a breakout 2012 (32 home runs, 115 RBI) with a sluggish 2013 (13 home runs, 51 RBI), and the team's leader in runs scored -- Chris Denorfia -- crossed home plate just 67 times. Everth Cabrera was the team's biggest surprise on offense (stealing 37 bases in 95 games), but a 50-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs made him completely irrelevant in the second half. Will Venable provided unexpected value in the outfield with 22 home runs and 22 steals, but the player I'm most excited about in San Diego is second baseman Jedd Gyorko.

At a position with decreasing power, Gyorko blasted 23 home runs in his rookie debut (trailing only Robinson Cano's 24), adding 62 runs and a team-leading 63 RBI in 125 games. The number of second basemen to reach 20 long balls has decreased in each of the past three seasons, making a 20-plus home run threat up the middle a very attractive commodity. Only three at the position connected for 20 or more in 2013, down from four in 2012. Three seasons ago, eight reached 20. Cano is the last second baseman to top 30, but his move from New York to Seattle makes a repeat performance less likely. Could Gyorko be the next keystone to reach 30? His 162-game pace in 2013 put him on track to do just that, so it's definitely worth exploring.

Despite playing in 35 fewer games than Cano, Gyorko trailed the ex-Yankee by just one home run. He was second in terms of Isolated Power, trailing Cano by seven points (.202 to .195), and his 15.9 percent HR/FB rate was third best at the position, trailing Cano and Atlanta's Dan Uggla. Additionally, his 288 feet ranked 91st overall in batted ball distance. While Gyorko's power didn't come out of the blue (he hit a combined 30 home runs in 2012), it did come as a surprise in spacious Petco Park. Two seasons ago, San Diego was the 28th worst ballpark for home runs, according to ESPN Park Factors. After the team moved the fences in, Petco moved up 11 spots to No. 17. Gyorko did his best at home, blasting 13 of his 23 home runs at home. And after returning from a groin injury in August, he launched 15 home runs in the final two months.

The Padres recently traded Logan Forsythe to the Rays, so Gyorko's chances of retaining second-base eligibility in subsequent seasons is high. Alexi Amarista might see some time at second, but the majority of his games came in the outfield last year. Regardless of where he plays (he could see time at third), Gyorko should once again challenge upwards of 25 home runs -- which could lead all second basemen when it's said and done.

Of course, home runs aren't everything. There is a .249 BA and 23.4 percent strikeout rate to discuss. That batting average really killed Gyorko's fantasy value last season and it's hard to see it coming up to league-average levels without some major tweaking. His .287 BABIP was a lot lower than it's been in the minors, but he's pretty much a non-factor in the speed department -- he stole one base in 2013. While I expect his batting average to climb into the .255-.265 range on the heels of a very strong 22.5 percent line drive rate, I don't see it coming up much higher without a significant improvement in his strikeout and walk rates.

The areas I do see Gyorko improving in are runs scored and RBIs. He tallied 62 and 63, respectively, last season, but that was in 125 contests. If he can find 20-25 more games, we could see him approach 75 in each department. A second baseman with a .260 BA, 25+ HR, 75 runs, and 75 RBI is plenty valuable -- no second baseman reached those marks in 2013. If he can build on his power and approach 30 home runs, his value would skyrocket. Even when you factor in the batting-average downside, you should be able to build around a player who could help carry your team in power from the middle infield.

Rotobanter projection ($13.96): .272 BA, 75 R, 28 HR, 78 RBI, 2 SB

Quiz: Pitchers with 100 Starts as a Padre

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I lately not am very good at sentence make. So, while I sort that out, here's a quiz.

Twenty guys have started a hundred games as a member of the Padres. You have four minutes to name 'em. After that is the poll where you log your results, and after the poll is the comments section. Be sure to use spoiler bars where applicable down there.

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Just like that? Just like that.

Poll
How many did you get?

  27 votes |Results

Cory Luebke needs second Tommy John surgery, will miss 2014 season

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One of the Padres best young pitchers in 2011, Cory Luebke, will miss a second consecutive season because doctors have determined that he'll need another Tommy John surgery.  I'm racking my brain, but I think this will make  Luebke the first Padres pitcher to need the surgery twice.

Padres left-hander Cory Luebke to miss second straight season with elbow injury | padres.com: News

Luebke, 28, had an MRI on Friday that showed a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow.

"I feel bad for him … from 2011 through the first part of 2012, he was certainly on his way," said Padres general manager Josh Byrnes. "This is a real setback. There's been a lot of missed time. Hopefully in a year or so, he can get back to being Cory Luebke.

"This whole thing has been a mystery."

Doctors suspected he'd need his first TJ surgery in May of 2012 due to discomfort in his throwing elbow.  He eventually went under the knife at the end of the same month when an MRI showed significant damage.

The summer of 2013 brought news of Luebke's rehab schedule being pushed back.  Where once he was supposed to return in August, he would instead miss the whole season.

In September it was reported by Mighty 1090's Coach Kentera that Luebke had a setback that would necessitate another surgery.  When I talked to GM Josh Byrnes about Luebke he didn't want to speculate on surgery but admitted that Luebke was experiencing pain again.

Then in November we heard good news, Luebke had progressed and thrown 25 pitches off the mound pain free, bringing hope that he'd start the 2014 season in the bullpen.  Now that won't happen.

Cory Luebke injury: Padres pitcher will miss 2014 season

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Cory Luebke has quietly been very good in his big-league career, but his chances of getting back to that level of success took a big hit on Tuesday.

San Diego Padres pitcher Cory Luebke will miss his second consecutive season after an MRI showed that he'll likely need a second surgery on his throwing elbow, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock.

More from Gaslamp Ball: Luebke out again

Luebke, 28, was off to a solid start in 2012 before undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery in May of that year. The left-hander suffered a setback while rehabbing from the injury late in 2013 but was expected to compete for a spot in the Friars' 25-man roster before the MRI revealed additional damage, per Brock.

Luebke struck out nearly 10 batters per nine innings during a breakout 2011 campaign in which he posted a 3.29 ERA in 139⅔ innings. His ERA sat at 2.61 after five starts the next season before being shut down in late-April.

The Padres owe Luebke $8.25 million over the next two seasons and have only received 31 innings from the southpaw after signing him to a four-year, $12 million deal prior to the 2012 season.

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Luebke had gut feeling that surgery wasn't successful

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Padres beat writer Corey Brock added some quotes from Cory Luebke to his original article late last night.  From Luebke's perspective he knew all along that something just didn't feel right.  I suspect when you're recovering from an injury for the first time, you're looking to experts and other patients to tell you if what you're experiencing is normal.  Though it seems that even with all their expertise and advise, a patient usually has an innate sense of their body's condition.

Padres left-hander Cory Luebke to miss second straight season with elbow injury | padres.com: News

"I guess the general consensus was the graft never took and that there were some problems from the get-go," Luebke said. "Kind of the way the process has gone … the stops and starts, and every time we turned up the volume and intensity, it was never too long before we had a setback. That sort of let me know there's something going on.

"My gut feeling through the rehab process was this didn't seem right. And when we did the MRI, it was pretty clear what was going on."

Obviously I'm no doctor, but I would have thought that doctors could or would take a post surgery MRI to somehow see if the repair had taken.  Luebke visited an orthopedic surgeon in September but I guess we can surmise that no definitive conclusion could be made.  GM Josh Byrnes has said in multiple radio interviews that every patient has a unique recovery time and while that's true, you'd think that with all of these setbacks and red flags that this decision for a second surgery could have been made earlier.  I guess there's no point in second guessing experts though.

Brock also tells us that Luebke's original doctor who performed his first surgery passed away last year, so he'll be seeing another renowned surgeon in the near future.  Once Luebke's medical file is passed along they'll schedule his next surgery.

New "Padres Social Hour" needs us to vote for their logo

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The Padres want us to vote for their new social media pregame show's logo.  What show? Exactly.  It's the one they haven't announced.

Thankfully RJ's Fro provided the scoop a few weeks back.  He had little birdies chirping in his ear.  In short it's a Miami Dolphins pregame show that will be moving to San Diego along with its host @jesseagler.  In theory he will talk less about the Miami Dolphins and more about the San Diego Padres... in theory!  He'll also be replacing Andy Masur as a broadcaster, hosting this pregame show and taking over the social media reigns of the Padres.

Here's our logo choices, you have 2 hours to vote so take your time.  Don't rush into anything.  My thoughts below...

My thoughts:

A)   For the most part this is the most legible.  The "@Padres" is part of the show title though and should be in a bigger font.  All I see is "Social Hour", it sounds like some sort of business mixer that I have to pay for. They should have made the "H" into a "#" too.

B)  This one looks very close to the shampoo bottle / home plate Padres logo that Mike Dee helped to create back in the day.  The Padres font is illegible and because of that I instantly recognize it as a neon Padres beer sign.

C)  People are probably going to throw their vote at this one because it incorporates the Swinging Friar, but I think his presence just makes the logo too murky.  Plus the Friar isn't even a social entity.  He's never once spoken to me and all he does is high five when you ask him important questions like "WTF is #PadresSocialHour?"

I'm voting for A.

Poll
Which logo do you like the LEAST?

  22 votes |Results


Padres FanFest 2014

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The other night, in one of my many instances of tweeting whatever comes to mind, I had an idea that after consideration is not the best, yet it's possible. But in the moment, it was the greatest idea ever created.

Awesome idea, right? I mean, I thought it was cool.

Just imagine your surprise at seeing a table in the middle of the outfield. Or right outside of the Padres store for no apparent reason?

Prizes for whoever can find as many prospects as possible. And they won't be prominently displayed. They'll just be sitting in the stands. Maybe they'll be off to the side of a real session in sunglasses and fake mustache a la Beastie Boys "Sabotage". That would be a sight to see.

It would be good exposure for these guys. But, would they feel bad if people didn't know who they were? Someone on the Missions or even the Chihuahuas probably isn't going to be known by the common fan. Maybe they could wear jerseys with their names on them. However, that also opens up another possibility.

And it would work. I'm sure some of us could pull it off. "Yeah, I'm Cory Spangenberg. Want me to sign something for you? Oh, of course I'll take a picture with you. Say Missions!" This type of idea is a slippery slope.

Now that I've finished this compilation of my own tweets, I turn to you. Do you have any ideas of what you'd want to see at FanFest in 2 weeks? Pull out all the stops, what you say goes. What would you want to see on February 8th? Usually every year we get autograph sessions, panel discussions, a garage sale, and tutorials. But, what else could we get? Ideas, everyone. Lay them all out there. Sky's the limit.

The sky....

Kites....

An arts and craft station where kids make their own Padres kites and paper airplanes!

SOMEBODY MAKE THIS HAPPEN!!!

El Paso Chihuahuas Have Uniforms Now And Of Course They're Awesome

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While quite a to-do was made when the Padres' AAA affiliate in El Paso unveiled their name, logos, and hats a little over three months ago, the Chihuahuas' uniform introduction came and went yesterday with barely a whimper.

A whimper. Because Chihuahuas. Man, I slay me.

Wow, that's a lot of uniforms, especially a lot of home uniforms. The Chihuahuas' official site specifies that the white jersey with the red wordmark and headspoon is the primary home uniform, while the pinstriped set is designated a home alternate. Although they are being modeled with the home white pants here, the red and the black alternates could presumably be paired with the road grays as well.

As for how they look, mark me down as on-board. I really like the gradient effect of the lettering on the black alternate. The road top has a nice clean look, but the white drop-shadow keeps it from being too bland. You can't see it in the picture above, but the red top being modeled by Travis Buck features the Swingin' Chihuahua logo. You can get a better look at it in the team store, where it and the others are already available.

What do you all think? Which one is your favorite?

Padres FanFest 2014 Activities and Autographs

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FanFest is just two days away so let's take a look at what the Padres have in store for us.

Last Thursday the Padres announced some details about FanFest, such as what activities are scheduled, how the parking situation is going to work, and how to register for early access.

It looks like mostly the same old stuff (which is good I suppose): garage sale; opportunities to run the bases, catch balls in center field, and pitch in the bullpen; clubhouse tours; autograph sessions; etc.

But there was still a significant amount of information missing. Luckily, jbox was on the case.

Every day this week I kept an eye on Twitter and went back to the FanFest website to see if the autograph schedule had been released. Finally, yesterday afternoon the Padres delivered.

Or did they? No Chase Headley? No prospects*? No alumni other than Eric Owens? Don't get me wrong, I'm excited as all get out for that Venable/Stauffer autograph sesh. Seriously, that is probably the one I'm looking forward to most. But I know a lot of people were hoping to see Headley and maybe a guy like Hunter Renfroe, Austin Hedges, or Max Fried. And could they really not get anyone else to be an alumnus along with Eric Owens? Did you know that guy is a hitting coordinator for the DODGERS? It would've been cool to maybe see a player or two from the 1984 team for the 30th Anniversary of their NL Championship Title. What has Steve Garvey done for us lately?

Oh well. There are still a lot of players in that schedule I'd love to meet and get a picture with or autograph from.
Autofanfest1_medium
Autofanfest2_medium

Wait. What? Correct me if I'm misunderstanding, but you're only allowed to get a voucher for ONE autograph session? And if you want to TRY to get a second one you have to exit the park and re-enter? I couldn't go to FanFest last year and I didn't get any autographs in 2012, but I know in 2011 you could get vouchers for as many autograph sessions as you wanted. This seems like such a stingy policy. A lot of fans look forward to this event because you get to meet so many players in one place at the same time, but this is basically saying you have to choose the two players you want to meet most and just forget about everyone else. If your two favorite players are signing in separate sessions, even if they're at different times, you have to go through the time and trouble of leaving the ballpark and getting back in line to try to score a second voucher. Seriously, someone please tell me I'm reading this wrong because I can't understand why they'd do this.

/rant

You'll also notice that there will be hitting and pitching clinics by Yonder Alonso and Tyson Ross, respectively. Learning to pitch from Tyson Ross? Sign me up. I'm all over that. I don't know if Yonder Alonso would be my first choice to host a hitting clinic, but that's cool too.

In addition, there will be forums centered around Padres leadership, ownership, and players, as well as an Awards Presentation.

Fanfest_forum_sched_medium

Finally, fans will have the opportunity to pay their respects once again to Jerry Coleman. From 11am to 2pm at the Coleman statue, you have the opportunity to record a message or share a memory about the Colonel. The messages will be used throughout the season to pay tribute to Coleman.

You can check out the rest of the details at padres.com/fanfest or print out this flyer to keep handy.

* Well, I guess you might count Casey Kelly.

Mike Dee talks about changes to the ballpark in the upcoming season

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I was just listening to Chris and Ben's interview with Padres President Mike Dee on 1360 AM.  I learned a few things:

  • The Padres are installing a new sound system.  Dee says that there have been complaints about the current sound system and the answer has always been to turn up the volume.  "The way to make  up for a bad sound system is to crank up the volume."  With a new system in place people will be able to hear and understand the new PA announcer without being blasted by so many decibels.  I'm happy to hear it, baseball over the last 15 years has taken the approach that louder is better, it's not.
  • "The ballpark unfortunately was not the recipient of a lot of tender love and care in the past 5 years" -Mike Dee
    Dee also says the Padres are taking great care in maintaining Petco Park, something he notes that the previous ownership did not do.  They put in new flooring across the concourses.  They've also been cleaning up rust and painting for the last several months.  I can attest to this, when I went down to the ballpark on the day that Jerry Coleman died I was practically asphyxiated by all the paint fumes.
  • Dee says they've also installed a new video board in the Park at the Park.  It's 50% larger than the previous one.  I had no idea, but this is great news for those of us that sit on the lawn.
  • Speaking of video boards, they're hoping to install a new ballpark video board in 2015.  The ballpark desperately needs this.  The current board is older than the ballpark itself.
  • The Padres plan on going back to the old San Diego standards in terms of fan giveaways.  They'll all be announced later today.  They'll have long sleeve t-shirt jerseys, floppy hats, sports bags, beach towels and even brown and gold jerseys for the series against the cubs. 
  • When the team wears their 1984 throwback uniforms on Thursday, Friday and Saturday against the cubs they'll be wearing both brown and white jerseys.

Mike Dee: "We can be competitive in this ballpark and this market."

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Padres President Mike Dee told Chris and Ben on 1360 AM that he wants the Padres to be one of the gold standard franchises in baseball.  The changes in the organization they've made this year have been what they think are the needed ingredients to reach their goal.

"We don't want to have to apologize to anybody because of market size or TV deals.  We can be competitive in this ballpark and this market.  This is not a small market, it's a mid-market and we should run this franchise in a way that enables us to compete year in and year out.  That doesn't mean we'll make the post season every year but we should be on a regular basis if we are smart about the way we go about our business.  We're going to have a good motor, as I like to say, the RPM level of the organizations I've been fortunate to be a part of -- I've always thought they've out worked other organizations."

I think this may be one of the first times I've heard a Padres executive say that San Diego isn't a small market team.  If they can run this team without using the market size and the TV deal as an excuse when the team is losing, that'll be quite impressive.  Give me the kool-aid, I'll drink it!

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