If you knew Tommy Medica you'd know why he's going to be big.

The organization is a buzz with anticipation for Tommy Medica's performance this 2014 season. But apart from being a talented, accomplished ball player, Tommy has a personality that could get him places by its self.

During Medica's time spent at the San Diego Padres single A affiliate, the Lake Elsinore Storm, he proved himself to have an endearing and extraordinarily eccentric personality.

Medica always proved his kindness with his actions such as never passing a child up who wanted his signature, or shaking hands with a fan. Tommy's eccentricities could be described with his outgoing qualities and playful behavior, as in stealing the baseball hats off of the booster club children at parties, and messing with his fellow teammates.

Yes, Medica just has one of those personalities that will drive his success even further. As one of the booster club members for the Storm stated in an interview this week "Tommy is such a good guy, you can't help but want to know and be friends with him".

The verdict should be out by now, Medica has quite the future; and its a joy for those who knew him before his fame to see him rise to such great heights.

Way to go Tommy! Keep it up!

Upper Deck had such great and offbeat photography back in the 1990s; this Jason Thompson card is a prime example. In a shot reminiscent of Tim Flannery's 1988 Fleer and Ryan Klesko's 1996 Pinnacle, Thompson is shown holding a surfboard.

Unfortunately for Thompson, appearing on this card proved to be his enduring legacy. By the time this card came off the printing press, he had already played his last major league game. The stats on the back of this card proved to be his career line.

After being released by the Padres on January 7, 1997, Thompson signed with the Chiba Lotte Marines and spent one season in Japan. He had trouble getting on base and struck out nearly five times as much as he walked. Thompson came back to the states in '98. Well, one state in particular: Nevada. He signed back the Padres organization again and played 58 games at AAA Las Vegas. The hitting stroke he exhibited in his PCL All-Star season had seemingly abandoned him, and that's all she wrote.

Accordingly, that's all I wrote. Peace; I'm out.

*drops keyboard and walks off*

Uribe and Cuddyer were both really old and really good in 2013. It's highly possible that those two guys will boast only one of those characteristics when 2014 is all said and done.

Regression from key players was a huge story in the National League West in 2013. For instance, Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp went back and forth between being injured and ineffective, and it took a monumental midseason run and bounce-back seasons from Hanley Ramirez and Juan Uribe, among others, to soften the blow. The entire Giants rotation, with the notable exception of Madison Bumgarner, basically fell off a cliff and the club finished with its worst record in six years as a result.

It can't always be predicted, but there are usually some red flags that indicate regression is in a player's future. Here are some of the more likely candidates to have a down year in the NL West.

Diamondbacks

Bronson Arroyo. A move to a pitcher's park probably would have suited the 37-year-old veteran well, but Arroyo instead chose to go to a place where he'll make half of his starts in a ballpark that is just as -- if not more -- favorable for hitters as the one he left behind in Cincinnati.

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Arizona Diamondbacks

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Arroyo mastered Great American Ball Park in 2013, striking out 88 batters and walking only 16 on his way to posting a 3.45 ERA in 122⅔ innings. However, the drier Arizona air could work against his mostly sinker-slider repertoire. And, as FanGraphs' Dave Cameron notes, Arroyo has proven himself quite susceptible against left-handed hitters and is entering a division that contains some very dangerous ones, unlike the NL Central.

Rockies

Michael Cuddyer. It's not often that guys have career seasons at the age of 34, but Cuddyer did just that in 2013, posting a 137 OPS+ while leading the NL in batting average. Cuddyer is -- and, for the most part, has always been -- an above-average hitter, but a ridiculously high .382 batting average on balls in play made him an All-Star. That's 70 points higher than his career BABIP, and it points to serious regression for the grey-haired veteran.

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Colorado Rockies

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It also doesn't help that injuries are starting to take their toll. Cuddyer missed 32 games a year ago after sitting out 61 in 2012. A move to first base might have gone a long way toward helping him avoid getting banged up, but the Rockies instead chose to sign Justin Morneau to fill that void, leaving Cuddyer to once again roam right field in Coors. In two seasons manning that spot in Denver, Cuddyer is a combined 21 runs below average, a figure that will probably be much worse at the end of the 2014 campaign.

Dodgers

Juan Uribe. Uribe has never been as good as he was in 426 plate appearances for the Dodgers last season. He posted a career-high .331 on-base percentage, slugged a respectable .438 and played terrific defense; Baseball-Reference had him at 22 runs above average at the hot corner. That came after two disastrous seasons in which Uribe managed a meager OPS+ of 54 while dealing with assorted injuries.

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Los Angeles Dodgers

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Sure, if Uribe stays healthy, he could still be a productive player for a Dodgers team that should enter the season as the heavy favorite to win the NL West. However, counting on a 34-year-old bad-bodied veteran with a career OPS+ of 85 to provide the type of production he did in 2013 would be foolish.

Padres

Eric Stults. It's hard to say that a guy who posted an ERA+ of 87 is going to regress even further, but comparing Stults' 2013 season to his major- and minor-league career provides some insight into how that's possible.

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San Diego Padres

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Stults didn't have great batted ball luck last year; he surrendered more than a hit per inning pitched and his BABIP-against was actually 10 points higher than his career average. However, Stults posted a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.28, something he'd never done before in the majors and barely even approached in the minors. And it's something he likely won't ever do again given the fact that he's entering his age 34 season and will be facing mostly improved offenses within the division.

Giants

Santiago Casilla. Casilla has always been prone to issuing walks, but in past years, he's been able to counter that with the ability to strike batters out at a decent rate. However, his strikeout-to-walk ratio dipped to 1.52 in 2013. It hadn't been that low since 2009, when he posted a 5.96 ERA with the Athletics.

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San Francisco Giants

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Casilla isn't getting any younger; he's entering his age 33 season and his velocity is down more than three mph from where it was when he joined the Giants in 2010. His BABIP-against has gone up steadily over the past three seasons, and if it continues to rise, Casilla should start to see his ERA balloon as well.

The Padres host the Rangers in Peoria today. Ian Kennedy will make the start and later Alex Torres will make his Spring Training / Padres debut.

After notching their second win of the Spring yesterday behind some hot hitting, the Padres are back in Peoria today to take on the Rangers. Ian Kennedy gets his second start of the Spring and he'll try to follow up his two scoreless innings against the Royals last Saturday with another solid performance this afternoon.

Kennedy worked tirelessly through the Winter and has continued that effort all Spring. With the help of pitching coach Darren Balsley and the opportunity he's getting from the Padres to find success on the mound again, the right-hander hopes to get back to his 2011 form, when he got 21 wins and finished in 4th place in the Cy Young Award voting. He's already pretty much set to have a spot in the starting rotation come Opening Night, and he'll be looking to build on an already promising beginning to his Padres career. After coming to San Diego last year in the trade that sent Joe Thatcher and Matt Stites to Arizona, he went 4-2 in 10 starts, including six outings in which he allowed two or fewer runs.

Scott Merkin tells us that Alex Torres is also slated to get some time on the hill today, making his first game appearance of the Spring after arriving late to camp due to Visa issues. Torres came to San Diego along with Jesse Hahn in the seven-player trade with the Rays earlier this year. Hahn has already impressed this Spring, so Torres will be looking to do the same in his Padres debut.

Meanwhile Texas will send right-hander Alexi Ogandi to the mound. Ogandi is expected to be in one of the middle spots in the Rangers rotation coming out of camp this season. He had a little trouble against the Royals last week when he made his Spring debut, giving up a couple of runs on four hits in two innings of work. The Padres will also get looks at Neftali Feliz, Joakim Soria, and Jose Contreras, who are all scheduled for mound time today as reported by MLB writer Tyler Emerick.

Watch/Listen

Game time is at 12:05pm again, and today marks the first Padres game of the year that will be televised on Fox Sports San Diego. FSSD's live broadcast will begin at noon sharp, as will the live MLB.TV broadcast. The game will also be televised, though delayed, on MLB Network starting at 2:00pm. Unfortunately that means no Gameday Audio webcast, but I believe you can still listen to the radio broadcast on At-Bat (with a subscription).

PADRES ON TV! LIVE! PRAISE WG!!

Here's today's #Padres lineup vs. #Rangers from Peoria Sports Complex. First pitch is at 12:05 PT on @FOXSportsSD! pic.twitter.com/9Z2KTVn80d

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) March 6, 2014

New #Rangers lineup: Profar DH, Andrus SS, Fielder 1B, Choice RF, Kouzmanoff 3B, Arencibia C, Martin CF, Odor 2B, Peterson LF, Ogando P

— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) March 6, 2014

You may notice a familiar name in the Rangers lineup today. Former Friar and fan favorite, Kevin Kouzmanoff, will be batting fifth and making the start at 3rd base against San Diego.

GO FRIARS!! KEEP THE FAITH!!

Broadcast info:

TV: FSSD, MLB.TV
Radio:MLB At-Bat JK! NO AUDIO TODAY!
Gameday

Rangers making all of Ian Kinsler's dreams come true

The Padres are televising this game so it will be available via MLB.tv. Should you watch, you'll get to see Alexi Ogando, Neftali Feliz, and Joakim Soria. Unfortunately, you'll also have to watch Jose Contreras.

We wait with great anticipation and eyes set on the future of the 2014 season.

The warm Southern California breeze has begun to blow, and soon our San Diego boys of summer will be scattering our field of green and dawning blue, white and gold once again.

Any true baseball fan can feel the nearing of the upcoming 2014 season in their bones. The sounds and smells of Spring aren't truly fulfilled without the accompaniment of the smell of fresh cut grass and an old leather baseball.

The ranks have yet to be split, and possibility is still lingering in the Spring Training air. Every team within our system is deep in preparation for opening day, and as anticipation begins to grow, so do expectations.

Padre fans will be more than pleased with what our affiliates have to offer them this year. From our players, to our food, to our themed game days, there is much fun to be had for our many Friar lovers.

We're ready, are you?

Tommy Medica's ninth inning heroics were too little, too late.

I didn't actually see this game, because I'm in the process of moving and my TV and cable connection are not in the same place. And I couldn't listen to it either, because there was no radio. But looking at the box score, I'm okay with that. Ian Kennedy didn't really have a bad day, but he did let two runs score, one on a balk. And by "balk", I mean he fell down while trying to throw the ball. Disaster didn't really strike until the sixth inning when Alex Torres made his Padres debut. He gave up a double and a pair of singles before recording his first out. And then, when he finally did retire a batter, it was a wild pitch strikeout, so he still allowed a run on it. He managed to record a clean strikeout on his sixth batter faced, but then got pulled after loading the bases with back to back walks. All told, five of the eight Rangers' were pinned on Torres. Tommy Medica tried to get Torres off the hook with a 3-run homer in the ninth, but it just wasn't enough.

Tyson Ross will start tomorrow against the Brewers. Be here for the game thread at 12:05 PM PST.

Thelonius_Friar was the undisputed commenting king today, putting up 51 of the 156 comments in the thread.

Just when we were all thinking that Cameron Maybin's 2014 season was lost, we get a heaping dose of hope.  I was not expecting that at all, it's something so foreign to me. My system is not used to good news, I'm not sure I can digest it properly.  When I hear "ruptured bicep tendon" I automatically think surgery as the best case scenario and amputation as the more likely result.

To think that Maybin might be back on the field in 4 to 6 weeks sounds ridiculously crazy, but the good kind, like when you visit your grandma.

Padres outfielder Cameron Maybin won't need surgery to repair ruptured biceps | padres.com: News

"Our doctors saw his diagnostics and talked to Cam and decided [recovery] will be healing and the rehab route before we get him back to activity.

"But the strong consensus was no surgery."

They actually recommended he not get surgery.  Imagine that. In any case I'm interested in hearing how a ruptured tendon heals itself in 6 weeks, if anybody knows.  I'll have to read up on it a bit.  Don't search the internet for pictures of ruptured tendons though, you'll only find cadaver feet.  Don't make the same mistake I did.

The Fake Teams fantasy baseball staff offer you some starting pitchers that you should avoid in your 2014 fantasy drafts, including Justin Verlander, Patrick Corbin, Andrew Cashner and others.

When preparing for your fantasy baseball drafts, it is a must to have a draft strategy, and on Wednesday, Zack Smith offered some ideas on how to approach the starting pitcher position on draft day. We have also provided you with our Top 75 starting pitcher rankings for 2014:

Part 1

Part 2

Included in the rankings above, we provided 2014 projections for almost every starting pitcher ranked, courtesy of Daniel Schwartz from Fake Teams and Rotobanter.

Now that we have provided you all these tools you need to prepare for your drafts, your fantasy draft preparation would be incomplete without some starting pitchers to avoid, which we provide you today, and some starting pitchers to target, which published yesterday.

We asked each of the fantasy baseball writers to provide you with the starting pitchers they would avoid in fantasy drafts this season, and you can find them along with their reasoning below:

Starting Pitchers to Avoid in 2014

Justin Verlander, Tigers - Ray Guilfoyle (follow @faketeams)

I wrote up Verlander in part 1 of our Top 75 Starting Pitcher Rankings on Monday, and here is an excerpt:

Verlander had a pretty good season for most starting pitchers in baseball in 2013, but not for the second ranked starter in the game back in March. Verlander turned things around toward the end of the season, and in the playoffs, but finished he regular season going 13-12 with a 3.46 ERA, 3.28 FIP, 3.67 xFIP, a 1.31 WHIP and a 23.5% strikeout rate in 218.1 innings. The 23.5% strikeout rate was his lowest since 2009 His BABIP allowed is in a two year uptrend, which led to the rise in base runners allows, so that is something to think about in 2014.

I was the low man on Verlander in our consensus rankings, and am starting to wonder if the seven straight seasons of 200+ innings pitched is having an impact on his performance on the mound as his fastball velocity is now in a four year downtrend.

There are many who are still in the Verlander camp, but I prefer to take a few pitchers ranked behind him at this point, including Zack Greinke, Homer Bailey, and James Shields among others.

Patrick Corbin, Diamondbacks - Matt Mattingly (follow @mattmattingly81)

The Diamondbacks breakout star of 2013 came in at #39 overall in our consensus SP rankings earlier this week. And that was with yours truly bringing down his ranking by completely leaving him out of my top 75. Was that a misprint? Not hardly. Leaving Corbin out of my top 75 is a bold call, but I believe owners that draft the 2013 All-Star early are going to regret that move very quickly. Corbin was flat out dominant before the All-Star break, while recording an 11-1 record to go with a 2.01 ERA and a .206 OBA. But in the second half, the left-hander produced a 3-7 record with a 5.19 ERA and .289 OBA. It appears as though the league started to catch up with Corbin as he started to face lineups for a second time in 2013. The 2nd half stats are too worrisome to invest an early to middle round pick in this 2013 breakout story.

Jered Weaver, Angels - Jason Hunt (follow @jasonsbaseball)

Don't get fooled by the name recognition - Weaver is no longer a top 20 fantasy option, and has seen a drop in his strikeout rate each of the last three years. Add in that he's also seen a velocity drop each of the past two years, and Weaver isn't likely to be an elite option going forward. He's likely to be a better pitcher for the Angels than for your fantasy team, as his strikeout total just isn't going to push him into that upper echelon.

Patrick Corbin, Diamondbacks- Jasper Scherer (follow @jaspsch)

The argument that "play X will do poorly because his second half was bad" doesn't always carry a ton of weight, but some alarming trends point toward Corbin performing more along the lines of his tough second half than his dominant first half. Most importantly, Corbin's BABIP rose by 90 points after the All-Star break, from .247 to .337. Even if he improves from that latter total, which is to be expected, he'll have a ways to go to return to fantasy respectability given his 5.19 ERA in the second half. In other words, only slightly decreasing that BABIP might not be enough. Also, when examining Corbin's PITCHf/x, he really only has one pitch, his slider, that he can use to consistently get batters out. Against his fastball and changeup, batters hit .316 and .343, respectively, meaning Corbin doesn't have that second "out pitch" that is so key among starters. That almost invariably leads to inconsistency, as Corbin will only be successful when his slider is "on." That's not a recipe for success.

Tony Cingrani, Reds - Joe Pytleski (follow @agape4argentina)

My Tony Cingrani belief only stretches so far and my piece today (please link that Ray) explains why. The K-rate is nice but his suspect repertoire, which includes basically the fastball, along with bad walk rates, high LOB%, and a really low BABIP raise too many red flags for me to invest this year.

Gerrit Cole, PIT; Sonny Gray, OAK; Michael Wacha, STL; Danny Salazar, CLE - Daniel Kelley (follow @danieltkelley)

Don't get me wrong, I love the kids too, and there are as many exciting young arms right now as there have been in memory. If you want to grab one and run with him, you have my blessing. But I guarantee you, one way or another, at least one of the above four will spend time in the minors this year for performance reasons. Prospects don't all boom. So grab one if you want. But surround him with surer things, not his TINSTAAPP peers.

Andrew Cashner, Padres - Alex Kantecki (follow @rotodealer)

While I think Andrew Cashner is a fine pitcher in real life, I'm less enthused about his fantasy prospects as a second-year starter. In 2013, Cashner did what we hope all Padres' pitchers do: toss quality innings and post a low three-something ERA. Cashner did just that, throwing a career-high 175 innings with a 3.09 ERA, the 19th lowest ERA among qualified starters. Yes, it was a successful season, but what happened to all of those strikeouts we thought were coming? Cashner ended his first full season as a starter with a disappointing 128 strikeouts, or 6.58 Ks-per-nine. A drop-off was expected going from reliever to starter, but not this big. Overall, his strikeout rate decreased from 26.5 percent 18.1 percent, and his swinging strike rate declined from 11.6 percent to 8.3 percent. On top of that, Cashner's fastball velocity dipped from 97 to 94. I've seen Cashner go inside the top-30 starters in mocks before the likes of Doug Fister, Kris Medlen and Matt Moore, which I view as a mistake. A lot of Cashner's value is tied up in repeating a sub-3.25 ERA, but keep in mind he's only logged 190-plus innings in a starter's role. Be careful not to overreach for him on draft day. I don't see much room for value.

Fantasy Rundown

If you are looking for more position rankings, or plain old fantasy baseball goodness, make sure you check out Fantasy Rundown, your one place to get all things fantasy.

The injury could have cost Maybin the entire season, but by avoiding surgery, he has a chance to return in four to six weeks.

Padres general manager Josh Byrnes was worried that he'd be without centerfielder Cameron Maybin for the entire 2014 season after the initial diagnosis of the injury. However, after further examination, San Diego team doctors do not think the injury will require surgery, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock.

Instead the 26-year-old will rest and begin rehabbing the injury soon.

He could be back in as soon as four to six weeks.

That's much better than the original diagnosis, which predicted he would miss at least two to three months due to surgery and the time he would need to recover.

Maybin suffered the injury while making a diving catch in a spring game against the Dodgers.

Last season, he appeared in just 14 games due to a wrist injury that required surgery and a torn posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. In the two seasons before that abbreviated campaign, Maybin played in 284 games, stealing 66 bases with a batting line of .253/.315/.371 and a strong glove in center. He is locked up in San Diego through 2016 and the club holds an option for the 2017 season.

With Maybin out of the lineup, Will Venable figures to see time in center field. Chris Denorfia could get some additional at bats as well. The team's addition of Seth Smith this offseason could also help them mitigate the loss of Maybin.

The interviewer deserves credit for not giving it away, too.

Seth Smith was traded to the Padres from the Athletics this off-season, so he's now undergoing some interviews during spring training to get his new local press acquainted with him. He's had an intriguing and productive seven-year career, all spent in the NL and AL West and hey wait hold on Yasmani Grandal is about to video bomb Smith:

First, let's credit the interviewer for maintaining the same tone of voice and cadence while said video-bombing was occurring: his delivery doesn't give Smith a chance to realize what's going on behind him. Grandal's execution is perfect, though, as he innocuously prepares to take some practice swings, but then drops to one knee and switches to clay shooting his imaginary batted ball out of the air. Points for creativity.

I'm just going to pretend this is all because Grandal is upset that we chose Seth Smith as the Padres' representative for SB Nation's (most attractive) Face of MLB campaign.

Looking to follow up on each of their successful Spring debuts, Tyson Ross and Carlos Quentin look to lead the Padres to victory against the Brewers in Phoenix.

Tyson Ross will make his second start of the Spring today as the Padres hit the road to face the Brewers in Phoenix. In his first outing, Ross tossed two fantastic innings, facing the minimum six batters while he was on the mound. He did issue one walk, but the runner was erased on a double play in the next at-bat before Ross capped his performance with a strikeout to end the frame.

Also making his second appearance of the Spring today will be Carlos Quentin, who will DH and bat in the cleanup spot. Quentin's much-anticipated 2014 debut on Tuesday was an exciting one, as he hit a home run in his very first at-bat.

And behind the plate for Ross will be Nick Hundley, who blasted a three-run homer just two days ago in the Padres' pummeling of the White Sox.

Matt Garza will make the start on the mound for Milwaukee. He's coming off a rough outing in which he surrendered four runs on four hits and two walks, using up 28 pitches in just his first inning of work on Sunday.

Watch/Listen

Catch the game at 12:05pm today on MLB.TV or Gameday Audio or At-Bat. It will also be showing very, very delayed at 1:00am Saturday morning on MLB Network, so set your DVRs and/or alarms.

Can the Brewers keep Arizona's worst team down?

Today, two teams headed in opposite directions collide in Maryvale. The Brewers are undefeated on their current Cactus League homestand, having beaten the A's and Rockies to get back above .500 on the spring. The Padres have Arizona's worst record at 2-6.

The Brewers will try to keep their momentum going today by sending Matt Garza (36.00 ERA this spring, 3.82/3.88 ERA/FIP in 2013) to the mound. Garza had a Brewer debut to forget on Sunday, allowing four runs on four hits and two walks in just one inning of work against the Rockies.

After the start Garza told reporters he did not throw his slider, his signature pitch. FanGraphs estimates the pitch was worth +1.42 runs per 100 times thrown in 2013, making it his only above average offering. It's normal for veteran pitchers to work with a limited arsenal early in spring and expand it as they get closer to Opening Day.

Garza did not face the Padres in 2013 and has seen them just three times in the regular season in his career. Two current San Diego batters have faced him ten times or more:

He'll face 20-year-old right hander Joe Ross (3.00 ERA this spring, did not pitch in majors in 2013), who is making his first start in his third Cactus League appearance. Ross was the Padres' first round pick in the 2011 draft and spent 2013 in the Low-A Midwest League with Fort Wayne, where he psoted a 3.75 ERA over 23 starts. He pitched in relief against the Giants on Monday and worked two scoreless innings.

John Sickels of Minor League Ball hasn't released his list of the Padres' top prospects for 2014, but listed Ross as a B- prospect in his 2013 book. Here's an excerpt from the book on Ross' stuff:

When he's right, Ross throws a 93-96 MPH fastball with outstanding movement. He also has a very good slider, but his changeup is erratic. At times his command is good, but he's not consistent about that and is still more thrower than pitcher.

Obviously Ross has never faced the Brewers in the majors. He also did not see the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers while pitching in the Midwest League last season.

John Steinmiller has today's Brewer lineup:

Action on @fswisconsin "@Brewers: The #CactusCrew rolls out this lineup today against the Padres at 2:05 pm CT. pic.twitter.com/cDF47dD7sO"

— John H. Steinmiller (@jstein1981) March 7, 2014

In addition to Garza, Johnny Hellweg and Brandon Kintzler are expected to pitch today.

It's been a great week for baseball in Phoenix and that continues today. Expect a game-time temperature around 76 to climb into the 80s as the afternoon goes along, with no chance of rain and light winds blowing out to right.

Join us as our Friars face the Brew Crew at Maryvale Baseball Park this afternoon.

Less than an hour from first pitch in beautiful Maryvale, Arizona! Listen to the webcast at http://t.co/mh3kEsWSVQ. pic.twitter.com/klgH8LKkOR

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) March 7, 2014

Here's how the #Padres lineup today vs. @Brewers in Maryvale. 12:05pmPT first pitch. Listen on http://t.co/mh3kEsWSVQpic.twitter.com/VKURXkd96k

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) March 7, 2014

The #CactusCrew rolls out this lineup today against the Padres at 2:05 pm CT. pic.twitter.com/su0KQ2JlrP

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) March 7, 2014

GO FRIARS!! KEEP THE FAITH!!

Broadcast info:

TV: MLB.TV, MLB Network (delayed, 1:00am Saturday 03/08)
Radio: Gameday Audio (MIL feed), At-Bat
Gameday

The team acquires depth and makes a DL move that had to happen eventually.

With Cameron Maybin's injury the team was still not exactly hurting for depth, but could always use a little extra. Alex Castellanos has experience as a corner outfielder as well as at 2B and 3B. He started out in the Cardinals organization as a 3B, but moved to the OF in 2010. After being traded to the Dodgers in exchange for Rafael Furcal in 2011 he eventually began to split time at many positions including a handful of games in CF. In the minors he has had some very good seasons at the plate as well as some so-so ones. He got cups of coffee with the Dodgers in 2012 and 2013, but the bat did not translate in those short stints. Last October he was traded to the Red Sox, who tried to sneak him off their 40 man roster, but then was claimed by the Rangers who then tried to do the same before the Padres snagged him. At 27, there is still some hope though that if he got some regular time in the majors as a utility player that his bat could come around.

Before acquiring Castellanos, the battle for the final roster spot among position players seemed to be between Tommy Medica, Ryan Jackson, Reymond Fuentes and Rene Rivera (assuming Yasmani Grandal is ready for the Opener). Castellanos can add himself to the mix. I also think that with Castellanos now on the roster, anybody that had hope for Xavier Nady making the team (are there any of those?) can kiss that dream goodbye. Nady is not on the 40 man roster and does not have the positional flexibility that the others do.

As for the backend of this transaction, Cory Luebke moving to the 60 day DL, that was bound to happen eventually. He is not going to play this season and moving him to the 60 day DL opens up a roster spot for someone else. In this case it was Castellanos, which is as good a move as any. I had thought previously that they would save the roster spot in case they wanted to add a reliever like Leonel Campos or Kevin Quackenbush.

It's ok, he's just...umm...working on stuff.

W: Tyson Ross (1-0)
L: Matt Garza (0-1)

HR: Scooter Gennett (1), Alex Dickerson (1), Rico Noel (inside the park, 1)

Gameday Box Score

It's a good thing these games don't matter, because this one was pretty discouraging.

Matt Garza was roughed up for the second consecutive start, this time allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits over three innings. Garza has now allowed 12 baserunners in just four innings of work over his two starts this spring, and reportedly has yet to throw a breaking ball.

Meanwhile, the Brewers offense didn't offer much help. They didn't get their first hit until Padres outfielder Rico Noel lost a fly ball in the sun in the sixth inning and gave Elian Herrera a triple. Scooter Gennett followed that with a home run to get the Crew on the board but, unfortunately, Herrera returned the favor by losing a fly ball in the sun in the sixth and two more San Diego runs scored.

Today was a rare quiet day offensively for Ryan Braun, who went 0-for-2 with a walk. Scooter Gennett's homer was only his second hit of the spring.

The Brewers did get solid pitching performances today from a pair of starting pitchers likely ticketed for AAA Nashville: Johnny Hellweg worked around a hit and a walk in two scoreless innings, and Mike Fiers cruised through a 1-2-3 eighth.

The Brewers are now 5-5 on the spring, and they wrap up the longest homestand of the exhibition season when they host the Royals tomorrow. MLB.com says Marco Estrada will face John Lamb, but they were wrong about which Ross was pitching for the Padres today.

Really good things happen when you have hot bats and hot arms.

Here's what you need to know about today's victory over the Brewers:

Alex Dickerson lined one over the right field wall.

Rico Noel hit a home run the only way he knows how: Inside the park.

There was some other good stuff, sure. Tyson Ross threw three scoreless innings, picking up a trio of strikeouts in the process. Robbie Erlin followed him with two scoreless innings, allowing just one walk while striking out two. Matt Wisler got a couple innings against some major leaguers. It wasn't an audition for the rotation, just a chance to work on some of his stuff. Scooter Gennett took him yard, but it was a great opportunity for one of the most promising arms in the system.

Josh Johnson gets the start against the Cactus League-leading Indians at 12:05 PM PST tomorrow.

Thelonius_Friar was the most prolific commenter today, but jodes0405 was slugging way better, getting an impressive 16 recs.

The Lake Elsinore Storm is offering even more incentive to support the Special Olympics

The Lake Elsinore Storm announced today that every $5 donated to the Special Olympics to the Storm Team, will receive an opening day ticket for the Storm's April 10th game against the Lancaster Jethawks! Quite the incentive since you're help someone else while rewarding yourself!

This offer is in effort to finish off the teams goal of raising $2000 to go towards Southern California's Inland Empire Special Olympics programs!

With the my insane amount of shameless promotion of this event all week, I must finally say that this will be the final article on the topic before pictures arise! And come on, you definitely want to see our minor league's staff, dressed in superhero costumes, soaking wet and in 35 degree weather!

Click here and follow the instructions on the Storm Baseball Facebook page and help us out while helping yourself!

We'll see you at the Diamond!

The Padres will host the Indians in Peoria today as Josh Johnson takes the mound against Bryan Shaw. Johnson made a strong first impression in his Padres debut on Tuesday, tossing two scoreless frames while holding the Giants hitless. As Corey Brock reports, JJ looks to pitch three innings or throw around 45 pitches against Cleveland.

Nick Vincent and Dale Thayer are also slated to get some mound time today. Vincent has had a rough Spring so far. He was tagged for three earned runs his last time out and has allowed seven runs total (five earned) on eight hits in his two Spring outings, pitching a combined 1 1/3 innings. Thayer, on the other hand, has pitched two scoreless innings over two games this Spring, holding opponents to just one hit while collecting three total strikeouts.

Watch/Listen

Tune in to Fox Sports San Diego or MLB.TV at 12:05 this afternoon to watch our Friars in action. Or you can listen to Scan and Agler on the radio broadcast via Gameday Audio or At-Bat.