Keyvius Sampson .... Getting It Dun In Eugene

Of the three marquee draft picks the Padres inked last Summer - Donavan Tate, Everett Williams and Keyvius Sampson - only Keyvius is having a sparkling start to his professional career.

Nagging injuries have limited Tate and Everett and kept them from building on flashes of potential.

Keyvius, on the other hand, is rolling along at a steady clip. Through 7 starts in the Northwest League, Keyvius is 7-0 and leads the league with a 1.87 ERA. He also leads the league with 46Ks and is second to teammate Matthew Lollis with a .98 WHIP. He even threw a 5-inning no no on July 14.

I don't profess to know the Padres' plans regarding Keyvius, but I think he's ready for Fort Wayne.

More On The 2009 Padres

A couple more things I'm going to remember about the 2009 Padres:

- the new ownership group shelled out a good amount of cash in the June draft to sign Donavan Tate, Everett Williams, Gerry Sullivan, Keyvius Sampson, James Needy and Jorge Reyes; and

- the new ownership group stabbed KT in the back and fired him as General Manager with two days remaining in the season.

My decision to renew my season tickets is now being reviewed.

Donavan Hurt His Pubic Bone

Word is Donavan Tate has a hurt pubic bone and won't be healthy in time to make his professional debut until 2010.

No rush, Donavan. A handful of at-bats in the Arizona League is not going to make or break your career.

I haven't heard exactly what injury Donavan has to his pubic bone, but if its osteitis pubis, that sounds painful. I wouldn't want that injury.

Avoiding injuries like that is why I chose not to become a professional athlete.

Oh, also, Mat Latos threw 7 scoreless innings tonight.

Oh Day Of Days Indeed

Quite a competition yesterday for "Best Moment of the Day":

1. Was it when I read Keyvius Sampson signed just before 1 PM eastern standard time?

2. Was it when Tam O'Flannell e-mailed me that Everett Williams, in my opinion the odd man out in terms of signability, was in the fold?

3. Was it when I heard Donavan Tate was trolling around Petco Park practicing his signature and - as we see in the photo above - getting fitted for a choice outfit?

4. Was it when Chase Headley tied the ballgame in the bottom of the 9th with a rope RBI double?

5. Was it when Kyle Blanks hit a monster 3-run walk off bomb to left center that left Mark Neely speechless?

6. Was it when I found out that my favorite Greek restaurant has take out and my wife kindly volunteered to walk the 12 blocks to pick up our order of lamb shanks, selection of Greek spreads, and a shrimp, orzo, spinach, tomato and feta salad?

7. Was it when I convinced myself, "Bevormo, you don't need to work out today"?

8. Or was it when I took a choice pre-dinner nap from 7:30 - 9 PM?

Man, this one might be too close to call.

The redemption of Cesar Carrillo begins in a few hours.

Oh Day Of Days

Well, here we are. With minor exceptions, the last day for Major League baseball teams to sign players selected in the June draft.

On the table for the Padres taking are three players - Donavan Tate, Everett Williams and Keyvius Sampson - that have high high upside and could all become Major League stars. Or they could all flame out and never make the big leagues. Nobody knows what will happen at this point.

All we do know is that by the end of today the Padres will have either put all their chips in the pot and signed these three guys, or they will have sat back, shoved their money back in their pocket, and let potential greatness slip away once again.

I for one hope Moorad and the front office boys go all in.

Donavan Tate Is On The Verge, Reportedly

As you've no doubt heard by now, Donavan Tate has left UNC's campus and, according to reports, is very close to signing a deal with the Padres.

To me this is an easy decision for young Donavan. As I told my advisors Tam O'Flannell and Geleaux in an e-mail yesterday afternoon:

"To me this is a no-brainer. On the one hand, you could do two-a-days in the Carolina heat looking ahead to redshirting and taking some bs bio and English lit classes, or, on the other hand, you could pocket $6 million bucks, get the red carpet treatment at Petco, head to the Northwest League for some token games, and then fly to Peoria, AZ for a relaxed Fall of workouts (near Arizona State University by the way)."

As Padres fans, let's hope Donavan sees things the same way.

Donavan Tate

Donavan,

Welcome to the fold. If you sign, that is.

I hope you do sign. I think you're a heckuva player, maybe better than that Justin Upton guy. If I was your agent (why aren't I, by the way?) I'd say take the Drino caysh, start playing Minor League ball, and save your knees from that football stuff.

Remember, Grady Fuson and Kevin Towers are your friends.

Best,
Bevormo