An Evening At Citi Field With The San Diego Padres

On Wednesday night I went to Citi Field in Queens, NY, home of the Mets, to watch the Padres-Metsies game. Solid ballpark, great night. Not only did the Padres win 9-5, but there were a fair amount of strong performances, historic moments (if you consider James Darnell's first big league hit "historic," which I do), and even a little drama in the 9th (Heath Bell did pitch after all).

If you don't mind, I think I'll show you some photos.

I thought it was nice of this Mets fan to recognize former Padres first-round pick, and current Mets minor-leaguer, Allan Dykstra. I mean he hasn't even made his big league debut yet and this guy already has an Allan Dykstra jersey. That's supporting the system!

I attended the game with noted Metsies fan, and guest of this blog, Father D.P. McGillicutty. We began the game sitting in right field just beyond the foul pole, a few yards into foul territory. This is not a bad spot to watch the game. You have a clear view of the field and, on nice nights, you can see a bit of the sunset above the stadium lights. The sun shines in your eyes for a few innings, as the photo above proves, but I'd still recommend this spot if you're looking for a good outfield seat.

How good was that '86 Mets squad? In addition to this photo of Keith Hernandez, Doc Gooden, and Darryl Strawberry, the Mets also showed a montage of Gary Carter highlights on the big screen that made me want to clasp hands in a manly way with my worst enemy. What a pack of monsters. Seeing the billboard above, it made me wonder what similar billboard the Padres could hang at Petco. It would have to be three guys from one of our best teams - probably the '84 or '98 squad - and you'd need a stud pitcher, a stud HR hitter, and one of the team leaders. They wouldn't all have to be home-grown players (Hernandez was drafted by the Cardinals), but it would be nice if 2 of the 3 guys were drafted and developed by the team.

So obviously, Tony Gwynn is on the billboard in the middle spot occupied in the photo above by Keith Hernandez. Then, if we're doing an homage to the '84 team, let's put up home-grown kid Kevin McReynolds in the Strawberry spot (ironically McReynolds played with all these guys on the Mets a few years later), and let's put Eric Show on the board in the Gooden spot. Arguably Goose or Dravecky or Lefferts could take that spot, but I'm putting the spotlight on Eric. It's my imaginary billboard after all. (Ed. note: the '98 billboard of Gwynn, Cammy, and Kevin Brown wouldn't suck, nor would the '05 billboard of Peavy, Giles, and Trevor, not to mention the '78 billboard of Winfield, Ozzie, and Gaylord Perry. Let's get these hung at Petco immediately.)

Check out this action shot of former-Padre Mike Baxter warming up between innings. Baxter is a Queens native so he's living the dream at the moment. At least that's my guess. I haven't actually talked with him about it. In this game he went 1-3 with two walks, which means, if my math is correct, he was on base three times. Not bad for a youngish guy trying to break in with his hometown team. When Alderson and DePodesta claimed him off waivers a few weeks ago, I thought it was a dirty sneaky move, but I totally respected it. And maybe now Mike will get a good shot to prove himself at the big league level over the next 6 weeks. Good luck to him.

I posted this slightly blurry photo from right field merely for comedic purposes. You can't really tell from the photo, but that's Cameron Maybin jogging down the first-base line back toward the dugout. Moments before taking this photo I had turned to McGillicutty and said, "Watch Maybin go yard here." Then, with that statement barely out of my mouth, Maybin hit a dribbler four feet in front of the plate and was thrown out at first. And then I took this photo.

See, isn't that hilarious?

Check out that moon. Reminded of a moon I once saw in Pittsburgh.

If anyone ever tells you I wasn't at the game where James Darnell got his first big league hit, they are wrong. Remember that. Could come in handy in a bar bet someday.

Shake Shack is one of New York's best spots to get a burger. Very trendy but also very tasty. They put up a location in the outfield at Citi and the Mets put a sweet neon skyline of New York above the sign. This is kind of a haphazard photo of it, but you get the idea. I'm a fan of the whole presentation.

And here's a last final shot of Citi Field from outside the stadium. That's the back of the centerfield scoreboard. You can see the small green sign for McFadden's toward the bottom of the photo. That's a sports bar that's on the Citi Field grounds that is a good spot to go if it's past the 7th inning, the game is fairly meaningless, and you stupidly run out of beers. One caveat: you can't get back into the stadium once you walk into McFadden's.

The First Annual Anthony Rizzo/Jaff Decker/James Darnell April 2011 Padres Minor League Honor Roll

After last night's glorious 5-2 victory over the Hated Dadgers, the Padres finished April 10-17, 8 games back of the Colorado Rackies. From an offensive standpoint, they played about as poor as they could possibly play, finishing at the bottom of the NL in all three triple-slash categories. These are not numbers for the faint of heart: .211/.293/.308. But that's why I feel some optimism heading into May. The Padres can't continue to hit that poorly - they really can't - and they have 11 games this month against the Pirates, DBacks, and Nationals. Sure, they get the Rockies too, but I'm guessing they finish May just a few games under .500, poised to hit the ground running in June.

In the meantime, and speaking of optimism, let's take a look at the top Padres minor league performances in the month of April. A lot of guys swung some big time wood last month, and a few other guys pitched well, so it would be an oversight not to commend them.

Tucson Padres

1B - Anthony Rizzo: .400/.471/.744
3B - Jesus Guzman: .344/.439/.467
2B - Logan Forsythe: .313/.429/.525
RHP - Jon Leicester: 1-0, 2.84, 11/8, 1.16 WHIP

If Rizzo doesn't make the May Honor Roll, it's because he's raking in the Diago.

San Antonio Missions

3B - James Darnell: .410/.520/.705
CF - Blake Tekotte: .375/.474/.675
OF - Jaff Decker: .316/.449/.759
LF - Dan Robertson: .270/.405/.460
1B - Cody Decker: .298/.337/.714
RF - Sawyer Carroll: .333/.377/.579
C - Kyle Phillips: .344/.362/.500
SS - Beamer Weems: .324/.390/.500
RHP - Anthony Bass: 3-1, 3.45, 18/7, 1.15 WHIP
RHP - Casey Kelly: 2-0, 4.10, 19/9, 1.48 WHIP
RHP - Brad Brach: 7 saves, 3.97, 19/1, .97 WHIP

Who plays second base for the Missions? That guy needs to get his act together (just kidding: it's usually Vinny Belnome who just missed making the April Honor Roll).

Lake Elsinore Storm

3B - Jedd Gyorko: .380/.442/.652
3B - Edinson Rincon: .369/.419/.524
CF - Reymond Fuentes: .306/.344/.400
RHP - Chris Fetter: 1-2, 3.32, 22/2, 1.29 WHIP
RHP - Jerry Sullivan: 3-1, 3.32, 13/8, 1.58 WHIP
RHP - Matt Lollis: 1-4, 5.13, 29/8, 1.14 WHIP
RHP - Erik Hamren, 4 holds, 1.69, 15/1, .66 WHIP

Fuentes: feel free to go ahead and start flashing some power anytime you're ready.

Fort Wayne TinCaps

3B - Jake Blackwood: .321/.360/.631
C - Tommy Medica: .323/.397/.523
RHP - Keyvius Sampson: 3-1, 1.29, 28/8, .67 WHIP
LHP - Mark Hardy: 1-3. 2.31, 13/7, 1.07 WHIP
LHP - Andrew Werner: 1-3, 3.27, 21/6, 1.09 WHIP

The lack of name prospects in the everyday lineup when Tate and Williams are injured is startling. But all hail Keyvius, and a shout out to Peorian Andrew Werner.

The relentless progression of time continues. May starts today.

Jed Hoyer Dispenses With Grady Fuson

Looks like one of Jed Hoyer's first moves as Padres GM is removing Grady Fuson as vice president of scouting and player development. Fuson was on the job for 5 years.

Scouting and player development is probably the most important job on a mid-to-small market team, so I have no problem with Jed bringing in his own guy for the job. I'm also confident that Jed will select someone who will know what he's doing. I have no specific reason to be confident about that, but I am.

For Grady's part, he did an okay job in his 5 years. Successes and potential successes include Kyle Blanks, Will Venable, Mat Latos, Nick Hundley, Wade LeBlanc and Chase Headley. Disappointments and potential disappointments include Matt Antonelli, Cesar Carrillo, Cesar Ramos and Nick Schmidt. That's not a complete list. That's just a list I copied from an article in the U-T.

As with any new hire, it will take a few years to know if Jed is moving the Drinos player development system in the right direction. I like the direction the system moved last year with all the power arms KT traded for, and the development of players like James Darnell and Jaff Decker. Hopefully Jed can do even better.

Mike Baxter, Craig Cooper ... And Other Top Padres Minor Leaguers

At the beginning of May, I ranked the top 10 Padres minor league hitters after one month of the season. Now, two months into the '09 campaign, I've taken another look at the numbers and updated the list.

Before I get into the rankings a few preliminary comments:

1. Mike Baxter and Craig Cooper (pictured above in that order) have almost identical numbers on the season. Also they are teammates in San Antonio and, my sources tell me, are roommates. They probably also share the ladeez, though I have heard no rumors about that. Needless to say, if you are the father of attractive twin girls between the ages of 17 and 22 living in San Antonio, I would keep them away from the ballpark.

2. If you only have a superficial knowledge of the Padres minor league system, it's possible you've only heard of Kyle Blanks, Matt Antonelli, Cedric Hunter and Kellen Kulbacki. None of those guys are on this list which, to me, suggests the depth of the Drino system. Not, as others might suggest, a lack of impact talent.

3. I really hope Blanks, Antonelli, Hunter and Kulbacki start hitting better.

Without further ado ...

1 (tie). Mike Baxter, OF, San Antonio: The Vandy grad and native New Yorker (Queens) just keeps raking this season. He finished May hitting .379, with 3 bombs and 40 ribeyes. He was also on base 43.4 out of 100 times up and was slugging to the tune of .553. His batting average and hit totals were good enough to be tied for the Texas League lead in both categories with his teammate, Craig "Craigers" Cooper. He doesn't have a clear position in the Bigs, but if he keeps hitting the Drinos will have to push him up to Portland, one would imagine.

1 (tie). Craig Cooper, 1B, San Antonio: The ND grad and native New Yorker (Plainview) just keeps raking this season. He finished May hitting .379, with 5 bombs and 36 ribeyes. He was also on base 44.9 out of 100 times up and was slugging to the tune of .532. His batting average and hit totals were good enough to be tied for the Texas League lead in both categories with his teammate, Mike "Mikey" Baxter. He doesn't have a clear position in the Bigs, but if he keeps hitting the Drinos will have to push him up to Portland, one would imagine.

(Note: Yes, those paragraphs are mirror images of each other, and for good reason. Right now Cooper and Baxter are basically the same guy. Think of them like a two-headed hit monster, the kind you might find in a Homeric epic if Homer had followed his better instincts and written about baseball.)

3. Jaff Decker, OF, Fort Wayne: Young Jaff (one of the youngest players in the Midwest League in fact) started the season on the DL but has since returned with a vengeance, John McClane-style. He's hitting .294 7 20 in only 102 at bats through May 31. That in addition to a robust .474 OBP and .569 slugging percentage, the latter number good enough to lead the entire Drinos minor league system. Given his age and dominance relative to his peers, Decker might have the highest upside of any hitting prospect in base-, er, in the Padres system.

4. Logan Forsythe, 3B, Lake Elsinore: Another on-base monster with considerable pop in his bat. Logan leads the Padres minors with a .481 OBP, a number that meshes nicely with his .325 6 20 primary numbers. From a pitcher's perspective, Logan is just a heckuva problem to pitch too. He's going to put a good swing on a good pitch at some point in the at bat, or he is going to walk.

5. Drew Cumberland, SS, Fort Wayne: Another young beast at Fort Wayne who has spent time on the DL this season. Drew is a very fast guy who can also drive the ball to the gaps. In 96 at bats on the season, he is hitting .365 and has an OBP of .450. He needs to work on his fielding and needs to stay healthy, but so far he is on the right track.

6. Lance Zawadzki, SS, Lake Elsinore-San Antonio: Speaking of shortstops, Lance raked so well at LE in April and May that Grady Fuson awarded him with a promotion to San Antonio. No wonder. Lance's power stroke was off the charts for a SS in the Cal League, smoking 10 bombs in 145 ABs. His slugging percentage of .552 was one of the tops in the system. Plus, he has a kick ass name.

7. Luis Durango, OF, San Antonio: Rapidly becoming one of my favorite players in the system, Luis just will not stop getting hits and stealing bases. He's hitting .333 with 24 bags and has basically taken the starting CF position in San Antonio from Ced Hunter. Luis is a prototype leadoff man who can get on base (.426 OBP) even if the hits aren't dropping. Also, he hails from Panama and is nicknamed the "Panamaniac." How beastly. No doubt Noriega loves this guy.

8. James Darnell, 3B, Fort Wayne: Jimmy D keeps plugging away down in Fort Wayne: .300 6 30, .457 OBP, .500 SLG. Ho-hum. I have a feeling Jimmy is biding his time in the cool Indiana Spring weather, taking his hits as they come to him, waiting to explode once the temperatures rise. At least that's how I'd play it if I was in the Midwest League in April and May.

9. Matt Clark, 1B, Fort Wayne: Clark is a hefty kid out of LSU. He was overshadowed in last year's draft because the Padres selected 1B Allan Dykstra in the first round, but so far Matt has outhit Allan through the first year of their professional careers. Compare: Matt is smoking .271 7 41, while Allan is dicking around with a .213 2 21. Sure, Allan draws a lot of walks and has an OBP of .403, but Matt is actually putting wood on cowhide. His 41 ribeyes lead the Padres minor league system.

10. Will Venable, OF, Portland: Thank God someone from AAA made this list. Blanks is scuffling and Chadder Huffman, though his numbers are similar to Will's, isn't exactly setting the world on fire. And I don't even want to talk about Matt Antonelli. I put Will here because I think he is a Big League ballplayer and I like his power stroke. Through May 31 he had 10 bombs in 191 at bats. Not stunning, but also not shabby. I note also that he hit two more bombs last night so look for him to move up this list come early July.

Pitchers tomorrow.

Logan Forsythe ... And Other Top Padres Minor Leaguers

After the first month or so of the baseball season, here is this humble blog's ranking of the top Padre minor league performers.

Looking over the list, I'll make a few introductory comments:

1. I'll be surprised if Will Venable isn't starting in RF for the Padres by mid-July. I think the Padres will trade Brian Giles and give Venable a shot to earn the starting RF or CF job for Opening Day 2010.

2. The Logan Forsythe-James Darnell cage match to determine the Padres top 3B prospect will be epic this season. I've got Logan in the lead but I expect it to be a back-and-forth, bloody battle all season long.

3. A Padres team in, say, 2011 with Luis Durango and Everth Cabrera would be quick. Not necessarily good, but definitely quick.

Without further ado ...

Hitters

1. Logan Forsythe, 3B Lake Elsinore: Logan is batting .321 with 2 bombs and 9 ribeyes. He has also walked 22 times. His numbers aren't quite as good as Jimmy Darnell's but I'm putting Logan #1 for the first ranking of the season because he shares a name with Wolverine. And we all know what a beast Wolverine is.

2. James Darnell, 3B, Fort Wayne: Jimmy D is only hitting .273 but he has walked 26 times already for an .OBP of .467 and an OPS of 1.013 (second best in the Padres minor league system). He has 3 bombs and 11 ribeyes.

3. Craig Cooper, 1B, San Antonio: If I were Craig Cooper I would beg Grady Fuson to let me learn 2B or C or trade me (actually I would never ask for a trade from the Padres ... who do you think I am?) because with AGon and Kyle Blanks ahead of him, and Felix Carrasco, Allan Dykstra and Matt Clark behind him, Craig has little shot to make the bigs with the Drinos. That said, Craig can hit a little. He's currently hitting .402 with a bomb and 12 RBI's. His OPS is 1.010, good for third in the Padres minor league system. It's not like Craig came out of nowhere (he was a 7th round pick in the 2006 draft), but I doubt he is a top developmental priority for the Drinos.

4. Lance Zawadzki, SS, Lake Elsinore: Along with Everth Cabrera and Drew Cumberland, Lance's presence gives the Padres three interesting - if not sure thing - MLB prospects at SS. I'm not saying the Padres shouldn't draft Grant Green this June, but these guys can all play a little (and this is not even mentioning Beamer Weems who has been an OBP machine this season). Lance is smoking the ball to the tune of .333 5 14 in only 40 or so at bats this season. He was a 4th rounder in '07 so he's got some talent.

5. Kyle Blanks, 1B-LF, Portland: Kyle is rolling right along, hitting .298 5 17 this season. His Ks are a bit high but I get the feeling he hasn't quite hit his groove yet. Look for the batting average to rise to about .320 by the end of May. And for the bombs to continue.

6. Will Venable, RF, Portland: Will can play. I'd say the Padres should call him up now if I didn't also like Jody, Scott, Chase and Brian so much. Of course, as I note above, Brian could be on his last days with the Padres. Will is hitting .278 5 14 so far this season.

7. Eric Sogard, 2B, San Antonio: Better than Antonelli? Maybe. Eric is lacing to the tune of .311 1 6, and with 19 walks his OPS is at .911. Not to shabby for a second baseman.

8. Drew Macias, CF, Portland: .318 2 6, .922 OPS, with a short stint on the big league club already this season. Bud Black seems to love Drew's defense and competitiveness so that bodes well for his call up potential. Personally, it's not that I don't like Drew, I just like Will more.

9. Luis Durango, LF-CF, San Antonio: The Fall of Ced Hunter is being well documented (he could be this year's Antonelli) and Durango so far has been there to step in. Luis is currently working on a .341 average with 15 bags and a .423 OBP. He has hit at every level, including .431 in a 72 at-bat stint at Lake Elsinore late last season (after hitting .300 in the pitchers haven that is the Midwest League). The Padres felt he didn't need a full season at High A and it looks like they were correct. CF on the Padres in 2010? Right now I'd say the job is wide open. Why not Luis?

Tomorrow the pitchers ...