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.

Padres Road Splits: A Study In Raking (More Or Less)

It's no secret that Petco Park is a place where hits rarely happen. It is a cavernous place where fly balls stop dead against the dense ocean air. It's a place where hitters go mad, and pitchers careers are saved. It's a place where even the game's best hitters - Adrian Gonzalez for one - beg and plead to leave. You have to feel sorry for hitters who have 81-games worth of at bats in a place like Petco Park. (At least as sorry as you can feel for someone who gets to play big league baseball and spend most of his time in the Diego.)

But what of those hitters when they are out on the road hitting in other, more friendly parks? Do they start raking uncontrollably, putting up monster numbers?

I'm gonna go ahead and say yes.

Here are the road splits for Padres "starters" as of today:

C - Rob Johnson: .247/.293/.365 .658 OPS

1B - Jesus Guzman: .296/.305/.457 .762 OPS (only guy hitting better at Petco)

2B - Orlando Hudson: .270/.391/.351 .743 OPS

SS - Jason Bartlett: .265/.324/.327 .651 OPS

3B - Chase Headley: .333/.404/.470 .874 OPS

LF - Kyle Blanks: .361/.425/.667 1.092 OPS

CF - Cameron Maybin: .320/.367/.485 .852 OPS

RF - Will Venable: .312/.364/.475 .839 OPS

Yes, Blanks is working on a small sample, but even after things even out, I'm certain his numbers will be better on the road than at Petco. (Incidentally, even Ryan Ludwick was almost marginally average on the road: .269/.314/.398 .712 OPS.)

So what I'm seeing is four guys with an OPS north of .800, and three guys with OBPs over .390. I'm particularly impressed by Orlando de la Noche's numbers. A .391 OBP? Who knew? Makes you wonder what kind of season he'd be putting together if he was on, say, the DBacks, Astros, or Brewers, all teams that play in hitters havens.

And how about Headley and Maybin? As my advisor Tam O'Flannell said today, Maybin is putting up near star-quality numbers, but you'd never know it because he plays half his games at Petco. I'd add that Headley also falls into that category. Maybe not "star" category, but certainly a player to be reckoned with.

And come to think of it that's a pretty good way to judge a team. How many guys do they put up there that need to be reckoned with? To put it another way, how many guys do they put up there that can't be ignored? I'd say on the road the Padres have 6-7 of those guys, arguably one or two more. That's a team that can be a winner.

With The Padres At Fenway: Vol. 3

I knew it couldn't last. Two perfect summer days in Boston had to be followed by a cloudy, drizzly day. This isn't San Diego, after all. Consistent perfection is just not attainable.


We arrived to our seats just as the Fenway grounds crew removed the tarp. The start of the game was delayed about 30 minutes (the first of four rain delays).

MLB really wanted to get the game in yesterday, for the obvious reason that rescheduling a game between two teams in separate leagues on opposite coasts would be a logistical nightmare. They pulled the tarp while it was still sprinkling and the teams played through a steady drizzle all afternoon.

Unfortunately the steady drizzle prevented me from ever sitting in my seats. You see, I attended yesterday's game with my wife and 3 1/2-month old daughter (her first Padres game!), and apparently, at least according to my wife, it is a "bad idea" to have a "baby" "sit out in the rain" for an extended period of time.

Who knew?

This gives you a good idea of the soggy conditions. A few minutes before the first pitch and the fans still had their umbrellas up. You also never see this many empty seats at Fenway a few minutes before the first pitch.


"But Da', you said we'd sit close to the field so I could show off my pink Padres shirt and see Chase Headley field ground balls. Instead, we're standing in this hallway with loud echoes. I don't know about this baseball stuff."

Patience, young one. That was not a representative experience. Don't judge it just on that one encounter alone.

The underbelly of Fenway. Deceptively spacious and with good crowd flow.

It's not evident from the photo, but this was moments after Will Venable led off the game with a bomb. Had I been in my seats, I would have had a great view. Incidentally, the groan from Red Sox fans after Lackey gave up the bomb was palpable. They really dislike that guy.

The rain was not letting up so we left in the third inning, just before the second rain delay, and found a seat at the Cask 'n Flagon, a well-known bar next to the ballpark. Here's a view looking out the side door of the bar on Landsdowne Street.


Looking down Landsdowne St., those are the famed Monster Seats on the right. On a related note, this was as close as I got to sitting in the famed Monster Seats.

And my final view of the game on the many TVs at the Cask 'n Flagon. Clay Richard is everywhere, and nowhere. (Mind blown.)

And this is a photo of my shirt on the train ride home at the moment I heard the Padres won 5-1.

Go Padres!

Jorge "Georgey" Cantu Goes Yard For First Time As Padre

According to Baseball Reference, the biggest play of yesterday's game was Will Venable's two-run single in the top of the 8th to turn a 6-5 Padres deficit into a 7-6 Padres lead. The Padres would never look back and, despite some drama by Heath Bell in the ninth, finished the day with a victory.

No doubt Will's hit was big. But for my money I'll take Jorge Cantu's monster 2-run jack off Brett Myers in the top of the 5th. At that point the Astros held a 4-1 lead and, with their ace on the mound and with the anemic way the Padres have hit this young season, that lead felt insurmountable. Jorge's blast brought the Padres back to within a run and rallied a cry of hope down from the mountaintops.

All in all a big hit.

Two Nights In Houston

Kudos to Ryan Ludwick for his big 2-run single on Friday night And to Chris Denorfia for hitting a home-run and a double. Those hits, and solid performances by Aaron Harang and the bullpen, led to a 4-2 victory over the Stros.

Last night things didn't break so well for the Padres. Mat Latos only gave up 4 hits over 6.1 innings but one of those hits was a two-run bomb to Chris Johnson. Another was a reaching swing by Hunter Pence that fell for a double scoring Michael Bourn who had reached on an infield single. Trouble also arose when Bud Black sent Latos back out in the 6th and, after striking out Brett Wallace, he walked back-to-back batters that would both later score. Another in a line of winnable losses by the 2011 Padres.

And, as we look ahead to this afternoon's games, I'll leave you with this list of Padres and their current batting averages:

Brad Hawpe - .143
Jason Bartlett - .132
Ryan Ludwick - .116
Will Venable - .146
Jorge Cantu - .167

Are You Ever Going To Blog About The Padres?

I haven't written much about the Padres this Spring Training because, in part, I was once again drawn kicking and screaming into the Tragicomedy that was Illinois basketball during the reign of the 2011 senior class. But after last Sunday's loss to Kansas in the third round of the NCAA Tournament, the Mike Davis-Bill Cole-Demetri McCamey-Mike Tisdale era is over at the University of Illinois, and I can now avert my eyes toward the greatest baseball team in the history of known universe: the San Diego Padres.

Of course the Illini weren't the only thing occupying my attention this March. A few weeks ago, on March 7, my wife gave birth to our first child, a daughter we named Maia. "Maia" is a name of Greek origin. Neither my wife nor I are at all Greek but we liked the name. In Greek mythology, Maia was the eldest of the Pleiades. Until recently I never knew what the "Pleiades" referred to, but I now know they were the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione. Maia was the oldest and most beautiful of the daughters, and also the shyest. I like those traits.

In not as good news, Maia was apparently raped by that sonuvabitch Zeus and conceived the bastard son Hermes. Hermes went on to become the god of travelers, sports, and literature, three of my favorite things, as well as found a very successful high-fashion luxury goods company based in Paris, so the rape wasn't a complete disaster. But if I ever come across Zeus in a dark alley I'm going to shove a lightning bolt up his -

Maia is also identified with Maia Maiestas, an ancient Italic goddess of Spring. Maybe I'll call my daughter Maia Maiestas sometimes. I kind of like that idea. It also supports a long held theory of mine that the best goddesses are Italic goddesses.

Tolkien also created some denizens of Middle Earth called the Maiar (singular: Maia). They are lesser Ainur who entered Ea in the beginning of time, supporting another theory of mine that Tolkien was a weird weird dude. (Though apparenly Gandalf the Grey was Maiar so it doesn't get much better in terms of Middle Earth denizens than that.)

Given her connection to the gods it comes as no surprise that Maia is also the name of a star. It's in the Taurus constellation and is a blue giant, which means it's about 10x as bright as the Sun, give or take. Maia in particular is 5 1/2 times the size of the Sun and is best seen in the high Northern Hemisphere during autumn and winter. I've wanted to buy a telescope ever since I saw Can't Buy Me Love. Now I have an excuse that doesn't involve Pat Dempsey.

There is a football club in Portugal called F.C. Maia. I need to buy Maia an F.C. Maia t-shirt very soon. I'd do it online if the team had an online store (Man Utd. they are not), but since their official team website isn't even working, I might need to take a road trip to the Portugese town of Maia and pay a visit to club HQ.

Maia is also the name of a Colombian singer who has a song called "Nina Bonita." In English "nina bonita" means "pretty girl" which, coincidentally, describes my daughter. Maia the singer hails from Barranquilla, Colombia, also the hometown of Shakira, Sofia Vergara, and Edgar Renteria, proving that no matter the track record, not everyone from a city can be really really good looking.

Finally, MAIA stands for the Michigan Association of Insurance Agents, the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents, and the Martial Arts Industry Association. I can assure you she is named for none of those organizations, though she may learn a martial art, so she knows how to fight off Zeus.

Will Venable, Cameron Maybin, Ryan Ludwick: Monsters?

Will Venable hit a 3-run bomb this afternoon in an early-Spring tuneup against the Rockies. That's a good sign because Will has a bead on starting in right field for the Padres this season, filling out an outfield that will also include Cameron Maybin and Ryan Ludwick.

Call me a wildly optimistic Padres fan, but I think this year's outfield has a chance to rival my favorite Padres outfield of the Petco Park Years: the '06 outfield of Dave Roberts, Mike Cameron, and Brian Giles.

Take a look at the numbers Roberts, Cameron, and Giles put up in '06:

Roberts: .293/.360/.393 ... 13 triples, 2 bombs, 49 bags
Cameron: .268/.355/.482 ... 22 bombs, 83 ribeyes, 25 bags
Giles: .263/.374/.397 ... 14 bombs, 83 ribeyes, 104 walks

I'll also add that all three had an OPS+ exceeding 100: 101 (Roberts), 121 (Cameron), 107 (Giles).

Meanwhile, here's how our three heroes, Venable, Maybin, and Ludwick, fared in '10:

Venable: .245/.324/.408 ... 13 bombs, 29 bags, 104 OPS+
Ludwick: .251/.325/.418 ... 17 bombs, 69 ribeyes, 104 OPS+
Maybin: .234/.302/.361 ... 8 bombs, 9 bags, 75 OPS+

Maybe I am overly optimistic. It will take quite a bit of improvement for these guys to match the '06 group. But I'm certain all three will improve over their performance in 2010.

The question is by how much.

In The Belly Of The Beast: Padres Win Game One In San Francisco

I couldn't make it to San Diego to support the Padres earlier this week, so instead I came out to San Francisco - the belly of the beast - to root on the team in the final series of the regular season.

Tonight was the most intense baseball game I've ever seen in person.

A few observations:

- Even though he is in his late thirties and has a sore groin, I was still shocked Miguel Tejada was thrown out at home in the first inning. I swear the right fielder still had the ball when Miggy rounded third. Yet he was out by a three steps.

- The Ryan Ludwick, Adrian Gonzalez and Matt Stairs home runs in the second, third, and fourth innings, respectively, were three of the more satisfying moments in the history of non-playoff Padres baseball.

- AT&T Park was absolutely electric. Moreso than I've ever seen Petco. When the Giants rallied in the 6th, and had the tying run at the plate, it felt like the world was ending. At least from my point of view. I know the 8th inning got a little dicey, but the 6th inning was the most nerve-wracking inning I've watched in person. Having a big lead in the 6th inning is nice, but when a quality home team still has 12 outs to play with, and a raucous crowd behind them, the game is nowhere near over. The sixth inning was like my worst fears coming true. I thought Bud Black was making a mistake removing Thatcher after one batter, and replacing him with Gregerson, but to Bud's credit it worked out.

- All of Adrian's mishaps with the glove. I sincerely hope I never have to witness anything like that ever again.

- The ninth inning. Oh my. Just before Aubrey Huff hit his surefire double to deep right field, I'd glanced up and saw that Will Venable - who had shifted over from center - was playing very deep. I don't know who deserves credit for that defensive placement but it was brilliant. Venable ran down Huff's drive and then doubled up Freddy Sanchez who, thinking Huff had either homered or doubled, had already rounded second. The play happened so fast and was so awesome, I'm still not sure I actually saw it. Overheard from the Giant fan sitting next to me, "Oh my God that was deflating."

Plan for tomorrow: after a morning watching the Illini take on Ohio St. at Kezar Pub, it's back to AT&T for Game 2.

Jaysus.

The Giants Won Again ... Here We Go

Well, Bruce Bochy and the Giants got it dun again today, sweeping the Diamondbacks to drop their magic number to 2. That number could fall to 1 if the Padres don't win tonight against the Cubs.

Last night Will Venable went pure Superman to save the Drinos season. Tonight Bud Black sends Jon Garland to the mound to try to hold the line in the NL West and Wild Card races.

Things. Couldn't. Be. More. Dramatic.

Oh, and it's raining in the Diego so the first pitch is delayed.

Here we go.

Watching Games With Will Venable In Them

As I sit on my sofa watching this Padres-Buccos game on my computer, it occurred to me, for no particular reason, that I hope Will Venable gets the bulk of at bats from the LF position the rest of the season.

Ryan Ludwick is now the everyday RF, and I'm fine with that, especially because he hit his first Drino HR this evening.

But Venable has the speed and power that I'd like to see in the field the majority of games down the stretch. Not only does he have 10 bombs and 19 bags in only 255 ABs on the season, but from August 1 to September 25 last year, a nice winning stretch for the '09 Padres, he raised his average from .243 to .273. I'd love for him to tap into that hot streak again these next two months.

True, he has 88 Ks on the season and is only hitting at a .238 clip, but I think there may be some lightning in that bat that is somehow tapped into the weather patterns of the dog days of August and early September.

Wishful thinking? Maybe.

But I hope Buddy puts him in the lineup to find out.

First Place At The All-Star Break

Yesterday, on the final day of scheduled games before the All-Star break, the Padres salvaged a win over the charging Colorado Rackies to finish the first-half of the season all alone in first place in the NL West.

Nice.

I have been watching the first-half of the season with great interest, but admittedly have had my focus drawn to the World Cup over the last month. Now that the WC is over and done with, the focus is now fully on baseball for what promises to be a solid second half of the season.

Yesterday's game, in fact, provided one of my first fist-pump moments of the season, when Rackies' pitcher Matt Belisle errantly threw to home in the top of the 8th, allowing Aaron Cunningham and Jerry Hairston, Jr. to score the tying and go-ahead runs when the ball skipped past Miguel Olivo. Then our boy Everth topped it off with a two-run pop-up bomb in the 9th to give Heath the cushion he needed to close out the game.

What a fine way to enter the break.

The second half starts for the Padres next Friday and promises to be a tense battle of wits and baseball acumen. To hold on to first place and ice the NL West, the Padres need to improve their play over the next two-and-a-half months, no small feat given their stellar play to date. Production from last August's heroes, Will Venable, Kyle Blanks and E Cab, as well as continued dominance from the starting rotation and bullpen, is a must. A trade for another starting pitcher may be in order.

Suffice to say the roster will change a bit over the next twenty days. Here's hoping Jed makes all the right moves.

Jerry Hairston, Jr. Likes Winning Very Much

I like this shot of a young Jerry Hairston, Jr. And I bet Jerry likes it too if only because it reminds him he is no longer a member of the Baltimore Orioles.

The biggest reason for the Padres' early season success is no doubt the starting and relief pitching, led by monsters such as Clayton Richard, Wade LeBlanc, Luke Gregerson and Heath Bell, but we can't sleep on the contribution by veteran utility guy Jerry Hairston, Jr.

Let's put this into focus:

- he has played a solid SS since Everth went down with an injury, with only one little hiccup in the finale of the Astros series marring his otherwise quality work;

- though his overall numbers are middling at .223/.270/.282, he has been raking some timely hits, most recently last night with his two-out double off Matty Cain that plated Will Venable and gave the Drinos a lead they would not relinquish; and

- he adds some championship lustre to the Padres clubhouse, what with the shiny new World Series ring he earned as a member of the '09 Yanquis.

In short, Jerry brings depth and a winning attitude to the Padres, something last year's squad was sorely lacking.

Today, Mat Latos leads the team against the Giants seeking a series sweep.

Let's do this.

Opening Day For The Drinos: Venable

Hey Will Venable,

You son of Max, former hoops player at Princeton, and right fielder with sneaky upside ... how about having a year, huh?

Today you can start showing your rapid improvement in the game of baseball since returning to the game after focusing on hoops in college. You can show you'll be a better pro than you were a minor leaguer, and show you are an everday Big League right fielder.

Now go out there and lace some doubles and make some diving catches.

Best,
Bevormo

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.

Venable ... Bomb

Our boy Will Venable already hit a bomb tonight against the Rockies. The Drinos lead 2-0 in the bottom of the third. Stauffer is pitching a gem.

The Drinos will need to stay vigilant, however, because these Rockies don't give up easily.

Man, they're annoying.

Luis Durango ... Have A Debut!

Quite a debut for Luis Durango.

In his first Major League start, Durango played left field and smoked to the tune of 3-4, with 2 runs scored, including stealing second and scoring the winning run on an Everth Cabrera single with 1 out in the bottom of the 10th.

Here's how Ted Leitner called it as Durango crossed the plate:

"Speed! Speed! Speed! You either got it or you don't. You can't coach it. They got it. With Cabrera, they got it with Gwynn and Venable, and maybe the fastest of all, Luis Durango, who got the bag at second, flying home to win the ballgame 6-5 in the bottom of the 10th! Magic time for the Padres!"

Well said, Ted.

The Rumors Of My Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

And you thought I might never return. So silly of you.

Anyway, yes, I am back and will now begin posting regularly as I have been, with minor exceptions, since January.

Should be a good time.

I'll let you know where I was and why I had to take a few weeks off in an upcoming post, but in the meantime, let me say that the Padrinos tee off against the Bravos in a few minutes time. Our boy Tim Stauffer takes the hill and looks to continue his legendary comeback season.

Let me also mention that in the few moments I've been able to watch the Padres over the past few weeks, I've liked what I've seen. Especially the play of Kyle Blanks, Will Venable, Everth Cabrera and wunderkind Mat Latos. And I'm not the only one. Geoff Young is so stoked by these guys that he invented a "modified box score" system specifically to track their performance the remainder of the season. Geoff's system seems a lot like my own highly scientific system of "watch the games and see if these guys do anything good."

Both systems are equally accurate measures of performance.

Go Padres! Tonight! Against the Braves!

The Padres Have Diapers And May Still Be Breastfeeding

The Padres are really rolling out the youngins this evening against the Rockies.

Here is tonight's lineup and their respective ages:

SS - Everth Cabrera (22)
CF - Tony Gwynn, Jr. (26)
1B - Adrian Gonzalez (27)
3B - Kevin Kouzmanoff (27)
RF - Will Venable (26)
LF - Kyle Blanks (22)
C - Eliezer Alfonzo (30)
2B - Edgar Gonzalez (31)
P - Kevin Correia (28)

I'm no mathemetician, but that's an average age of 26.5. That may not seem too young on first glance, but when you delve a bit deeper you can see the inexperience in this lineup. The two oldest dudes - Edgar and Eliezer - are journeyman who have never held down regular jobs. Edgar, in fact, was a 30-year old rookie just last season. Then you have Venable, a 26-year old rookie, and Gwynn, who at 26 has never spent a full season in the Bigs. Blanks and Cabrera are wee babes. Only Kouz and Adrian have legitimate big league track records.

Query if Bud Black has any passafires in the dugout.

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 ...