Mike Cameron was getting old, had an expiring contract and spent some time on the DL last year so we let him leave. Kevin Towers' grand move to replace him? The older, and more often hurt Jim Edmonds.
Now don't get me wrong, I loved Edmonds. But that was back in 2004 when he was still producing Web Gems on a nightly basis and played more than 120 games a year.
On the plus side, we get a guy who has continuously proven he can cover a large space and we didn't have to give up a whole lot to get him. Now we just need him to stay healthy.
Even if Edmonds plays more than 120 games this year, he still won't quite put up the numbers he was putting up five years ago. However, it shouldn't be too much of a stretch for a .260 BA with 20 HR and 60 RBI if all of the pieces fall into place.
The other wild card to this scenario is who will play CF when/if Edmonds gets hurt. That's something that I don't even want to venture a guess at right now. Hopefully by the end of the spring, we will at least know the name of Plan B.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Friday, February 8, 2008
2008 Previews: Left Field
Before we get to the muddiest of all previews, I would like to bring attention to a story from si.com saying we are close to bringing in Tony Clark to back up Adrian Gonzalez at 1B. Whether or not Clark has much of an impact on the offense, one thing Clark will do is help the Padres nail down the trophy for the tallest team in the league. At least we will win something.
Now on to LF. According to the Sports Lunch today with Kevin Towers and Bud Black, our starting lineup is set to feature Scott Hairston as our regular LF (thanks to Gaslamp Ball for the post on the lunch).
Hairston did great things when he came over from the D-backs last year and it would be awesome to see him do more of the same. Like Khalil Greene, Hairston probably won't have the most impressive BA, but given a regular opportunity to play he could put up 20 HR.
The one thing that will hinder Hairston is his lack of patience at the plate, but given that he is only 27, he could get better with time.
If Hairston falters there are a wealth of guys looking for any opportunity to play (including Chase Headley), and it could still be possible that Towers could bring in another player at some point.
LF is definitely one of the biggest questions heading into this year but if Hairston can lock the job down we should be in great shape.
Now on to LF. According to the Sports Lunch today with Kevin Towers and Bud Black, our starting lineup is set to feature Scott Hairston as our regular LF (thanks to Gaslamp Ball for the post on the lunch).
Hairston did great things when he came over from the D-backs last year and it would be awesome to see him do more of the same. Like Khalil Greene, Hairston probably won't have the most impressive BA, but given a regular opportunity to play he could put up 20 HR.
The one thing that will hinder Hairston is his lack of patience at the plate, but given that he is only 27, he could get better with time.
If Hairston falters there are a wealth of guys looking for any opportunity to play (including Chase Headley), and it could still be possible that Towers could bring in another player at some point.
LF is definitely one of the biggest questions heading into this year but if Hairston can lock the job down we should be in great shape.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
2008 Previews: Third Base
Kevin Towers traded for Kevin Kouzmanoff before last season, giving up on what fans thought was another talented prospect (and who could still be a good talent despite his struggles last season) in Josh Barfield.
In April, it looked like we got hosed as Kouzmanoff struggled to adjust to being a full time major leaguer but by June Towers once again looked like a genius. Given that Kouzmanoff should be better adjusted this season, he should easily surpass last year's numbers and I think he even approaches a .300 BA, 25 HR and 95 RBI. Not too much of a stretch but considering his second half last season it could be too modest.
Like the rest of the infield, last year's super utility man Geoff Blum traded one super sized state for another, meaning the Kouzmanoff's days off will most likely be handled by "3B of the future?" Chase Headley, provided Headley isn't the permanent fixture in LF.
Looking at the complete infield picture, I applaud what Towers has us sending out on a game-to-game basis, even if Tadahito Iguchi is just a rental until Matt Antonelli is ready. If Kouzmanoff's bat continues to get better, he could provide much of the pop that missing out of last year's lineup (not that he didn't provide pop in the first place, we just needed more).
Now if only the OF was as complete looking as the infield, we would be the team to beat in the NL hands down. But that is another topic for another couple of days.
In April, it looked like we got hosed as Kouzmanoff struggled to adjust to being a full time major leaguer but by June Towers once again looked like a genius. Given that Kouzmanoff should be better adjusted this season, he should easily surpass last year's numbers and I think he even approaches a .300 BA, 25 HR and 95 RBI. Not too much of a stretch but considering his second half last season it could be too modest.
Like the rest of the infield, last year's super utility man Geoff Blum traded one super sized state for another, meaning the Kouzmanoff's days off will most likely be handled by "3B of the future?" Chase Headley, provided Headley isn't the permanent fixture in LF.
Looking at the complete infield picture, I applaud what Towers has us sending out on a game-to-game basis, even if Tadahito Iguchi is just a rental until Matt Antonelli is ready. If Kouzmanoff's bat continues to get better, he could provide much of the pop that missing out of last year's lineup (not that he didn't provide pop in the first place, we just needed more).
Now if only the OF was as complete looking as the infield, we would be the team to beat in the NL hands down. But that is another topic for another couple of days.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
2008 Previews: Short Stop
We continue our look around the horn by looking at the short stop position, or more accurately, Khalil Greene. The 28-year-old is in the prime of his career and should be able to avoid distraction after he recently signed a 2-year deal.
Greene has an impressive defensive highlight real to go along with the power he has developed on offense. But one thing this guy will never do is win a batting title. After watching his HR total jump from 15 in each of his first 3 years in the league to 27 last year, Greene should be able to reach the 20 HR mark again and should see more than 80 RBI to go with a .250 batting average.
Much like Tadahito Iguchi at 2B, Greene should be the only guy we really see at SS this year with a couple of journeymen giving him a day off here and there. With Greene and Adrian Gonzalez at the heart of the lineup once again, this offense should be able to put up enough runs to support its pitchers.
Greene has an impressive defensive highlight real to go along with the power he has developed on offense. But one thing this guy will never do is win a batting title. After watching his HR total jump from 15 in each of his first 3 years in the league to 27 last year, Greene should be able to reach the 20 HR mark again and should see more than 80 RBI to go with a .250 batting average.
Much like Tadahito Iguchi at 2B, Greene should be the only guy we really see at SS this year with a couple of journeymen giving him a day off here and there. With Greene and Adrian Gonzalez at the heart of the lineup once again, this offense should be able to put up enough runs to support its pitchers.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
2008 Previews: Second Base
Unlike the previous two positions, second base will be the wild card for the Padres last year. After the failure of Marcus Giles to secure the position last year and having to rely on the now-departed Geoff Blum, SD went out and signed Tadahito Iguchi for 2008.
A quick refresher on Iguchi - he spent last year with the White Sox and the Phillies - hitting .267/.347/.400 combined with 9 HR and 43 RBI. His HR total was half of what it was the year before despite moving from one hitter-friendly park to another. Those expecting his HR numbers to bounce will be sadly disappointed as he has lost some of his power due to his age (he is now 33) and the rest will go due to his new home park (like we need to repeatedly bring this up but what the heck).
Good news for us is that Iguchi is not known as being a power hitter anyway. What we should see from Iguchi this year are numbers similar to last year, which will also include a handful of stolen bases. The numbers won't blow anyone away but at least with Iguchi we have a pretty good idea of what we are getting.
The main part of this deal though is the fact that his presence allows Matt Antonelli another year to prepare for what should be a solid major league career. If that extra year really makes a difference, I am okay with Iguchi keeping the seat warm.
A quick refresher on Iguchi - he spent last year with the White Sox and the Phillies - hitting .267/.347/.400 combined with 9 HR and 43 RBI. His HR total was half of what it was the year before despite moving from one hitter-friendly park to another. Those expecting his HR numbers to bounce will be sadly disappointed as he has lost some of his power due to his age (he is now 33) and the rest will go due to his new home park (like we need to repeatedly bring this up but what the heck).
Good news for us is that Iguchi is not known as being a power hitter anyway. What we should see from Iguchi this year are numbers similar to last year, which will also include a handful of stolen bases. The numbers won't blow anyone away but at least with Iguchi we have a pretty good idea of what we are getting.
The main part of this deal though is the fact that his presence allows Matt Antonelli another year to prepare for what should be a solid major league career. If that extra year really makes a difference, I am okay with Iguchi keeping the seat warm.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
2008 Previews: First Base
If you go just by the "official" depth chart posted on padres.com, the question is not how much further will Adrian Gonzalez progress this year, but who will back him up if he should miss any significant time?
Gonzalez played in all but two games last year and played in 156 games in 2006, so health shouldn't be an issue but you never know. That said, things look good for Gonzalez to surpass most of his numbers from last year and despite being stuck in Petco, his power numbers continue to rise. He should be a legitimate bet to hit another 30 HR and knock in another 100 RBI at least this year.
Gonzalez is blossoming into something truly special and it should be fun to watch him take that next step this year. I am probably most excited to see what Gonzalez can do this season. This area will be a strength of the Padres this year.
Gonzalez played in all but two games last year and played in 156 games in 2006, so health shouldn't be an issue but you never know. That said, things look good for Gonzalez to surpass most of his numbers from last year and despite being stuck in Petco, his power numbers continue to rise. He should be a legitimate bet to hit another 30 HR and knock in another 100 RBI at least this year.
Gonzalez is blossoming into something truly special and it should be fun to watch him take that next step this year. I am probably most excited to see what Gonzalez can do this season. This area will be a strength of the Padres this year.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
2008 Previews: Catcher
Wow, it's amazing how time gets away from you. Starting today (and hopefully continuing regularly until Spring Training starts), FriarBall will be looking at the Padres by position, heading into Spring Training and offering thoughts on how the team stands at each position.
Starting with the catchers, it's nice to know that while we may not have a standout superstar behind the plate we do have two competent catchers that would challenge for playing time on most teams in the majors.
While I would assume Josh Bard will be the "starter" this season, it is likely both he and Michael Barrett will each see plenty of plate appearances and have the opportunity to provide offense to the 2008 squad.
Bard really seemed to have a breakout performance last year but at age 30, he should continue to get better with more playing time and I don't see any reason why he can't improve upon the .285/.367/.404 he put up last year.
Barrett will be more of a wild card this year as he tries to rebound from a down year by his standards. Between Chicago and San Diego his batting average dropped from .307 in 2006 to .244 last year. While '06 was definitely a career year for the 31-year-old, he should be able to bounce back somewhat this year. His power numbers may not recover because of the Petco factor, but he should be able to hit more in the .280 range again and he should see upswings in his on base and slugging percentages as well.
The best thing about this tandem is the fact they are a tandem. If one gets hurt the other should be ready to take on more work without issue, and this may be the lone spot on the squad that is not in trouble if an injury occurs. Depth often decides post season runs as much as performance, and neither of those should hinder the catching position in '08.
Starting with the catchers, it's nice to know that while we may not have a standout superstar behind the plate we do have two competent catchers that would challenge for playing time on most teams in the majors.
While I would assume Josh Bard will be the "starter" this season, it is likely both he and Michael Barrett will each see plenty of plate appearances and have the opportunity to provide offense to the 2008 squad.
Bard really seemed to have a breakout performance last year but at age 30, he should continue to get better with more playing time and I don't see any reason why he can't improve upon the .285/.367/.404 he put up last year.
Barrett will be more of a wild card this year as he tries to rebound from a down year by his standards. Between Chicago and San Diego his batting average dropped from .307 in 2006 to .244 last year. While '06 was definitely a career year for the 31-year-old, he should be able to bounce back somewhat this year. His power numbers may not recover because of the Petco factor, but he should be able to hit more in the .280 range again and he should see upswings in his on base and slugging percentages as well.
The best thing about this tandem is the fact they are a tandem. If one gets hurt the other should be ready to take on more work without issue, and this may be the lone spot on the squad that is not in trouble if an injury occurs. Depth often decides post season runs as much as performance, and neither of those should hinder the catching position in '08.
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