Introducing Your San Diego Padres

Fantasy Sleepers Position by Position: 2011

mlblogspadres4life — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 06:18:11 +0000

Catcher- Mike Napoli: The 29 year old, free-swinging Catcher has hit 20+ Home Runs in 3 straight years. However, his batting average has also plummeted the last 3 seasons, going from .273 in 2008 to just .238 in 2010. Going from Pitcher-Friendly Angel Stadium to Arlington should help both his average and Home Run numbers.

1st Base- Carlos Pena: After a horrific 2010 in which he hit .196 with only 28 Home Runs, look for him to bounce back in 2011. A new change of scenery combined with some windy days in Chicago that can blow balls out of the yard, will allow Carlos Pena a bounce back season.

2nd Base- Neil Walker: The 25 year old Bucs 2B who in 2010 batted .288 with 12 HR’s. Not many people see him as a front-line 2B, but with getting a ton of play time in Pittsburgh on a bad team could see him put up some big numbers at the top of that order.

Shortstop- Starlin Castro: The 20 year old phenom was in contention for a batting crown for a while and after his incredible debut, in which he drove in 7 runs, he did not disappoint. He batted .300 on the season long with 3 HR’s and 10 SB’s. Candidate for starting SS on your team? Maybe.

3rd Basemen- Casey McGehee: The 28 year old continues to get better. His Batting Average dropped last season, from .301 in 2009 to .285 in 2010, but he saw his HR’s jump from 16 to 23 and his RBI’s sky-rocket from 66 to 104.

Designated Hitter- Manny Ramirez: Who? That’s right. Assuming Manny can stay healthy for even most of 2011, we should see Manny Being Manny. “He’s old”, will be an excuse. But aside from injuries, he hit a very solid .298 last year. Sure his power has diminished, but for a late-round pick, why not?

Outfield-

#1. Mike Stanton: You’ve seen this future stars power, right? 22 Home Runs in just 359 AB’s last year with the Marlins as a mid-season call up. He is young and will have his struggles, but there is no denying his power.

#2. Drew Stubbs: Another young kid who has a rare combination of both speed and power. Last season, in very homer-friendly Cincinnati, he hit 22 Home Runs along with 30 SB’s. 30/30 someday? Possibly.

#3. Andrew McCutchen- My guy from last year, but he can hit for average, power, and has speed. .286 last year with 16 HR’s and 33 SB’s. Look for him to go 20/30 this season

Starting Pitching-

#1. Brandon Morrow: My Favorite sleeper this season. Why? Other than the fact he can throw in the upper- 90′s with a nasty slider, he is a K machine. If he can overcome his wildness, that 4.49 ERA from last season could go way down with a lot of K’s

#2. Aaron Harang: He has been pretty horrible the last few seasons. But, he is coming to Petco Park and we all know what affect that can have on a pitcher. Average to below-average pitchers can look good with the Padres due to the ocean breeze and deep dimensions. If he can stay away from the DL, he could have a solid season.

#3. Brett Anderson: “Hello, Mr Andersen” as Mr. Smith from the Matrix would say, but this Anderson is probably the best pitcher you have never heard of, maybe because he plays for Oakland. He is at the ripe age of 23 and maybe another reason he isn’t talked about his injuries. If he can overcome that, he has all the tools, posting a very good 2.80 ERA last season and pitching in Pitcher- Friendly Oakland

Closers:

#1. Andrew Bailey: The 2009 AL Rookie of the Year has never had a full season with an ERA above 1.84 and averaging over 9K per 9 innings overall in his career. Won’t have the highest total of saves, but he is an impressive young reliever.

#2. Chris Perez: Who? Perez was the closer for the terrible Indians last season, so you aren’t the only one who doesn’t know who he is. However with almost 9 k per 9 innings and an ERA of 1.71, he is hard to not take notice of. Can he keep it up in 2011? Worth a risk.

Looking back at Last Year’s Fantasy Sleeper

mlblogspadres4life — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 06:13:47 +0000

I wrote this April 3rd of last season:

“Fantasy Player To Watch:Sleeper

Andrew McCutchen.

I was called crazy when i drafted him in the
middle rounds, but I believe he has the potential to turn some heads.
Last season he batted .286 with 12 Hr, 54 RBI and 22 SB. Those numbers
arent exactly all-star material, but this young phenom has potential. He
may be overlooked with Hayward being brought up for Atlanta, but this
kid could turn some heads. He was the only person in the majors last
season to have a 3 HR game and a 3 SB game. He has good power and very
good speed. He could steal 50-60 bases for the Bucs and hit 20-30 HR. He
is an electric type of player and he doesn’t get the respect he
deserves because he plays in Pittsburgh. Don’t take this kid that early,
but if he is still around in the 5th to 7th rounds, i say take him, he
could be an all-star this season and you will not regret taking
McCutchen.”

So while 50-60 SB’s is a little excessive, he did hit 16 HR’s and had 33 SB’s along with a .286 BA and 56 RBI, so overall, he was a pretty good fantasy choice last season.

Padres Lineup, Pitching Rotation,Statistic Predictions

mlblogspadres4life — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 05:45:55 +0000

1. Jason Bartlett: .275, 7 HR’s, 45 RBI’s, 22 SB’s
2. Orlando Hudson: .272, 6 HR’s, 55 RBI’s, 7 SB’s
3. Chase Headley: .268, 15 HR’s, 70 RBI’s, 12 SB’s
4. Ryan Ludwick: .265, 21 HR’s, 83 RBI’s, 1 SB’s
5. Brad Hawpe: .260, 17 HR’s, 75 RBI’s, 1 SB’s
6. Will Venable: .255, 16 HR’s, 60 RBI’s, 27 SB’s
7. Nick Hundley: .254, 14 HR’s, 50 RBI’s, 3 SB’s
8. Cameron Maybin: .263, 15 HR’s, 55 RBI’s, 17 SB’s

Bench:

Jorge Cantu: .280, 12 HR’s, 60 RBI’s, 2 SB’s
Chris Denorfia: .260, 6 HR’s, 44 RBI’s, 7 SB’s
Everth Cabrera: .230, 3 HR’s, 20 RBI’s, 15 SB’s
Aaron Cunningham: .275, 4 HR’s, 30 RBI’s, 6 SB’s
Gregg Zaun: .257, 2 HR’s, 25 RBI’s, 0 SB’s
Eric Patterson: .240, 3 HR’s, 20 RBI’s, 8 SB’s
Rob Johnson: .210, 3 HR’s, 15 RBI’s, 0 SB’s

Rotation:

1. Mat Latos: 18-11, 2.90 ERA
2. Clayton Richard: 13-11, 3.45 ERA
3. Tim Stauffer: 12-10, 3.36 ERA
4. Aaron Harang: 12-12, 4.25 ERA
5. Cory Luebke: 7-8, 4.17 ERA
6. Wade LeBlanc: 8-8, 4.45 ERA

Bullpen:

CL Heath Bell: 2-4, 2.15 ERA, 44 Saves
SU Mike Adams: 5-2, 1.95 ERA, 2 Saves
SU Luke Gregerson: 3-5, 2.98 ERA, 1 Save
MR Ernesto Frieri: 4-2, 3.35 ERA
MR Joe Thatcher: 2-0, 1.99 ERA
MR Chad Qualls: 4-4, 3.65 ERA
MR Randy Flores: 1-0, 3.20 ERA
LR/SP Dustin Moseley: 5-6, 4.05 ERA

CL-Closer
SU-Setup Man
MR- Middle Reliever
LR- Long Reliever
SP- Starting Pitcher

10 Bold Predictions for 2011

mlblogspadres4life — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 05:48:20 +0000

Last year I was wrong on pretty much all of my predictions, so here we go again.

1. The San Diego Padres will win 90 games….again. This time they will make the playoffs
2. The Washington Nationals will finish ahead of the Braves in the NL East
3. The Padres will finally hit for the cycle or pitch a no-hitter this season
4. Jose Bautista will hit under 25 home runs
5. Matt Cain will become the best pitcher on the Giants, Lincecum will struggle as he did last year.
6. Manny Ramirez will struggle before being put on the DL for the rest of the season, ending his career.
7. Adrian Gonzalez will hit 50 home runs
8. Cliff Lee will have an ERA over 3.50
9. Heath Bell will not be traded at the All-Star Break
10. Neither the Red Sox or Phillies will make the World Series

It Has Been a While

mlblogspadres4life — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 05:46:43 +0000

Let’s get this blog going
again.

How Sweep It Is…

mlblogspadres4life — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 06:00:21 +0000

So, I will be at Sunday’s game as the
Padres, who seem to have caught fire, go for the sweep
against Arizona. Wade LeBlanc, called up from AAA today, will
start for the Padres and make his first start of 2010,
against Ian Kennedy, who went 5 innings and allowed 3 runs vs
the Padres in Arizona last week. The Padres won in dramatic
fashion Friday night,when Chase Headley sent a 1-1 fastball
deep into the night at Petco and sent Padres fans into a
frenzy as the Padres celebrated a come-from-behind 6-3 win
over Arizona. Tonight, the Padres won 5-0 thanks to solid
pitching from Kevin Correia, and paced by Nick Hundley on
offense, who had 3 RBI’s. Both teams hope to be .500 by the
end of tomorrow. Let’s go Padres

Rubber Match: Pads vs. D-backs: 4/7

mlblogspadres4life — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:33:35 +0000

Well it is the Rubber Match of the Series.
The D-backs winning the opener 6-3 and the Padres winning
game #2 by the same score of 6-3. Tonight’s pitching matchup
is Kevin Correia for the Padres and Ian Kennedy for the
D-backs. Ian Kennedy will make his D-back debut after coming
over from the Yankees. Padres Manager Bud Black said that
Scott Hairston will be starting in the outfield for the
Padres tonight, and I assume that means he will be in CF,
replacing Gwynn Jr. Tune into Channel 4 San Diego @ 6:40 PT
as Dick Enberg and Mark Grant call the game, let’s take the
series and head into Denver hot. Go Padres!

Baseball Needs a Salary Cap for the Greater Good of the Game

mlblogspadres4life — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:18:00 +0000

http://sports.espn.go.com/newyork/mlb/news/story?id=5060292

I saw this article on ESPN and could not agree with the Brewers more.Sure, I am a Padres fan and clearly biased, but the current system in baseball is a total joke. Teams can buy a World Series, as we saw last year with the Yankees, as they go out and trade and sign the best players around, while small-market teams are forced to get talent through their minor league systems. Once that talent from the minor league systems become very good, teams like the Red Sox,Phillies and Yankees simply harvest the players. It is as if all the other MLB teams are minor league systems for the big-market teams, simply trading their top players for prospects. Parity in the NFL is achieved because there is a salary cap, and there is a fair chance for every team to succeed every season. Now, can Pirates, Padres, Marlins and other low-payroll teams, say the same? Do these teams have any real chance coming into the season to win a world series, let alone make the playoffs? No. The same teams dominate baseball every year and there is 0 parity involved. A salary cap would be the best thing to happen to baseball. It would allow the small-market teams to succeed and have a shot at the World Series. It will limit the ability to spend millions of dollars to “buy” a World Series and simply take all the talent from small-market teams. It will help smaller market teams keep their stars. Players like Prince Fielder, Hanley Ramirez, Adrian Gonzalez, all play for small-market teams, and their value is exponentially increasing due to their talent. The odds of the Marlins, Brewers and Padres keeping these guys, is very small, because they simply cannot afford to keep their stars. And guess who will be trading for these guys or signing them as FA? Teams like the Red Sox, Yankees, and Phillies. Yeah, im biased because I am a Padres fan and pretty much any fan of a big-market team would disagree with me as they like the current system. They love that ESPN spends all day talking about their team, while other teams are simply thrown out the door. Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies, that is all anyone on the news or sports stations ever wants to talk about. Do what football has done, get a salary cap. If football didn’t have this, we would see Dallas, the New York teams, Philadelphia, and other big-market teams loading up on talent and buying talent. Parity needs to be added to baseball to make the game better. Add a salary cap, so the little guy has a fighting shot at winning some games, and not an outside hope of even making the playoffs. Limit the power of the big-market teams to go out and take the stars from other teams and to buy a ring. We need a cap

You Padre fans Ready to Kill the Snake?

mlblogspadres4life — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 19:43:00 +0000

Tune to Channel 4 San Diego at 2:10 PT as
the San Diego Padres begin their 2010 quest to turn some
heads, as they take on the Arizona Diamondbacks. John Garland
will be making his first career opening day start as he duels
all-star Dan Haren. Tomorrow Chris Young will duel Edwin
Jackson, who was acquired from Detroit this off-season which
sent Curtis Granderson into pinstripes. And Wednesday’s game
will pit Kevin Correia, the Padres team-leader in wins last
season against Ian Kennedy, who the D-backs acquired in the
Jackson, Granderson, 3 team trade this off-season. Let’s go
Friars and lets get a sweep!

15 Bold Predictions

mlblogspadres4life — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 19:29:13 +0000

1. The Pirates will be in the NL Central race until middle September.
2. The San Diego Padres will win the NL wild-card.
3. Roy Halladay will have an ERA over 3.50
4. The LA Angels will finish last in the AL West
5. Adrian Gonzalez will NOT be traded this season.
6. Jake Peavy will win the AL Cy Young
7. The Braves, not the Phillies, will win the NL East
8. The Cubs will finally make the playoffs, and then lose in the first round to the Braves.
9. The Yankees will not make the playoffs
10. The Nationals will be so bad that Stephen Strausberg will be called up in the middle of July and go on to lead Washington in wins
11. Target Field will lose its hype as Mauer struggles and the Twins start to lose
12. Pat Venditte, the ambidextrous pitcher for the Yankees will win 5 games this season
13.Jamie Moyer will call it quits and retire at the All-Star Break after getting shelled all year long
14. Barry Bonds will appear in MLB Headlines as he tries to make a comeback career and will sign with the Boston Red Sox
14
15. The Atlanta Braves will win the 2010 World Series, 4 games to 2 over the Seattle Mariners.