Monday July 20, 2009
Everth Cabrera played last year for the Low A Asheville Tourists and its starting to show.
Major league pitchers have started making adjustments to him and he has not been able to make any adjustments of his own. His batting average has plummeted from .325 on June 25th to .237 after tonight's game.
Normally that would not be a problem, but with Edgar Gonzalez on the DL after being beaned, the Padres have no one as a backup in the infield, for EITHER SS and 2B. They did pick up Oscar Salazar in the trade for Cla Meredith, but he is mainly a 1B and 3B, not a SS or 2B.
So what happens when Cabrera is hitting under the Mendoza line in a couple of weeks? He keeps starting is what happens. Because of bad personnel decisions in letting both Travis Denker and Chris Burke go and a rash of injuries, the Padres simply have no other options.
The best hitting SS in the minors is in AA. Craig Stansberry, the AAA SS/2B, has proven that at 27 years old he is a pretty much a Quad A player. The slick fielding Sean Kazmar simply cannot hit. Not at AAA and certainly not at the ML level.
So no options and no immediate help in the future at SS for the Padres.
What a sad state of affairs.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Why isn't Blanks playing more?
Monday July 20, 2009
So tell me, why isn't Kyle Blanks playing more?
Didn't Bud Black and Kevin Towers say he wasn't being brought up to sit on the bench?
Isn't he supposed to be the Padres next great hitting prospect? So why is he shining the pine?
Its obvious that Adrian Gonzalez has either:
A - Given up
or
B - Hit the wall
Gonzalez is hitting under .200 since June 1st. He has hit .140 for the month of July and tonight he hit his first home run since June 23rd. Trying to say its because he has no one hitting behind him is an excuse and a bad one. He simply looks like hes going through the motions at the plate.
So why isn't Blanks getting an occasional start at 1B?
Headley is not exactly setting the world on fire with his .237 BA, so why isn't Blanks getting a few starts in LF?
Venable is hitting just .218, so why isn't Blanks getting a few starts in RF.
This guy COULD be getting at bats every day at AAA and instead he is picking splinters out of his behind in San Diego.
Why?
So tell me, why isn't Kyle Blanks playing more?
Didn't Bud Black and Kevin Towers say he wasn't being brought up to sit on the bench?
Isn't he supposed to be the Padres next great hitting prospect? So why is he shining the pine?
Its obvious that Adrian Gonzalez has either:
A - Given up
or
B - Hit the wall
Gonzalez is hitting under .200 since June 1st. He has hit .140 for the month of July and tonight he hit his first home run since June 23rd. Trying to say its because he has no one hitting behind him is an excuse and a bad one. He simply looks like hes going through the motions at the plate.
So why isn't Blanks getting an occasional start at 1B?
Headley is not exactly setting the world on fire with his .237 BA, so why isn't Blanks getting a few starts in LF?
Venable is hitting just .218, so why isn't Blanks getting a few starts in RF.
This guy COULD be getting at bats every day at AAA and instead he is picking splinters out of his behind in San Diego.
Why?
Padres trade Meredith for Salazar
Monday July 20, 2009
I have no problem with the Padres in essence dumping Cla Meredith for a utility infielder. In fact I am pretty happy with the Padres getting so much for a highly ineffective reliever.
Meredith has a decent ERA, but among relievers with at least 30 ip this season, he is among the bottom 30 (of 131) in LOB%. More than half of the guys who have done a poorer job of stranding base runners have spent significant time in the minors this season or are rookies.
He has also allowed 45% of inherited runners to score this season and 50% to score last year. As a starter you would cringe if you knew Meredith was coming in to try to clean up your mess. Chances are he is going to allow a runner to score if you left 2 on the bases.
By comparison for Padres pitchers,
Bell has allowed only 13% of inherited runners to score this season.
Greg Burke - 9%
Luke Gregerson - 20%
Edward Mujica - 27%
Even Joe "Becky" Thatcher has only allowed 30% to score.
League average is 32%. So 45% to 50% is not what you are looking for in a 7th or 8th inning reliever. In fact it is simply not acceptable performance for any major league reliever.
Meredith has also blown all 6 of the save opportunities he has had over the past 2 seasons. 100%. You just cannot get any worse than that in clutch situations.
And he was allowing a ludicrous Batting Average Against of .324!!
.324 is the stuff of Hall of Famers...HOF Batters that is.
So to get Salazar, a utility guy that has hit .321 in 112 abs coming off the bench for the Orioles to take the place of Edgar Gonzalez in the Padres lineup, for Meredith is a bonus. I would have been happy if the Padres got 10 bats or a A ball schlub for him.
So I will not shed tear one for Cla Meredith.
If the Orioles are lucky he will learn how not to choke in pressure situations in the AL East. I highly doubt it, but anything is possible.
I have no problem with the Padres in essence dumping Cla Meredith for a utility infielder. In fact I am pretty happy with the Padres getting so much for a highly ineffective reliever.
Meredith has a decent ERA, but among relievers with at least 30 ip this season, he is among the bottom 30 (of 131) in LOB%. More than half of the guys who have done a poorer job of stranding base runners have spent significant time in the minors this season or are rookies.
He has also allowed 45% of inherited runners to score this season and 50% to score last year. As a starter you would cringe if you knew Meredith was coming in to try to clean up your mess. Chances are he is going to allow a runner to score if you left 2 on the bases.
By comparison for Padres pitchers,
Bell has allowed only 13% of inherited runners to score this season.
Greg Burke - 9%
Luke Gregerson - 20%
Edward Mujica - 27%
Even Joe "Becky" Thatcher has only allowed 30% to score.
League average is 32%. So 45% to 50% is not what you are looking for in a 7th or 8th inning reliever. In fact it is simply not acceptable performance for any major league reliever.
Meredith has also blown all 6 of the save opportunities he has had over the past 2 seasons. 100%. You just cannot get any worse than that in clutch situations.
And he was allowing a ludicrous Batting Average Against of .324!!
.324 is the stuff of Hall of Famers...HOF Batters that is.
So to get Salazar, a utility guy that has hit .321 in 112 abs coming off the bench for the Orioles to take the place of Edgar Gonzalez in the Padres lineup, for Meredith is a bonus. I would have been happy if the Padres got 10 bats or a A ball schlub for him.
So I will not shed tear one for Cla Meredith.
If the Orioles are lucky he will learn how not to choke in pressure situations in the AL East. I highly doubt it, but anything is possible.
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