Results tagged ‘ 2010 ’
September/October Evaluation (Plus a Rant)
2010 season came to an end for the San Diego Padres which means it’s time for a final evaluation of the year. Padres finished the season with a 90-72 record and this team turned out to be one of the biggest surprises in baseball this season. Without further ado, I present to you the top 5 greatest moments of September/October for the San Diego Padres.
5. Snapping the 10-game losing streak
What more I can say? Losing ten in a row hurts. In fact, it’s so excruciating watching your beloved team lose ten games straight. Especially when that team has been playing solid baseball. This entry shows my frustration and a long letter for the Padres. On September 6th, Padres finally broke the lengthy losing streak against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park. Winning this game got the Padres back on track and the energy this team originally had started to grow again.
4. Rookie Cory Luebke’s First Major League Win
Two days later, rookie Cory Luebke earned his first major league win against the Dodgers. He tossed six scoreless innings and struck out seven batters. He was pick number 63 in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft and started his professional career with short-season Eugene Emeralds. He was soon promoted to Class-A Fort Wayne Tin Caps and later promoted again to Class-A Advanced Lake Elsinore Storm. In 2008, he spent his time with the Tin Caps and Storm. Last year, he was promoted up to Double-A San Antonio Missions.
This season, Cory Luebke was part of the September call up and made a great impression to the Padres staff and the fans. He made his major league start on September 3rd but suffered with a loss. On September 8th, he earned his first major league win as his second start. He is a young pitcher but his potential to be the very best in the major league is very eye-catching and remarkable. I can sense that he will have a bright future with the Padres.
3. Chris Denorfia’s Walk-Off Double Against the Aroldis Chapman
On September 25th, Padres beat the Cincinnati Reds in an exhilarating fashion. On the bottom of the ninth, Chris Denorfia was in a battle with Reds’ young phenom Aroldis Chapman. Chapman’s 100-105 MPH pitches blow me away every time. However, Chris Denorfia was able to win this incredible battle and drove in the winning run for the Padres. The energy at Petco Park was intense and the atmosphere was breathtaking. The look of Padres’ faces really showed that they wanted to win this game badly. This team earned a big win against the Reds and proved that anything can happen.
2. Unsung Hero: Tim Stauffer
Personally, the player who deserves plenty of recognition is pitcher Tim Stauffer. Because of the struggles with starting pitching in mid-August, Tim Stauffer filled in and settled very nicely. This meant that original starting pitcher Kevin Correia was pushed back to the bullpen. Stauffer had few opportunities to pitch for key games such as games against the Giants and he did nothing but a solid job. He definitely did the best he can and I have to applaud him for the hard work he gave it all for the Padres. I hope to see him grow even more and hopefully settle himself into a starting pitching rotation next season.
1. 90-72 Record for the 2010 Season
Although this record did not allow the Padres to secure a spot in postseason, I’m really proud of my team for making it this far. This brings up to the next part of my entry, which is a rant about reflecting the wonderful 2010 season.
Padres Rant: Reflecting the 2010 Season
When this season began, there were countless amount of doubters who projected this team was going to finish last place. The show began in April and the Padres were getting better and better. There were young talent and veteran players who stepped up their games to help out the young players. Contribution was made by everyone. It wasn’t just from one player with “My stats. My role.” kind of thing but everyone made some sort of benefaction. From young arms to veteran arms, this team had great chemistry. Acquisitions of Ryan Ludwick and Miguel Tejada during the mid-season also impacted this team in a great way. Padres played gritty and solid baseball and remained in first place for almost the whole year. There were ups and downs but I personally think the main down side was the ten-game losing streak. Besides that losing streak, this team played nothing but great baseball.
However, everything came down to game 162 against the rival San Francisco Giants. Padres were down by 3-0 on top of the ninth inning and I was getting nervous and nervous every time Giants’ closer Brian Wilson made his pitches. When the Padres got the last out and the Giants gathered and celebrated, I was in absolute shock and tears came down to my face. It was absolutely heartbreaking how the last game of the season determined the faith of the Padres. After playing great baseball since April, it was unbelievable how one game can change everything. Padres are not in the playoffs this season and I am extremely dismal but at the same time, I am very proud of my guys for giving their all this season.
There were plenty of surprises from the Padres. The bullpen was absolutely dominating and young star Mat Latos blew me away. Heath Bell continued to serve his role as a closer very well. The leadership quality from players such as David Eckstein, Jon Garland, Matt Stairs and Miguel Tejada are remarkable. Watching young talents from players such as Will Venable and Aaron Cunningham are still rememberable. This team is filled with group of guys who are very fun to watch. I am very proud of every single guys in the 2010 Padres roster. This season was a wild roller coaster ride and I’m glad I was in it for 162 games. This season will be very memorable, despite the fact that Padres came extremely close to postseason. I can’t wait to see what 2011 Padres has to offer. I really believe that the force is still strong with the Padres.
First Half Recap of 2010
First half of the 2010 season reached its finish line but this San Diego team made a magnificent impression to the fans, analysts, and many others in the baseball sphere. Before and during the beginning of the season, there were so many doubters who thought the Padres will not have a spectacular season, play baseball under .500, and received more negative criticisms than positive criticisms. Sure, there were those who thought the Padres will turn up a notch or two but in general, these people were not so sure about the Padres. However, this team proved the doubters wrong even during spring training.
Spring Training:
Technically, spring training is not the first half of the 2010 season but it should be included in the first half because it is bonus baseball for the fans. March baseball can determine an outcome for the team and even how they will play throughout the regular season.
The Padres reunited on February 18th from the long off season and it was time to get back to business for everyone. Throughout the course of spring training, Padres and the fans discovered talent from the veterans and the youngsters. The start of spring training was shaky but this team never quit and bounced back to finish the training with a solid record of 18-10-2. The chemistry of youth and experience became successful and the Padres were prepared for a major test; bouncing back from an abysmal 2008 season and some what blooming 2009 season.
April: 15-8
Game 1 and opening day of 2010 took place in Arizona and unfortunately, Padres could not capture a win against the D-Backs and lost with a score of 6 to 3. Three days later, Padres hit the road again. This time, the duel took place in Colorado against the Rockies. Rockies celebrated their home opener on that day by beating the Padres 7 to 0. The six road games were shaky for the Padres. However, the Padres shined when they returned home for their home opener against the Atlanta Braves. Padres worked together as a team and beat the Braves with the score of 17 to 2. It was a great way to start off the season at home, especially with a jaw dropping score like 17.
As April rolled on, the Padres even had a huge eight game winning streak to stand alone on top of the NL West. On the 19th, David Eckstein, scrappy player who is not a home run hitter type of guy, sent everyone home with his walk-off home run of the season. That was when unrealistic became realistic.
You can check out my entry “April Evaluation” for top 5 greatest moments for the month of April.
May: 16-12, 31-20 overall
May was filled with ups and downs for the Padres. Kevin Correia’s huge loss made an impact for his game time and started to struggle ever since the day he came back from the bereavement list. He needs to check the time and realize that he is taking too long to come back. However, nothing but the best and luck go out to him whenever he is on the mound doing his job. Kevin Correia in April will be in the near future.
Mat Latos shined on May 13th when he tossed a complete game, one-hit shutout against the Giants in San Francisco. He was absolutely stunning on the mound and took the spotlight. Beginning of the season, there were fans who thought Mat should be sent to the bullpen and even be sent down to the minors because he is very young. Mat proved the doubters and haters wrong by showing his great performance and he is still proving, which is excellent. He is continuing to mature as a great pitcher and his future seems very familiar to a former ace, Jake Peavy. Is Mat Latos the next Jake Peavy? Could be.
Padres continued to work hard as a team and reached to the place they wanted to be at, which is first place. The doubts started to vanish little by little and surprises appeared from the fans. “May Evaluation” is also available.
June: 15-12, 46-32 overall
June was filled with interleague games and surprisingly, the Padres did a good job not getting dominated by the American League teams. We are not the best when interleague approaches. This year, the American League teams that played against the Padres consisted of the Mariners, Orioles, Blue Jay, and the Rays. Padres finished the interleague series with 7-5 record. It was very pleasant to see these boys turn things around during mid-June baseball from the previous ones, when they had difficult time playing against American League. One of the reasons why this year’s interleague was much different from the previous years was that the Padres took the series from the Tampa Bay Rays, a great looking team in the east. Overall, this series deserved two thumbs up.
You guessed it. You can check out “June Evaluation” to learn more about the month of June that the fantastic Padres had.
Current record of July: 5-5, first half record: 51-37
The last few games has been a downside for the San Diego Padres. In the beginning of July, Padres took three games out of four against the Houston Astros in the homestand. However, the Padres started to struggle, especially with pitching. Besides Mat Latos, the starting and relief pitchers did a below average job. Mat Latos was dominant and even awarded himself with his first career home run against the Nationals in game 3. He is young, but his pitching and performance is veteran quality.
Relief pitcher Luke Gregerson’s incredible slider did not slide very well against the Nationals and even against the Rockies. Luke is one of the best relief pitchers for the Padres bullpen and it was frustrating seeing him struggle. Two things that stood out were 1. Luke was used in so many games during the first half of the season. And 2. Luke is worn out and needs a break. Padres should not rely on Luke Gregerson all the time. He is a human and he needs to rest every once in a while. This All-Star break approached at the perfect moment and Luke will get his much needed break.
Another reason why the series against the Nationals and Rockies were so difficult is that not only the Padres lost two games out of three against Washington and Colorado, but also the four games they lost were in an extremely close fashion. All four games were either down by one or two runs. These games show that one or even two mistakes can cost the game and suffer the consequence with a loss. In order to avoid these devastating losses, mistakes should be avoided at all times.
So that will do for the first half of the 2010 Padres. Padres really proved so many that they do not back down and do not give up at all times. This team is unstoppable but they stlill have homework they need to do over the All-Star break. After the break, things are going to get more serious. The San Diego Padres, team with a great mixture of youth and veteran players, will remain in first place for a long period of time.
Introducing… the 2010 San Diego Padres (Part 2)
(Continuation of section 3 of part 1)
Matt Stairs
He will be definitely added on the Padres’ 25-man roster on Sunday. Matt Stairs signed a minor league deal during the off season and I thought this move was great. He won a World Series ring with the Phillies in 2008 and I always love when the Padres acquire players who claimed the ultimate prize. He is obviously one of the vetrans of this club and I am looking forward to see him to play. Especially in pinch hit situations because Padres did not have a strong pinch hitter throughout the seasons. Matt Stairs can change that ’cause the first thing that comes up to my mind when I think of him is pinch hit situations. I will be definitely looking fowrard to that situation throughout the season.
Now for part 2.
5. Young and experienced players: pitchers
I would like to add more things from this entry because really, I mentioned about the five pitchers.
Padres pitching rotation looks like the following below:
1. Jon Garland
2. Chris Young
3. Kevin Correia
4. Clayton Richard
5. Mat Latos
Looks like a big name is missing. What is it? That’s right. It’s Jake Peavy. We don’t have Jake as the number one starter anymore. So what? Loss of an ace should not be an impact towards a disastorous team when we have players that are solid and stepping up their games. Now, don’t get me wrong. I still like Jake and miss him. Trading him away was heartbreaking but it was part of buisness in the baseball industry. Personally, this move was acceptable because now the young guys can push themselves even more to be the starter.
For example, Clayton Richard.
He was one of the pitchers we got from the White Sox. He pitched the day after Jake Peavy left and wow, Clayton blew me away. He made a great first impression to the Padres fans. To me, first impression is very, very important. Clayton accomplished it well and that is the reason why he is one of my favorites. Ever since that day, he looked strong on the mound and I am still having fun watching him pitch. He is one of the youngsters but he can pitch extremely well at times. I am looking foward to see him everytime he goes on the mound.
Padres have another young starting pitcher who is totally going to blew the fans away.
When Mat Latos made his major league debut last July, he also made a great impression. Even though he got the loss on that day, he continued to pitch well whenever he got the ball. He is a big deal so the hitters need to watch out. He has a great fastball and can domintate the opposing players by throwing consistenet amound of strikeouts. Congrats to Mat for making on the fop five. By the way, this guy can throw some serious gas.
The top three pitchers Jon Garland, Chris Young and Kevin Correia is going to continue to pitch well and help out the young pitchers. Jon Garland is known as an inning eater and having him as the number one starter was an excellent move. He continues to pitch well and he will be an impact for this team. Not to mention he is pretty dang hot.
Chris Young is 100% back and this is a big, big must for the Padres pitching rotation. He was unhealthy for the last two seasons and it was devestating. His absence made the rotation shaky and the Padres needed him so much when he was placed on the disabled list. This is 2010 and a brand new, clean season for Chris. I can’t wait to see him again on the mound and hopefully he can deliever great things like he did during 2007, his All-Star season.
Kevin Correia is one of my favorite because he totally stepped up his game last season and made a really good impression. Also, it was his best season of the career. I like this guy a lot and he is fun to watch. I hope he can improve the performance from last season and continue to impress me.
6. Bullpen and closer
Bullpen is a pleasant surprise with mixture of young and experienced pitchers.
One of the youngsters is Luke Gregerson.
He joined the Padres late Spring Training of 2009 and he is very consistent on the mound. Last year was his first full season in the majors but I liked this guy from the start. He looks strong and impressed me as well. I hope to see him healthy and solid this upcoming regular season. He is a key ingredient towards a strong bullpen.
Another bullpen pitcher that is capturing my attention is Mike Adams.
He is an amazing pitcher with very good numbers. He must stay healthy or the bullpen can become disastorous. Mike is a solid pitcher but one of the problems he have is injury. I hate when guys especially like him gets injured and impacts the team in a horrible way. He was once again injured last season and I really want him to not go near the disabled list. His stuff is nasty and will blew the batters away.
And of course, how can I forget Heath Bell?
Last year, Heath took a giant step by taking Trevor Hoffman’s spot. As a first year as a closer, he made an excellent impression for not only Padres fans but fans across America. He lead the National League in saves and this was great way to represent San Diego. I am really proud of this guy and hopefully he can deliever the same pitching like he did last year for this season. He even made into the All-Star roster for National League and it was a lot of fun watching him. Heath is not only a great pitcher but a freaking hilarious guy. His bright personality can definitely bring the club up, not down.
Wrap Up
I am so pumped for 2010 season to kick off on Monday. Get ready Padres fans. This is going to be a fun, exciting winning season for San Diego. I guarantee it. With mixture of youth and veteran players, this one heck of a team will surprise so many people and prove the haters wrong by consistency, power and most importantly, energy.
2010 Padres Fan Fest: Epic Day
First of all, 2010 Fan Fest was incredible. Even though I couldn’t do most of the things on my previous entry, I still had so much fun!
For season ticket holders, the gate opened early an hour early which was at nine. On the other hand, the gate opened at ten for non-season ticket holders. I saw Kaybee and her family members few minutes I arrived at Petco. The line was HUGE. Fortunately, we got to the front gate pretty smoothly. I hung out with Kaybee and her sister.
When we were waiting in the line, I figured out the batting and hitting clinics from Heath Bell and Tony Gwynn Jr. were for kids 13 and younger. That’s ok though.
We first went to the weight room, and clubhouse.
That’s me standing infront of David Eckstein’s locker. Speaking of David Eckstein, he was NOT at the Fan Fest so I was disappointed. I’ve been waiting and waiting to go to Petco Park to see him but it didn’t work out.
I have never been to the weight room or the clubhouse until today so it was amazing to see them. After we looked through, we came outside and hung around at the dugout.
Then we walked around the bases. I didn’t run but still accomplished number 3 on my to do list.
(Secondbase)
(Thirdbase)
After we walked the bases, we bumped into RJ’s Fro, which was awesome. Kaybee and I won their first contest by saying “I love BBQ” and also being the first ones to see them. We took a picture with them and won a cool prize.
Thanks guys!
Also, we saw guys at Gaslamp Ball. I don’t know why but I was so nervous to talk to them. But hey, those guys are famous. It was so cool to meet the pros! We also met @jodes0405, a BIG fan of Everth Cabrera and the Padres.
We headed to the Padres Garage Sale. Couple of minutes of wandering around the store, we bumped into John, a fellow Padres blogger here in MLBlogs. It was awesome to see him finally in person.
You might be thinking, “Did you get any autographs?”
The answer is yes. The thing that was different from last year is that the fans had to get like a ticket to get an autograph of your favorite player at a certain time. Kaybee and I decided to get Everth’s at 1:00 P.M. We decided to take pictures of the Padres before we could get our autographs.
(Sean Gallagher)
(Mat Latos)
Their name plates were switched, by the way.
(Jon Garland. I love the glasses and he looks very cute in this picture!)
Kaybee and I also hung out at a section called “Digital and Media Zone” I had a chance to talk to Mark Neely, the play-by-play voice for Padres baseball.
It was about thirty minutes before one so we decided to wait for Everth. Fans and I gave him a round of applause when he climed up the stairs to sit at his seat to sign. Finally, it was our turn to get his autograph.
I said hi to him and he said hi back to me. He looked shy! That’s adorable. Remember the Spanish on my previous entry? It didn’t work out because I got so nervous! So all I said to him was thank you when he signed my baseball. There was another player who signed. His name is Carlos Hernandez and I have never heard of him.
(The top one is from Everth. The bottom one? I’ll get to that later.)
(Carlos Hernadez)
After we got what we wanted, we decided to take more picture of the Padres.
(Will Venable)
(Luke Gregerson)
(Tony Gwynn Jr.)
During the Fan Fest, Padres held Q&A for the fans. Basically, Padres players, broadcasters and front office members answered questions from the fans. Those who participated are: Dick Enburg, Mark Grant and Mark Neely as broadcasters, Chirs Young, Jon Garland and Clayton Richard as pitchers, Jeff Moorad and Tom Garfinkel as front office members, Scott and Jerry Hairston, Tony Gwynn Jr. and Will Venable. Before the fourth Q&A forum, which was the Hairston bros turn, Kaybee, her sister and I bumped into Steve Adler from Friarhood, which was again, awesome. We talked about our day and our awesome blogs. He complimented Kaybee’s new and improved jersey because she literally put a picture of Kouz. Her jersey is full of win, by the way.
Unfortunately, Kaybee and her family had to leave before the Hairstons came out. But I have pictures for her.
(Jerry Hairston)
(Scott Hairston)
I adore Jerry Hairston now. He was funny, made the fans laugh, and it’s an honor to have him as a Padre. He recently played with the New York Yankees who won the World Series last year. I can tell he plays his game hard everytime he does and it’s going to be even better when he plays with his younger brother, Scott.
After the Q&A was over, I met Steve again. We decided to hang out for the rest of the day. We saw Tom Garkinkel, Padres president and Chief Operating Officer, with a hotdog on his hand. We dropped by and said hello.
Later, we walked over to pitchers Kevin Correia and Joe Thatcher.
Both of them were really nice to me. They made eye contact with me, asked me like “How are you doing?”, and smiled at me. I even took a picture with Kevin Correia.
I expected Kevin to be shy but he proved me wrong. First of all, he put his hat backwards and I started laughing. Second of all, he was extremely nice and chill.
Steve and I caught up with Jane Mitchell. She was extremely nice and I just had to laugh when Steve and Jane were talking about their Facebook “issue”. We even took a picture together!
Later, Jenny Cavnar joined the party. Jenny is a reporter for the Padres so I was extremely thrilled to see her. I want her job someday but I didn’t say that to her. It was so amazing to have a talk with a reporter. Especially since I never done anything like that before. I really admire her and she is my idol. It was an incredible honor asking her questions and she was kind enough answer them. Another reason why she is my idol is that she played lacrosse when she was in college. I asked her for few lacrosse tips and they are really going to help me. As for broadcasting, I asked her how she does interview, pre-games and postgames. She said things are memorized, or directly said whaever is organized in her mind. I got incredible tips from her and I would like to thank her so very much.
(Funny story here: When I first introduced myself, she thought I was in college! That’s alright though. I told her that I’m in high school and she seemed surprised that I blog at a young age.)
Another cool story: My follower @goldfyngor totally recocgnized me! Guess my David Eckstein jersey worked. It was so awesome to have that type of meetup. I’ve never done anything like that so it totally made my day.
After all the fun, Steve and I saw the last Q&A, which featured outfielders Tony Gwynn Jr. and Will Venable. We only saw last few minutes. I had to leave and said goodbye to Steve. We need to go to a game during regular season someday!
2010 Fan Fest was absolutely incredible and this was the greatest birthday gift so far. By the way, thanks to Kaybee for giving me this awesome present.
Thanks girl!
As for the Padres and baseball, this really set the mood for me and rest of the Friar Faithful. I really think 2010 will be our year. Petco, I will see you again someday and go Padres!
What to expect from 2010 Padres
Can you believe another year flew by? So many things happened, making 2009 memorable. But the beauty of all this that we are getting a fresh start. Another chance, a new beginning, a new year.
It is time for the Padres to start fresh as well. I was pleased by the work they have shown in 2009. There were lots of new faces and farewells which ended up making this team very young. In order to become a successful team in 2010, Padres must have believe in themselves throughout the season, never lose faith, everyone woking together as a team, and of course, play their best as if they are in postseason. I expect a lot from the Padres especially with new and good acquisitions.
Here are some key ideas of what to expect from 2010 Padres:
1. Vetran players playing their role very well and setting great examples for the young group of kids.
Sounds very demanding, but it’s true. Without experienced players, the young guys would end up struggling with zero confidence throughout the season. Sure they have coaches that they can listen to, but when it comes to playing at the fields, it will be a different story.
For example, we have three strong vetrans at infield. They are: Kevin Kouzmanoff, David Eckstein, and of course, Adrian Gonzalez. Kouz played in the majors for only four years but that still means he’s a vetran, right? Eck on the other side, is a nine-year vetran. Ten when he starts playing in April. Adrian has a very bright career and have been playing firstbase for six years now. He is a two-time Gold Glove winner and a great pleasure to have in this club. All three guys are main ingredients who provide runs, hits and incredible defense.
Padres have a young player named Kyle Blanks who plays outfield and firstbase as well. At a certain situation when Kyle plays first, he can get advice from Adrian and I would love to see that someday. Everth Cabrera is another young guy that I can count on. Ever since he took a job as an everyday shortstop, he impressed me so much and I’m eager to see what more great things he can do.
Here’s what Cory Brock, beat writer for the Padres, had to write according to this post:
…provided some stability to a position where the Padres sure needed it, and he was very good in a place where fans don’t see it — in the clubhouse. The work he did with rookie Everth Cabrera from Spring Training was impressive. Eckstein mentors, he leads and does all of this in an unassuming, quiet way.
Enough said.
As for Kouz, he doesn’t have a rookie that he can give advice to, but I assume Chase Headley counts. Chase played in the major leagues for only one full year which happened to be during 2009. Although he is a natural third baseman, I believe he still needs some work. Then he can be successful and have a solid season soon.
The outfield looks very, very young. Almost like babies. Surprisingly, they all look really good. We got Kyle Blanks, Will Venable, Tony Gwynn looking sharp. Having vetran outfielder would be great but it’s not necessary.
If you guessed two catchers we have are young, you are correct. When we sent vetran catcher Henry Blanco to New York, I expected another vetran to replace Henry. I was wrong and we got a catcher who is younger than our everyday catcher, Nick Hundley. His name is Dusty Ryan and we acquired him from the Tigers. Catching side doesn’t look so sharp as the outfield. When the Padres make few adjustments for this position, it should be set and they can get ready to rock and roll behind homeplate.
2. Solid and consistent starting pitching rotation and relievers.
Ever since Padres’ ace Jake Peavy got traded to the White Sox, the rotation definitely changed. All four pitchers we got did not play in the majors for more than two years. Out of 24 pitchers the Padres have, only four of them played in the majors for at least more than three years. They are: Mike Adams, Heath Bell, Kevin Correia, and Chris Young. Being the two relievers, Mike and Heath have been excellent for three years with the Padres. They are the ones to count on especially close games. Heath saved 42 games as a first year as a closer which made him number one as most saved games for NL. I applaud him for a great accomplishment and for going to the 2009 All-Star Game.
Here’s the situation: Chris Young have not been healthy for two years straight and missed most of his starts. It gets frustrating to see him heading to DL because he is an outstanding pitcher to have. He did go to the 2007 All-Star Game as NL starting pitcher. I expect him to return healthy this season. But if he doesn’t, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Padres offered him to leave San Diego.
I’ve mentioned a lot about Kevin Correia so I’ll just get to the main idea. He was a guy who signed a minor league deal in beginning of 2009 and ended up as the solid starting pitcher that everyone can count on.
There are pitchers who want to be in the starting rotation like Wade LeBlanc, Clayton Richard and Mat Latos. I see a lot of promise from them and they could be locked in the starting rotation.
3. A better record.
Once again, the Padres finished the season below 500. After taking a good look at who the Padres have, I can predict that everyone will work together very hard in order to finish the season strong. 2007 was a great year for this team and I hope 2010 will be like ’07.
4. First World Series Ring?
Maybe. We won’t know until the season progresses. I really, really want the Padres to be the ultimate winners. Then they can prove to the other teams wrong who are intimidating the Padres. Ok. Padres are not a very strong team, I admit that. But one thing this team does not to is backing down. We will not back down from anyone. A World Series Ring for the Padres will make me incredibley happy for couple of weeks.
P.S. Sorry if this whole entry looks totally biased. I’m just explaining what’s going on inside my head about the Padres. Well, I hope you guys had wonderful and happy first day of 2010.
2009 Padres review: My take
2009 Padres finished the season with 75-87 record after a terrible 99-loss season back in 2008. Lots and lots of moves have been made and most of them are reasonable that I approved. Here are some highlights of the season for each month:
January:
- The all-time saves leader, Trevor Hoffman left the house on January 8th and became a new closer for the Brewers. It wasn’t a wise decision by the Padres because I believe trading away a great closer who has over 550 career saves is very wrong. I was heartbroken and didn’t understand why the front office would do this to me. Heath Bell ended up being a new closer, replaced Trevor, and I was very impressed by what he did this season for this team. Trevor is still missed and I wish him the very best.
- January 15th was when Padres signed David Eckstein a one-year deal. I was so pleased to to hear that news because he has the words “grit” and “scrappy” all over his face. This was a very smart move because Eck is a fomer World Series MVP and works hard for entire 162 games. He ends up doing what needs to be done. This club is getting younger and younger and now, he is the oldest player in the roster for the Padres. It doesn’t really matter because he shows leadership and great example to the young group of players what needs to be done. I am very proud to have him on the Padres roster.
February:
- Former Diamondbacks CEO Jeff Moorad reached a deal to buy the team.
- Five Padres members-Adrian and Edgar Gonzalez, Scott Hairston, Jake Peavy and Heath Bell played in the World Classic Baseball. Adrian, Edgar and Scott played for Mexico while Jake and Heath played for USA. Scott’s brother Jerry Hairston also played for Mexico as well. It was so great to see five members of the Padres to be in a big stage.
March:
- Padres signed former Giants pitcher Kevin Correia and picked up rookie shortstop Everth Cabrera as Rule 5 Draft. Kevin signed a minor league deal and was the lone survior in the starting pitching rotation by mid-June. He proved to the fans that he has strong potential to be in the rotation and finished the season off with 12-11 record, with the most strikeouts and lowest ERA in the Padres pitching roster. Everth grew up in the Rockies organization and this was a great pickup by the Padres. He didn’t start off the season at shortstop and was sent to 60-day DL on April. He eventually came back on June and became an everyday shortstop for the Padres. Everth didn’t win rookie of the year but he is my winner.
- Jeff Moorad became the new CEO for the Padres and a minor owner of this team. He has been an excellent leader and keeping this guy is a must.
April:
- Padres acquired Luke Gregerson, one of the pitchers that the Padres got from the Cardinals, after sending fan-favorite shortstop Khalil Greene to St. Louis. This rookie became a solid relief pitcher and placed second on most thrown strikeouts. Although we got to see him late in spring training, he impressed many as well.
- On April 6th was the opening day. Padres played against the Dodgers at San Diego but suffered with a loss. Jake Peavy’s perfomance was above average but got the first loss of the season.
- When the Padres played against the Mets at New York as a very first game at Citi Field, Jody Gerut started off the game by hitting a solo shot. He is currently the only player to hit a homerun as a very first batter at a brand new field. His bat that he used on that game is now at Cooperstown and it was so great to see his homerun.
- Few days later, Padres beat the Phillies at Philadelphia after when they were down by six runs. Kevin Kouzmanoff made closer Brad Lidge blew a save. It was so great to see my boys rally to beat the 2008 World Series champions on that day.
May:
- After a great month of April, Padres began to slump but I didn’t lose faith. I said to myself, ”It’s only May. The Padres can bounce back soon.” Well, it worked! My boys had a ten-game winning streak including sweeping two teams who were the Giants and the Cubs.
- On May 21st, Padres sent one of my favorite outfielder Jody Gerut to Milwaukee to get Hall of Fame’s Tony Gwynn’s son, Tony Gwynn Jr. When Tony Jr. came up to bat as a new member of the Padres, it was a very great moment. To see him follow his dad’s footstep is just incredible.
- Chicago White Sox offered a deal to Jake Peavy but he refused it. I was very pleased to hear that news but on July, something very wrong happend, which I will get to later.
June:
- June was when injuries started to haunt players, especially vetrans. Young catcher Nick Hundley was even placed on DL because of a bad wrist. Nick is a great catcher and one of the bright spot for the Padres. It was so unfortunate to see him deal with a injury.
- Another change has been made to make this team into a young club. Besides picking high school student Donovan Tate, an outfielder, in the First-Year Player Draft, Padres got Kyle Blanks from Triple-A Portland, who is an outfielder as well. Kyle is also one of the great young guys the Padres have. He is a big guy who can run as well.
- Interleague series featured teams in AL West. My favorite AL team, the Angels swept the Padres in mid-June. But at Texas, we came back and took the series from the Rangers.
July:
- Petco had a delay due to swarm of bees on July 2nd. It was, well, very strange indeed.
- July 5th was when Padres sent outfielder Scott Hairston to the Oakland A’s to get three young pitchers. I was incredibly upset since he was the guy who has power and provide great walk-off win for the Padres. He eventually had his first homerun as an A against the Red Sox at Boston.
- Eck was placed on the DL the day after. Not only I was sad, his absence sunk the team towards last place on NL West. Padres would end up finishing July with a below average record.
- On July 18th, I went to a game with three bloggers which was against the Rockies. Padres won a great game and I was so happy to be at that game.
- The day after that day, rookie Mat Latos made his major league debut but suffered with a loss. Padres got to see Mat audition as a member of the starting pitching rotation. He has great stuff with him and I strongly believe he can be a part of that.
- Jake Peavy left the house on July 31st and became a new member of the White Sox. I cried for a long hour because I felt so upset and frustrated. That day, I remember throwing many of my stuff, including my lamp on the ground. It took a very long time to recover and I eventually survived. He is doing well at Chicago and I wish him the best as well.
August:
- Padres got to see what Clayton Richard, one of four picthers we got from Jake Peavy trade, can do. He is my favorite out of the four and he looks great on the starting rotation.
- Bud Black, a Padres manager got an extension. This was a wise move because Buddy is an excellent manger for this club. I rarely see him throwing stuff, spitting on the gound, etc.
- Two days later, Everth Cabrera his a walk-off grandslam at Petco against one of great closers, Francisco Rodriguez. That was a huge, huge at-bat by Everth and I am so proud of this guy.
- August 22nd would be the second game I went to at Petco. It was against the Cardinals and the Padres miserably lost to the Cardinals by the score of 7 to 0. Besides the terrible outcome of the game, I had fun thanks to the Ecksteins. On that day, David Eckstein got an one-year extension. This is another great move by the front office. Without him, this team would be lost for a long time. (To those of you who think keeping Eck is wrong, please slap yourselves in the faces and think again. Thank you.)
September:
- Padres made an audition for the young guys to see if they can handle the major league. I see a lot of promise for these guys and I am definitely looking forward for each and every one of them this upcoming season.
October:
- I went to Petco with my friend on October 2nd as my third and final game, watching at a ballpark. Padres lost to the Giants on that day even while Kevin Correia pitching. I would end up watching Kevin for three games straight. I see a lot of potential for this vetran and he should be locked in the starting rotation as either number two or three spot.
- Padres would fire general manager Kevin Towers the next day. It was an honor to have him as a leader while sharing ups and downs with the fans as well.
- On October 26th, Padre hired Jed Hoyer as a new general manager. Can you believe he is only one year older than David Eckstein? Hoyer is definitely a young leader for the young team. I believe in former assistant Red Sox GM’s words and actions and I hope he can bring positive things for the Padres.
- Third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff made a huge headline by giving his glove to Cooperstown. It is a tremendous honor to have his name as a Padre at the Hall of Fame. He definitely deserved to win the National League Gold Glove. Maybe next year for Kouz.
November:
- First baseman Adrian Gonzalez picked up his second conscutive Gold Glove. He is a stunning star for not only the Padres but community as well. Without him, San Diego will be very, very different. Keeping Adrian is a must.
December:
- Padres are still in a quiet zone in the offseason. No big trades have been made but I want some huge Padres news thrown at my face some time.
- Padres hired Dick Enburg as part of play-by-play as the lead for Channel 4 San Diego Padres’ broadcast. I’m excited for what he’s going to bring to the fans since I can never enjoy Mark Neely doing his job. Neely is doing his best but I just can’t seem to approve him. I’m sorry.
So there you have it. What a wild ride for the Padres in 2009. 2010 should be a much better season and I can’t wait when baseball sprouts again. Here are some countdowns for Padres fans:
1. Padres Fan Fest (February 13th AKA my birthday): 43 on first day of 2010.
2. Spring Training (March 4th): 61 on first day of 2010.
3. Opening day (April 5th, against the Diamondbacks at Arizona): 93 on first day of 2010.
I miss baseball and my boys so much. Well, I hope you guys will have safe and wonderful new year! Here’s for a great year for the Padres when we will go to the playoffs.
mlblogshyunyoung
Recent Comments