Results tagged ‘ Kevin Correia ’
Hello, Goodbye
Before I begin, I want to thank you guys for making this blog on the top 100 for 2010! My blog stood at number 42 and I couldn’t have been in that place without you guys. Thanks for the support all year and for the spread of word or two about my blog. You guys know that I desperately want more readers and to get a higher rank. That’s why I created a Facebook page for Perpetual Saga. Please show your love and “like” my official page!
Now onto the entry. Over the course of the offseason that’s still hanging around right now, Padres made ton of moves and lost and gained players in order to balance out the team. Padres released Adrian Gonzalez, Miguel Tejada, and Yorvit Torrealba, Jon Garland, Kevin Correia, Tony Gwynn Jr., Ryan Webb, and Edward Mujica. Free agents Jerry Hairston Jr. and David Eckstein are still not signed but for some reason I doubt the two middle infielders will return in Padres uniforms this year. In order to make up for the losses, Padres welcomed Aaron Harang, Jason Bartlett, Orlando Hudson, Brad Hawpe, Rob Johnson, Cameron Maybin, Dustin Moseley, and three minor leaguers in the Adrian Gonzalez deal.
But man, Adrian Gonzalez. He’s gone. It’s still hard to believe that Adrian in a Red Sox uniform is a reality. Here’s my take on the Adrian Gonzalez trade. Rival San Francisco Giants were able to sign Miguel Tejada, the veteran shortstop. It was disheartening to see him sign with the Giants not only because he signed with the team that I highly dislike, but also because Padres lost one more veteran player. You guys know that I highly respect veteran players and losing Miguel hit me. Same thing with Yorvit Torrealba and Jon Garland. Yorvit signed with the Texas Rangers while Jon signed with the Dodgers again. Kevin Correia moved from SoCal to the Steel City and he will play with the team that is not in National League west for the first time in his career. Tony Gwynn Jr. went with the Los Angeles Dodgers and I tend to get irritated when Padres players sign with a team that is in the National League west. Ryan Webb and Edward Mujica signed with the Marlins in a Cameron Maybin trade (Which I will mention later.). Although it’s extremely discouraging to see all the great players leave San Diego, the moves were made for the best. Because the Padres acquired new players, I expect this team to change and even improve in a good way.
To me, Aaron Harang “replaced” Jon Garland (Can’t think of a better way to say it.). Jon Garland was a number one starter last season and did a great job by eating up as many innings as possible. Watching him on the mound was not a problem. Now that Garland signed with the Dodgers, it’s time for Aaron Harang to shine. Harang may not crunch down many innings like Garland but I believe that Harang can settle in fine at Petco Park. After all, Petco Park is a pitcher-friendly ballpark. I can’t wait to see Harang will bring to the Padres with his new uniform during spring.
I mentioned about the acquisition of Jason Bartlett and Orlando Hudson in this entry. Both of them are defensive upgrades, and they have a chance to improve on the hitting from the middle infielders last year. Because the Padres signed Bartlett and Hudson, the likely chance of resigning the second baseman and the shortstop from reduced. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to see David Eckstein and Jerry Hairston Jr. back in Padres uniforms. I believe there is still a chance that these two will return but most likely, I don’t see that happening. Jason Bartlett and Orlando Hudson sound like fun and exciting players. I can tell that fans and I will enjoy watching them play. Will they make a huge difference at the middle infield? Possibly.
Padres signed Brad Hawpe and I think this is a great move. He is a first baseman and an outfielder and I believe that he will impact this team somehow. His natural position is first base but he is not “replacing Adrian Gonzalez”. Rather, he said that he is going to do what he needs to in order to help out the team. Hawpe played first base in the Rockies minor league system; however, he moved to right field when he got to the major leagues because Todd Helton was already at first base. Hawpe was also a 2009 National League All-Star. He parted ways with the Rockies last year in August and spent some time with the Tampa Bay Rays. Now that he is back in National League again, I think playing at Petco Park should not be a problem for him.
Rob Johnson was claimed by the Padres on December. He had ups and downs with the Mariners for almost four years. Now that Nick Hundley’s training wheels are off, he will most likely be the starting catcher this year. Nick benefited from being a backup catcher of Henry Blanco in 2009 and Yorvit Torrealba from last year. It’s pretty exciting for me that Nick will finally have a chance to be a starter. As for Rob Johnson, I really hope that he will improve much more this year than the previous year. I would love to see him develop behind home plate. He’s getting a fresh new chance and he needs to do his best in order to earn his job.
I can’t wait to see what Cameron Maybin is going to bring to San Diego. He’s only 23 but he looks like a very promising player. And even though he hasn’t produced at the Major League level like he has in the Minor Leagues, I can sense his potential. In order to acquire Cameron Maybin from the Marlins, Padres had to give up Ryan Webb and Edward Mujica. Both Ryan and Edward were in the group called “The Penitentiary” last year. They were a part of the outstanding Padres bullpen and I was kind of disappointed to see them go. But there’s an old saying called “it’s all part of business”. Even though Cameron is young, there is a likely chance that he will join the outfield as an everyday player with Ryan Ludwick at right field and Will Venable at left field.
Dustin Moseley was acquired to fill in the missing spot in the pitching rotation. He had few injury problems and was non-tendered by the Yankees.Because of the departure of Jon Garland and Kevin Correia, Dustin Moseley is currently an option as part of the starting pitching rotation. As of now, I see Mat Latos, Clayton Richard, Tim Stauffer, Aaron Harang and Dustin Moseley. Not necessarily in that order. Wade LeBlanc and Cory Luebke will also be competing for the spot. It’s going to be interesting to see who gets the job and who does not.
The players the Padres got from the Adrian Gonzalez trade are right-handed pitcher Casey Kelly, first baseman Anthony Rizzo, and center fielder Reymond Fuentes. I personally think Kelly, Rizzo and Fuentes are great prospects and they will impact the Padres in a positive way. All of them are very young and it will take time to see them in Padres uniforms. I don’t guarantee that those three players will be in action wearing Padres uniforms this year but they have plenty of time.
Offseason is a reality check for the fans; this is what it’s all about. Good or bad, it’s all true. Losing players doesn’t mean I need to panic about it. Looking on the bright side, the moves that were made can make a huge difference for the team. I can’t wait to see how the Padres will turn out to be during the regular season. Baseball is starting to get on it’s way. Hang on!
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.
Game 2 of 2010
Yesterday I went to Petco Park with my friend Woo Jin for the 4th of July weekend. We were hoping for another great win and you bet we were stoked throughout the day. This area is where we sat.
We saw pitcher Mat Latos near this area. Mat is becoming my favorite pitcher. I mean, he’s only 22 but his pitching is nasty. He’s just incredible and I really love watching him continuing to grow as a pitcher. Evertime he goes up to the mound, I see a bright light from him.
We were walking around the park and saw my Twitter follower Danny again. It was fun talking Padres baseball together. It was around 4:30 so the three of us decided to wait for David Eckstein because Eck signs autographs at 5 every single day at Petco. I mentioned this so many times but I really respect him for doing this for the fans. Petco Park environment and Padres fanhood would not be the same without him.
For some odd reason I was extremely nervous waiting for Eck. While we were waiting, I kept saying “Where is he?” or ”Be 5 already.” Eck finally came out to sign and I had to say hello to him. Unfortunately, pictures of Eck are not available this time because he was busy signing. However, I’m so glad that he stopped for a minute and talked to me. I introduced my friend and Danny to Eck and trust me, they were stoked. Thanks Eck!
According to Eck, his wife Ashley was in the stands too! I was ecstatic because I really wanted to see her in person. Eck also told me that she reads this blog and I was extremely shocked and happy. It was time for my friends and I to get to our seats and it was hard saying bye to Eck. We went on a little scavenger hunt to find Ashley but we had no luck.
It was almost game time and I saw Friarhood founder Steve and a fellow Padres fan, Scott, who called me a David Eckstein stalker. And please, I did not stalk Eck! Scott was playing around with me. The three of us took a quick picture together before the game.
I met Steve at the Padres Fan Fest this February and he is so down to earth. He is the one who runs Friarhood and please check it out. The gentleman on my left actually had seats next to each other.
It was game time and starting pitcher for the Padres was Kevin Correia.
He has been struggling lately but he turned things around yesterday. He threw seven solid scoreless innings and I was very impressed. Unfortunately, runs didn’t come until the eighth inning.
I started laughing when I saw this.
That’s Nick Hundley and Heath Bell rocking on the guitar and Chase Headley on the drums. Yes, they were playing Rock Band. I love the enthusiasm these three brought.
Sometime during the game, I saw my another Twitter follower, Charisma. Yes, her name really is Charisma. We waved at each other and said hello. She is a Padres fan, of course.
Because both teams didn’t score until the eighth, I was pretty bored in the stands, to be honest. But I stood up couple of times and cheered on my boys. Aaron Cunningham started the show by getting a double.
Tony Gwynn Jr. drove in Aaron Cunningham and the Astros made a throwing error as well.
We finally saw Heath Bell for the first time this season! His entrance song “Blow Me Away” by Breaking Benjamin really suits him very well and I was screaming like crazy.
Heath ended up getting the save and Padres beat the Astros with the score of 1-0!
Overall, I had a great day at Petco Park again and I am 2-0 this season so far! I love meetups with Padres fans. The interaction is so much fun and very easy to talk Padres baseball. I hope to do this more throughout the season.
June Evaluation
Can you believe we are almost at the midpoint of the season? It seems like yesterday that we celebrated Opening Day of 2010. June has (almost) come to an end which means it is time for another evaluation of the San Diego Padres. This team is continuing to amaze myself, the rest of the Padres fans, and even other fans of different teams. Without further ado, I present to you the top 5 greatest moments for the month of June.
5. Taking the series at Tampa against the Rays.
It may not sound special to others but it is for the San Diego Padres. We all know the Rays have been on top this season. Taking the series from the Rays was very important for the Padres because we needed to get ourselves on top of the NL West and especially since the Rays are an American League team. Game 1 was all about Mat Latos and his gem. He is continuing to mature as a pitcher and doing a very impressive job on the mound. Could he be the next Jake Peavy? Padres fans are not sure but who knows for now? I am extremely proud of my boys for their effort they showed in Tropicana Field.
4. Trailing from 8-0 and coming back to 10-6.
Padres lost on Monday of June 28th but this game really meant something. The opposing pitcher was Ubaldo Jimenez of the Rockies, which means the Padres had to face a tall task. Starting pitcher for San Diego was Kevin Correia and he was all over the place, to be honest. His commend was off and he had a terrible night on the mound. Kevin had a solid April but started to fall apart in middle of May. Simply, he has not been very impressive. Ubaldo Jimenez was going for a no-hitter but it was broken by David Eckstein. I knew Eck can handle these types of situations. After Eck broke the no-hitter, Padres offense started to pick up and we scored 6 runs in the end. At one point during the game, the score was 8-6. Unfortunately, Padres lost with the score of 10-6 but this game proved to everyone that this team does not stop. I absolutely love the energy and effort this team brought to the ballpark and I really enjoyed it. What this team has that many others don’t is that we never give up. I believe that the chemistry of effort and not giving up really makes a difference throughout the season. If a team does show this chemistry, then that team will most likely have a great season.
Coming back from 8-0 to 8-6 really blew the Padres fans and even the Rockies fans away. I hope to see something like this from the Padres throughout the season. We simply do not give up.
3. The Pen-itentiary
Who is the pen-itentiary? Simple. The San Diego Padres’ outstanding bullpen. Our bullpen has been on top this season and even baseball fans know that we are one strong bullpen. Out of all, the three guys who stand out the most are Luke Gregerson, Mike Adams, and Heath Bell. Luke has been solid throughout the season so far as the 7th inning guy. Same thing goes out to Mike Adams, who is the 8th inning guy. Closer Heath Bell has been very consistent, as usual. Heath does scare the fans and shows a nail-biter games at times but that’s what makes the bullpen so interesting. These gentlemen show surprises. Pleasant surprises rather. I am digging the shirt that Mike Adams is holding in the picture shown above. If the Padres start selling this shirt, you bet I will purchase it.
Be aware of the San Diego Padres’ bullpen everyone. They actually do bite.
2. Sweeping the Marlins.
From the 25th though the 27th, Padres hit the road to Miami to play against the Florida Marlins. I have to admit that the Marlins are pretty impressive but it was the San Diego Padres who took the spotlight in Miami. We faced Marlins’ ace Josh Johnson on game 2 while we had Jon Garland on the mound. Jon Garland drove in the game winning run as a sacrifice fly. This series meant so much for us because we were ahead of the San Francisco Giants by 4.5 games, probably the biggest lead in NL West so far.
1. Still first place in NL West
That’s right. The San Diego Padres are still in first place in NL West. Beginning of the season, there were so many doubters who though the Padres are going to finish the season in last place. Guess what? June is almost over and the Padres are first place. This team does not stop but rather move forward. We take each game seriously and continue to stride. I don’t understand why there are still doubters who thinks some other team is going to finish first in NL West. I am not pointing fingers at them but do they not see this team in the spotlight? Yes, this season is pretty young. However, All-Star break is coming up and after the break, it is time for some serious business throughout the season.
So there you have it. The top 5 greatest moments for the month of June. I think the Padres are doing great but we still have so much to prove that we are the best in NL West.
May Evaluation
First and foremost, I am so sorry for lack of entries. The reason I neglected my blog was due to school. I also had to stress with final exams and major projects. My last day of school year was today and my freshman year is officially over. May was a crazy month in high school and I had to stop blogging for quite a long time. School is always my first priority. Speaking of May, it is now time for me to evaluate the month of May for the Padres. If you want to check out the evaluation for the month of April, feel free to click here to read all about it. I know this post will be kind of pointless because May came to an end couple of days ago. However without further ado, here are the top 5 greatest moments for the month of May for the San Diego Padres.
5. Comeback from interleague slump.
From the 21st through the 23rd of May, Padres battled the Seattle Mariners for a quick interleague series. First game out of the three in Seattle was very, very forgettable. Starting pitcher was Wade LeBlanc on that day and he looked lost on the mound. He is still young but there is no excuse for me to let him slide off. Padres ultimately lost with an abysmal score of 15-8. The offense did their best to come back but it was not enough for them to pick up a win.
Things settled down very well for the next two games. Youngsters Clayton Richard and Mat Latos were on a roll on the mound. Along with great pitching, the offensive side was alive as well. So in the end, Padres took the series from the Mariners. We all know the Padres struggle in the interleague games. They showed great team effort which rewarded them with two wins that they deserved. I hope to see the same Padres from the two days in the future when they play against other American League teams.
4. Kevin Correia’s comeback.
Padres fans were shocked when starting pitcher Kevin Correia’s brother passed away. It was very emotional not only for the Correias but for us, as the fans of the Padres. Deepest and sincerest condolences were definitely sent out to Kevin and his family along with thoughts and prayers. When Kevin made his first start coming back from the bereavement list, I was so proud of him. I could not imagine what he had to go through because he lost a beloved person in his life. He was strong and definitely deserved the standing ovation from the fans. He fought the internal struggles very well on that day and made my eyes get teary a bit.
3. A wild 18-6 win against the New York Mets.
What a way to celebrate Memorial Day in San Diego! No, the 18 is not a typo. Yes, the Padres scored 18 runs in one game. Padres’ offense was unstoppable and everyone contributed for the team in some way shape of form. The multiple amount of the sound ”Crack!” made the fans stand up on their feet and cheer wildly for the San Diego Padres. On that day, Petco was not the pitchers’ ballpark but rather, the batters’ ballpark. This game was so much fun to watch and the Padres proved the doubters wrong by exploding incredible amount of runs.
2. Mat Latos’ complete domination and gem
On the 13th, Mat Latos blew away the Padres and Giants fans at San Francisco. His complete game one-hit shutout made both fans drop their jaws hanging wide open. Unfortunately, there was no run support from the Padres offense due to Giants’ Jonathan Sanchez. Sanchez pitched very well on that day as well but it was San Diego’s own Mat Latos who took the spotlight. Mat even helped out his team by getting the only run of the game with a smooth RBI single. His performance on that day was so incredible. I am glad to be a part of #TeamLatos. Mat is really making an excellent impression which is a pleasure. He is growing everyday and getting better and better. This is great for the team that is growing together in order to be at the place they want to be, which is first place. Mat’s progress is an ”A” so far.
1. Still on top of the NL West, 16-12 record for the month of May, 31-20 overall (not including June)
Padres are still first place in NL West. I know there are still doubters who think Padres are going to slip and fall at one point. Those doubters need to think again and need to think about how the Padres are doing currently. Padres are making a huge comeback and they still are. Our club is still the one of the youngest out of 30 but one thing that stands among the crowd is that this ball club does not back down from anyone. I repeat, anyone. These boys are making a great impression to people around the baseball industry. The playoffs and World Series are still in question because this season is young so far. No, I am not saying the Padres have a guarantee spot for the playoffs this season. What is true is that I have high hopes for them to reach the playoffs and maybe even win the World Series. Padres are taking the spotlight and it is definitely something to be proud of for San Diego.
So that will do for the month of May evaluation. Hopefully this month will be better and brighter. Lots of tests will be waiting such as interleague series. By the way, I am number 41 for the month of May on the Latest Leaders’ list. I only wrote one entry for the whole entire month of May and my blog is on the top 50. Thank you to my readers for keep coming back and I will do my best all the time to bring you guys back to read my blog. Thanks for reading!
Padres Progress
I can’t believe second week of regular season is over already. Throughout the two weeks, I definitiely saw players rising towards the top and players who were struggling in the bottom. It was a great oppertunity to see my boys progress.
The Good:
Kevin Correia had a hard time controlling his pitches when he made his first start in 2010. He did get his first loss of the season against the D-Backs. However on Opening Day and yesterday, I saw a whole different side of Kevin. I personally think he looked more confident on the mound. He even got two RBIs Petco’s Opening Day which made my mouth hanging wide open. Yesterday, I really enjoyed watching him pitch. He was on fire and whenever he stepped on the mound to pitch, I immediately thought, “Yes!”. This guy is continuing to impress me and I have no problems with that at all. As the time rolls on, he is going to get better and better.
The Bad:
It’s not so hard to mention Jon Garland in “The Bad” category. He is not impressing me so far and I am a bit disappointed. When I think of Jon, the words “innings eater” comes to my mind. He did not eat up innings over the past three starts he made. Basically, he is looking bad on the mound. We also know that he is known for his pace of the game. I don’t mind how slow he goes. He is thinking what to do for every single pitch. I like that game plan from him. He only made three starts so far, which means I don’t need to grab my hair and start groaning and moaning. However, Jon needs to step up his game or this Padres fan will not be happy throughout the season.
The Ugly:
Chris Young is on the DL… again. This is getting old and I am sick of this process repeating over and over again. I really wanted Chris to have a full, healthy season. His first start of the 2010 season was great and I assumed he is back and rock out on the mound anytime he goes up there. At this point I honestly don’t know what else to say about him. A healthy Chris Young is a big, big must for the Padres but he let the team and the fans down. When he is off the DL, I expect him to return 100% fresh.
Stay hot Chase!
He has been on fire lately. I always get excited when he comes up to bat because he pumps me up even though I am not at Petco Park. Chase gets things done by getting key hits to help his team score and win. He even got his first career walk-off hit against the Diamonbacks on Friday. The only problem with him is that I am not very comfortable watching him at thirdbase. He made couple of errors already this season and when he does that, he makes me want to miss Kevin Kouzmanoff, now with the A’s. Besides that, I really like this guy. It’s always show time when he has the bat in his hands. So stay hot Chase!
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.
Quest for the Start
At this point, it’s not too early to start thinking about pitching rotation for the Padres. I think pitching is like an egg for making an omlet. In this case, having great pitchers will make the team environment much brighter and better. Without solid pitchers, any team is going to lose ton of games, especially if the offense can’t step up. Also, pitchers are the ones who can prevent the opponent team’s offense from scoring runs. So therefore, pitching always comes first in my book. I see a lot of promise from the young pitchers and mentorship towards those young pitchers from the more experienced players. I have been doing some thinking about the pitchers we have and came across with top five pitchers who are going to be a great impact for this team. They are: Jon Garland, Kevin Correia, Chris Young, Mat Latos and Clayton Richard.
Jon Garland:
Acquiring Jon Garland was a smart move made by the Padres. The 30-year-old is obviously well-experienced on the mound and what he has to show looks great. His numbers are not eye-popping yet they are still decent. His ERA per season is usually around 4 but like I mentioned so many times, number does not matter the most.
I did not hear much about him up until when I found out that he signed with the Padres. He spent majority of his career with the White Sox and had ups and downs. At the Fan Fest two weeks ago, I heard him talk about his pitching and also impressed me by saying to the fans that this team can surprise others and this is a better team than people think. That’s when I started researching about him and thought whether looks good or not. So from that day, I have been eager to see what he can offer.
Jon Garland is competing for a number one spot for the pitching rotation and he may have a chance to become the one. Padres fans and the team will have to keep an eye on him.
Kevin Correia:
Kevin Correia struggled early last year but turned things around when four out of five starting pitchers were placed on the disabled list. He stepped up his game and became a new leader of the pitching staff. His numbers impressed me and also looked solid on the mound. So does that mean that he is going to be a number one starter? No. I can tell is that he may repeat the numbers he made from last year but he may need to step up his game even more if he wants to be number one.
When he was with the Giants for six years, he struggled and played as mostly the back of the end guy. Last year was his personal best and I am really proud of this guy for having that kind of year with us. I am looking foward to see him throughout the spring training and the new and better side of him during the regular season wheter he is going to be the number one starter or not.
Chris Young:
Dear Chris Young, please don’t get injured again during the season again.
Overall he is a great pitcher but he needs to stop getting hurt. We already established that. He spent majority of his season on the disabled list last year and the year before that, which was not good at all. He does look healthy after his shoulder sugery he had and I am extremely glad he looks confident enough to pitch very well.
Due to the injuries he had, there is a big question mark on my book if he should be the number one starter or not. The realiability did go down a bit but he is still one of my favorite pitchers. 2007 was his best career year so far. He was even a starter for National League at the All-Star Game and his ERA was microscopic. That year, he totally blew me away with his pitching. I foucused on him so much. If injuries can stay away from him, he can bounce back healthy and can really turn things around from the meltdown from 2008 and 2009. Here’s to a much brighther season for him.
Mat Latos:
Mat Latos caught my attention from the start because of what I heard about him when he was with the minors. Although he got a loss when he made his major league debut, he grew and grew as time progressed and I see a lot of promise from this young pitcher.
He does not look solid enough to be the number one starter but at least he can do is make it to the top five. I know he can achieve that because of what he has to show is amazing. I am starting to really like this guy and he even seems like a great person with an awesome personality.
This year will be his second year for Mat Latos and I hope to see no sophomore slump from him. He has so much talent along with potential and I hope he can prove to the fans that he has the ability to use the what he has on the mound.
Clayton Richard:
Finally, Clayton Richard is the one who looks good enough to lock himself in the starting rotation. When Jake Peavy got traded to the White Sox, Clayton Richard was the one that I looked forward the most among the four pitchers we got from Chicago. First impression was great, which was great to see because it was a day after when Jake got traded. Like Mat Latos, Clayton Richard experienced in the majors for such a little time. He did, however, made his major league debut in 2008 with the White Sox.
“Going into spring training not knowing exactly where everybody fits is a good problem.” said Clayton at the Fan Fest. This is a great quote from him and I agree 100%. Clayton can be one of the starters or not. We will have to wait and see. But I doubt he is not going to be a starter. Second half of the season last year was when I saw an audition full of young players including Clayton to compete for a spot. He impressed me for the remainder of the 2009 season and he deserves to be a starter. I see a lot of promise from him as well and he is continuing to grow. When the season rolls on, he should look consistent and ready to rock an roll when he starts.
Hyun Young’s rotation
The five pitchers I mentioned are my favorite and they should be locked in for the pitching rotation for now. Yes, there are still question marks left and spring training did not even start yet. However, the top pitchers are the ones who look very strong. Even the youngsters Mat Latos and Clayton Richard.
So my rotation?
Young, Correia, Garland, Latos, Richard.
This is not the final answer and it will change sometime. For now, this is what the rotation looks like. When my boys start playing during Spring Training, my answer will be as a final. I am definitely looking forward to the five pitchers the most out of the bunch.
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!
Q’s and A’s
var OutbrainPermaLink=’http://ajroxmywhitesox.mlblogs.com/archives/2010/01/lack_of_baseball_lack_of_relev.html’;
var OB_Template = “mlbblogs”;
var OB_demoMode = false;
var OBITm = “1241712535489″;
var OB_langJS =’http://widgets.outbrain.com/lang_en.js’;
if ( typeof(OB_Script)!=’undefined’ )
OutbrainStart();
else {
var OB_Script = true;
var str = ”;
document.write(str);
}
|
|
mlblogshyunyoung
Recent Comments