Padres Press Clips Wednesday, February 1, 2017

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1 Padres Press Clips Wednesday, February 1, 2017 Article Source Author Page Around the Horn: Padres have options at 2B MLB.com Cassavell 2 Around the Horn: Future bright at first with Myers MLB.com Cassavell 4 Inbox: Who will be the Padres Opening Day starter? MLB.com Cassavell 6 Pirela playing in Caribbean World Series Padres.com Center 9 Padres announce spring broadcast schedule UT San Diego Lin 11 Padres roster review: Tyrell Jenkins UT San Diego Sanders 12 San Diego Padres: Top prospects report ESPN.com Law 13 1

2 Around the Horn: Padres have options at 2B Spangenberg, Schimpf considered front-runners for the job By AJ Cassavell / 11:21 AM ET With Spring Training on the horizon, MLB.com is taking an in-depth look at the 2017 Padres, breaking the team down position-by-position. Today, we preview the San Diego second basemen. Around the Horn: Catcher First base If first base is the easiest position to project entering camp, second base might be the toughest. The Padres have a nice problem on their hands next to Wil Myers on the right side of the diamond: They've got three second basemen, all of whom they feel can compete for a starting role. This time a year ago, Cory Spangenberg had the job to himself. The Padres viewed him as a critical table-setter for the middle of their order -- until he went down with a torn left quad in early April. In essence, 2016 was a lost season for Spangenberg. But it wasn't for the Padres at second base. Ryan Schimpf, who signed with the team as a Minor League free agent last offseason, burst onto the scene in the second half. Schimpf's ability to hit for extra bases -- he had 42 of them, compared to 18 singles -- made him something of a cult hero among Padres fans. With a brilliant final three months, Schimpf staked his claim to the starting job in much in the same way Spangenberg did in Spangenberg '15 second half:.294/.373/.460, 2 HRs Schimpf '16 second half:.227/.345/.551, 16 HRs "Those are two really good options to have in the infield," Padres manager Andy Green said. "They both, in different years, have kind of asserted their claim to that position. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out in the spring." Carlos Asuaje's name was also thrown into the mix, although he remains a long shot to win a starting job. At Triple-A El Paso last season, Asuaje batted.321/.378/.473. The Padres feel the 25-year-old could be ready for next step. Unfortunately for Asuaje, he's got some stiff competition -- and the Padres won't have much roster flexibility if they choose to open the season with three Rule 5 Draft selections on board. 2

3 All three second-base options also have experience playing third, but none of the three has shown much range in the big leagues. With that in mind, Green left another option open. "Maybe they move over to third and [Yangervis] Solarte plays second," Green said. "That's a conversation we're still internally throwing around. But the expectation right now is Soley's probably at third base, and [Schimpf and Spangenberg] are duking it out for second. "What Ryan Schimpf did last year was very, very impressive. Between big leagues and Triple-A, he hit 35 home runs. He hit 20 here in the big leagues in a very short period of time, drew walks, got on base, drove in runs. And we know what Cory Spangenberg can do as an igniter of an offense, especially if he's back running the way he has in the past." So the Padres have an intriguing position battle on their hands entering Spring Training. That's just fine with Spangenberg, who fully recovered from his quad injury in late November. "Competition is fun," Spangenberg said last month. "If you're just handed a job, some people might take that for granted. We have three guys going in there that are good ballplayers. I'm looking forward to it. I've had to compete for spots my whole life, so I don't think this really changes anything." Projected starter: Schimpf or Spangenberg Potential backups: Schimpf or Spangenberg, Asuaje, Solarte Top 30 Prospects: Luis Urias, No. 11; Asuaje, No. 20 3

4 Around the Horn: Future bright at first with Myers Padres banking on All-Star slugger to lock down position for years to come By AJ Cassavell / January 31st, 2017 With Spring Training on the horizon, MLB.com is taking an in-depth look at the 2017 Padres, breaking the team down position-by position. Today, we preview San Diego's first basemen. There aren't any questions surrounding the Padres' first-base situation entering Spring Training this year. If all goes according to plan, they won't have to answer any questions there until at least Wil Myers ensured himself a long-term future in San Diego this offseason, signing a six-year contract extension with a team option for a seventh. And while Myers came to the Padres as an outfielder before the 2015 season, he's carved himself a niche as one of the better defensive first basemen in the National League. "To have a player that should hit in the middle of the order, that should be one of the best defenders in the game of baseball -- that should take some pressure off [our young offense]," said Padres general manager A.J. Preller. "Whatever you want to call it, he's a stabilizer, a core piece." Myers is coming off the best season of his young career -- and also the first fully healthy season of his career. He batted.259/.336/.461 with 28 homers and 28 steals -- joining Mike Trout as the only players to reach the threshold. Defensively, Myers was a revelation in his first full season at first base. He showcased elite range at the position and made very few mistakes. In the eyes of Preller, "He has the chance to be the best defensive first baseman in the game of baseball." Myers isn't quite there yet. But he's added defensive prowess at first base to an impressive all-around skill set. "We believe in complete baseball players, and that's what Wil Myers is," said Padres manager Andy Green. "He gets on base, he steals bases, he defends the field, he drives in runs. He's the definition of a complete baseball player." 4

5 To Myers, however, being a "complete" player doesn't necessarily mean he's a finished product. He was brilliant last June, posting one of the best months in Padres history. But he was dreadful offensively in May and August. Perhaps that's to be expected from a player who received 676 plate appearances last year -- after averaging 329 in his first three big league seasons. After his breakout rookie campaign with Tampa Bay, Myers dealt with wrist injuries in both 2014 and '15. "I have a lot of room to improve," Myers said. "Last year was really my first full season in the big leagues, from start to finish. I learned a lot through those 162 games, what it takes to go through the grind of all those games. I really do believe that I'm just scratching the surface of what I can accomplish." So do the Padres, and that's why they locked up Myers, as the linchpin of their youth movement. Projected starter: Myers Potential backups: Yangervis Solarte, Brett Wallace Top-30 prospects: Josh Naylor, No. 4 5

6 Inbox: Who will be Padres' Opening Day starter? Beat reporter AJ Cassavell answers questions from San Diego fans By AJ Cassavell / January 31st, 2017 For all intents and purposes, the Padres are probably content to enter camp with the roster as currently constructed. General manager A.J. Preller said as much last week, but he left the door open for one or two depth additions. With that in mind, here's a look at your most pressing Padres questions, with pitchers and catchers set to report in just over two weeks. Who's the Padres' Opening Day starter? -- Eric, San Diego I guess now is an appropriate time to start asking this question. After all, the other team at the Peoria Sports Complex unveiled its Opening Day starter earlier this week. There probably isn't a more wide-open race for an Opening Day start than the one in San Diego. Right now, Clayton Richard, Jhoulys Chacin and Christian Friedrich are all options. But I'd give the early edge to Luis Perdomo. In the second half of last season, Perdomo was the Padres' best pitcher. And with the emergence of his sinker, he owns a legitimate big league out pitch. There might be some concern about handing an Opening Day start to a relatively unheralded 23-year-old. But the Padres haven't been hesitant to throw their young players into the fire. After all, they gave Perdomo -- a Rule 5 Draft pick who hadn't yet reached Double-A -- a relief appearance on Opening Day last year. It's too early to decipher the Padres' plans, and this decision could come down to the wire. But I'll give Perdomo the slight edge to face Clayton Kershaw in Los Angeles on April 3. Will there be talks of a possible six-man rotation? -- Andrew S., San Diego As a baseball operations group, the Padres appear to be open to anything entering the 2017 season. (Think of the Christian Bethancourt experiment.) So you can bet they'll discuss the idea of a six-man rotation. But I don't see it happening -- at least not in the traditional sense. Given the makeup of their roster, the most obvious answer right now is a five-man staff and a seven-man bullpen (eight if you include Bethancourt). Within that bullpen, however, I'd expect Paul Clemens or Trevor Cahill to serve as a sixth starter when the Padres go through long stretches without any off-days. 6

7 Perdomo is young and has never pitched more than his 146 2/3 innings from last year. Friedrich's arm began to tire last August. The Padres would like to see their best arms on the mound as often as possible, but they also need to protect them from an increased workload. That's where a potential spot start from Cahill or Clemens might come in handy. Any chance we see a trade before Opening Day? What about moving a second baseman or relief pitcher? -- Jamieson F. I'd say there's a pretty good chance the Padres swing a deal before the opener in Los Angeles. They'd like a shortstop capable of competing with Luis Sardinas for the starting job, and they aren't enamored with the free-agent options. (Among them, Erick Aybar is probably the best available.) Whom might they trade? Well, second base is clearly a position of strength and depth. In Ryan Schimpf, Cory Spangenberg and Carlos Asuaje, the Padres feel they have three big league-caliber second basemen. In the bullpen, however, I get the sense that the Padres value their back-end guys more highly than their opponents do. And that's fine. Ryan Buchter, Brad Hand and Brandon Maurer are all under team control through at least 2019, and the Padres are under no pressure to move any of them. Is Manuel Margot likely to start the season in Triple-A? -- Tommy, San Diego At the beginning of the offseason, this seemed like the most likely possibility. But the Padres' inaction in search of an outfielder has changed my mind entirely. It's pretty clear Margot -- recently ranked as the No. 23 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline -- is ready for the big leagues. He batted.304/.351/.426 at Triple-A last season, while swiping 30 bags and playing an elite center field. But Margot is only 22, and there's no guarantee he'd receive regular playing time at the big league level. If the Padres gave him about a month of seasoning in El Paso, they'd gain an extra year of team control when he's 28 and in his prime. That said, the Padres seem set on their current mix of four outfielders -- Margot, Hunter Renfroe, Travis Jankowski and Alex Dickerson. There isn't much depth behind those four, and without Margot, Jankowski is the only available center fielder. Unless something happens on the free-agent front, I'd expect Margot to open the year with the big league club. (Hey, he raked against lefties in the Minors. Why not lead him off on Opening Day against Kershaw?) 7

8 Who is the best second-base prospect in the pipeline? -- Mick, San Diego That would be Luis Urias, slightly edging Asuaje, according to MLBPipeline.com. And speaking of Urias... Where does Urias start the season? -- Mario S., San Marcos, Calif. No Padres prospect has risen quicker than Urias, who was relatively unheralded when he signed out of Mexico in At Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore last season, Urias took home the California League MVP and Rookie of the Year Awards. He batted.330/.397/.440 with the Storm, and even played three games at Triple-A El Paso after the California League season ended. 8

9 Pirela playing in Caribbean World Series Greene Jr. in Australian playoffs By Bill Center / San Diego Padres January 31st, 2017 Two members of the Padres family are still playing offseason baseball. Jose Pirela will be playing in the Caribbean World Series starting Friday with Venezuela Winter League champion Zulia. Catcher Marcus Greene Jr. will be playing in the first round of the Australian League playoffs next weekend. Christian Bethancourt wrapped up his play with Cocle in Panama, dividing his time between pitching, playing left field and serving as the designated hitter. The only position he didn't play in Panama was catcher. He hit.171 and had a 2.25 earned run average in four one-inning pitching appearances. His fastball ranged from mph. Pirela is playing left field and hitting third and fifth in Zulia's batting order. Pirela, 27, hit.345 with three homers and 12 RBIs during the Venezuelan playoffs. He was 9-for-20 in the championship series with a double, a triple and a homer with three walks, eight runs scored and five RBIs. He hit safely in all five games. During the regular season, Pirela hit.343 (46-for-134) for Zulia with nine doubles, two triples and two homers for 16 RBIs and 29 runs scored. He had a.409 on-base percentage and a.485 slugging percentage for a.894 OPS. Greene's Adelaide team will host Brisbane this weekend in the best-of-three first round of the Australian League playoffs. The winner will travel to Melbourne the following weekend for the three-game Claxton Shield championship series. Greene, 22, hit.307 (43-for-130) during the regular season with three doubles and six home runs for 26 RBIs and 22 runs scored. He tied for fourth in the league in home runs and tied for second in RBIs. He also finished with the 11th-highest batting average and 12th-highest slugging percentage (.457). Second baseman River Stevens and right-handed pitcher Zech Lemond returned to the United States after Canberra finished fourth to fall a game shy of qualifying for the playoffs. 9

10 Stevens, 25, finished with a.313 batting average (30-for-96) with seven doubles, a triple and a home run for 11 runs scored and 12 RBIs. He had a.353 on-base percentage and.438 slugging percentage to finish with the same OPS as Greene. Lemond, 24, was 1-2 with three saves in four chances for Canberra. He had both a 0.95 earned run average and WHIP in 19 innings over 16 games. Lemond allowed three runs (two earned) on 11 hits and seven walks with 18 strikeouts. 10

11 Padres announce spring broadcast schedule Dennis Lin Contact Reporter The Padres announced their spring training broadcast schedule, featuring 32 games that will be carried on television, radio or audio webcast. Fox Sports San Diego will televise 14 games, including 13 live and one on tape delay. The first telecast is a Fox Sports West simulcast on Feb. 27, when the Padres play the Los Angeles Angeles. (Three other Padres games will be simulcast on FSW.) FSSD s coverage includes the Padres March 7 game against the Mexican national team ahead of the World Baseball Classic. Padres play-by-play announcer Don Orsillo will be in the booth for spring telecasts. Former Padres players Mark Grant and Mark Sweeney will split time in the analyst seat. FM 949, the Padres new radio partner, will broadcast 10 Cactus League games, including the annual charity game against the Seattle Mariners on Feb. 25. FM 949 s sister stations, KSON 97.3 HD2 and KSOQ 92.1 HD2, will air an additional 14 games throughout the spring. Ted Leitner returns for play-by-by duties. Jesse Agler is back for color commentary on spring radio broadcasts. The Padres will make 14 audio webcasts available for games not broadcast on FSSD or FM 949, beginning with the Feb. 27 matchup with the Angels. To listen to the free live stream on padres.com, log in or create a free account on the website. The complete spring broadcast schedule is available at padres.com. 11

12 Padres roster review: Tyrell Jenkins Jeff Sanders Contact Reporter Sizing up the Padres 40-man roster, from A to Z, heading into the 2017 season. TYRELL JENKINS Position: Right-handed pitcher Acquired: Selected off waivers in January 2017 (Reds); Originally a 1 st -round draft pick in 2010 (Henderson HS, Texas) 2017 Opening Day age: 24 Contract status: Won t be arbitration-eligible until 2020 Key stats: 2-4, 5.88 ERA, 26 strikeouts, 33 walks, 1.69 WHIP,.279 avg. against, 52 innings (14 games, 8 starts) Stat to note 2.47 Jenkins ERA in Triple-A, his lowest in six seasons of minor league ball. Jenkins struck out 55, walked 35 and fashioned a 1.45 WHIP in 83 2/3 innings in the International League (17 games, 12 starts). Trending Down Ranked as high as No. 94 in Baseball America s top-100 in 2012, Jenkins joined his fourth team in under a month when the Padres claimed him earlier this month. The movement shows that despite a shaky MLB debut as his 6.86 FIP in 2016 was the second-highest among pitchers with at least 50 innings pitched. The 50 th overall pick by the Cardinals in 2010, Jenkins continues to intrigue because he s shaved his ERA from 3.28 to 3.19 to 2.27 each of the last three years as he climbed closer to the majors. For his career, Jenkins who pairs an 80 mph slider with a low 90s fastball is with 361 strikeouts and 195 walks over 496 2/3 minor league innings. 12

13 2017 outlook On a team that has jettisoned James Shields, Andrew Cashner and Tyson Ross in the last year, Jenkins arrives as one of a number of rotation hopefuls for That muddled group includes returners Luis Perdomo, Christian Friedrich, Clayton Richard, Paul Clemens and Jarred Cosart, new additions Jhoulys Chacin and Trevor Cahill and a stable of minor leaguers that include Cesar Vargas, Dinelson Lamet and Walker Lockett, leaving a good number of runner-ups to fill out Triple-A El Paso s rotation. For Jenkins to seize a big league spot, he ll have to have much better command than he did in last year s callup. 13

14 San Diego Padres: Top prospects report 4:55 AM PT Keith Law ESPN Senior Writer The Padres system quickly became one of the deepest in all of baseball, neck and neck with Atlanta s for depth but lacking the latter system s near-in talent. The Padres went to the wall in the July 2 market, signing what seemed like every other prospect available, and went big for ceiling in the 2016 draft class, especially with high-upside arms. They ve also added some very strong prospects in trades, including four of their top eight and several others scattered throughout their top 20. It s going to take time, and this ownership group will have to be patient as they wait for all of this talent, most of it below the U.S. drinking age, to reach the big leagues. 1.Anderson Espinoza, RHP (Ranked No. 21) 2. Cal Quantrill, RHP (Ranked No. 23) 3. Manuel Margot, CF (Ranked No. 24) 4. Fernando Tatis Jr., SS (Ranked No. 47) 5. Adrian Morejon, LHP (Ranked No. 80) 6. Jacob Nix, RHP 7. Hunter Renfroe, OF 8. Javier Guerra, SS 9. Luis Urias, 2B 10. Mason Thompson, RHP Right-hander Jacob Nix took a nice step forward last year with an improved changeup and better fastball command. He isn t that far from being a top-100 prospect, as he has at least No. 3 starter ceiling and his probability keeps increasing. Hunter Renfroe has 70 raw power and can play right field, but he doesn t pick up spin well at all and showed awful plate discipline in a great hitter s environment in the PCL. Javier Guerra had a lost year with a medical issue that often kept him off the field or even away from practice, but a year ago he was a top-100 prospect who played the heck out of shortstop and had above-average power. Luis Urias is a very heady player who can hit and could definitely handle second base every day, although the Padres are splitting his time between there and shortstop. He has belowaverage power but has enough strength in his hands to make hard contact and profile as a regular. Mason Thompson missed almost his entire senior year after Tommy John surgery, but the Padres were impressed by what they saw in workouts and took him in the third round. He showed up pumping mid-90s with a 60 changeup, and if he s healthy he might blow some people away this year. 14

15 Eric Lauer (11) is a command lefty who can really pitch, a limited ceiling guy but with enough stuff that I think he has a fifth-starter floor right now. Right-hander Reggie Lawson (12) had first-round potential after the summer and fall of 2015, but some genius changed his delivery by shortening his stride, and suddenly his 95 mph fastball became 92, his curveball backed up, and his command dropped. He s athletic and loose and why would you ever do this to a kid with his kind of arm? The Padres took him late on Day 1 and are trying to undo the delivery changes to get him rotating more and finishing better out front. Right-hander Logan Allen (13) came over in the Craig Kimbrel trade and was hitting 95 late in 2016 after missing two months with elbow soreness. He has a great starter s build and two average off-speed pitches already. Right-hander Walker Lockett (14) missed almost all of 2013 and 2014 due to injuries and threw 87 unremarkable innings in 2015, so he d fallen off the radar before his 2016 breakout that carried him all the way up to Triple-A and onto the team s 40-man roster. He gets on top the ball well from his 6-foot-5 frame and sinks it enough to get a 56 percent ground-ball rate last year, and that plus his control will get him to the big leagues, where he might be a fourth starter. Jorge Ona (15) was the Padres' other big get in the July 2 period along with Morejon. Ona is also Cuban, a right fielder with a good swing and solid approach, likely to hit for doubles power. Hudson Potts (16), formerly Hudson Sanchez, was a surprise pick at the end of the first round, where the Padres had back-to-back selections and took him and Lauer. He s a third baseman with a good arm and a very simple swing that might lead to future power, and he just turned 18 in October. The Padres acquired right-hander Chris Paddack (17) in the June trade for Fernando Rodney, only to see him blow out his elbow in his third start in their system. He s a fastball-changeup guy with a 65-grade change and fastball thrown up to 95 but he needs a better third pitch. They acquired first baseman Josh Naylor (18) in a separate trade with the Marlins, the ill-fated Andrew Cashner/Colin Rea deal, after Naylor had returned from a suspension for an incident in which he stabbed teammate Stone Garrett in the hand (he said it was a prank, Garrett disputed that, I concede I don t know what exactly happened). Naylor has huge power and won t turn 20 until June, but needs to commit himself to becoming a better hitter first so the power can play, and first base is probably always going to be a challenge for him. Carlos Asuaje (19), the fourth part of the Kimbrel trade, is just 5-foot-9 but has a long track record of putting the ball in play, and because he can play second, third or left he s a solid bench option. Right-hander Phil Maton (20) was the Padres' 20th-round pick in 2015 out of Louisiana Tech, started the year in Low-A, and steamrolled through three levels to finish with Triple-A El Paso; he gets a very high spin-rate fastball and struck out 45 percent of the righthanded batters he faced in Enyel de los Santos (21), acquired in a minor trade with the Mariners in 2015, sits in the mid- 90s on his fastball with a compact arm action and solid-average control, although he could use a better breaking ball to stay a starter. Shortstop Jose Rondon (22) has been around forever but turns 23 this year; he s probably just a utility infielder because his bat hasn t developed. Others of note: Former shortstop Franchy Cordero is in the outfield now and a lot bigger than when the Padres first signed him in 2011; it s power over hit, but he could get to a 45 hit tool, which would make him at least a backup outfielder who can play all three spots. They added lefty Jose Castillo from Tampa Bay in the Wil Myers trade, and somehow sneaked him 15

16 through the Rule 5 draft even though he has a live arm. They converted catcher Jose Ruiz to the mound and he was so good, sitting 95-99, that they had to put him on the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Dinelson Lamet has the delivery and size to be a starter but lacks a third pitch to get lefties out. Center fielder Buddy Reed can run and defend, but I question whether he s going to hit from either side of the plate. Center fielder Michael Gettys can run, defend, throw and even has power, but doesn t have a swing geared toward contact. They have a reliever named Henry Henry, and I m told he has a great arm with stuff like Guillermo Mota, but really, Henry Henry. Milo Minderbinder would have a field day. The Padres July 2 class last year was ridiculously strong, led by Morejon and Ona, but also included Venezuelan shortstop and defensive wizard Gabriel Arias; Dominican shortstop Luis Almanzar, who has more bat than Arias but less glove; and Tirso Ornelas, a Mexican-born outfielder with a really sound swing. They also took three guys in the Rule 5 draft. I don t see how they ll carry even two of these players, let alone all three, but they are prospects. Right-hander Miguel Diaz came from Milwaukee and had hit 99 mph in short outings for the Brewers, but his secondary stuff lags behind. Catcher Luis Torrens came from the Yankees and at one point was a serious prospect behind the plate, but after shoulder surgery his arm really hasn t come back. Shortstop Allen Cordoba is intriguing; he was only in short-season ball last summer, but showed really good feel to hit for a 20-year-old and has now hit.352/.414/.457 in two seasons in the U.S. He s just OK at shortstop and a fair bet to end up at third base. Could he hit enough in the big leagues this year after a four-level jump, considering that he s never seen any full-season pitching? I doubt it, although the Padres may be willing to carry his bat all year to have him in their system going forward impact: Margot should be their center fielder this year, although he ll have to beat out Travis Jankowski for the job. Renfroe will probably be their right fielder. Asuaje could be their utility infielder. Of the three Rule 5 guys, I think Cordoba is the best prospect, while Diaz would be the easiest to carry because you can hide a 12th man on your staff, and Torrens is the most likely of the three to return to his original club. The fallen: Walker Weickel was the 55th overall pick in the 2012 draft, but his projection never came and he had problems keeping a consistent delivery. He blew out his elbow in 2015, needing Tommy John surgery, and has a career 5.42 ERA in the minors since he signed. 16