Padres Press Clips Monday, October 31, 2016

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1 Padres Press Clips Monday, October 31, 2016 Article Source Author Page Myers sets lofty goals for 2017 season MLB.com Cassavell 2 Hindsight: The Casey Kelly trade UT San Diego Sanders 4 Offseason: Padres center field prospects under microscope UT San Diego Sanders 7 in Arizona Fall League Dream Come True : MLB pros, athletes with special needs NBC San Diego Zabala 9 team up for fundraiser 1

2 Myers sets lofty goals for 2017 season Padres first baseman aims to improve on successful '16 campaign By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com SAN DIEGO -- Wil Myers hit 28 homers and swiped 28 bags in a fine all-around season by any measure. But, evidently, it wasn't enough for Myers. Never one to shy away from setting lofty personal goals, Myers already has a few for "I'd obviously like to go 30-30, I think that's extremely attainable," Myers said earlier this month. "If I hadn't hit.150 in August with one home run, I would've been there. That's the biggest thing, staying consistent. "I'd love to go 30-30, I'd love to drive in 100. I'd love to score 100. And I'd love to win a Gold Glove." Myers hit the nail on the head when he pointed to consistency as the biggest obstacle in his way. He posted an absolutely torrid June, in which he won National League Player of the Month honors. He was sharp in April and September, as well. But in May, Myers'.597 OPS was the lowest among NL first basemen. His August numbers weren't quite as bad as he recalled -- but they weren't good either:.216/.283/.361 with three dingers. Of course, the peaks and valleys may have been expected of a player going through his first full year in the big leagues. Myers was brilliant for 3 1/2 months as a rookie with the Rays in 2013, but he sustained wrist injuries that set him back in each of his next two seasons. So what can Myers take away from a 157-game, 676-plate appearance campaign? "Just the experience of a full season, the whole overall experience -- knowing what to expect, knowing the ups and downs you're going to have, knowing that after the first half, you've still got 2

3 two and a half months to play, knowing that it's a grind that you've just got to keep pushing along," Myers said. Myers flew back to his native North Carolina after the regular season, and he took the remainder of October off from baseball-related activities. But as of Nov. 1, his 2017 season has begun. It's a season in which Myers has some lofty goals to hit (one of which he could reach a bit early, as Myers is one of three finalists for the 2016 NL Gold Glove Award at first base). No Padre has ever hit 30 homers and stolen 30 bags in a season. Only four have driven in 100 runs while scoring 100 as well. And only Adrian Gonzalez has won an NL Gold Glove Award at first for San Diego. "One of my biggest things is just to stay cocky all year," Myers said. "Not outwardly cocky, but inside my head, just being cocky -- not confident, I mean it when I say the word cocky. Because if you trick your mind into believing something, it's going to work on the field. My biggest thing, knowing that, is just staying in that mindset [all year], regardless of what's going on." 3

4 Hindsight: The Casey Kelly trade Jeff Sanders Contact Reporter Reviewing each of the significant trades that General Manager A.J. Preller completed leading up to and during the 2016 season. A year earlier, a lack of organizational options forced the Padres to call up top prospect Austin Hedges to back-up Derek Norris behind the plate. In 2016, Preller made one final deal as he departed the Winter Meetings, flipping one of his compromised assets for one that had apparently worn out his welcome in Atlanta. LEAVING SAN DIEGO RHP Casey Kelly: Boston s 30 th -round pick in 2008, he arrived alongside 1B Anthony Rizzo as the chief return in the deal sent 1B Adrian Gonzalez to the Red Sox in the winter of Kelly debuted two years later, underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2013 and didn t return to the majors until the end of the 2015 season (7.94 ERA in 11.1 IP). In his first year in the Braves organization, the 27-year-old Kelly spent most of the season at Triple-A Gwinnett (3.53 ERA in 74 IP) despite pitching in more games in the majors than ever, albeit mostly in relief. The results, however, proved spotty: 14 earned runs on 30 hits, seven walks and just seven strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings. C Ricardo Rodriguez: Viewed as the top catching prospect in the international free agent class, the 18-year-old Rodriguez began his stay in the Braves organization in the rookie Gulf Coast League. There, he hit.225/.284/.275 with seven RBIs in 29 games. Rodriguez is a.246/.314/.332 hitting with two homers and 21 RBIs in 59 games in rookie leagues. LEAVING ATLANTA C Christian Bethancourt: Once one of the game s top catching prospects, Bethancourt fell out of favor in Atlanta after hitting.219/.245/.283 over parts 4

5 of three seasons in the majors. His ailing left knee repaired over the offseason, the 25-year-old Panama native showed flashes of prodigious power despite continued bouts of inconsistency (.228/.265/.368 in 73 games) in a bench role. The longest of his six home runs had a true distance of 447 feet at Petco Park no less according to ESPN s Home Run Tracker, although it was the strength of Bethancourt s right arm that was most intriguing by season s end. After showing it off in the outfield for the first time and running his fastball up to 93 mph on the mound (1.2 IP, 0 ER), the Padres will toy with using Bethancourt in a hybrid catcher/outfield/relief role that will help the coaching staff maximize the 25-man roster next spring. HINDSIGHT While a left intercostal strain wiped out the final month of his season, Bethancourt s first half (.737 OPS vs..525 after All-Star break) at times suggested that he was even worthy of pushing Norris for starting time. That alone is reason enough to like trading away a former first-rounder with a reconstructed elbow and a catcher who has yet to even reach A-ball. More importantly, the Padres will have five more seasons to flesh out Bethancourt s best role push Norris or Hedges for playing time, back up behind the plate and in the outfield or come in out of the bullpen before he hits free agency. A.J. Preller s 2016 trade timeline Nov. 12: The Joaquin Benoit trade Nov. 13: The Craig Kimbrel trade Dec. 2: The Yonder Alonso trade Dec. 8: The Jedd Gyorko trade Dec. 10: The Casey Kelly trade Feb. 4: The Odrisamer Despaigne trade June 4: The James Shields trade June 30: The Fernando Rodney trade July 14: The Drew Pomeranz trade 5

6 July 26: The Melvin Upton Jr. trade July 29: The Andrew Cashner trade July 30: The Matt Kemp trade 6

7 Offseason: Padres' center field prospects under microscope in Arizona Fall League Jeff Sanders Contact Reporter For years, the Padres have desired toolsy athletes capable of roaming center field in their expansive home park. Now that they ve got two prospective center fielders of the future in the majors Manuel Margot and Travis Jankowski alternative intriguing options are beginning to make their way to the top half of the farm system, a climb that includes important exposure in the Arizona Fall League. Michael Gettys invitation came after repeating low Single-A Fort Wayne to start the season. A year after hitting.231 in the Midwest League, the 21-year-old outfielder hit.304/.369/.416 in 68 games in a return trip to the circuit and then.306/.356/.468 in 60 games at High Single-A Lake Elsinore. Gettys hit 12 home runs across both stints and has two homers through his first 10 games for the Peoria Javelinas. Gettys is also hitting.227/.292/.477 with 17 strikeouts and four walks. He is also 2- for-2 in steals after leading the system with 33 stolen bases. Ahead of Gettys, Franchy Cordero also took off in 2016 after years of stunt development, albeit mostly as a defensively-challenged shortstop. The Padres moved the 22-year-old Cordero in center field full-time this year and watched him hit.290/.344/.450 with 11 homers, 54 RBIs and 23 steals in 137 games split between Lake Elsinore, Double-A San Antonio and Triple-A El Paso. That earned Cordero a spot in the Arizona Fall League, where he is hitting.243/.300/.297 with two doubles, five RBIs and a steal. He has also walked three times and struck out 12 times. Meantime, the 22-year-old Margot is 5-for-31 with three doubles, an RBI and a run scored through his first five games for Este in the Dominican Republic s winter league. 7

8 ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE RHP Jason Jester: His two saves are one off the league lead, while he has struck out six, walked three and allowed one run on five hits in six innings thus far. LHP Kyle McGrath: Through a trio of three-inning starts, he leads the league with two wins and has allowed two runs one earned on five hits and two walks while striking out nine. RHP Phil Maton: He s among several tied for the league lead with two wins, although he has yet to allow a run through six innings. He has struck out seven, has allowed two hits and hasn t walked a batter. LHP Jose Torres: The 23-year-old reliever has struck out three and allowed three runs two earned on four hits and two walks in 3 1/3 innings. INF Josh VanMeter: The 21-year-old second baseman is hitting.333/.476/.433 with one homer, six RBIs, two steals and more walks (10) than strikeouts. LHP Brad Wieck: He s struck out 10 through six innings and has allowed two runs on five hits and three walks. WINTER LEAGUES Dominican: INF Carlos Asuaje is 6-for-22 with a triple, four RBIs, three walks and five strikeouts in his first six games for Escogido. LHP Keith Hessler has allowed a run on two hits and a walk through his first 2 1/3 innings with Cibao. RHP Carlos Pimental, a minor league free agent signing a year ago, turned in 4 1/3 scoreless innings in his first start for Escogido. Venezuelan: SS Jose Rondon is hitting.250/.333/.375 with a homer, two RBIs, eight runs and a steal in 13 games for Magallanes. 2B Daniel Bravo is 8-for-39 with two RBIs and two steals in 17 games for Aragua. RHP Luis Diaz has allowed eight runs five earned in 12 innings for Caracas. Mexican: 2B Fernando Perez is 3-for-10 with two walks and four strikeouts to start his stint for Hermosillo. RHP Gerardo Reyes has struck out five and has allowed just one hit and no runs through his first 4 2/3 innings for Obregon. 8

9 'Dream Come True': MLB Pros, Athletes with Special Needs, Team Up for Fundraiser By Liberty Zabala It's more than just a ball game. Barry Cunningham says he has something to prove. "I want to show them that I got talent and that we have more to give," he told NBC 7. Cunningham is a Special Olympic athlete, like others on his team, who face challenges others don't. Sunday, MLB pros hit the diamond alongside the athletes with special needs for a special occasion. The event was part of the Jack-O-Smash festival to raise funds for students with special needs in the Poway Unified School District. Cunningham's teammate, Matt Murphy, says that in situations like these, he tends to feel nervous -but also excited. "When I waked up this morning, I was like, this must be a dream come true for me," Murphy said. Poway hometown hero Alex Dickerson from the Padres also joined their team. "So much excitement. So much fun out here," Dickerson said. "It's honestly an honor for me being out here as much as them being here with me." Dickerson said he used to do a lot of work at the exact Sportsplex they were at Sunday, and said he was happy to be able to give back. It s an awesome event getting out here being with the kids especially it being in my backyard grew as a kid growing up in Poway, he said. Other players from the Padres, Red Sox, Mets and Astros also got in on the action. "It's really heartwarming that the MLB players can give to people with special needs," said Cunningham. "I've always wanted to be an MLB player, so when they're here I feel like I'm part of the team." For many of the players, it's about being part of a team - a feeling bigger than sports. I m feeling pumped. My heart s pumping ten thousand miles per hour. I m just ready to play right now," Cunningham said. 9