Padres Press Clips Tuesday, February 7, 2017

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1 Padres Press Clips Tuesday, February 7, 2017 Article Source Author Page Hedging their bets: Padres all in on backstop MLB.com Cassavell 2 Padres spring training primer: Rotation UT San Diego Lin 4 Padres, Sycuan make offer to Chargers season-ticket holders UT San Diego Lin 6 Padres roster review: Brandon Maurer UT San Diego Sanders 7 Friar talk: The Padres shortstop options UT San Diego Sanders 9 1

2 Hedging their bets: Padres all in on backstop Former top prospect will get opportunity to be San Diego's everyday catcher By AJ Cassavell / February 6th, 2017 SAN DIEGO -- Since being selected in the second round of the 2011 Draft, Austin Hedgeshas often been heralded as the Padres' catcher of the future. On Opening Day in Los Angeles, he'll officially become their catcher of the present. This year's Padres team features a few striking differences from the one that broke camp a year ago. None of the five starters on that team will pitch for San Diego in And none of the starting outfielders are back either. But the most impactful change could come behind the plate, where Hedges' skill set is arguably the most complete among catchers younger than 25. Simply put, the Padres needed to find a way to get Hedges on the field. So, in December, they dealt Derek Norris to Washington for pitching prospect Pedro Avila. Once the Padres' top prospect, Hedges lost his rookie status in 2015, while serving as Norris' backup. As a result, he won't crack any top prospects lists, but he's without question one of the brightest young catchers in the sport, and pitchers have raved about working with him. There are questions about Hedges' bat. But while offense clearly isn't his strength, it's a bit unfair to judge Hedges by his.161 average in the big leagues. He played only sporadically over parts of two seasons, receiving just 178 plate appearances. At Triple-A El Paso last season, Hedges batted.326/.353/.597 with 21 dingers and 82 RBIs, despite missing a month due to hand surgery. Those numbers need to be taken with a grain of salt as well, given the hitter-friendly nature of the Pacific Coast League. But if Hedges' offensive contributions land somewhere in the middle of those two extremes, the Padres will have a difference-maker at a premier position in 2017 and beyond. "It's going to be as much about the work he does behind the plate as the work he does at the plate with the bat in his hands," Padres manager Andy Green said earlier this offseason. "We've looked at him for a very long time as a catcher of the future for us. That time looks like it's arisen." 2

3 And the timing couldn't be any better. With 2017 marking Hedges' first full professional season, the Padres have their catcher of the future locked down through '22. He's already begun establishing a rapport with a few of the big league starters. Plus, if Hedges can settle into life in the big leagues over the next couple years, he'll serve as a calming influence when San Diego's top pitching prospects arrive. Many of them -- namely Cal Quantrill and Anderson Espinoza -- aren't likely to contribute until The Padres would like for those young pitchers to be greeted by a steady presence behind the dish when they reach the Majors, a role they expect Hedges to fill. Pitchers and catchers will hold their first workout on Feb. 15 at Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Ariz. The Padres' first full-squad workout is set for Feb

4 Padres spring training primer: Rotation Dennis Lin Contact Reporter With pitchers and catchers set to report Feb. 14, we re providing an overview of each area of the Padres roster. Today, the rotation: 2016 recap The Padres opening-day rotation from a year ago completely turned over. Tyson Ross was non-tendered before signing with Texas. James Shields, Andrew Cashner and Drew Pomeranz were traded. Colin Rea also was dealt, then returned to San Diego; the young right-hander would undergo Tommy John surgery in November. In the absence of these names, the Padres auditioned less proven arms, including Christian Friedrich, Jarred Cosart and Paul Clemens. The growth of Rule 5 draftee Luis Perdomo and the return of Clayton Richard provided second-half success stories. Padres starters finished the year with a 4.61 ERA and averaged fewer than six innings per turn. Current picture The Padres handed out three one-year, $1.75 million contracts over the winter, bringing Richard back and adding fellow veterans Jhoulys Chacin and Trevor Cahill. Richard and Chacin are probables for the rotation, while Cahill, a reliever the last two seasons, will receive an opportunity to start again. Perdomo, who showed considerable growth and adaptability, will look to take another step forward. Friedrich, who joined the Padres on a minor league deal last spring, made a careerhigh 23 starts. After that, there is less certainty. There may be room for only one of Cosart and Clemens in the opening five. After a sore elbow curtailed his big-league debut, Cesar Vargas will get another crack. Waiver claim Tyrell Jenkins, who brings the pedigree of a former top-100 prospect, also should compete for a backend job. Despite the relative depth of this group nine candidates apparently will jockey for five spots the Padres starting pitching represents their most glaring question mark. 4

5 On the farm Prospects Walker Lockett and Dinelson Lamet are nearly ready for the majors, but they, along with waiver claim Zach Lee, seem more likely to begin the season with Triple-A El Paso. The bulk of the Padres starting-pitching talent resides in the lower tiers of the system. No. 1 prospect Anderson Espinoza could star for High Single-A Lake Elsinore. First-round draft selections Cal Quantrill and Eric Lauer hope to advance quickly, but the Padres won t rush their Petco Park debuts. Other notable prospects, such as Adrian Morejon and Jacob Nix, are much further from making an impact. Potential moves The Padres still could bring in another veteran before the season opener. They ve been linked to Jered Weaver, Doug Fister and Jake Peavy throughout the offseason. A reunion with Peavy would make headlines, but the Padres have yet to show serious interest in the 35-year-old. 5

6 Padres, Sycuan make offer to Chargers' season-ticket holders Dennis Lin Contact Reporter In a foray into a potential new market, the Padres are partnering with a longtime sponsor. The team and Sycuan Casino on Monday announced an offer to purchase Chargers season-ticket holders seats to a Padres game in April or May. Season-ticket members of San Diego s former NFL franchise can receive up to four free tickets. Select games over the first two months of the baseball season will be made available. With the Chargers departure to Los Angeles, the Padres are the lone big-four sports franchise in San Diego. The club recently initiated the Celebrate San Diego rally, scheduled for Saturday at Petco Park s Park at the Park. As part of that event, the Padres are offering a $25 credit at their team store in exchange for one item of Chargers clothing or a Chargers hat. The Padres have neither raised nor lowered their season-ticket prices from last year. Their latest gesture toward Chargers fans (continuing or former) comes at an interesting juncture; the team is in the midst of a distinct rebuild and could field the majors lowest payroll in We are looking at a lot of different things, Padres Executive Chairman Ron Fowler, asked about new ways to attract fans, said recently. Anything we do needs to protect the integrity of the pricing of season-ticket holders. The season tickets are by far our best seats. You don t mess with your best seats, because, frankly, the renewal rates on those best seats are very high and people make the decision that there is value there. For information on how Chargers ticket holders can redeem free Padres seats, go to padres.com/sycuan. 6

7 Padres roster review: Brandon Maurer Jeff Sanders Contact Reporter Sizing up the Padres 40-man roster, from A to Z, heading into the 2017 season. BRANDON MAURER Position: Right-handed reliever Acquired: Via the Seth Smith trade (Mariners) in December 2014; Originally a 23 rd -round draft pick in 2008 (Orange Lutheran HS, Calif.) 2017 Opening Day age: 26 Contract status: Signed to a $1.9 million salary for the 2017 season to avoid arbitration; won t be a free agent until 2020 Key stats: 0-5, 4.52 ERA, 13 saves, 72 strikeouts, 23 walks, 1.26 WHIP,.238 avg. against, 69 2/3 innings (71 games) Stat to note 9.3 Maurer s strikeouts per nine innings in 2016, a career-high. Trending Up Acquired the previous offseason, Maurer entered his second camp with the Padres in search for a rotation spot. While that experiment fizzled before Opening Day, one side effect lingered into the season as attempting to throw a curve as a starting pitcher morphed his power slider into something of slurve. His ERA sitting at 7.39 in mid-june, Maurer tweaked his mechanics, found the bite on his go-to breaking pitching and posted a 2.49 ERA, 39 strikeouts and six walks over his final 41 appearances (41 2/3 innings). The surge was enough for the Padres to name Maurer as Fernando Rodney s post-trade replacement over LHP Ryan Buchter and he largely thrived in that role. In 32 innings as a closer, Maurer converted 13 of his 15 save opportunities, posted a 3.09 ERA and struck out 25 against five walks. Another plus for 2016: Maurer s average fastball velocity, according to fangraphs.com, climbed for a third straight season from 92.8 mph in 2013 to 95.4 mph and the 7

8 pitch was as effective as ever according to the site s linear weights (-1.1 last year vs. 2.5 in 2016) outlook With Maurer closing the season with success as the Padres closer, he enters spring training as the ninth-inning incumbent. That doesn t mean he won t face stiff competition for the job, as Padres manager Andy Green has spoken highly of RHP Carter Capps (16.8 K/9 in 2015) since acquiring him in the Andrew Cashner trade. Capps is in the final months of his Tommy John rehab and has a chance to be ready for Opening Day, although its unlikely that the Padres would give him the ninth inning without testing his effectiveness in the regular season. Either way, the back of the Padres bullpen which includes LHPs Ryan Buchter and Brad Hand figures to be the strength of this rebuilding team, regardless of where Maurer slots in. 8

9 Friar talk: The Padres' shortstop options Jeff Sanders Contact Reporter A week from Tuesday, pitchers and catchers (and probably some position players) will report to Peoria, Ariz., for the start of what figures to be a free-for-all at a number of positions, from just about the entire rotation to all three outfield spots to half the infield. One spot seems always seems to top the Padres to-do list: Shortstop. In fact, the long-term status of that position is as up in the air as the short-term after 21-year-old Javier Guerra deemed the shortstop of the future after arriving the Craig Kimbrel deal flopped in his first season in the organization. Added to the 40-man roster this offseason, Guerra will be a long-shot among the shortstops expected to contend for the big league job this spring in big league camp. That lot includes Luis Sardinas, Rule 5 pick Allen Cordoba, prospect Jose Rondon and Guerra from the 40-man roster and likely at least Dusty Coleman from the Padres minor league signees this winter. General Manager A.J. Preller even went as far as to mention Coleman along with Sardinas and Cordoba and not Rondon among those in consideration on a conference call last month. The organization could also still add a body via free agency. Here s a look at three major league shortstops still available: Erick Aybar The 33-year-old Aybar has posted an OPS at or below.700 the last four seasons, although he was much better in a 29-game stint with the Tigers (.691) after a post-waiver-deadline trade out of Atlanta (.607). The ability to switchhit would be a plus for Aybar, who is the only free agent known to have had contact with the Padres. 9

10 Daniel Descalso The left-handed Descalso, 30, is coming off his best campaign, a season in which he hit.265/.349/.424 while seeing time at shortstop (29 games), first base (16), second base (14), left field (7) and third base (4). He also hit a careerhigh eight homers. Alexei Ramirez Been there, done that, right? The 35-year-old Ramirez posted a.646 OPS in 17 games with the Rays after the Padres (.605) cut him loose. AROUND THE WATER COOLER The Union-Tribune s Annie Heilbrunn caught up with Padres manager Andy Green for a three-part interview that jumps from 2017 expectations to youth in the organization to the types of books on his shelf. The link to the first part leads to the other two as well. Meantime, Executive Chairman Ron Fowler s selection to Major League Baseball s executive council was yet another signal of his growing stature in the game, as Dennis Lin reported last week. Logan White, a senior advisor to Preller, addressed a number of draft prospects over the weekend in Lake Elsinore as part of a Prospect Development Pipeline event. The Padres have the No. 3 overall pick this summer. There possibly is an MVP in this group, there possibly is a Cy Young, a Rookie of the Year," White told MLB.com. "I've done this long enough and been around it long enough and watched similar groups where I've watched young men like [these] grow up to become Cy Youngs, MVPs. Some of them are sitting there going, 'Yeah, I'm going to make it, I'm going to play in the Major Leagues.'" And remember when the Padres sent Luis Castillo back to the Marlins last year when Colin Rea walked off the mound with a bum elbow? Fox Sports Ken Rosenthal says the commissioner s office offered the Marlins the 10

11 opportunity to rescind the entire seven-player deal but that they were under the impression that the commissioner s office preferred that they d seek a remedy with the Padres. Plan B for Miami, according to Rosenthal, was to send infield prospect Josh Naylor to the Phillies for Jeremy Hellickson. 11