Padres Press Clips Monday, December 14, 2015 Article Source Author Page Padres remain a team without an identity UT San Diego Miller 2 Padres leave winter meetings with catching surplus UT San Diego Lin 5 Padres confident catchers will sort out MLB.com Brock 8 Loretta, R. Alomar top the list of Padres second baseman Padres.com Center 10 Celebration of life set for Press Gate Bruce MLB.com Brock 12 1
Padres remain a team without an identity San Diego faced with decisions about future in changing NL West By Bryce Miller 3 p.m. Dec. 12, 2015 So, who are these work-in-progress San Diego Padres? Are they last season s offseason spenders who gobbled up run producers Matt Kemp and Justin Upton, along with veteran pitcher James Shields? Are they the team erasing payroll that dealt Craig Kimbrel, Joaquin Benoit, Jedd Gyorko and Yonder Alonso with Shields whispers pending? Are they committed truly committed to being contenders? Or are they rebuilders in the shadows, unwilling to utter the r word outside Petco Park offices? What they will be depends on how the rest of the offseason transpires. What it feels like: This team isn t sure what it is. The Padres, at least the version we see as of mid-december, find themselves stuck in the middle. We know the identity of the Arizona Diamondbacks as baseball peeks ahead to 2016. The team puttering around the middle of the National League West shelled out $206.5 million to bag Zack Greinke, the Hope Diamond of free-agent pitchers. A few days later, the D backs scooped up All-Star arm Shelby Miller. They re all-in. We know the deep-pocket Dodgers will be the, well, the deep-pocket Dodgers Clayton Kershaw, Adrian Gonzalez, Joc Pederson and all. For good measure, the team already cut checks for free-agent starter Hisashi Iwakuma and secured second baseman Chase Utley while reportedly chasing Reds rocket launcher Aroldis Chapman. We know the Giants will be, well, the Giants. They ve still got Madison Bumgarner and have locked down Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford through 2021. They stopped at the ATM, just in case, to pay pitcher Jeff Samardzija $90 million. The Padres? At this point, they re a little of this, a dab and dash of that. The Diamondbacks, one of the NL West teams the Padres should be planning to chase down, signed Greinke and Miller. The Padres, meanwhile, picked up Jon Jay. 2
There s no doubt that Jay, a left-handed bat, provides outfield options. But he s coming off the worst season of his career, hitting.210 with one home run and no steals in 79 games after wrist surgery. The big asterisk in all of this: The team hasn t really made any season-defining moves yet. The Padres stayed church-mouse quiet a year ago from July until this point in December, when general manager A.J. Preller uncorked five deals in less than 48 hours including the trade for Upton and finalizing the Kemp deal. The Padres still need a shortstop, still need corner outfield help, still need bankable pitching. The team s identity, as the first half of December melts off the calendar and lone All-Star Justin Upton drifts into the free-agency mist, is a head-scratching number of catchers (4). Preller might still have surprises hiding up his roster-tweaking sleeve, but this feels like a team gingerly tip-toeing at the edge of the full-reboot cliff. That seems oddly counter to what a top decision-maker expressed to the Union-Tribune s Dennis Lin in July. According to Padres lead investor Peter Seidler: Our expectations are going to be high going into the next year as well as 2017 and every year beyond. It s not in our DNA to have a fire sale and to tear down I understand why some franchises in baseball and in other sports will tear down to the bone and try to get high draft picks with the hope that in three years you can build up. We think we re smarter to put all of our energy into competing year after year after year. It s hard to convince fans that competing looks like a lineup without Justin Upton and without Alonso, the only everyday bat from last season to hit over.271 (.282). If it looks like a rebuild and smells like a rebuild, then it s probably a rebuild. That can be OK just look at the Kansas City Royals, Chicago Cubs and others but a tougher marketing sell in a city whose next sniff of the postseason will be the first 3
since 2006. Selling patience could be prudent at this point, but a tough sell nonetheless. The Padres, undoubtedly, want to put on a stellar show when the All-Star Game arrives in July at beautiful Petco Park. Part of putting on a memorable show, though, is trotting out hometown players for fans to embrace. This stuck-in-the-middle sense of the Padres is magnified with an ASG-related question. If you had to name a 2016 All-Star for the Padres, who would it be? The rest of the West returns obvious contenders, including the Dodgers, Giants and Paul Goldschmidt with all-in Arizona. Late, surprising, future-shaping moves from Preller and Padres brass could be looming. Right now, though, it seems like a team hunting for a road map. 4
Padres leave winter meetings with catching surplus While other needs remain, San Diego has four catchers on 40-man roster By Dennis Lin 3:50 p.m. Dec. 11, 2015 Updated, 10 a.m. Dec. 12, 2015 The Padres arrived at the winter meetings last weekend with three catchers on their 40-man roster and obvious needs elsewhere. They left the Gaylord Opryland Hotel with a new center fielder, four players selected in the Rule 5 draft and, yes, another catcher. Trading Jedd Gyorko for the left-handed-hitting Jon Jay seemed logical, both from the standpoint of reinforcing the outfield and shedding the contract of Gyorko, who d fallen out of favor in San Diego since his rookie season. Acquiring minor league outfielder Jabari Blash and pitchers Luis Perdomo, Josh Martin and Blake Smith looked a bit zany, but you could see the reasoning behind it; if even one player pans out next year, the Padres have a major league contributor at minimal cost. Padres notable offseason moves Dec. 10: Traded RHP Casey Kelly and C Ricardo Rodriguez to Atlanta Braves for C Christian Bethancourt Dec. 10: Traded future considerations to Colorado Rockies for RHP Luis Perdomo Dec. 10: Acquired OF Jabari Blash from Oakland Athletics to complete Dec. 2 trade Dec. 10: Claimed RHP Josh Martin off waivers from Cleveland Indians Dec. 10: Claimed RHP Blake Smith off waivers from Chicago White Sox Dec. 8: Traded 2B Jedd Gyorko and $7.5 million to St. Louis Cardinals for CF Jon Jay Dec. 2: Traded 1B Yonder Alonso and LHP Marc Rzepczynski to Oakland Athletics for LHP Drew Pomeranz, LHP Jose Torres and PTBNL or cash considerations Dec. 2: Non-tendered 3B Will Middlebrooks, LHP Frank Garces and C Rocky Gale (later re-signed Garces and Gale to minor league contracts) Nov. 20: Claimed C Josmil Pinto off waivers from Minnesota Twins Nov. 20: Signed RHP Cesar Vargas to a major league contract Nov. 13: Traded RHP Craig Kimbrel to Boston Red Sox for CF Manuel Margot, SS Javier Guerra, 2B Carlos Asuaje and LHP Logan Allen 5
Nov. 12: Traded RHP Joaquin Benoit to Seattle Mariners for RHP Enyel De Los Santos and 2B Nelson Ward Nov. 11: Traded RHP Ronald Herrera to New York Yankees for 2B Jose Pirela Then early Thursday evening, the Padres announced the acquisition of former Atlanta Braves catcher Christian Bethancourt. The price right-hander Casey Kelly and teenage catching prospect Ricardo Rodriguez was relatively small, but for fans still waiting for San Diego to add a shortstop, a left fielder and proven pitching, the return was head-scratching. Bethancourt, a former top-100 prospect who became expendable in Atlanta, joined fellow catchers Derek Norris, Austin Hedges and Josmil Pinto, acquired via waiver claim, on the 40-man roster. Bethancourt and Pinto are out of minor league options. And while the Padres may opt to start Hedges in Triple-A, they recently signed veteran backstop Erik Kratz, 35, to a minor league deal and re-signed Rocky Gale, who had been non-tendered. All of the above would lead one to believe a trade of either Norris or Hedges is a distinct possibility. Friday, however, General Manager A.J. Preller didn t provide many clues as to any sort of domino effect. We just felt it was a deal to take a chance on a player who has a lot of talent, Preller said of Bethancourt, 24. He s a catcher with a good body. It s a premium arm. He s been young for the level, playing in the big leagues. It was more about taking a shot on a guy with talent at a premium position than us having anything specific as a followup. It s a spot where you want to continue to add depth and have different options. The Padres certainly have more than enough options now, and sorting through them could be a challenge. Bethancourt and Pinto can t be sent down to the minors (since San Diego actually gave up something for Bethancourt, he seems more likely to make the opening-day roster). Hedges, 23, needs more regular playing time to continue developing, even as Norris, 26, could use a few more days off; last season, he clearly wore down in the second half. 6
That s probably not the best recipe for him playing that many games, the wear and tear at the end of the season, new Padres manager Andy Green said at the winter meetings on Wednesday. We are going to talk through that. But I love the fact that Derek Norris wants to be on the field every day. And I know Austin Hedges wants to be on the field every day. This roster is not set. We don t know how it s going to play out, and we don t know how many games each of those guys is going to play. Indeed, we re not even halfway through December. As Preller noted Friday, the Padres are back to having a full 40-man roster. It s something we ll look at the next couple weeks, finding ways to get flexibility, Preller said....we ll continue going through roster decisions and evaluate who s our best 40 and where there might be some excess we want to part with. For now, Preller seems content to keep the excess behind the plate, a measure of insurance at the game s most important position. But the speculation that Norris or Hedges could be moved won t be going away. Meantime, the acquisition of Bethancourt, a player with plus tools, fits Preller s style. The Panama native has one of baseball s strongest arms and considerable power to boot. A lack of focus behind the plate and poor strike-zone judgment frustrated fans in Atlanta. San Diego represents a buy-low opportunity. He s definitely a guy that has something to prove, definitely a guy that has ability, Preller said. Everybody in the game knows that. What nobody besides the catching-rich Padres seems to know is what happens next. 7
Padres confident catchers will sort out Hedges could get more Triple-A seasoning after pickup of Bethancourt By Corey Brock / MLB.com @FollowThePadres December 11th, 2015 SAN DIEGO -- The addition of catcher Christian Bethancourt from the Braves does not necessarily mean the Padres -- with four catchers on the 40-man roster -- will make a deal to move one of them this winter. If anything, the trade could signal that the team might want to allow 23-year-oldAustin Hedges, who made his big league debut last season, the chance to develop more at the Triple-A level in 2016. "I think what this move does is allow us to have that conversation," said Padres general manager A.J. Preller on Friday. On Thursday, after the team departed the Winter Meetings in Nashville, they got the 24-year-old Bethancourt, once a highly regarded prospect, for pitcher Casey Kellyand Minor League catcher Ricardo Rodriguez. The move appeared curious because the Padres already have Derek Norris and Hedges at the position and with Josmil Pinto also in the mix after the team claimed him from the Twins last month. Pinto is out of Minor League options. But Preller said Friday that Bethancourt's addition doesn't necessarily mean the Padres will deal one of the catchers before Opening Day. "Those guys have to make the team and even have to go through the offseason," Preller said of Pinto and Bethancourt. Bethancourt, who like Pinto is out of Minor League options, could well end up as the backup to Norris if nothing changes this winter. He hit.200/.225/.290 in 160 plate appearances for the Braves after beginning the season as the team's starting catcher, only to lose the job two weeks into the season. Bethancourt's glove work and pitchcalling frustrated the Braves, who optioned him to Triple-A in June. "It's a player who has a lot of talent, a good body, a pretty good arm," Preller said. "He's definitely got something to prove. He has the ability and everyone in the game knows that. We'll see if we can unlock some of that." 8
Hedges, who won't turn 24 until August, made his big league debut in May. He hit.168/.215/.248 in 137 at-bats. Hedges' calling card, of course, is his defense, as he threw out 16 would-be basestealers in 47 games and excelled in pitch framing. The team signed 35-year-old catcher Erik Kratz to a Minor League deal last month and he will likely end up in Triple-A. He has appeared in 192 Major League games over six seasons with the Pirates, Phillies, Royals and Blue Jays. Rocky Gale, who made his big league debut last September with the Padres, will return on a Minor League deal as well. While the catching position certainly looks crowded, Preller sounded certain this will sort itself out before Opening Day. "It's a spot where you want to continue to add depth and add competition. This [Bethancourt] was more taking a shot on a guy, [acquiring] talent at a premium position." Norris, 26, is coming off a season where he started a career-high 116 games behind the plate and logged 1,040 2/3 innings there -- the fourth-most in the National League. Norris also played 17 games at first base last season, as the Padres opted to give him a breather of sorts from the rigors of catching. New manager Andy Green said Wednesday that the team will take a close look in terms of Norris' workload so that he doesn't wear down. "Like where he was at [in innings] last year, that's not probably the best recipe for him playing that many games," Green said. "The wear and tear at the end of the season... we're going to talk through that." 9
Loretta, R. Alomar top the list of Padres second basemen Only Gwynn had more hits, higher average in a season than Loretta By Bill Center / San Diego Padres December 11th, 2015 Second base hasn't exactly been a position of strength for the Padres over the years. Thirty-one different players have opened the season as the Padres second baseman. Tim Flannery is the only player ever to start more than 500 games at second as a Padre - and he was never the Padres second baseman on Opening Day. So in picking my five best Padres second basemen of all-time, I went with quality of quantity with one exception... Flannery. The top spot was close and I went with Mark Loretta over Hall of famer Roberto Alomar, based on what they did in three seasons with the Padres. 1.MARK LORETTA (2003-2005): In three seasons with the Padres, Loretta hit.314 with 32 homers and 186 RBIs with a.377 on-base percentage and.438 slugging percentage. The batting average is the second-highest career mark in Padres history among players with at least 1,500 plate appearances. During the Padres first season at Petco Park, Loretta had one of the top offensive seasons in franchise history - hitting.335 with 208 hits, 47 doubles, 16 homers, 76 RBIs and 108 runs scored. And at home, at a time that Petco Park was cavernous, Loretta hit.295 at home with 11 home runs. He represented the Padres in the 2004 All-Star Game and won the Silver Slugger Award for National League second basemen. The 208 hits and.335 average are the best single-season totals ever by a Padre not named Tony Gwynn - and, respectively, the fifth and eighth-best marks in Padres history. The doubles are the franchise's second-highest single-season total. Loretta, who signed as a free agent with the Padres on Dec. 16, 2002, hit.325 over his first two seasons with a Padre and was hitting over.300 again two months into the 2005 season when he suffered a thumb injury and finished the season with a.280 average. Loretta was traded to the Red Sox on Dec. 7, 2005, for catcher Doug Mirabelli. Loretta is not a Special Assistant in Baseball Operations for the Padres. 2.ROBBIE ALOMAR (1988-90): Signed by the Padres in 1985 at the age of 17 - when the Padres were at the forefront of Latin American scouting - the Puerto Rico native debuted at the age of 20 when he father Sandy was the Padres first base coach. Robbie, of course, went onto have a Hall of Fame career. But he spent his first three Major League seasons with the Padres, hitting.283 with 22 homers and 157 10
RBIs with a.339 on-base percentage and a.379 slugging percentage. He had 90 steals in the three seasons and scored 246 runs. His WAR as a Padre was 12.1 and slightly higher than Loretta's 11.3. Alomar was also a sensational glove as a young Padre. But he was not the offensive force that Loretta was in the same time span. The Padres traded Alomar and outfielder Joe Carter to Toronto after the 1990 season for shortstop Tony Fernandez and first baseman Fred McGriff. Robbie's younger brother Sandy Alomar Jr. also originally signed with the Padres before he was part of a 1989 trade to Cleveland for Carter. 3.QUILVIO VERAS (1997-1999): The speedy, switch-hitter batted lead-off for the Padres 1998 National League champions and batted.267 with a.373 on-base percentage and 79 runs scored. In three seasons with the Padres, Veras hit.270 with 15 homers, 87 steals and 248 runs and a.366 on-base percentage. He also stole 87 bases. Veras' 399 games over three seasons are the fourth-highest total for a Padres second baseman. His WAR as a Padres second baseman was 5.7. But the fact that he was a key part of the 1998 National League winners boosts Veras' value. On Dec. 22, 1999, Veras, first baseman Wally Joyner and outfielder Reggie Smith were traded to the Atlanta Braves for second baseman Bret Boone and first baseman-outfielder Ryan Klesko. 4.TIM FLANNERY (1979-89): Although he was never the Padres' Opening Day starter at second, the versatile Flannery played in 542 of his career total 972 games at second. A Padre his entire playing career - and then for seven seasons (1996-2002) as a Padres coach - Flannery hit.259 with two homers and 126 RBIs as a second baseman. He had a career.341 on-base percentage as a second baseman. Overall, Flannery hit.255 as a Padre with nine homers and 209 RBIs with a 9.2 WAR as a utility player. A fan favorite with the Padres, Flannery's best seasons with the Padres came when he shared second base with Jerry Royster in 1985-86 (.281, four homers, 68 RBIs in 752 at-bats) - leading to the composite player being called Timry Flanster. 5.ALAN WIGGINS (1981-85): This is my No. 5 over a group that included recently-traded Jedd Gyorko (.236, 49 homers, 171 RBIs), Bip Roberts (288 starts at second with a.298 batting average,.361 on-base percentage over seven seasons as a Padres utility player) and Eckstein. Drafted off the Dodgers roster in the 1980 Rule 5 draft, Wiggins played outfield and first base as a Padre before being converted to second. The result was one of the most dynamic seasons in franchise history for a player whose career was soon cut short due to off-the-field problems. Playing second and leading off in 1984, Wiggins hit.258 with a.342 on-base percentage for then franchise-record 106 runs scored. The exciting sprinter also set a still-standing, franchise-record 70 bases after stealing 66 in 1983. Wiggins set the table for the Padres first National League champions. When leading off a game, Wiggins hit.309 with a.375 on-base percentage with 33 runs scored. His WAR in his too-short career as a Padre was 7.7. 11
Celebration of life set for 'Press Gate Bruce' By Corey Brock / MLB.com @FollowThePadres December 11th, 2015 SAN DIEGO -- Friends and family of Bruce Ragland, known affectionately as "Press Gate Bruce," will pay tribute to him on Dec. 19 when his ashes will be scattered at sea during a celebration of life event off the Ocean Beach Pier. Ragland, an employee of the Padres since August 1991, died unexpectedly Nov. 24. He was 55. Ragland started as a guest service representative with the team when the Padres played at Jack Murphy Stadium, which later became Qualcomm Stadium. He then transitioned to Petco Park when it opened in 2004. Ragland worked the VIP/media gate at Petco Park, where he greeted members of the media upon their arrival, always doing so with a smile. "Bruce was the only man I've ever met who would make you grin or laugh every time you talked with him," said former San Diego Union-Tribune sportswriter Bill Center, now a Padres employee. "[He] never had a bad word to say about anyone. His personality was admirable and infectious. I've never met anyone who didn't smile when his name was mentioned." When the Padres played at Qualcomm Stadium, Ragland was best known for the kisses he would often blow to fans as he walked around the center walkway on the Plaza level. A showman, for sure. Which makes sense since Ragland was an actor, too. He had bit roles in "Titanic" and "Angels in the Outfield." At his celebration of life, his family will be taking a boat out to spread his ashes at sea. The boat will pass by the Ocean Beach Pier at around 10:30 a.m. PT. The event was originally scheduled for Saturday but was canceled because the pier has been closed due to high surf. The family has suggested bringing flowers and/or balloons to celebrate Ragland's life. The family is also encouraging front-office staff to wear Navy Padres gear. 12