2021 Padres: Gainin' On LA

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,716
It's looking like the two best teams this year may both be in the NL West, SD not only traded for Blake Snell and Yu Darvish today but also signed highly regarded 25 year old Korean 2B Ha-seong Kim, their lineup and rotation now are very impressive.

Grisham CF
Tatis Jr SS
Machado 3B
Hosmer 1B
Pham LF
Myers RF
Kim 2B
Nola C

Cronenworth too, maybe they will move Pham or Myers.

Rotation:

Darvish
Snell
Lamet
Paddack
Morejon/Gore
(Clevinger back in 2022)

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZABMi9RQncs
 

Tokyo Sox

Baka Gaijin
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Feb 16, 2006
6,132
There
Darvish apparently learned of the trade like the rest of us, and tweeted as much:
View: https://twitter.com/faridyu/status/1343753060473044996?s=20

"Credible sources are reporting I've been traded, but my phone hasn't rung. What kind of system is this?"

It should be noted that Kim has mostly played 3B/SS so it's not a sure thing they'll stick him at 2B, especially with the way Cronenworth played last year, but obviously he won't be starting over Tatis/Machado. Maybe Kim at 2B and Cronenworth getting time at 1B and the corner OF spots, since lets face it Pham/Hosmer/Myers are all trending the wrong way.
 

Minneapolis Millers

Wants you to please think of the Twins fans!
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
4,753
Twin Cities
Myers is the sore thumb there, but is SD willing to give up the B level prospect it would likely take to move his negative value? Or maybe they can find a decent but expensive relief pitcher and send a lesser prospect with Myers...
 

sean1562

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 17, 2011
3,620
While I know it was a short season, Will Myers destroyed baseballs in 2020, hitting 15 HRs in 55 games while only hitting 18 in 155 the year before. While his launch angle only went up marginally, he seemed to hit more line drives/fly balls and fewer grounders, barrelling more balls than any other season in his career. Maybe he finally put it all together? He has always made hard contact.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,716
We can change the title, but they have Yu, so that wouldn’t make sense.
 

Kliq

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 31, 2013
22,673
Yeah, IDK it kind of just looks like a shitty throw that he was fortunate to have bounce to the 1B. Seems kind of like Jeter-esque praise, and I'm a big Tatis fan.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,716
I know it is supposed to be faster if you are playing on turf, I agree grass is more dubious. I was personally mostly impressed he got the out, such a great athlete.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,716
I read about it a bit and the idea isn’t that the throw itself is faster, it’s that the player can get rid of the ball quicker at the lower angle so overall it gets there faster.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,716
Obviously excited to see more Tatis Jr., but I'll be stunned if his shoulder doesn't keep giving way periodically until he has it surgically repaired.
 

terrynever

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Aug 25, 2005
21,717
pawtucket
Ryan Weathers, son of David, shut out Dodgers for 3.2 innings tonight. Pudgy just like his father, but left handed.
 

Kliq

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 31, 2013
22,673
It is amazing, he does the swimmer kick and seems to get more air. It’s probably just an illusion of attaining more height but impressive that he did it.
Yeah after watching it 200 times, the little kick stretched him out a bit to give off the impression he was hanging in the air. Baseball really needs more highlights like that though, they'll trend on social media and are something younger fans will gravitate towards.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,716
And the Dodgers staff is thin right now, 4th SP right now is the artist formerly known as David Price, and the 5th spot is bullpen games.
 

Remagellan

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
And the Dodgers staff is thin right now, 4th SP right now is the artist formerly known as David Price, and the 5th spot is bullpen games.
This is why I've stayed out of the bitch and moanfest threads about the Sox trade deadline and their performance since. I'm as disappointed in their recent stretch as I'm sure you're elated by your team's performance over the same time, but this is the nature of the sport---some teams get hot for a spell and seemingly can't lose, and other teams, regardless of their quality, have stretches in which nothing seems to go right for them.

But I have a nephew who's a big Mets fan, and when I feel down about how the Sox position slipped over the past month of so, I think of him and how he still hasn't seen them win a championship, and for all their bright hopes--and big swings at the trade deadline--it's increasingly clear that this year won't change that.

I live in Philadelphia, and I think about the people who walk past me every day in their Phillies gear (whatever you want to say about this city, the fans do represent), and despite their great run a couple of weeks ago, their season now seems headed to another disappointing end.

And I think about Padres fans, who've had so little to sustain them over their history, one as murky as their team colors, and how much this team was set up for a special season, and now find themselves not only behind the Cincinnati Reds(!!!), but also have the Cardinals creeping up on them.

As wonderful as this sport can be at times, it's often so terribly cruel.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,716
As wonderful as this sport can be at times, it's often so terribly cruel.
Yeah, definitely, almost every set of fans end up miserable at the end of every season. It's a bit masochistic but still we do it. Of course, once in a while you get BOS 2018 or NY 1998 or NYM 1986...
 

Daniel_Son

Member
SoSH Member
May 25, 2021
1,684
San Diego
With the Dodger's loss tonight against Cleveland, Padres have sole possession of first place in the NL West.

No timetable for Tatís yet, but the rotation has looked really good and the bats (especially Machado/Cronenworth) have been stellar.

Hope they keep it up.
 

Sad Sam Jones

Member
SoSH Member
May 5, 2017
2,494
Mike Clevinger's inability to stay on the field has become comical. His return from Tommy John surgery was delayed by a knee injury. Then after 3 starts he missed a couple turns through the rotation due to a triceps injury. Then after a single start, he went on the COVID list before returning last night with a couple of ineffective innings out of the bullpen.

I've already broken down the trade in the Guardians thread, but the Padres need Clevinger to help them win a championship to salvage anything from it. They would have been much better off simply keeping the comparable Cal Quantrill, who hasn't had any injuries and still has 3 more years of team control.

However, they also gave Cleveland three guys now in the starting lineup (Josh Naylor, Owen Miller & Austin Hedges), their #3 prospect (Gabriel Arias) and Joey Cantillo, who has the lowest ceiling of the entire haul but was the AA Eastern League Pitcher of the Month in May.

Those guys may have been blocked in San Diego, but when you come up short year after year, you really regret the assets you just threw away.
 

Daniel_Son

Member
SoSH Member
May 25, 2021
1,684
San Diego
Barring any more moves, here's where we likely stand:

1b: Cronenworth
2b: Kim
SS: Bogaerts
3B: Machado
LF: Soto
CF: Grisham
RF: Tatís
C: Nola
DH: Campusano

Preller ain't fucking around.