Location: San Diego, Calif. | Ballpark: PETCO Park (42,685) | Spring Training: Peoria, Ariz.
Owner: Jeff Moorad | GM: Jed Hoyer | Manager: Bud Black | World Championships: 0
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POWER RANKINGS
Power Rankings
Date
Ranking
Previous
10/06/2009
22
19
Season in seven words: "Borderline triumphant, given the talent on hand." ... Hero: Adrian Gonzalez. Just think of the numbers he would put up if he played his home games in a wisp of a ballpark like the new Yankee Stadium ... Loserhead: New owner guy Jeff Moorad, or whatever jackass was responsible for firing GM Kevin Towers. Listen, when I get around to buying a team, I plan on hiring "my own guys," too: there will be key administrative roles for Eddie Van Halen and Snuffleupagus, among others. That said, I don't get why the Padres discarded Towers like a soiled napkin. He did all the heavy lifting that will allow the team to turn things around fast -- shedding most of the big contracts, handling the Trevor Hoffman divorce -- and this is the thanks he gets? Baseball is a mean sport sometimes ... Key needs: Everything except a first baseman, basically ... Prognosis: Once they deal Heath Bell, the rebuilding begins in earnest.
09/29/2009
19
20
Not to rain on the congrats-on-a-solid-last-third-of-the-season parade, but I wonder about most of these guys who are performing so well down the stretch. Are they the core building blocks of a possible playoff team, or just some middling complementary pieces? I hate to cast aspersions on Everth Cabrera's arm or Kevin Correia's general decency, but they could well return to roster-filler level in 2010. Sorry.
09/22/2009
20
20
Wringing 72 wins out of this collection of nobodies would be an achievement indeed. ... Anyone else notice that Chase Headley has been tearing it up since returning to his natural position of third base? Really, we should refrain from asking any of these guys to think too much. It can only hurt the team.
09/15/2009
20
21
"Contender killers" is a bit too strong, being as the Padres aren't sweeping too many series. Maybe "contender annoyers?" "Flies in the contender ointment?" Work with me here. ... Clearly they get more than a little help from their offense-depressing home park, but I still find it impressive how the Padres manage to unearth a few Luke Gregersons in their bullpen every season, while teams like the Indians are no more able to build a capable relief unit than a flux capacitor. We're getting to the point where this may be more than mere coincidence.
09/08/2009
21
25
Their roster looks like something that'd be bounced from the first round of the AAA playoffs, but they show up every night and have been giving postseason-bound teams a headache in recent weeks. That's enough to elevate them to the top of the bottom third. And yes, I realize that as far as consolation prizes go, Padre fans can do much better in a box of Cracker Jack, or its off-patent Mexican equivalent.
09/01/2009
25
26
Give them credit for being one of the few loserhead weinerdog teams that still appears to be trying. They claimed two series last week against erstwhile contenders, doing so mostly with Kyle Blanks and intentional-walk-waiting-to-happen Adrian Gonzalez on the shelf. ... Even before his foot injury, I had long since bought my season pass for the Blanks bandwagon. Forget the impressive power -– he moves darn well for a guy the size of a refrigerator.
08/25/2009
26
27
The hostilities with the Cardinals over the weekend were described in one report as "a testy exchange of words." What the report neglected to mention were the "angry-person faces" and "impassioned pointing." And still we have the temerity to call ourselves journalists. ... I appreciate stability and veteran influences as much as the next couch GM, but I still can't figure out why the Padres would sign mascot-with-leather David Eckstein to a contract extension. Selfishly, I'm thrilled he'll be sticking around, if only because he provides a bounty of material with quotes like this one: "I really enjoy coming to the park. I go home with a smile on my face. And that hasn't always been the case. It's going to be great to help guys fulfill their careers and reach their full potentials in this game." If that doesn't get your sarcasm engine purring, I don't know what will.
08/18/2009
27
28
It's hard to win when your starters are giving you around four innings per game. ... Kevin "The Kouzmonaut" Kouzmanoff's 13-for-15 series against the Brewers says less about his ability to make consistent contact than it does about the quality of the opposing pitching staff. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Until his OBP nudges far deeper into the .300s, Kouzmanoff remains an asset only in Scrabble.
08/11/2009
28
30
Bud Black got a contract extension. I don't have a joke here.
08/04/2009
30
30
If I'm a Padres fan who bought the bill of goods -- that the tax dollars funneled towards Petco Park would keep the team competitive for years to come -- I'm not too happy about now.
Preseason Power Rankings
Date
Ranking
Previous
02/16/2009
27
-
The Padres have less talent than the teams ranked below them, but at least the talent is well-tailored to the offense-deflating park they play half their games in. ... Any team with both Cliff Floyd and David Eckstein on its roster can only be described as "intangiblicious". ... I like a bunch of the spare parts -- especially in the bullpen, where the quartet of Heath Bell, Cla Meredith, Justin Hampson and Chris Britton should outperform most other relief corps. Combined, they'll be paid something like $2.5 million less in '09 than long-ball magnet/Ted Nugent disciple Kyle Farnsworth. ... Kevin Kouzmanoff would put up monster offensive numbers if he played anywhere else, but his decidedly unsubtle Hulk-smash approach isn't suited for Petco.
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