The Padres will go as far as their pitching takes them...that line up is filled with HUGE question marks. You aren't getting the Mike Piazza of old...the same can be said for Giles, Klesko, Cameron, Castilla, and Roberts.
I agree with Journey...the Giants will walk away with the division if they stay healthy. They are loaded but aging.
I agree with Journey...the Giants will walk away with the division if they stay healthy. They are loaded but aging.
I think that Ramon was better than Piazza would be.
The Padres WILL win the division tho. I REALLY like their pitching and that line up is good enough to score runs. They are 4.3 for the division and the divisional position is very close to what the White Sox had last year - 2 teams expected to contest, neither will be good enough. Division stays wit The Fathers.
Edit:
Have you checked the other starting rotations in the West?
The Padres WILL win the division tho. I REALLY like their pitching and that line up is good enough to score runs. They are 4.3 for the division and the divisional position is very close to what the White Sox had last year - 2 teams expected to contest, neither will be good enough. Division stays wit The Fathers.
Edit:
Have you checked the other starting rotations in the West?
RED EYE said:
They still want to get David Wells back, and he wants to be here. They can't get Boston to take Woody Williams off of their hands. The problem is Dave Roberts is rumored to be in that trade, and he is the Pads only bona fide leadoff hitter.
Where are you seeing 77.5? In this weak Division, that is a pretty low # for Pads
Can't fathom why Pinnacle would favor the Dodgers so much over the Pads. Starting OF projects Drew (who never stays healthy), Lofton, and Cruz Jr. Alomar or Navarro behind the dish. Garciappara who has never played 1st base before. Starting rotation of Lowe, Penny, Odalis Perez, & Tomko. No Gagne at full strength. New Manager, pitching coach, and GM
whormoan said:
Um, that's not a particularly imposing lineup. In fact, it's downright average at best:
Roberts - Still great on the bases, but hasn't proven he can make it through the entire season as a starter. I like him, but I'm not sure his body can take the wear and tear of a full season as a starter at his age.
Greene - Absolutely one of the brightest young players in the bigs till he got hurt last year. Even when healthy, though, he's not a conistent bat day in and day out(yet). I think in a few years he'll be one of the best SS in the majors. Hell, he already is defensively, but the bat is still a few years away.
Giles - Good hitter, but also getting older...and more importantly, he really has no protection in that lineup. And there's a reason why he's seemingly always on the trading block come July.
Piazza - Even if he somehow regains his form from a few years ago, can you really expect more than 25 and 100 in that ballpark? Whatever he produces at the plate, he's going to hurt just as much behind it. I don't understand why he can't just kill the ego and move to 1B(where he isn't that good, by the way), or DH. He also doesn't handle a pitching staff particularly well, and the Padres don't exactly have a bullpen full of veterans. Letting Ramon Hernandez walk was a collosal mistake.
Klesko - Not nearly as good a hitter as he used to be, nor is he nearly as good as his reputation would suggest. He's still pretty good, but he also struggles mightily vs lefties and generally looks lost against the upper echelon of pitching.
Cameron - Great in the field, no doubt about that. But at the plate he's mediocre at best. He'll help them a ton in center for sure, but at the dish he's gonna struggle, as he always does. Not gonna magically become a .300 hitter.
Castilla - Still good at 3B, despite his age...but is falling towards mediocrity with the bat. When he's hot he can be very dangerous, but he's also suceptible to long slumps. He'll probably bat around .260 with somewhere around 20 hrs and 70-80 RBI if he has a GOOD year.
Barfield - Rookie. The end.
Fat Tony said:
Seriously. Piazza has always struck me as the kind of catcher who you know works hard at his craft, studies hitters, all that stuff, but still falls short when it matters most. Throw in the fact that I can throw out runners at a higher clip than he does, and you have a recipe for disaster. The Padres will probably still COMPETE in the NL West, but I don't know that they'll be able to win unless a couple guys have career years.
Ramon Hernandez and Leo Mazzone should greatly improve a generally woeful Baltimore pitching staff. Again, how could the Pads let this guy walk? Hell, how could the A's let it happen too? But at least they got Kendall. Can you imagine those young guns in Oakland if Piazza was handling them? Harden, Haren and Co. might NEVER reach their potential.
