It looks like the decision has already been made

by dontkickthebaby on May 9, 2010 7:39 PM PDT

This was originally intended as a comment to Duke Street Kings' "Is Kyle Blanks getting Headley'd" diary. But as I continued typing I decided it was long enough for its own fanpost.

As far as Blanks goes, the tea leaves are clear. First the Padres sent a smoke signal via Bill Center, telling him the team has discussed sending Blanks down. A day later, the director of player development talks to mlb.com and sings the praises of AAA OF Luis Durango.

Durango would not only fill Blanks' vacated outfield slot, he could solve the Padres' leadoff-hitter problems. After a really slow start this season, Durango has a .370 OBP in Portland, and from what Randy Smith says, is playing really well defensively. His base-stealing instincts, though, suck, which is too bad considering he's one of the fastest players in all of baseball. And he's on the 40-man roster.

But the question is not whether the Padres are ready to send Kyle Blanks down, it's what to do with the rest of the outfield? Pitchers are feeding a steady diet of low-and-inside stuff to Will Venable, who just can't adjust. His OBP is down to .291, a point below that of Blanks. Matt Stairs is even farther below, at .240. By comparison, Tony Gwynn's OBP looks stellar at .333. But he himself says he needs to be at .400 to be of any real use to the team. His average is .218.

That's a whole lotta nothin' in the outfield. The team has been making noises about Chris Young not being ready to pitch again until the All-Star break, if then. That sounds like they are considering moving him to the 60-man DL, which would open a spot on the 40-man roster. And the truth is, there are a couple of other guys in Portland's outfield who are more desrving a a call-up than Durango but who are not on the 40-man.

Mike Baxter leads the team in OBP at.411 and has been scoring runs, though his RBI total is low. Chris Denorfia has an OBP of .383.

I think we will see two of the three guys mentioned here -- plus Everth Cabrera back at shortstop -- by Friday, when the Padres return to Petco.

This FanPost was written by a member of the Gaslamp Ball community and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Gaslamp Ball managers or SB Nation.

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RBI is IMHO a worthless stat

Almost entirely a product of how well the guys in front of you get on base, and how high your average is when they do.

"This team looks dangerous, like a convict with a temper, nothing to lose and a switch blade." -jbox

by MrDanielX on May 9, 2010 9:10 PM PDT reply actions

Who the fcuk is Mike Baxter?

"I'm a Padre at heart. Always gonna root for the Padres. Twenty-five years [with this organization], how can't you? Next year I'm gonna be rooting like a son-of-a-gun for these guys and for Blackie ... I'm gonna be rooting for the next general manager here, rooting for the city, the fans, everybody. I think a lot of San Diego." -Kevin Towers

by jodes0405 on May 10, 2010 12:11 AM PDT reply actions

I think the Padres need to cut the Salad Zhar and Stairs

Neither has a position on the field and neither has had any success coming off the bench this season. The Padres could get the same kind of production by pulling up Cunningham and Durango and rotating them with Venable and Blanks in the OF.

by Grey Suit on May 10, 2010 7:52 AM PDT reply actions

the issue isn't backups (at this moment)

the issue is starters…. I agree that the outfield doesn’t look great.
We can handle 1, maybe 2 of the 3 positions not being productive, BUT we can not have all three positions being unproductive.

My thinking is that Blanks must go down. He K’s way too much right now, and his (future) slugging is the only thing he is good for right now. Veneble/Gwynn have good defense/base-stealing abilities that we can use.

by Zen Blade on May 10, 2010 8:31 AM PDT up reply actions

You need bench bats

and that’s what Salazar and Stairs are. Neither have been good, but there’s a really small sample size in their case, and history suggests they’ll improve. I’d be all for Durango if he could play defense. Maybe he’s finally figured it out.

I’d only want Cunningham up if he could play every day, which at this point he probably wouldn’t.

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains."
Bolts From The Blue - Heavy with the facts, slightly less heavy with the opinions.

by Zach (maestro876) on May 10, 2010 8:41 AM PDT up reply actions

I'm thinking

You wait until the end of May before you consider replacing Salad Czar and maybe the end of June, but definitely July before a decision comes down on Stairs.

I’m also thinking Petco Park may be extremely bad on PH. I mean, it’s already bad on hitters in general. I imagine it can crush guys that show up in small sample sizes against some of the better relievers in baseball.

No, I don't think you're an idiot. Please don't go trying to prove me wrong about that.

Bolts from the Blue - General Manager: It is what it isn't

by Wonko on May 10, 2010 11:21 AM PDT up reply actions

What are your thoughts on Blanks to AAA?

I think it’s too soon, but others don’t seem to.

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains."
Bolts From The Blue - Heavy with the facts, slightly less heavy with the opinions.

by Zach (maestro876) on May 10, 2010 11:24 AM PDT up reply actions

I don't see a reason for it.

And I don’t like the 40 man roster implications of it either.

Denorfia and Baxter may hit better than Blanks has, but its no guarantee. Remember PMac and Sledge both ate the PCL up for lunch and couldn’t cut it in the majors. Durango might be a better choice, but I’d feel like we’d be jerking him around to call him up. He’s made good progress and that “high praise” was mostly related to his improvements and not his overall status (which isn’t to say his stock isn’t up, but stock going up doesn’t always mean its high either). I’d like to see those improvements continue and maybe consider him after the ASB.

No, I don't think you're an idiot. Please don't go trying to prove me wrong about that.

Bolts from the Blue - General Manager: It is what it isn't

by Wonko on May 10, 2010 11:33 AM PDT up reply actions

Cunningham

We may also want to wait until he actually starts him AAA pitching this year.

Kyle Blanks’ 2010 line in the majors: .184/.297/.379 with 39 Ks and 12 BBs in 89 ABs.
Aaron Cunningham’s 2010 AAA line: .235/.286/.367 with with 24 Ks in 5 BBs in 98 ABs.

No, I don't think you're an idiot. Please don't go trying to prove me wrong about that.

Bolts from the Blue - General Manager: It is what it isn't

by Wonko on May 10, 2010 11:26 AM PDT up reply actions

Look at that Blanks line though

ughh… yes, learning curve and growing pains…
but, over 40% of his AB’s end in K’s (~39% of plate appearances).

We all see blanks as a man of the future… perhaps it would be better for him to get everyday at bats in AAA, and work on his hitting (or how he handles certain pitches, whatever…) and bring up someone who could be a better stop-gap. I have no opinion on who to bring up… maybe just have Scott Hairston, TGwynn, and Venable as our starting 3 OF… and bring up a sub/pr/ph.

Blanks would be fine if CF, RF were at least above average at the plate, but we all know that they aren’t. Sometimes a person just needs a little break to rest the mind…

So, what would you (everyone) do?

Have Blanks play everyday, generating ~2 K’s per game
have him play on only certain days…
or send him to AAA?

by Zen Blade on May 10, 2010 11:51 AM PDT up reply actions

I'd keep send him out the way they are

As a part of the 4 man OF rotation (sometimes 5 if you count Salad Czar). He plays against all the lefties and sits sometimes vs righties. It worked last year and he finally broke out.

No, I don't think you're an idiot. Please don't go trying to prove me wrong about that.

Bolts from the Blue - General Manager: It is what it isn't

by Wonko on May 10, 2010 12:06 PM PDT up reply actions

Let me also put this another way

Blanks is striking out a lot because of major league pitching. If he goes down to the minors he may not get the experience he needs seeing those major league pitchers. So, sending him down might not be all that helpful.

No, I don't think you're an idiot. Please don't go trying to prove me wrong about that.

Bolts from the Blue - General Manager: It is what it isn't

by Wonko on May 10, 2010 12:13 PM PDT up reply actions

I agree with this.

Hopefully he’ll start coming around. We’re going to need more offensive production when our pitching levels off.

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains."
Bolts From The Blue - Heavy with the facts, slightly less heavy with the opinions.

by Zach (maestro876) on May 10, 2010 12:20 PM PDT up reply actions

I agree with this, too

Sending him down, I think, will reset his progress if/when he comes back up.

Isn't it enough to know that I ruined a pony making a gift for you? ◔ヮ◔
Uncommon Sportsman :: Absurdity in play

by Axion on May 10, 2010 12:22 PM PDT up reply actions

I've got it...

Headley back to left, Blanks to third, Hundley to short, Stairs to second, Adrian behind the dish, Eckstein on the mound, Chris Young at first, Tony Gwynn Sr. to center, nobody in right.

Done. Blanks will get better in this situation. Discussion over.

=SD=

by Mad_Villain on May 10, 2010 12:01 PM PDT reply actions