XX Sports Radio: Jed Hoyer Interview Part 1 (MP3) with Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton
- Hoyer feels good about the roster. So far there has been a good mood in camp. The Red Sox take the Spring slower. The young Padres players bring a lot of energy and enthusiasm to to the clubhouse.
- The veterans on the Padres are young veterans. They have enough service time to be leaders but they aren't on the backside of their career.
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Kyle Blanks will hopefully supply some power to support Adrian Gonzalez.
- "The ballpark obviously suppresses power and we don't have a whole lot of it. I think we'll have to make up for a little bit of a lack of power, with guys running bases hard and getting on base. There's no question it's not a power laden line up but I think we can get on base and run the well and score enough runs."
- Hoyer isn't going to comment publicly on any kind of negotiations. "We're going to keep that internal." Adrian is excited to be here and is excited about the team. From the Padres stand point he fits this team perfectly.
- Hoyer has not received a call from the Twins or the Cubs about Heath Bell. Bell is a big part of the Padres bullpen.
- Hoyer knows the truth and doesn't get bogged down by trade rumors. He tells players to come to him if they hear rumors about themselves and not to go to the media with their concerns. He learned that from Theo Epstein.
- Players that play in big markets are better at tuning out rumors, because there are so many more.
Jed Hoyer answers listener questions (MP3)
- Hoyer is the wrong person to ask about Leitner and Andy Masur being in the final year of their contract.
- The only way to successfully build an organization is by scouting and player development. The only goal is to win the World Series.
- The drafts in the last couple of years were really good. Before that there was a dry period.
- They are lucky to have James Darnell and Logan Forsythe as two talented third basemen.
- Castro and Corey Luebke are two of the most talented starting pitchers in the system.
- Hoyer doesn't believe in having players skip levels. He thinks they should prove themselves at each level. He doesn't want to rush them.
- Yorvit Torrealba will provide a lot of balance to the ball club. Dusty Ryan has had some success in AAA. Chris Stewart is one of the best defensive catchers in the Minor Leagues. Mitch Canham will be moved around to First Base and in the Outfield. On acquiring catchers: "We need to make it a priority."
- California League is much tougher than the Midwest League.
- Hoyer is going to talk to Adrian's agent and explore creative solutions, but giving him ownership of the team is illegal.
- You should only sign players that you can afford now. You shouldn't postpone payment and go into debt. It's hard to budget with incentive packages.
- The big question is the #5 spot in the rotation. Mat Latos, Sean Gallagher, Tim Stauffer and Wade LeBlanc will all be competing for that position.
- Inevitably there will be a lot of injuries to a team's starting roster. It's the teams that have depth and can weather the storm that succeed.