tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031950757212286354.post1739529046886829565..comments2023-08-06T05:23:18.212-07:00Comments on It Might Be Dangerous... You Go First: Calling Up HeadleyPaul DePodestahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02560758061177027738noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031950757212286354.post-66572411454396245732008-06-21T21:30:00.000-07:002008-06-21T21:30:00.000-07:00Max,Headley has been playing 3B because Kouz hurt ...Max,<BR/><BR/>Headley has been playing 3B because Kouz hurt his back in New York. The reason that Chase has been playing in the OF this year instead of Kouz is that our people felt that he would likely be the better OF between the two players. Further, Kouz has actually been quite good at 3B (certainly better than is generally recognized). Our goal is to have them both in the lineup at the same time.Paul DePodestahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02560758061177027738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031950757212286354.post-24135746474294797122008-06-21T19:23:00.000-07:002008-06-21T19:23:00.000-07:00The question I'm most curious about that I don't t...The question I'm most curious about that I don't think you've answered is whether Headley stays at third and Kouz moves to the outfield. That switch seems more logical than Headley in the outfield due to his defensive abilities at third. I know he's played at third the last few days, but will this be a permanent move?Maxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08380045714100383217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031950757212286354.post-31910064293019907692008-06-21T14:05:00.000-07:002008-06-21T14:05:00.000-07:00Mr. Podesta,I just found your blog and am excited ...Mr. Podesta,<BR/><BR/>I just found your blog and am excited about being able to track the Padres in such an in depth way. <BR/>In reading "Calling Up Headley" my mind wandered a bit, thinking about the confidence level that a relief pitcher needs to make it as a starter. Is there a big jump that needs to take place? Do pitchers gain a lot of confidence in the bullpen that they may not get as the 7th or 8th starter sitting at AAA? <BR/>I'm wondering because there have been a few good relievers who made the jump to starting this year that have found success (ie. Justin Duchscherer, Chad Billingsley, Ryan Dempster, Jonathan Sanchez, etc.)? Is there something to be said for getting someone onto the scene, getting experience and having coaches monitor their situations closely (at the Major League level) so they have the best chance for success?T.J. Merritthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11888349501011885826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031950757212286354.post-32423140122241461282008-06-20T09:47:00.000-07:002008-06-20T09:47:00.000-07:00My experience has been counter to eric's ... since...My experience has been counter to eric's ... since the end of spring training, I have read quotes from Padre FO members consistently stating that the primary reason for Chase Headley to be playing at the AAA level was to get reps in the OF ... as well as overall development (ie. he hadn't yet played much above the AA-level) ... and it's my experience that they have been as clear as can be that they have also factored in the financial ramifications of the timing of his callup ... and most recently I have read many quotes about not wanting to inject Chase into the pressures of a club strugging very much to score runs and win games.<BR/><BR/>Recent improvements in the Padres performance on the field ... in Chase's steady play at AAA ... and turning of a few pages on the calendar make this a very appropriate time for the callup.<BR/><BR/>The sources for my information have primarily been Ducksnorts.com, MadFriars.com, Corey Brock's writing at mlb.com, the Friar John blog at mlb.com, and the San Diego Union Tribune's coverage of the Padres (game stories + columns + blogs). And I know of several other good blogs with local views on the Padres, and I frequent both Baseball Prospectus and Baseball America for national views on the Padres.<BR/><BR/>I don't live in SD, so I don't listen to the game broadcasts nor the interviews with players and FO folks on the talk-radio shows.Howard Lynchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10095313793815590418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031950757212286354.post-56960004505546232612008-06-19T16:19:00.000-07:002008-06-19T16:19:00.000-07:00Fair enough. Thanks for the clarification.Fair enough. Thanks for the clarification.Jeff Shelbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01203724401430768684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031950757212286354.post-59355916322949850722008-06-19T15:00:00.000-07:002008-06-19T15:00:00.000-07:00jeff shelby,I appreciate your comment.Though it mi...jeff shelby,<BR/><BR/>I appreciate your comment.<BR/><BR/>Though it might seem so, my statement is really not at complete odds with what KT had been saying for a while now. I was addressing the issue of Chase playing his first three games this year in Yankee Stadium. KT has been speaking on a much broader level - he was saying that we didn't want Chase to feel (and be perceived) as though he was the answer to all of our problems. Calling Chase in the midst of our slide back in May could have created that situation. <BR/><BR/>Again, thanks for the comment.Paul DePodestahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02560758061177027738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031950757212286354.post-43402085148621350622008-06-19T10:16:00.000-07:002008-06-19T10:16:00.000-07:00"Remember, this isn't Chase's first rodeo."Paul - ..."Remember, this isn't Chase's first rodeo."<BR/><BR/>Paul - I completely respect your response here - all the reasons you give indicate that Headley should be able to handle the pressure of making his debut (this year) in NY. Makes perfect sense to me.<BR/><BR/>The problem for me with that statement, though, is that its at complete odds with what Kevin Towers has said over the last month and a half or so. He has repeatedly made reference to the fact that the organization didn't want to put Headley in a situation where the pressure would be too great.<BR/><BR/>I understand that there are underlying aspects to calling him up that probably aren't appropriate to discuss in an open public forum or with the media. But those kind of contradictory statements are really frustrating to me as a fan.<BR/><BR/>That said - I'm glad Headley's up.Jeff Shelbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01203724401430768684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031950757212286354.post-20777738921608573392008-06-19T09:27:00.000-07:002008-06-19T09:27:00.000-07:00Hey Paul,Thanks for the info on Chase. I can't he...Hey Paul,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the info on Chase. I can't help but think that there's more to the story than "we just felt like it was the right time" but I guess if the door to every management meeting was wide open the room would get awfully crowded.<BR/><BR/>I thought that the front office put itself in a bit of a lose-lose situation by waiting so long to bring him up without explaining to the fans exactly what the wait was for. <BR/><BR/>When Headley hit his first homerun last night, I knew exactly what I'd see in the Padres forum (on another site) this morning -- that management waited too long and we could have used this hitting all along. Sure enough, it was there. Conversely, had Headley come up and struggled right away (especially in Yankee Stadium) it also would have looked like a poor decision to bring him up now.<BR/><BR/>If someone had come forward with an explanation over the past 6-8 weeks and said, "he needs more experience in left field", or "we want to be smart about his contract", the frustration amongst fans could have been mostly subverted. Instead, because fans were sort of left in the dark, they're looking for reasons to support why he should have been called up long ago, and why management blew the decision.<BR/><BR/>I understand that baseball teams aren't run by popular vote, but by the decisions of executives who are highly skilled in what they do. However, if the fans at least had some idea <I>why</I> they had to wait so long to see him come up, even if they didn't agree with the reasoning, at least it'd quell some of the angst.<BR/><BR/>Keep the great posts coming!Eric Clarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04878021411099426520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031950757212286354.post-14200589584684208262008-06-19T08:25:00.000-07:002008-06-19T08:25:00.000-07:00How candid are you allowed to be regarding financi...How candid are you allowed to be regarding financial motives? I think it would make a lot of sense to ensure that Headley doesn't become super-two eligible, but I don't think I've ever see a team outright admit that as their motivation to wait on calling up a player.RotoJeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00333956652217406400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031950757212286354.post-68054142400346935422008-06-19T07:53:00.000-07:002008-06-19T07:53:00.000-07:00Paul,General question about your recent draftees w...Paul,<BR/><BR/>General question about your recent draftees who are unsigned. Just generally, how frequently are you in contact with their advisors? Is the delay in signing usually over contract details, or because players just aren't sure whether they want to sign or go to college (or back to college)? When you draft college players that make it to the CWS (Adam Zornes, and the others), are you in contact with their advisors while they are still playing, or do you generally just leave them alone until their season is finished?<BR/><BR/>Last question - did you see Zornes take a curveball to the face on Sunday? Ouch.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06554667857755065136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031950757212286354.post-71861898643591354732008-06-19T07:27:00.000-07:002008-06-19T07:27:00.000-07:00Paul,I truly appreciate this accessability and tra...Paul,<BR/><BR/>I truly appreciate this accessability and transparency. It's hopefully the start of a trend that puts the diehards in closer contact with the decision-makers. <BR/><BR/>Re: Headley...how do you help him manage expecations? With the crazy starts that Jay Bruce, Longoria, Braun, etc., have had, what if he's merely "very good". I'd imagine a guy like Headley's got a boatload of confidence anyways, but how do you handle the psychological side of dealing with players and adversity?Jason @ IIATMShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11675184282951841175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031950757212286354.post-36483127615512932202008-06-18T22:25:00.000-07:002008-06-18T22:25:00.000-07:00Is Bryan Myrow's time pretty much ran out already ...Is Bryan Myrow's time pretty much ran out already to be in the major league? Too old, no position to put him in? Any chance to trade him for some chips? Just wondering since he's been hitting like crazy in AAA for a couple of seasons now.<BR/><BR/>thanks, Paul. And Chase hit a HR in Yankees Stadium. Sweet.Didi Teehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09847548467620969893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031950757212286354.post-64117492932991363162008-06-18T22:03:00.000-07:002008-06-18T22:03:00.000-07:00Paul,Are you willing/able, to comment on Dykstra?t...Paul,<BR/><BR/>Are you willing/able, to comment on Dykstra?<BR/><BR/>thank youfield39https://www.blogger.com/profile/00214591750675764581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031950757212286354.post-48511942758416446752008-06-18T21:14:00.000-07:002008-06-18T21:14:00.000-07:00@ PatrickI presume that if the team put stock in O...@ Patrick<BR/><BR/>I presume that if the team put stock in OBP and hitting above all else, we'd might be watching a certain Jack Cust put up ridiculous 145 OPS+es for the Padres in left. (He's been playing there in Oakland)<BR/><BR/>As for McAnulty's baserunning blunder, perhaps it had something to do with Bud Black's professed "aggressive" strategy of sending big slow players to certain death on the basepaths ;). Of course this is just speculation on my part.<BR/><BR/>(see <A HREF="http://thesacrificebunt.com/when-the-night-closes-in/" REL="nofollow">the sac bunt</A> for more details [I hope it's ok to post links])Melvin Nieveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04997273985932834875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031950757212286354.post-10065122313489165872008-06-18T19:55:00.000-07:002008-06-18T19:55:00.000-07:00I have one other quick note about bringing Headley...I have one other quick note about bringing Headley to New York's potentially intimidating atmosphere. Remember, this isn't Chase's first rodeo. He was in the big leagues last year, first as the starting 3B in Wrigley Field. His last appearance of the season was as a pinch hitter in the 13th inning of Game #163 (and he got a knock).Paul DePodestahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02560758061177027738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031950757212286354.post-874142360703232782008-06-18T19:26:00.000-07:002008-06-18T19:26:00.000-07:00tangotiger,The live chat will happen at some point...tangotiger,<BR/><BR/>The live chat will happen at some point. I'm not sure exactly when, and I have to figure out how to set it up, but it'll happen.Paul DePodestahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02560758061177027738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031950757212286354.post-25589538501978222882008-06-18T19:23:00.000-07:002008-06-18T19:23:00.000-07:00There have also been a bunch of questions that end...There have also been a bunch of questions that end in: Why New York?<BR/><BR/>As I said in the original post, there is no perfect time. The flexibility of the DH during these games definitely helped, though when Hairston and Kouz went down the circumstances were suddenly different. As far as Cleveland is concerned, we were facing three lefties in a row (Sowers, Lee, and Sabathis). Though Chase is a switch-hitter, he has generally been stronger as a LHH throughout his pro career. Further, we do like Huber against LHP, and as it turned out he played well in the two games he started in Cleveland.Paul DePodestahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02560758061177027738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031950757212286354.post-84517846504214845502008-06-18T19:16:00.000-07:002008-06-18T19:16:00.000-07:00Well, a lot of what I had hoped has already happen...Well, a lot of what I had hoped has already happened - many of you are answering each other's questions. There's a lot of knowledge out there, and it's great to see it come out like this.<BR/><BR/>The most common question so far has been about when we're going to lock up Headley to a long-term deal. <BR/><BR/>As one person has already written, every situation is unique. There is no doubt, however, that as an organization we've tried to be aggressive in signing our young core players to long-term deals. Just last year we signed Adrian Gonzalez, Chris Young, and Jake Peavy to long deals (Peavy's was an extension to a pre-existing long-term deal). Furthermore, this winter we were able to sign Khalil to a multi-year deal.<BR/><BR/>For the purposes of this discussion, Adrian and CY are the most relevant (and Jake's old contract) as they were players that we signed throughout their arbitration years. I expect that we'll continue that process with other young core players as they establish themselves on our club. I certainly hope Chase becomes one of those guys.<BR/><BR/>Though these deals can present a burden to the signing club (guaranteed contract regardless of performance, injury, a change in the market, and no need to do it until free agency), doing it for the right players can make a lot of sense. Remember, just because a player doesn't sign long-term doesn't mean that he's leaving any time soon. Players aren't eligible for free agency until they've logged six full years of Major League service. <BR/><BR/>Back in the mid-90's the Indians were the innovators who signed up a bunch of their young players, won a string of Division Championships, and sold out the stadium every night for years. Consequently, a bunch of other teams starting signing their young players to long deals as well hoping for the same outcome. The rub was that the names of the Indians' players were Thome, Ramirez, Lofton, Belle, Colon, etc. Nobody else had the same collection of talent. <BR/><BR/>In Oakland we used a similar tactic and were able to sign Giambi, Grieve, Hudson, Mulder, Chavez, Zito, Tejada, Hernandez, etc., which I'm sure helped us keep them together as long as we did, but it didn't work out to the club's benefit in every situation. <BR/><BR/>The new wave is to do even longer deals - deals that can go seven years or more. I don't have much (or any) experience with those, but the principle invovled is the sam - it still comes down to doing it for the right guys.Paul DePodestahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02560758061177027738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031950757212286354.post-63105637084594830782008-06-18T18:53:00.000-07:002008-06-18T18:53:00.000-07:00Pretty sure Huber had previously cleared waivers e...Pretty sure Huber had previously cleared waivers earlier in the month and that's why he was the one sent down.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031950757212286354.post-18371430915682282862008-06-18T16:51:00.000-07:002008-06-18T16:51:00.000-07:00Hey PaulIn my never ending quest to try to somewha...Hey Paul<BR/><BR/>In my never ending quest to try to somewhat understand waivers,outrighting, options and the likes, I was curious how Justin Huber was outrighted to AAA without clearing waivers...<BR/><BR/>I thought in order to outright a player who was out of options off the 40 man roster, he would have to first clear waivers....Or did he clear waivers and I just missed that part of the transaction?DesertPadrehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15242696746296638713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031950757212286354.post-6848621082623924462008-06-18T15:33:00.000-07:002008-06-18T15:33:00.000-07:00Kouz's defense isn't nearly as bad as people make ...Kouz's defense isn't nearly as bad as people make it out to be. In fact, he is above average so far this year:<BR/><BR/>His RZR of .779 is first in the majors among qualified third basemen, and his Rate, which was so far below the average in '07, is now at 109. He's already earned +5 FRAA, and thanks to this he has almost matched last year's WARP total already.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03896289104262658397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031950757212286354.post-71075774134352445102008-06-18T15:14:00.000-07:002008-06-18T15:14:00.000-07:00chris,look at the stats and watch the games and yo...chris,<BR/><BR/>look at the stats and watch the games and you would realize the kouz has been one of the better defensive 3rd baseman in the game this year.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031950757212286354.post-9756430668917451952008-06-18T15:04:00.000-07:002008-06-18T15:04:00.000-07:00Will you treat Headley the way the Orioles treated...Will you treat Headley the way the Orioles treated Nick Markakis in his rookie year and let him hit in the low .200s until he "figures it out"?<BR/><BR/>Also, doesn't it make it easier to develop players at the big league level when there isn't the added pressure of a playoff run?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05192263059344620465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031950757212286354.post-37553500457543015192008-06-18T15:03:00.000-07:002008-06-18T15:03:00.000-07:00Paul,What do you think is the balance between prot...Paul,<BR/><BR/>What do you think is the balance between protecting a guy's psyche and having him play at a high level, perhaps even higher than he's really ready for and struggle, even if he might learn something.<BR/><BR/>For example, if you have a good player at AAA, wouldn't it, from a logical perspective, be better if he could play the next two weeks in the Majors, where he might learn something (and you might learn something about him), even if he struggles, than to spend those two weeks at AAA, repeating what he's already done? I understand the need to build confidence, but it seems like such a nebulous, unquantifiable factor.Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09834181305584355651noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3031950757212286354.post-49634323767717705982008-06-18T14:43:00.000-07:002008-06-18T14:43:00.000-07:00Hey Paul, was there any thought behind bringing hi...Hey Paul, <BR/><BR/>was there any thought behind bringing him up to play in Yankee Stadium? You have to admit it's a bit intimidating for a young guy like him, did that factor into the decision at all, either positively or negativelyJeff Landsethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05249794474170299824noreply@blogger.com