From Worst to First

[NYY #23]

I received my new budget, $2,633,400 from the owner so I have a little room to play with. I received a trade offer from the Montreal Expos, sending 25 year old RF Rusty Staub (.312/.377/.514, 22 HR, 78 RBI) and getting back 31 year old closer Al McBean (14 saves, 1.87 ERA, 72 1/3 IP) and shortstop Jerry Davanon (.257/.317/.314, 1 HR, 34 RBI). I checked to make sure the trade settings were on hard (which they were), and immediately accepted the deal. There is a lot to like about McBean, but we need a big bat, and Staub fits the bill.

The next order of business was to trade one of Nate Colbert or John Mayberry. I got some pretty great trade offers for Colbert, but in the end I decided to move Mayberry who was 3 years younger, and with better potential. The Tigers put forth the best offer, willing to send 29 year old starting pitcher Mickey Lolich. I liked the look of catcher Bill Freehan as well (.259/.355/.369, 10 HR, 61 RBI), but not in a one for one deal for Mayberry. To get them both I would also have to surrender 21 year old Al Santorini, who despite losing 17 games last season still has good potential ratings. I pulled the trigger on the deal though.

On to season 2.

[apgn16]

Thank you very much! I can't wait until you get to the Mets, although it looks like you'll be in San Diego for a while...

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by apgn16

Thank you very much! I can't wait until you get to the Mets, although it looks like you'll be in San Diego for a while...

Thanks, it maybe a while, but I'll get to the Mets eventually!

[NYY #23]

With a 14-7 record in April the Padres charged out to a first place finish to end April. Surprisingly we are being led by our offense, who has scored more runs than any other team in the National League. We've allowed the fifth most run in the National League. Which is surprising because I've felt I've made more efforts to improve our pitching rather than our offense. It's early of course, so I don't want to count my chickens just yet.

Team Leaders
Batting Average: Larry Bowa .302
Home Runs: Cito Gaston 4
RBI: Cito Gaston 17
Wins: Larry Dierker/Mickey Lolich 4
ERA: Larry Dieker 2.12
Strikeouts: Bert Blyleven 36

Rotation:
Larry Dierker 4-1, 2.12
Bert Blyleven 3-2, 3.11
Mickey Lolich 4-0, 4.43
Dave Roberts 2-2, 3.06

Bullpen:
3.55 ERA (6th in NL)
Closer:
Tom Dukes 0.82 ERA, 2 Saves

Lineup:
SS - Larry Bowa .302, 0, 14 (3 SB)
LF - Al Ferrara .275, 2, 16
RF - Rusty Staub .242, 3, 10
1B - Nate Colbert .256, 0, 5
CF - Cito Gaston .277, 4, 17
3B - Ed Spiezio .218, 2, 9
2B - Denny Doyle .271, 2, 5
C - Chris Cannizzaro .133, 0, 1

Catcher Bill Freehan is on the DL

[NYY #23]

The Padres were back to normal with a 13-19 month in May to put our season record at 27-26, just a hair above .500. Our offense came back to earth and is now tied for fourth in the league in runs scored with 239. We've allowed 231 runs, good for 8th in the league. We've definitely got some holes to plug, and are now faced with the difficult decision of how best to do that, with a good opportunity with the first overall pick in the draft. Which direction will we choose? I'm not even sure yet, so you'll have to wait until next month.

Team Leaders
Batting Average: Cito Gaston .340
Home Runs: Cito Gaston 11
RBI: Cito Gaston 41
Wins: Bert Blyleven 7
ERA: Bert Blyleven 3.02
Strikeouts: Bert Blyleven 93

Rotation:
Larry Dierker 5-6, 3.15
Bert Blyleven 7-4, 3.02
Mickey Lolich 5-4, 4.48
Dave Roberts 4-5, 3.95

Bullpen:
3.46 ERA (6th in NL)
Closer:
Tom Dukes 0.89 ERA, 6 Saves

Lineup:
SS - Larry Bowa .330, 0, 21 (6 SB)
LF - Al Ferrara .240, 5, 27
RF - Rusty Staub .287, 7, 26
1B - Nate Colbert .246, 4, 20
CF - Cito Gaston .340, 11, 41
C - Bill Freehan .250, 3, 16
3B - Ed Spiezio .218, 8, 29
2B - Denny Doyle .226, 2, 8

[NYY #23]

While I'm really happy that we have the top overall pick in the amateur draft, to me there isn't a real clear cut choice for number 1 pick. My scout likes SP Jon Matlock, but I wasn't 100% convinced. Let's take a closer look at the potential ratings:

SP Jon Matlock, 20 years old - Stuff (11), Movement (16), Control (15), Stamina (18)
SP Mike Caldwell, 21 years old - Stuff (9), Movement (16), Control (17), Stamina (18)
LF John Milner, 20 years old - Contact (10), Gap (9), Power (17), Eye (17), Avoid K's (14)
1B/LF Dave Kingman, 21 - Contact (10), Gap (10), Power (19), Eye (12), Avoid K's (8)
1B Cecil Cooper, 20 - Contact (15), Gap (13), Power (12), Eye (10), Avoid K's (17)
C Darrel Porter, 18 - Contact (10), Gap (8), Power (11), Eye (16), Avoid K's (12)

I really was leaning towards Cecil Cooper, but that would create problems because I do have a first baseman already. Starting pitching is not my biggest need either, but in the end you can't have too much pitching. I like Caldwell's control better than Matlock's, but in the end I went with my scout's recommendation and picked Jon Matlock.

I was pretty surprised when another one of these guys was on the board in the second round. Maybe I over value him, but it was a no brainer to pick 'Kong' in the second round. Shortstop Bruce Christensen was our third pick. Middle reliever Lance Clemons was our fourth round pick. We picked third baseman/shortstop Dwain Anderson in the fifth round for our final pick.

To make room on our roster we shopped 37 year old Johnny Podres, and got back 28 year old minor league middle reliever John Morris from the Brewers.

[NYY #23]

Jon Matlock has gotten four starts since the draft and he won them all. Matlock is 4-0 with a 1.29 ERA since being drafted. With a rotation of Matlock and Blyleven I feel pretty good about our future.

We finished June with a 14-11 record and are 41-37 for the season. I feel like things are definitely heading in the right direction for the Padres. We've still got a little ways to go, but we've made great progress and I like our direction.

Team Leaders
Batting Average: Larry Bowa .325
Home Runs: Cito Gaston 14
RBI: Cito Gaston 53
Wins: Bert Blyleven 11
ERA: Bert Blyleven 2.52
Strikeouts: Bert Blyleven 129

Rotation:
Jon Matlock 4-0, 1.29
Bert Blyleven 11-6, 2.52
Larry Dierker 7-7, 3.44
Mickey Lolich 7-8, 4.59
Dave Roberts 4-6, 4.03

Bullpen:
3.75 ERA (5th in NL)
Closer:
Tom Dukes 1.73 ERA, 7 Saves

Lineup:
SS - Larry Bowa .325, 0, 28 (6 SB)
CF - Cito Gaston .318, 14, 53
RF - Rusty Staub .300, 11, 42
1B - Nate Colbert .243, 6, 33
LF - Dave Kingman .151, 1, 6
C - Bill Freehan .231, 5, 26
3B - Ed Spiezio .228, 12, 40
2B - Denny Doyle .223, 3, 13

[MadBum]

Wow you got Kingman in round 2! That's a steal. Looks like you have a great core for the future that should win in the next few years, if not this year. Blyleven should be an ace for years to come for you.

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by MadBum

Wow you got Kingman in round 2! That's a steal. Looks like you have a great core for the future that should win in the next few years, if not this year. Blyleven should be an ace for years to come for you.

I'm definitely pleased about both Kingman and the developing core of the team. I'm really looking forward to seeing what Blyleven can do!

[NYY #23]

The Padres had two representatives at the All-Star game, RF Rusty Staub, and CF Cito Gatson. I'd be lying if I told you I expected big things from Gaston. I wasn't even sure he could handle being a fourth outfielder, and in all likelihood he isn't going to be any more than a fourth outfielder long term, but he is having a career year this year. After hitting .237 with 7 homers last season, Gaston is hitting .307 with 18 home runs at the end of July. His OPS has gone from .320 to .607 to .847 over the past three years, and his VORP increased from -4 to 32.5. I don't know how long he can keep this up, or if he will keep this up, but it sure has been fun to see him play so well. For whatever reason he is just one of those guys I like rooting for.

The Padres faltered a bit in July, going 12-14 and we sit 6 1/2 games out of first place. With five more wins we'll surpass last season's win total. Let's not forget we lost 104 games last year.

Team Leaders
Batting Average: Cito Gaston .307
Home Runs: Cito Gaston 18
RBI: Cito Gaston 66
Wins: Bert Blyleven 14
ERA: Bert Blyleven 2.82
Strikeouts: Bert Blyleven 161

Rotation:
Jon Matlock 8-1, 2.51
Bert Blyleven 14-9, 2.82
Larry Dierker 10-9, 3.38
Dave Roberts 4-8, 3.93

Bullpen:
3.57 ERA (4th in NL)
Closer:
We have too many starting pitchers, and with Dukes struggling in the closer position, I decided to make Lolich the new closer after we couldn't deal him at the deadline. It's only been one day, so the jury is still out.
Tom Dukes 2.59 ERA, 7 Saves
Mickey Lolich 4.59 ERA

Lineup:
SS - Larry Bowa .300, 1, 37 (8 SB)
CF - Cito Gaston .307, 18, 66
RF - Rusty Staub .288, 13, 45
1B - Nate Colbert .245, 11, 50
LF - Dave Kingman .217, 7, 29
C - Bill Freehan .237, 10, 40
3B - Ed Spiezio .227, 15, 49
2B - Denny Doyle .230, 3, 14

[NYY #23]

August was a bad month for the Padres, and we finished 10-18 for the month. We fell below .500 for the year with a 63-69 record. We are clinging to fourth place, and closer to last place than first place. The Mickey Lolich to closer experiment ended after Lolich posted an ERA of about 8 on the closer role. We'll be moving him back to the rotation, and we'll give Dave Roberts a shot in the role.

Team Leaders
Batting Average: Larry Bowa .301
Home Runs: Cito Gaston 20
RBI: Cito Gaston 77
Wins: Bert Blyleven 18
ERA: Bert Blyleven 2.94
Strikeouts: Bert Blyleven 202

Rotation:
Bert Blyleven 18-12, 2.94
Jon Matlock 8-7, 3.91
Larry Dierker 11-12, 3.66
Clay Kirby 2-2, 4.22

Bullpen:
3.74 ERA (4th in NL)
Closer:
Tom Dukes 3.31 ERA, 7 Saves
Dave Roberts - TBD

Lineup:
SS - Larry Bowa .301, 1, 47 (12 SB)
CF - Cito Gaston .289, 20, 77
RF - Rusty Staub .297, 14, 55
1B - Nate Colbert .251, 16, 67
LF - Dave Kingman .207, 11, 39
C - Bill Freehan .244, 13, 50
3B - Ed Spiezio .235, 19, 62
2B - Denny Doyle .226, 3, 30

[NYY #23]

A winning September (15-14) and October (1-0) and year 2 in San Diego is in the books. With a 79-83 record I'm pleased with our progress. We've got a young team, and they need a little seasoning. We are definitely a few pieces short of a contending team, but I think we have a good core in San Diego.

History Part 2 (11 down, 19 to go):
1969 - San Diego Padres 58-104, 36 GB (Season Score - 1)
1970 - San Diego Padres 79-83, 16 GB (Season Score - 39)

Team Leaders
Batting Average: Larry Bowa .300
Home Runs: Cito Gaston 26
RBI: Cito Gaston 93
Wins: Bert Blyleven 21
ERA: Bert Blyleven 3.06
Strikeouts: Bert Blyleven 247

Rotation:
Bert Blyleven 21-13, 3.06
Jon Matlock 13-9, 3.38
Larry Dierker 13-15, 3.90
Mickey Lolich 8-13, 4.82

Bullpen:
3.88 ERA (8th in NL)
Closer:
Tom Dukes 3.39 ERA, 9 Saves
Dave Roberts - 2.16 ERA, 1 Save before injury

Lineup:
SS - Larry Bowa .300, 1, 64 (22 SB)
CF - Cito Gaston .276, 26, 93
RF - Rusty Staub .299, 17, 64
LF - Dave Kingman .202, 16, 56
1B - Nate Colbert .245, 20, 82
C - Bill Freehan .252, 19, 61
3B - Ed Spiezio .236, 20, 72
2B - Denny Doyle .235, 3, 37

[NYY #23]

On the field the Padres finished with a 14-10 record and are right in the middle of the division, sitting just two games back. It was a quiet offseason, not necessarily by choice, but by necessity. Thank my cheapskate owner for that. After making over $4 million in profit, our budget ticked up slightly, although we still have the lowest budget in the majors. Our attendance is sixth in the majors, and we are squeezing every dollar out of our payroll to have the 18th highest payroll in the league. This certainly doesn't bode well for our future in an era where free agency is just a couple years away. For the first time I'm considering trading a player in his prime, 27 year old Rusty Staub, because his salary is too high ($285,000) and is the fourth highest in the game. I try not to focus too much on it, but it is hard to make a move.

Team Leaders
Batting Average: Rusty Staub .400
Home Runs: Nate Colbert 8
RBI: Rusty Staub/Nate Colbert 18
Wins: Bert Blyleven 4
ERA: Jon Matlock 2.06
Strikeouts: Bert Blyleven/Larry Dierker 37

Rotation:
Jon Matlock 2-4, 2.06
Bert Blyleven 4-2, 2.94
Larry Dierker 3-3, 3.64
Mickey Lolich 3-1, 3.26

Bullpen:
4.76 ERA (10th in NL)
Closer:
Dave Roberts - 23.63 ERA, 1 Save

Lineup:
SS - Larry Bowa .293, 0, 5 (3 SB)
CF - Jerry Morales .379, 0, 2
RF - Rusty Staub .400, 7, 18
1B - Nate Colbert .196, 8, 18
LF - Dave Kingman .227, 5, 16
C - Bill Freehan .195, 2, 6
3B - Ed Spiezio .224, 1, 3
2B - John Sipin .097, 0, 0

DL - 2B Denny Doyle, CF Cito Gaston

[EMSoccerCoach]

That's a heck of a rotation you've built there. If pitching wins, you should be fine shortly.

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by EMSoccerCoach

That's a heck of a rotation you've built there. If pitching wins, you should be fine shortly.

I do feel pretty good about my rotation. I'm surprised it came together so quickly.

[NYY #23]

We followed up a winning April with a losing May, going 14-16 to drop our season record to 28-26, and currently sit in 4th place, six games behind the Houston Astros. Those same Astros that came into the league with us in 1969. With a rotation of Denny Lemaster, Don Wilson, Wade Blasingame, and Ross Grimsley the Astros are leading the way thanks to their pitching. If there was ever a red flag to raise it would be that, so I don't expect the Astros to be leading the division come the end of the year.

The Padres are leading the National League in home runs with 50, led by our trio of your sluggers, Dave Kingman (14), Nate Colbert (13), and Rusty Staub (9). Unfortunately, both Colbert and Kingman have that swing and miss power, and have combined for 105 strikeouts between them.

While his season stats aren't anything special, Dave Roberts seems to be adjusting to the closer's role. In May Roberts was 1-1 with 4 saves and a 0.90 ERA in 10 innings. I'm hoping he can keep it up.

Team Leaders
Batting Average: Rusty Staub .340
Home Runs: Dave Kingman 14
RBI: Dave Kingman 42
Wins: Jon Matlock 8
ERA: Bert Blyleven 2.60
Strikeouts: Bert Blyleven 81

Rotation:
Bert Blyleven 6-4, 2.60
Jon Matlock 8-4, 2.73
Larry Dierker 5-5, 3.56
Mickey Lolich 5-6, 4.19

Bullpen:
3.00 ERA (4th in NL)
Closer:
Dave Roberts - 5.68 ERA, 5 saves

Lineup:
SS - Larry Bowa .308, 1, 15 (7 SB)
CF - Ollie Brown .279, 2, 11
RF - Rusty Staub .340, 9, 28
1B - Nate Colbert .254, 13, 38
LF - Dave Kingman .236, 14, 42
C - Bill Freehan .215, 4, 18
2B - Denny Doyle .295, 0, 6
3B - Ed Spiezio .219, 4, 11

DL - CF Cito Gaston, SS Ed Crosby

[captaincarl]

Originally Posted by NYY #23

Those same Astros that came into the league with us in 1969.

Psst, you didn't hear it from me, but didn't you mean to say that it was the Expos that entered the league in '69 with the Padres. The Astros started out as the Colt .45s in 1962.