News, analysis and scouting reports of San Diego Padres Prospects
Header image

Q&A with Baseball America Associate Editor Matt Eddy

Posted by Jeff in AZL Padres | Eugene Emeralds | Fort Wayne Tin Caps | Lake Elsinore Storm | Player Update | Q&A | San Antonio Missions | Trades | Tucson Padres - (0 Comments)

Matt Eddy is an Associate Editor at Baseball America who has covered the Padres’ minor league system since the 2006 off season.  He was kind enough to chat with us about BA’s recently released Padres Top 10 Prospect list.  You can also see full writeups on the Padres’ Top 30 prospects in BA’s Prospect Handbook.  Be sure to follow Matt on Twitter.

Where would the prospects acquired in the Mat Latos trade rank in the Padres’ farm system?

The Mat Latos trade with the Reds changed the Padres prospect landscape. San Diego can plug in first baseman Yonder Alonso at first base right away, and he fits with the organization’s emphasis on on-base skills and a line-to-line hitting approach—particularly when it comes to lefty bats like Alonso. He would challenge Anthony Rizzo for top prospect in the system honors.

Catcher Yasmani Grandal will spend the bulk of 2012 in Triple-A if all goes according to plan, though he could share time with either Nick Hundley or John Baker in 2013. Catchers who provide offensive value are so rare that Grandal might slot in at No. 5 on our list, after Cory Spangenberg and ahead of Austin Hedges.

Right-handed reliever Brad Boxberger probably would not crack the Top 10, though like Alonso he is big league-ready.

Who are the prospects in your Top 10 who scouts continually gave glowing reviews? Continue reading “Q&A with Baseball America Associate Editor Matt Eddy” »

, , , , , , , ,

Q&A with Padres Pitching Prospect Brad Boxberger

Posted by Jeff in Player Update | Q&A - (0 Comments)

Brad Boxberger came to the Padres this offseason in the trade that sent Mat Latos to the Reds.  Drafted in the first round (43rd overall) of the 2009 MLB Draft out of USC, Boxberger split time in 2010 as a starter and reliever before making the full time conversion this season to the bullpen.  You can also follow him on Twitter.

Via BBref:

Year Tm Lev W L ERA G GS GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO WHIP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB
2010 Lynchburg A+ 4 6 3.19 14 13 0 0 62.0 57 30 22 3 20 70 1.242 8.3 0.4 2.9 10.2 3.50
2010 Carolina AA 1 4 8.49 22 0 6 0 29.2 35 28 28 4 22 40 1.921 10.6 1.2 6.7 12.1 1.82
2011 Carolina AA 1 2 1.31 30 0 22 4 34.1 16 5 5 2 13 57 0.845 4.2 0.5 3.4 14.9 4.38
2011 Louisville AAA 1 2 2.93 25 0 12 7 27.2 16 10 9 2 15 36 1.120 5.2 0.7 4.9 11.7 2.40
2 Seasons 7 14 3.75 91 13 40 11 153.2 124 73 64 11 70 203 1.262 7.3 0.6 4.1 11.9 2.9

2011 was your first season as a full time reliever. Do you feel like you are fully used to your new role? How has your daily routine changed? Continue reading “Q&A with Padres Pitching Prospect Brad Boxberger” »

,

Q&A with Reds Prospect Writer Doug Gray

Posted by Jeff in Player Update | Q&A - (0 Comments)

As you no doubt have heard by now, the Padres traded Mat Latos to the Reds on Saturday for a four-player package.  Doug Gray of RedsMinorLeagues.com was kind enough to answer a few questions from the Reds’ perspective.

What was your first reaction to hearing the final trade package?

My first reaction was a little different from my overall reaction, but at the end of the day I liked the deal for the Reds. My first reaction was that I am a huge fan of Latos, but that was a decent chunk of talent. My final reaction was similar. I think that both teams did well.

If another team were to have traded all of those pieces, I would say that they made a mistake even though Latos is a borderline ace-caliber pitcher today. But the Reds have the depth to make up for the guys they moved with their first base, catcher and left field options. Assuming that Latos can stay healthy and perform similar to what everyone thinks he is capable of, I think both teams can look back at this trade in 5-6 years and be very happy with it.

In your mind, who is the best prospect the Padres are receiving in return? Continue reading “Q&A with Reds Prospect Writer Doug Gray” »

, , , ,

Padres Cash in Latos for Prospect Haul

Posted by Jeff in Player Update | Trades - (3 Comments)

On Saturday the Padres agreed to a trade with the Reds that will send 24-year-old right-hander Mat Latos to Cincinnati for a four-player package that includes Edinson Volquez, Yonder Alonso, Yasmani Grandal and Brad Boxberger.

For reactions to this trade from the MLB perspective I’ll recommend checking out the work done here, here and here.

On trading Latos:

I discussed this topic in the December Mailbag that was posted this week and came to the conclusion that this seemed like an odd time to shop him.  The only reason that you’d give up a player like Latos at this point in his career with four years of team control left is if you’re offered a package that is too good to pass up.

It’s irrelevant what sort of value fans and analysts believe Latos carries.  The fact that the Padres were concerned enough about his on-field maturity to trade a young, front-of-the-rotation starter as he enters his physical prime is a huge factor to consider.  No one is claiming that Latos is a bad person, simply that people who are privy to information we are not believe that in certain situations Latos tends to allow his emotions to alter his effectiveness.  Add that to the fact that he has missed time the last two seasons because of shoulder injury concerns and you can see how the Padres saw an opportunity they could not let slip.  While there is a good chance that Latos turns into a perennial Cy Young contender, the chance he’s the next AJ Burnett or Carlos Zambrano is just as likely.

On the players received in return: Continue reading “Padres Cash in Latos for Prospect Haul” »

, , , , , ,

Padres Prospect Mailbag: December

Posted by Jeff in AZL Padres | Eugene Emeralds | Fort Wayne Tin Caps | Lake Elsinore Storm | Mailbag | San Antonio Missions | Tucson Padres - (0 Comments)

Some questions have been slightly edited to be shorter and more direct. If you have a question for the next Padres Prospect Mailbag, shoot us an email: mailbag@padresprospects.com

The Rays just locked up Matt Moore.  When are the Padres going to do this with one of their young players and show the fans that they are serious about winning? – Steve

There are two things to consider here: 1) both Moore and the Rays are taking on a significant amount of risk in this move 2) the Padres lack the type of talent that you would consider giving this type of contract.

To the first point – Yes, this deal (much like the one given to Evan Longoria) looks fantastic on paper.  The Rays just assured themselves what many pundits believe to be a premier, front-of-the-rotation starter through his age-30 season for a maximum cost of $40 million.  To make this deal even sweeter for the club if Moore blows out his arm in his first start of 2012 they have only guaranteed him $14 million!  But even $14 million for a club like the Rays that operates on razor thin margins is a significant commitment considering the attrition rate of young pitchers.

For Moore, his risk is tied to the fact that he may just live up to expectations meaning that he will lose out on tens of million of dollars in potential earnings through arbitration and his first few years of free agency.  On the other hand, as mentioned above he could suffer a career ending injury next season but still have a nice $14 million cushion to help out him and his family.

To the second point – When teams begin discussing offering contracts to players with less than two years of service time the first question that is asked is: “What do we believe this player will become?”

While the Padres currently have one of the top farm systems in the league, they simply lack the elite level talent – top three to five in all of baseball – that you’d consider guaranteeing more the five years to before seeing any sort of production.

What do you make of this whole Drew Cumberland situation? – Tim Continue reading “Padres Prospect Mailbag: December” »

, , , , , , , , , , , ,