Friar Watch

The summer slacking continues here at Friar Watch. Trying to cover every game was perhaps a bit too ambitious; it’s given me a new appreciation for Geoff and the other real Padres bloggers. I’m going to switch focus a little and become more of a general Padres blog. I’ll still be working with the Gameday data and primarily cover Padres pitching but I’ll also try to cover other aspects of the team. Look for 3-5 updates per week rather than Game Notes for every single game.

Speaking of real Padre blogs, check out Friar Ball and Friar Forecast. Welcome aboard guys!

Over at Gaslamp Ball, Winfield’s Ghost has a terrific report on Matt Bush in the Arizona Summer League. I’m really excited about Bush as a pitcher; it sounds like he has great stuff and the switch to pitching has taken a lot of pressure off the kid. Judging by the photos of Bush in action I like his mechanics; he seems to keep his pitching arm elbow below the shoulder and his front shoulder is tilted up pretty high. I can see how he can generate such velocity out of a small frame.

Over at the AOL Fanhouse, I was privileged enough to be included in a nice round table discussion on the state of the Padres. Geoff from Ducksnorts and jbox from Gaslamp Ball also participated; get over there and check it out! (Sorry about the late link Larry)

Lastly, I wanted to weigh in on the Barrett and Bradley acquisitions. Summary: I love both moves. I think Barrett’s problems were greatly exaggerated by the Chicago media and Lou Piniella. I’ve never liked Piniella, he always seems to have drama with his players and as Geoff Blum commented, he usually ends up scapegoating his catcher. Barrett has already shown a nice arm behind the plate and a good approach at bat. I think we can expect some passed balls but if he can hit I’ll live with it.

I generally have a low tolerance for “troubled” athletes but from things I’ve read in the past year or two Milton Bradley seems like he genuinely wants to become a good citizen. A combination of factors could help keep him in line: Paul DePodesta brought him to LA and now to San Diego, knowing that he’s wanted by someone who is already familiar with him could provide some validation for Bradley. Also, I believe this is the last year of his contract. He has every incentive to behave. One ace in the hole could be the Padres medical staff. Don’t forget that Dave Roberts also had a reputation as a fragile player but once he was in San Diego the staff put him on a new training regimen and he was pretty healthy during his stay in San Diego. Now that he’s in San Francisco those health problems have resurfaced. When healthy, Bradley is capable of the spectacular; the Padre trainers may just be able to keep him healthy down the stretch.