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Post by johneaztec on Apr 13, 2022 16:30:53 GMT -8
Way too early for this kind of chatter.
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Post by junior on Apr 13, 2022 17:24:38 GMT -8
But so far this season he's a huge part of that problem. More than any one player should be. You could say the same thing for multiple other players, so, no. And right now, that's a problem - and it's the same problem they finished last season with. Hitters who can't. Now they've added a "Designated Hitter" who appears to be taking his cues from that group as well. Can't win if you can't score runs, no matter how great your pitching might be. They only gave up two runs today, and they still lost. Yes, the Giants' pitcher had an incredible outing, but Padres "hitting" - or lack thereof - is once again a problem. And yes, for multiple players. Hope they unchill soon so they can stop wasting the great pitching so far (yesterday's bed crap notwithstanding). Way too early for this kind of chatter. I agree, to a point. And that point is the one in which they're missing the same kinds of pitches/placement/situations they swung at and missed last year, they're just not "learning". Hosmer had a good AB today and ended up getting to first base on an AB that last year would've probably ended the inning. But numerous others just stood there today and swung at balls that they really had no chance of connecting with, and that's an ongoing problem if you think about last season. I get that timing is not on their side yet, and that's the part that makes criticism way too early. But they've also got to get smarter in the batter's box - and fast. Hopefully they're getting some time each day to watch themselves at the plate and getting coached up as necessary about their ABs. They're playing lots of games without a break to start the season, and they really didn't get many ABs in Spring Training - so they're getting that practice now. But only perfect practice will make perfect. Hopefully all of what they're being coached on right now will start connecting with them, and they end up finding their eyes at the plate sooner than later. Results - not excuses, this season. Well, one can only hope so...
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Post by aztecryan on Apr 13, 2022 17:32:42 GMT -8
You could say the same thing for multiple other players, so, no. And right now, that's a problem - and it's the same problem they finished last season with. Hitters who can't. Now they've added a "Designated Hitter" who appears to be taking his cues from that group as well. Can't win if you can't score runs, no matter how great your pitching might be. They only gave up two runs today, and they still lost. Yes, the Giants' pitcher had an incredible outing, but Padres "hitting" - or lack thereof - is once again a problem. And yes, for multiple players. Hope they unchill soon so they can stop wasting the great pitching so far (yesterday's bed crap notwithstanding). It's been 7 games.
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Post by junior on Apr 13, 2022 17:38:52 GMT -8
And right now, that's a problem - and it's the same problem they finished last season with. Hitters who can't. Now they've added a "Designated Hitter" who appears to be taking his cues from that group as well. Can't win if you can't score runs, no matter how great your pitching might be. They only gave up two runs today, and they still lost. Yes, the Giants' pitcher had an incredible outing, but Padres "hitting" - or lack thereof - is once again a problem. And yes, for multiple players. Hope they unchill soon so they can stop wasting the great pitching so far (yesterday's bed crap notwithstanding). It's been 7 games. We can all count. But thanks for the head's up.
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Post by aztecryan on Apr 13, 2022 17:48:20 GMT -8
We can all count. But thanks for the head's up. Apparently not, since these takes only come up in times of premature conclusion.
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Post by junior on Apr 13, 2022 18:45:49 GMT -8
We can all count. But thanks for the head's up. Apparently not, since these takes only come up in times of premature conclusion. Try to get over yourself.
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Post by johneaztec on Apr 13, 2022 18:46:14 GMT -8
You could say the same thing for multiple other players, so, no. And right now, that's a problem - and it's the same problem they finished last season with. Hitters who can't. Now they've added a "Designated Hitter" who appears to be taking his cues from that group as well. Can't win if you can't score runs, no matter how great your pitching might be. They only gave up two runs today, and they still lost. Yes, the Giants' pitcher had an incredible outing, but Padres "hitting" - or lack thereof - is once again a problem. And yes, for multiple players. Hope they unchill soon so they can stop wasting the great pitching so far (yesterday's bed crap notwithstanding). Way too early for this kind of chatter. I agree, to a point. And that point is the one in which they're missing the same kinds of pitches/placement/situations they swung at and missed last year, they're just not "learning". Hosmer had a good AB today and ended up getting to first base on an AB that last year would've probably ended the inning. But numerous others just stood there today and swung at balls that they really had no chance of connecting with, and that's an ongoing problem if you think about last season. I get that timing is not on their side yet, and that's the part that makes criticism way too early. But they've also got to get smarter in the batter's box - and fast. Hopefully they're getting some time each day to watch themselves at the plate and getting coached up as necessary about their ABs. They're playing lots of games without a break to start the season, and they really didn't get many ABs in Spring Training - so they're getting that practice now. But only perfect practice will make perfect. Hopefully all of what they're being coached on right now will start connecting with them, and they end up finding their eyes at the plate sooner than later. Results - not excuses, this season. Well, one can only hope so... You make a good point. If it's the same old issues as in previous seasons, then there I understand concern. I guess it's still my eternal hope that drives me to say that it's still early in the season. That's my go to excuse, it seems, every year. We need to produce this year and first get into the playoffs, then anything can happen.
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Post by The Aztec Panther on Apr 13, 2022 19:00:23 GMT -8
You make a good point. If it's the same old issues as in previous seasons, then there I understand concern. I guess it's still my eternal hope that drives me to say that it's still early in the season. That's my go to excuse, it seems, every year. I stopped accepting excuses from this franchise long ago. The same problems keep creeping up. Different ownership, different management, same problems. This team has no depth, and has holes in the line-up. Holes that shouldn't exist on a team with this kind of payroll. The GM put together a team that, on paper, should be a contender. But on the field, they don't gel. On the field, some of the guys he brought in haven't produced the way they're supposed to. At what point do we say that this GM has to go? I mean, he had a scandal because he was cheating and lying in his trades. And he kept his job. How did that happen? I would have fired his ass the next day. If by some miracle this team made it to the World Series it would be another embarrassment. They don't have the talent to come close to competing with the best team the AL will send to the WS. It will be another 4-0 or 4-1 and done. Like I said on another thread, this team has beaten me down over the last 46 years. The Garvey home run in '84 was one of the great sports moments in San Diego history. And yet that team got killed in the WS. The '98 team was something special, and they were dominated by the best team money could buy. Since then it's been nothing but futility. When I see this team underachieving like they have been it's disheartening. I firmly believe that we will not see a major sports championship for a San Diego team in my lifetime. And I strongly suspect that we'll never even really come close, either. (I mean, yeah, getting there is nice, but the 3 times San Diego teams made it to the championship they got absolutely curb stomped. There's nothing more deflating than that.)
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Post by junior on Apr 13, 2022 19:26:18 GMT -8
Even with a healthy Tatis, Jr. it feels like the only other position they seem to have any kind of dominant baseball player at is 3rd base - and even then, it's not like Machado's tearing things up. And yes, with such a free-spending ownership, it also seems like there really should be some tangible results by now, COVID, strike or not, and there's nothing.
Sure glad it's not my money getting burned on a yearly basis … burning through gasoline is bad enough right now!
I would agree that the GM may be a reason for concern. At the least, he's had deals hijacked several times now - I don't know if that shows a lack of respect among the other GMs he's "dealing with", or if the cutthroat world of MLB front office management would be the same for anyone else. Trader Jack he's not…
And yes, I'm looking at our 3-panel set (863/1000) of The Home Run right now. Not sure those were always 'the better days', but we really haven't seen that kind of total city involvement and excitement - even if was only for a couple of weeks in late September and early October - in the world of San Diego baseball since then. Not even close in 1998...
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Post by aztecryan on Apr 13, 2022 21:07:32 GMT -8
Apparently not, since these takes only come up in times of premature conclusion. Try to get over yourself. Oh I'm well past that - My first instinct after a one run loss to a team that won 107 games last year isn't to jump on here and use hyperbole and melt down. If you live and die with every loss, you're going to die a lot. Team is 4-3 and could easily be 6-1 right now with how good the pitching has been. We could maybe wait until at least the end of April before we go to the sky is falling mode. Offense needs another bat, but this team can compete. Keep in mind you're adjusting to a brand new staff that had zero contact with players until the early part of March. Oh, and you're missing probably the best player in baseball on top of it, a generational superstar who could be the first shortstop ever to hit 50 home runs. That's a pretty big elephant in the room.
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Post by aztecryan on Apr 13, 2022 21:10:01 GMT -8
You make a good point. If it's the same old issues as in previous seasons, then there I understand concern. I guess it's still my eternal hope that drives me to say that it's still early in the season. That's my go to excuse, it seems, every year. I stopped accepting excuses from this franchise long ago. The same problems keep creeping up. Different ownership, different management, same problems. This team has no depth, and has holes in the line-up. Holes that shouldn't exist on a team with this kind of payroll. The GM put together a team that, on paper, should be a contender. But on the field, they don't gel. On the field, some of the guys he brought in haven't produced the way they're supposed to. At what point do we say that this GM has to go? I mean, he had a scandal because he was cheating and lying in his trades. And he kept his job. How did that happen? I would have fired his ass the next day. If by some miracle this team made it to the World Series it would be another embarrassment. They don't have the talent to come close to competing with the best team the AL will send to the WS. It will be another 4-0 or 4-1 and done. Like I said on another thread, this team has beaten me down over the last 46 years. The Garvey home run in '84 was one of the great sports moments in San Diego history. And yet that team got killed in the WS. The '98 team was something special, and they were dominated by the best team money could buy. Since then it's been nothing but futility. When I see this team underachieving like they have been it's disheartening. I firmly believe that we will not see a major sports championship for a San Diego team in my lifetime. And I strongly suspect that we'll never even really come close, either. (I mean, yeah, getting there is nice, but the 3 times San Diego teams made it to the championship they got absolutely curb stomped. There's nothing more deflating than that.) A scandal? The only reason he was suspended is because Boston complained to the commissioner's office. What he did wasn't even against the rules and it was forgotten in a few weeks. A scandal is what the Dodgers did, what the Astros did, where people get banned from baseball.. I'm glad you don't run the franchise because AJ Preller actually wants to win, unlike the previous iterations under faulty ownership groups that just wanted to finance their way to profit land. Doom and gloom on April 13th? You'd think the team is 50 games out of first place. Winning/not winning a World Series is a tough barometer to measure. Plenty of good teams don't win them.
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Post by The Aztec Panther on Apr 13, 2022 22:04:48 GMT -8
I stopped accepting excuses from this franchise long ago. The same problems keep creeping up. Different ownership, different management, same problems. This team has no depth, and has holes in the line-up. Holes that shouldn't exist on a team with this kind of payroll. The GM put together a team that, on paper, should be a contender. But on the field, they don't gel. On the field, some of the guys he brought in haven't produced the way they're supposed to. At what point do we say that this GM has to go? I mean, he had a scandal because he was cheating and lying in his trades. And he kept his job. How did that happen? I would have fired his ass the next day. If by some miracle this team made it to the World Series it would be another embarrassment. They don't have the talent to come close to competing with the best team the AL will send to the WS. It will be another 4-0 or 4-1 and done. Like I said on another thread, this team has beaten me down over the last 46 years. The Garvey home run in '84 was one of the great sports moments in San Diego history. And yet that team got killed in the WS. The '98 team was something special, and they were dominated by the best team money could buy. Since then it's been nothing but futility. When I see this team underachieving like they have been it's disheartening. I firmly believe that we will not see a major sports championship for a San Diego team in my lifetime. And I strongly suspect that we'll never even really come close, either. (I mean, yeah, getting there is nice, but the 3 times San Diego teams made it to the championship they got absolutely curb stomped. There's nothing more deflating than that.) A scandal? The only reason he was suspended is because Boston complained to the commissioner's office. What he did wasn't even against the rules and it was forgotten in a few weeks. A scandal is what the Dodgers did, what the Astros did, where people get banned from baseball.. I'm glad you don't run the franchise because AJ Preller actually wants to win, unlike the previous iterations under faulty ownership groups that just wanted to finance their way to profit land. Doom and gloom on April 13th? You'd think the team is 50 games out of first place. Winning/not winning a World Series is a tough barometer to measure. Plenty of good teams don't win them. It isn't against the rules to fully disclose injury information when you're trading a player? I find that hard to believe. What he did was unethical and totally shady. And what has he done since? He's put together the most overpaid team in the league! Given the payroll there should be no holes on this roster and we should have the depth to deal with injuries without a major problem. The HYPE Preller has generated has been world class! The TEAM he's put together doesn't gel. And they can't score. And multiple players underachieved. Given the payroll and the amount he spent, Preller did a piss poor job. I mean, can you really say that they weren't the biggest underachievers last year?
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Post by aztecryan on Apr 13, 2022 22:37:08 GMT -8
A scandal? The only reason he was suspended is because Boston complained to the commissioner's office. What he did wasn't even against the rules and it was forgotten in a few weeks. A scandal is what the Dodgers did, what the Astros did, where people get banned from baseball.. I'm glad you don't run the franchise because AJ Preller actually wants to win, unlike the previous iterations under faulty ownership groups that just wanted to finance their way to profit land. Doom and gloom on April 13th? You'd think the team is 50 games out of first place. Winning/not winning a World Series is a tough barometer to measure. Plenty of good teams don't win them. It isn't against the rules to fully disclose injury information when you're trading a player? I find that hard to believe. What he did was unethical and totally shady. And what has he done since? He's put together the most overpaid team in the league! Given the payroll there should be no holes on this roster and we should have the depth to deal with injuries without a major problem. The HYPE Preller has generated has been world class! The TEAM he's put together doesn't gel. And they can't score. And multiple players underachieved. Given the payroll and the amount he spent, Preller did a piss poor job. I mean, can you really say that they weren't the biggest underachievers last year? It was not against the rules and there are plenty of franchises who keep separate internal medical records, same as other relevant data. Unethical? Sure. So is stealing signs, hacking databases and using illegal means to cheat electronically to gain an advantage, all far worse actions. What has he done since? Traded for Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, Trent Grisham, Joe Musgrove, Jake Cronenworth, Austin Nola, Mike Clevinger, Jorge Alfaro, Sean Manaea and plenty of others. Signed Manny Machado to a record deal. Signed Fernando TatÃs Jr. to a record deal. After the failed push in 2015, he took a farm system and built it to one of the tops in the league in two years. Drafted MacKenzie Gore, Robert Hassell, CJ Abrams and others. By far his biggest detriment has been selling minor league assets at the lower levels to try and accomplish impact deals at the MLB level, thinning out the middle tiers of the farm system and limiting upper level impact depth as a result. If we were playing a video game simulation, perhaps we'd have a perfectly built roster with depth everywhere. In reality, this is the real world with injuries, underperformance, bad luck and attrition. Every team in baseball has holes. The Mets have the highest payroll in baseball and already lost Jacob deGrom and two other starting pitchers, plus multiple bullpen arms in the first week of the season. What you're describing isn't reality, it's your fandom. A high payroll doesn't guarantee wins or championship. (Sound familiar?) Hype? The team was 17 games over .500 last year before catastrophic events unfolded in July with the Hosmer trade rumors unraveling the clubhouse, the injuries to Paddack, Darvish, Snell, et al and the lack of steadiness in the dugout. Again, it's impossible to take you seriously when you've shown multiple times now to overreact to limited sample sizes, compounded by rejecting data that doesn't revolve around batting average and surface numbers. And yes, I can absolutely say they weren't the biggest underachievers last year. They weren't even the biggest underachievers in their own division, relative to actual expectations in the industry. The Dodgers were heavy favorites to win a title and couldn't even beat the shorthanded Braves to win the NL. Whether you finish 79-83 or 95-67 is relative to the circumstances and expectations. All ends up in the same place at the end. One thing: Yes, the offense has struggled. There's considerable money tied up in Hosmer, Myers, Darvish, Machado and Tatis. Myers can be bought out after the season, Hosmer could be DFA'D after the year if they choose, Darvish is gone after 2023. There's a lot of money coming off the books after next season, at which point you'd try to build around a 25 year old franchise cornerstone.
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Post by The Aztec Panther on Apr 13, 2022 23:13:26 GMT -8
You don't judge a team by what their record is in July. You judge them by what their record is at the end of September.
And finishing 95-67 meets expectations if you're a legit WS contender. 79-83 isn't even close to meeting those expectations.
That's just a fact.
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Post by aztecryan on Apr 14, 2022 7:59:24 GMT -8
You don't judge a team by what their record is in July. You judge them by what their record is at the end of September. And finishing 95-67 meets expectations if you're a legit WS contender. 79-83 isn't even close to meeting those expectations. That's just a fact. It doesn't matter how many regular season games you win if you're expected to win a World Series and don't even make it to said World Series. That's just a fact.
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Post by The Aztec Panther on Apr 14, 2022 8:08:55 GMT -8
You don't judge a team by what their record is in July. You judge them by what their record is at the end of September. And finishing 95-67 meets expectations if you're a legit WS contender. 79-83 isn't even close to meeting those expectations. That's just a fact. It doesn't matter how many regular season games you win if you're expected to win a World Series and don't even make it to said World Series. That's just a fact. No, it's not. You completely devalue the regular season. I put almost all of the weight on the regular season. As you've said, once in the playoffs, anything can happen. Including the best team losing. But fans sitting through 81 games and having a majority of them be losses? That's unacceptable.
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Post by aztecryan on Apr 14, 2022 8:39:31 GMT -8
It doesn't matter how many regular season games you win if you're expected to win a World Series and don't even make it to said World Series. That's just a fact. No, it's not. You completely devalue the regular season. I put almost all of the weight on the regular season. As you've said, once in the playoffs, anything can happen. Including the best team losing. But fans sitting through 81 games and having a majority of them be losses? That's unacceptable. And you're wrong. The average fan would trade an 81-81 regular season for a World Series. It's common sense. The Dodgers win plenty of regular season games. Does it matter? No. The goal is to win a championship. It's also backed up by this year's attendance numbers in season tickets. Your pessimism and doom isn't shared by the fanbase.
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Post by johneaztec on Apr 14, 2022 9:51:30 GMT -8
Winning regular season games matter to fans, since it keeps them interested in their team, and gives them hope throughout the season. Regular season games are big in that manner.
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Post by aztecryan on Apr 14, 2022 9:54:45 GMT -8
Winning regular season games matter to fans, since it keeps them interested in their team, and gives them hope throughout the season. Regular season games are big in that manner. Diehard fans are going to watch/support regardless. Casual fans come and go. Team was #3 in attendance last season and just sold a record number of season tickets AFTER the 79-83 second half collapse. So, not really. Moves that are made off the field are going to drive interest regardless of immediate results. Melvin's hire was massive in that regard.
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Post by aardvark on Apr 14, 2022 10:26:25 GMT -8
You make a good point. If it's the same old issues as in previous seasons, then there I understand concern. I guess it's still my eternal hope that drives me to say that it's still early in the season. That's my go to excuse, it seems, every year. I stopped accepting excuses from this franchise long ago. The same problems keep creeping up. Different ownership, different management, same problems. This team has no depth, and has holes in the line-up. Holes that shouldn't exist on a team with this kind of payroll. The GM put together a team that, on paper, should be a contender. But on the field, they don't gel. On the field, some of the guys he brought in haven't produced the way they're supposed to. At what point do we say that this GM has to go? I mean, he had a scandal because he was cheating and lying in his trades. And he kept his job. How did that happen? I would have fired his ass the next day. If by some miracle this team made it to the World Series it would be another embarrassment. They don't have the talent to come close to competing with the best team the AL will send to the WS. It will be another 4-0 or 4-1 and done. Like I said on another thread, this team has beaten me down over the last 46 years. The Garvey home run in '84 was one of the great sports moments in San Diego history. And yet that team got killed in the WS. The '98 team was something special, and they were dominated by the best team money could buy. Since then it's been nothing but futility. When I see this team underachieving like they have been it's disheartening. I firmly believe that we will not see a major sports championship for a San Diego team in my lifetime. And I strongly suspect that we'll never even really come close, either. (I mean, yeah, getting there is nice, but the 3 times San Diego teams made it to the championship they got absolutely curb stomped. There's nothing more deflating than that.) "...this team has beaten me down over the last 46 years." That's it? Try the losing 100+ game seasons 4 out of the first 6 seasons (it would have been 5, except for a short work stoppage in 1972). Sitting with several thousand of your closest friends in the field and plaza levels--as for many games, those were the only two seating levels available. The Padres only have had 15 winning seasons in their 53 season history. We were the last team to FINALLY get to enjoy a no-hitter thrown by one of our pitchers, instead of being no-hit by good and bad pitchers alike. At least the Padres are still here. But at the age of 68, I am running out of time to see if the remaining major pro sports franchise in this city will ever win a title. The home portion of the Padres 54th season starts today. Will this be the year they finally win a title? I doubt it. But we have a manager who has actually managed in the big leagues before and is pretty well respected, so I would hope that we can begin trending in a good direction, and keep it up for a long time to come. EDIT: Manager fun fact--Bob Melvin is the first Padres manager hired with previous MLB managerial experience in over 30 years, going all the way back to Trader Jack McKeon.
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