Tag Archives: Padres

04 Aug

feel good story

You kinda wanna root for Trent Grisham, even if you’re not a San Diego Padres fan. It’s kinda nice to see that the former Biloxi Shuckers star is off to a hot start in 2020. He hit his fourth home run on Monday night, helping the surprising Padres beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-4. Grisham, starting in center field for a 7-4 club, is batting .293 with seven RBIs and 11 runs. He seems to be in a good place, quite a contrast to where he was last October. You remember. Grisham, a rookie then with Milwaukee, in his first postseason game, misplayed a single in right field that allowed Washington to score the go-ahead run in the National League Wild Card Game. The Nationals won. The Brewers’ season ended. Grisham faced the media afterward and, appearing crushed, made no excuses for his error. You had to feel for him. It would be, coincidentally, his last game in a Milwaukee uniform. He was traded in November to the Padres, who were looking for a left-handed hitting outfielder and were willing to part with touted infield prospect Luis Urias to get Grisham. “He can do a lot of positive things on the baseball field,” Padres GM A.J. Preller told mlb.com at the time. Grisham, the 15th overall pick by Milwaukee in 2015, scuffled early in his pro career. He batted just .233 at Double-A Biloxi in 2018 but kept grinding. He hit .254 with 13 homers in 63 games for the Shuckers in 2019, got an All-Star nod and earned a promotion to Triple-A San Antonio, where he raked (.381, 13 homers in 34 games). He debuted for Milwaukee last Aug. 1, then found himself taking the place of the injured Christian Yelich in right field. No pressure there. Grisham, only 23, seems determined that the incident last October won’t define him. “Failing is not fun, and I like to have a lot of fun,” he told The San Diego Union-Tribune during spring training. “I play this game because I enjoy it. … That’s why I work, so when I get in the game it can be fun.” P.S. Ex-Petal High star Anthony Alford is slated for his first start of the season for Toronto tonight at Atlanta. Alford, who is 0-for-2 in 2020, has just 57 career at-bats (eight hits) since his MLB debut in 2017. He’s in left field batting ninth. DeSoto Central High product Austin Riley is starting at third base and batting sixth for the Braves. They were the top prep players in the state their senior year, Alford in 2012 and Riley in 2015.

01 Aug

smooth sailing

The San Diego Padres gave free agent Drew Pomeranz a nice chunk of change — $34 million over four years – to bolster their bullpen. They have to be pleased with the investment. The 6-foot-6 lefty out of Ole Miss is almost perfect in five appearances for a team that has won six of its first eight games. Pomeranz, nicknamed “Big Smooth,” has allowed one hit, one walk and no runs in 4 1/3 innings, notching two holds and two saves. He got the final out Friday night in a crazy 8-7 win at Colorado. After struggling as a starter in San Francisco early in 2019, Pomeranz moved to the pen and then to Milwaukee in a trade and was outstanding as a reliever for the Brewers. He had a 2.39 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings for the playoff-pound club, parlaying that success into a nice contract with the Padres. This is his second stint in San Diego, one of the six MLB teams the former first-round pick has pitched for since making the majors in 2011. He was an All-Star as a starter with the Padres in 2016 and won a ring with Boston in 2018, though he had a rough time that year. It’ll be interesting to watch how the Padres deploy the 31-year-old Pomeranz, who has a 4.02 career ERA as he has bounced between starter and reliever. He’s never been a closer, per se. P.S. Kudos to Madison Central High product Spencer Turnbull, who notched his first victory since May 31, 2019, going six innings (3 hits, 2 runs, 6 K’s) for Detroit to beat Cincinnati 7-2. Turnbull, now 1-0 in two starts, went 3-17 in 2019 and lost his last 13 decisions.

22 Jul

another chance

Robinson Cano is the New York Mets’ starting second baseman, but there may be playing time there in 2020 for Brian Dozier, who signed a minor league deal with the club today, presumably to back up Cano. Dozier, the former Southern Miss star from Fulton, was released by San Diego two weeks ago after being left off their summer camp 60-man roster. Dozier, 33, hit .238 with 20 home runs last year for World Series champ Washington but played little in the postseason. Though it seems very unlikely Dozier would make the 30-man active roster for the Mets’ Friday opener against Atlanta, his chance may come. Cano, an eight-time All-Star, is 37 and on the decline. The lefty hitter batted a career-low .256 with 13 homers in 107 games for the Mets in 2019, and he struggled in particular against left-handers. Dozier is right-handed hitter who has 192 career homers and a Gold Glove on his resume. He had signed a minors deal with the Padres in the off-season and spent spring training with them. He began his eight-year MLB career with Minnesota in 2012.

29 Jun

roster watch

Perusing the 60-man rosters released by most MLB teams on Sunday, there are a couple of surprises. One, Brian Dozier is NOT on San Diego’s list. Two, Tyler Keenan, drafted just this month, IS on Seattle’s. Dozier, the ex-Southern Miss star, signed a minor league deal with the Padres and was vying for the second base job in spring training, batting .227 in eight games. But the eight-year veteran is not currently in the pool of eligible players, though he reportedly could be added later. Ole Miss product Keenan, a fourth-round pick who signed late last week for $500,000, is among three 2020 draftees Seattle put on its list, which is replete with prospect types. Keenan is a lefty-hitting third baseman with big power. … USM alum Nick Sandlin, Mississippi State product Jack Kruger and ex-Ole Miss star Ryan Rolison are among the non 40-man roster players appearing in the 60-man pools. Sandlin, a reliever, is with Cleveland; Kruger, a catcher, with the Los Angeles Angels; and Rolison, a lefty starter, with Colorado. Rolison, a 2018 draftee, is the Rockies’ No. 2 prospect, per mlb.com. Minnesota did not release its list on Sunday, but speculation is former State standout Brent Rooker and possibly USM alum Matt Wallner could be on it. Teams start summer camp on July 1, though not all of the 60-man roster members will report to the big league stadium. The others will go to an alternate facility. P.S. It hasn’t been officially announced as a signing, but Blaze Jordan reportedly has agreed to a $1.7 million bonus with Boston, well above the slot value for the third-round pick. The DeSoto Central High product, a longtime MSU commit, was the 89th overall selection. … MSU alum Jordan Westburg has formally signed with Baltimore ($2.4M as a competitive balance pick after the first round), leaving only State’s J.T. Ginn and UM’s Anthony Servideo unsigned among the seven in-state players drafted June 10-11.

05 Mar

great expectations

The San Diego Padres were never a contender during Hunter Renfroe’s three-plus seasons there. He’s in a different place now. Tampa Bay was a postseason team in 2019 and is expected to battle for a playoff berth again this year. Renfroe, the ex-Mississippi State star from Crystal Springs, is expected to contribute to the charge. Acquired by the Rays in an off-season trade, Renfroe hit 33 home runs last season and has 89 in 390 MLB games in his career. “Obviously, (there’s) the numbers he put up last year, but I think he’s just getting better and better,” Rays catcher Mike Zunino told mlb.com. “That power is going to be big in our lineup.” Renfroe has yet to homer for the Rays this spring but has made an impression with the bat just the same. “Hunter has unbelievable power,” outfielder Austin Meadows said. “His batting practice is ridiculous.” Renfroe is just a .235 career hitter (.294 on-base percentage) with high strikeout numbers, but his defensive ability is another plus. A Gold Glove finalist in 2019, he is projected to start in left field, though there is a crowd in the Rays’ outfield. Nevertheless, Renfroe is happy with the change of scene. “It’s a win-win situation for me,” he told Tampa’s Fox 13 News. “I have a chance to do something special here with these guys — going to the World Series and stuff like that, so I look forward to it, and I look forward to the season.”

06 Dec

something completely different

If the rumored San Diego-Tampa Bay trade goes down, it’ll be a big change for Hunter Renfroe, the ex-Mississippi State standout who is a key piece in the deal. The power-hitting outfielder would go to the Rays along with a top prospect for outfielder Tommy Pham and a prospect. For Renfroe, that’d be a change not only of time zones and leagues but also of expectations. Tampa Bay, in the dog-eat-dog American League East, won 96 games and a wild card playoff berth in 2019 and won 90 games in 2018. The Padres finished 70-92, last in the National League West, in 2019. The Padres have finished fourth, fifth and fifth in Renfroe’s three full seasons with the club. They’ve already made a couple of big trades this off-season. Renfroe, a corner outfielder with a big arm, hit 33 homers last season but batted just .216; he was a Gold Glove finalist in left field. Pham, the Rays’ left fielder, hit .273 (.369 on-base percentage) with 21 homers and batted .360 in the postseason. Tampa Bay’s right fielder last year was rookie Austin Meadows.

25 Oct

gold market

Adam Frazier and Hunter Renfroe, former Mississippi State teammates who just completed their fourth major league season, have been named Gold Glove finalists in the National League. Neither has previously won the Rawlings-sponsored defensive award. The 18 winners, one at each position in both leagues, will be announced on Nov. 3. Frazier, who has played six different positions for Pittsburgh, took over as team’s regular second baseman in 2019. In 142 games, he made six errors and posted a .989 fielding percentage. Analytics credited him with six Defensive Runs Saved. Renfroe is a finalist in left field, though he actually spent more time in right for San Diego down the stretch. The former Copiah Academy standout played 127 games in the outfield and registered 13 assists with just two errors. He was credited with seven Defensive Runs Saved. For the record, Frazier batted .278 with 10 homers and 50 RBIs, Renfroe .216 with 33 bombs and 64 RBIs. … A Mississippian has won a Gold Glove in each of the last three seasons: Mitch Moreland in 2016, Brian Dozier in 2017 and Corey Dickerson last year.

18 Sep

open and shut

That was quite a 1-2 punch Milwaukee threw at San Diego on Tuesday night. Brandon Woodruff, the former Mississippi State standout, started and Drew Pomeranz, the ex-Ole Miss star, finished as the red-hot Brewers won 3-1 at Miller Park and moved into a tie with Chicago for second in the National League Central and wild card races. Between them, Woodruff and Pomeranz pitched four hitless innings with eight strikeouts. Woodruff, coming off the injured list, threw 37 pitches – hitting 99 mph – in two innings in his first appearance since July 21. “It feels, in a way, like a brand new season, the butterflies and stuff,” Woodruff told mlb.com. Pomeranz, the veteran lefty acquired from San Francisco at the trade deadline, has been a revelation working out of the Brewers’ bullpen. He has a 2.53 ERA, two saves and nine holds in 20 games, 19 in relief. He has punched out 36 batters in 21 1/3 innings, four in two innings Tuesday when he averaged 95 with his fastball. He had a 5.68 ERA in 21 games (17 starts) for the Giants. “I think, from Drew’s perspective, it’s ‘I can let it fly.’ That’s what he’s doing,” Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said in an mlb.com story. … The Padres’ run came on a homer by State product Hunter Renfroe, playing his first game in 10 days because of nagging injuries. His 32nd bomb was his first since Aug. 10. And, yes, he struck out against both Woodruff and Pomeranz.

11 Sep

ups and downs

Corey Dickerson, who hasn’t yet played a postseason game in his seven-year big league career, is playing like a man on a mission for a Philadelphia team battling for a wild card berth in the National League. The former Meridian Community College star from McComb hit two home runs on Tuesday night, propelling the Phillies to a huge 6-5 win against visiting Atlanta. Philly is 2 games out of the second wild card spot. Since joining the Phillies at the trade deadline, Dickerson has batted .300 with eight homers and 34 RBIs in 33 games. “I’ve loved it here,” he told mlb.com. For the year, including 44 games with Pittsburgh, Dickerson is batting .307 with 12 bombs and 59 RBIs. … Hunter Renfroe, the Mississippi State product from Crystal Springs, has been out of the San Diego lineup for several days and apparently will be out for quite a few more as he rests a sore ankle. The ankle issue, coupled with an elbow problem, helps to explain Renfroe’s woeful second half. (He never publicly complained about either injury.) He is batting .169 with four homers and 13 RBIs since the All-Star break. He has two homers since the start of August. On the year, Renfroe has 31 homers with a .222 average and 143 strikeouts in 414 at-bats. P.S. Down on the farms: Harrison Central High alum Bobby Bradley hit a three-run homer to help Columbus beat Durham 8-3 in the opener of the Governors’ Cup, aka the International League Championship Series. It was the second postseason clout for Bradley, who hit 33 homers for the Clippers in the regular season, plus one in MLB with Cleveland. … Ex-State star Jake Mangum singled and scored the tying run in the seventh inning as Brooklyn rallied past Lowell 4-3 to win the New York-Penn League championship. Mangum, a 2019 draftee of the New York Mets, batted .247 with 18 RBIs and 29 runs in 53 games for the short season Class A Cyclones.

09 Aug

right choice

Right field in San Diego now belongs to Hunter Renfroe. With the trade of Franmil Reyes on July 31, the Padres committed to Renfroe, the former Mississippi State star from Crystal Springs, as their regular in right. Before Reyes’ departure, Renfroe had played more left field this season and wasn’t an everyday starter. Now in his fourth MLB season, the 27-year-old Renfroe has the kind of power in his bat and arm that you’d want in a right fielder. The monstrous Reyes, shipped off to Cleveland, can slug with anyone but is a weak defender. It would seem the Padres made the smart choice. And Renfroe seemed to justify their faith in him by hitting his 30th home run of the season on Aug. 1 against Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Renfroe hasn’t homered – or driven in a run – in six games since. He’s hit .185 this month and is at .233 for the year. He also has 110 strikeouts in 105 games, which is a lot (though less than Javy Baez, Ronald Acuna, Pete Alonso and some other All-Star types). Renfroe is just one of those players for whom the pursuit of more consistent contact is eternal. But if he belts 40 homers a year and makes some plays in right field, the Padres likely can live with that.