Spring Training thread

[JayDawg27]

If he's an athlete, then yes. i mean the guys probably been playing the game his whole life, and tremendously atheltic and will learn how to play the position just fine. It's not like asking Sammy Sosa to play third or something like that.

[padrefanforever]

Jaydawg.......

From what I got to see while in AZ......He's a much better OFer than anyone is giving credit for......good jumps, good range, decent speed, caught everything hit to him, and good arm......consider how far he's come and how fast, and he should be just fine if not on the side of good soon.

He needs to work on his throwing more than anything.......IMO that's easy to do and is very much about repitition

From another thread jawdawg

All I can tell you is what I saw this week watching him play LF while I was in Peoria.......aside from what we already know, and that's that this kid can flat out rake........I was pleasantly surprised at how well he fielded the position after everything negative that I've heard. While he's nowhere near polished yet, considering he's only got less than a month out there, IMO he's showing that he will have no problem transferring his athletic defensive abilities in a short time. He was a plus defender at 3rd, and I really expect close to that in the near future from him in the OF. I would suggest that he alread gets almost as good a jump and read on the ball as most LFer's, has shown better range than anyone thought he'd have.......his one weakness that stood out to me was throwing the ball.......but that's something that will/should come with repetition.....his arm strength is nolonger a question for me either.

I'm not trying to suggest we're going to see GG's in LF, but I'd say that he's not far behind Tony Gywnn as a fielder when he came up, and look where hard work and dedication got him.

Just saying I believe the tools are there for him to become a very very good overall LFer on both sides of the ball.

[padrefanforever]

Anyone interested in seeing some pics from Spring Training this year can visit my blog site I set up......seemed the easiest way to share information with everyone......

Planet Padres

[JayDawg27]

Cool blog bro.

[padrefanforever]

TY sir.... I'll try to keep it up to date with some things.....pics etc.......the rest I just try to drag in places like this.....

[love_that_reefer]

Clay Hensley threw from a mound Thursday for the first time since undergoing labrum surgery in September.

"I'm really excited," Hensley said. "This is the best I've felt since August of 2006. We got over the hump of throwing with no pain a couple of weeks ago. I know it's fixed now." Hensley threw 30 pitches and is hoping to return as soon as mid-April.

A mid-April return and he just threw off a mound for the first time yesterday? Seems like the best case scenario. Good that he is feeling good though. I feel my next surgery will be on my labrum

[padrefanforever]

It seems that it's more about arm strength than anything with Clay.....so a mid April return is possible...I don't think anyone is worried that his surgically repair arm will have problems again......unless he does too much too soon......which he isn't......

I'm guessing May 1st he's ready to go for the Pads if needed, and has a couple Portland starts under his belt. Prior looks and sounds great......his arm slot is said to be back where it should be, his strength is coming back, his velocity should follow, his head is right ( that's huge IMO ).....good things for us there I think/hope.....

[padrefanforever]

Did anyone else see Headley range over on a single to LF, and then threw a strike home to nail a runner at the plate.

QUESTION ANSWERED ABOUT HIS DEFENSE !!

[love_that_reefer]

One play doesn't answer anything but does show he might be going in the right direction.

Padres released outfielder Jeff DaVanon and first baseman Robert Fick.
DaVanon still hasn't disapled any power since shoulder surgery, so the Padres chose to cut him despite a .450 OBP in 31 at-bats. This clears the way for either Chase Headley or Paul McAnulty to make the team. It would also seem to make it more likely that they'll carry Rule-5 pick Callix Crabbe.

[HollywoodLeo]

Nice

[realmofotalk]

They have to also carry that scrub Guevara on the 25-man roster.

[HollywoodLeo]

They can always just not do that and let him fall to waivers. (or wherever the rule 5 guys go when the team that drafts them doesn't keep them on the roster)

I don't see them giving up on a rule 5 guy that quickly, though.

Not unless he's having a horrible spring, which I honestly don't know if he is or isn't.

[realmofotalk]

Unless they hire someone to take out his knee, he must be kept on the 25-man roster for the whole season or he goes back to Cincy and then it's up to SD to decide whether or not to work out a trade with Cincy to keep him in the minors.

[HollywoodLeo]

That's pretty much what I was saying, that they can always just let him go back to Cincy if they don't feel he's worthy of a roster spot.

(Except I forgot that that's what happens when you don't give the Rule V guy a spot. I just knew they couldn't keep him.)

[padrefanforever]

Guevara is a scrubb ?