Padres Press Clips Tuesday, February 21, 2017

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Clemens slated to start Cactus opener MLB.com Cassavell 2

Maton emerging as option MLB.com Cassavell 3

Luis Sardinas looks to take next step at shortstop UT San Diego Lin 5

After frenetic offseason, Tyrell Jenkins settling UT San Diego Lin 8 in with Padres

San Diego Padres: Jered Weaver Brings FOX Sports Moore 10 No. 27 to New Club

San Diego investment group unveils new CBS8.com Staff Report 11 Qualcomm stadium proposal

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Clemens slated to start Cactus opener

BY: A.J. CASSAVELL

MLB.com

February 20th, 2017

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Paul Clemens will get the first chance to state his case in the Padres' wide-open race for starting rotation spots.

The 29-year-old right-hander -- one of about 11 starting fighting for a roster spot -- has been tabbed for San Diego's Cactus League opener Saturday against Seattle.

Clemens posted a 4.04 ERA in 18 appearances last season, including a 3.67 mark after being claimed by the Padres last June.

"He finished [last season] very well," said Padres Andy Green. "I thought his first live BP was outstanding two days ago. His curveball looks as good as it ever has.

"If he stays in it mentally, if he does everything leading up to the game correctly, he's got more than enough stuff to pitch successfully at the Major League level."

Clemens added 12-13 pounds of muscle during the offseason, Green said. That bulk could be useful for Clemens, who often looked sharp early in games before coming unraveled late.

His curveball will also be critical. Opponents batted just .189 against the pitch last season and .297 against everything else. The Padres would like to see Clemens get his curveball usage up to about 40 percent, though he hasn't always been able to hit the strike zone with the pitch.

Urias will get time at shortstop

Luis Urias, one of the Padres' fastest-rising prospects and the reigning California League MVP, will see time at shortstop this spring.

Urias, 19, spent the majority of last season at second base while hitting .333/.404/.446 for Class A Lake Elsinore and Triple-A El Paso. Questions have arisen about whether he has enough range to play shortstop, and the Padres intend to find the answer.

"We all feel really good about how he defends second base," Green said. "He's a smart guy, plays the game in a hard-nosed fashion. Now it's really about how much versatility does he bring to the table? If we're able to slot him in at short, it's very valuable to us long-term."

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In Cactus League play, don't expect to see much of Urias at short, where the Padres will be focused on a positional battle between Luis Sardinas and Erick Aybar. But Urias likely will see time there in the latter innings and during back-field games and workouts.

"The way our roster is broken down, we've got a lot of options at second and at third, down the line," Green said. "At the upper levels, [we have] minimal options at shortstop right now, so we're eager to see what he brings to the table."

News and notes

Left fielder Alex Dickerson is battling a stiff back and was held out of workouts Monday. Green said he doesn't expect the ailment to linger long-term, but it could force Dickerson to miss a few days.

The lefty slugger is coming off a rookie season in which he batted .257/.333/.455 with 10 homers in 253 at-bats. He burst onto the scene with an impressive July but was hampered by a hip injury later in the season after a warning-track collision.

The Padres are holding a 32-player ping pong tournament, playing one game per day for the remainder of camp with matchups drawn at random. In Monday's opening game, new acquisition Jered Weaver bested Wil Myers to advance to the round of 16. In college and for 10 of 11 seasons in the majors, Jered Weaver wore No. 36, same as his older Maton emerging as bullpen option

BY: A.J. CASSAVELL

MLB.com

February 20th, 2017

PEORIA, Ariz. -- It was the easiest job Austin Hedges ever had.

Phil Maton, promoted for Triple-A El Paso's title push, was handed the role in September. And Hedges knew exactly what to ask for: . High-spin, four-seam fastballs -- in every count.

"I probably called two offspeed pitches," Hedges said of Maton's month-long stint at Triple-A.

"It definitely wasn't more than five," Maton concurred. "Two sounds about right."

The plan worked to perfection. Maton's dominance -- and there's no better word to describe his two professional seasons -- continued in Triple-A. Including the playoffs, Maton threw 10 1/3 innings, allowing four hits and one , while striking out 17 batters.

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Now, less than two years after being drafted, Maton is in Major League camp. His elite makes him a breakout candidate in 2017.

"The biggest thing I learned over the course of the year was not really try to change, even as I was going up the levels," Maton said. "What I was doing was working. Don't try to become a different as I climb up the ladder."

Maton has climbed that ladder quickly, in large part because of his seemingly innocuous lower- 90s fastball. He throws the pitch up in the zone and consistently misses bats. According to the

Padres, his spin rate hovers around 2,500 rpms; that would put him in the top five percent of big league fastballs, alongside Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer.

"You have a tendency to go over as a and tell him to get the ball down," said bullpen coach Doug Bochtler. "No, that's not how it works with this guy. He throws high heaters right by guys.

Super-elite spin rate, and it's good stuff. What a find. This kid was a 20th-round Draft pick a year ago, and here you are in big league camp."

All thirty teams passed on Maton coming out of high school. They passed again when he was a junior at Louisiana Tech. During his senior year, the Padres scouted one of his starts and Maton floundered. He allowed a home run to the first batter and didn't crack 88 mph.

But the Padres invited Maton to their Draft workout in Houston anyway. He was noticeably better there and impressed enough to be taken with the 597th overall pick in 2015

It didn't take long for Maton to outperform that number. In 61 Minor League appearances, he has a 1.60 ERA and an absurd 136 to 16 walks

The success is largely due to a tweak in his pitch selection. At Louisiana Tech, Maton was asked to make half his pitches offspeed. The Padres, meanwhile, encouraged the fastball.

And Mark Prior, the organization's pitching coordinator, encouraged Maton to work at the top of the zone from Day One.

"They had confidence in me to pitch up the zone," said Maton, who is also working to incorporate a cutter and a breaking ball. "That's usually looked at as dangerous. It was nice to have that."

Ryan Buchter, who has almost exactly the same arsenal, broke out last season when the Padres told him to ride the fastball. In fact, manager Andy Green went so far as to say Maton is "like the right-handed version of Ryan Buchter."

With only three bullpen spots available, Maton is a bit of a long shot. But he was a long shot to reach this point in the first place.

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"The biggest thing coming into pro ball was just that I trusted what I had," Maton said. "I wasn't trying to fit into this mold of what I needed to be. I just trusted my stuff."

So did the Padres, and they could soon be rewarded. Luis Sardinas looks to take next step at shortstop

BY: DENNIS LIN

San Diego Union Tribune

February 20th, 2017

Heeding a team directive, Padres shortstop Luis Sardinas broke from personal tradition this offseason by passing on playing winter ball in his native Venezuela. Yet he still managed to have an eventful run-up to spring training.

Sardinas got married, packed on some muscle and honed his agility. With the weekend’s rain giving way to sunshine Monday in Arizona, the Padres finally were able to go through a complete, full-squad workout. Soon, they should be able to determine if Sardinas has matured both off and on the field.

The 23-year-old showed promise after being traded from Seattle in August. Now, he’s in camp trying to prove he can be a longer-term solution at a perennially troublesome position for the Padres.

“I think, from an agility standpoint, it’s important that I really focus on moving side to side and increasing my range, both to the middle of the field and to my right,” Sardinas said through an interpreter. “Also, just getting stronger, just adding a little bit of weight and adding some strength.”

After arriving in San Diego last summer, Sardinas hit .287 with a .353 on-base percentage in 120 plate appearances. His performance in the field was more mixed.

“I thought he had very good at-bats for us last year,” Padres manager Andy Green said. “The things that we wanted him to work on defensively, we kind of gave him a charge in the offseason and sent him on a mission to go work on them.

“It was agility, quick-burst movements, foot speed, just reaction time to the baseball. Those were areas of improvement identified for him at the end of last year.”

Sardinas realizes that his desired role also requires more vocalness. More than once, Green has pointed to an Oct. 1 loss at Chase Field, where a lack of communication in the Padres’ infield was partly to blame for six steals by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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“Even right now, that’s something I’m thinking about and working on,” Sardinas said Monday morning. “I’ve always been someone who just goes and plays and just does my thing. But especially as I get to know these guys, feel comfortable around them as I have, now there’s that energy to where I can go out and talk and we can all communicate. Just having that energy raised a little bit.”

The Padres’ other primary candidate to start at shortstop is Erick Aybar, an 11-year veteran who signed a minor league deal this month.

“I think it’s going to be an open competition for that spot,” Green said. “Whoever’s ahead right now, it really doesn’t matter that much to me.”

Green said Monday that the youngest player in camp also will see time at short during the spring. Luis Urias, a 19-year-old who has spent most of his brief career at second base, is expected to begin the upcoming season with Double-A San Antonio.

“Luis Urias, to me, is a guy I want to watch very closely,” Green said. “I’ve been very, very impressed watching him. I want to see him at shortstop. I don’t know how much in the Cactus League I’ll get to see him at short. I want to see him in work at shortstop to see if he’s capable of handling that.”

Widely regarded as a top-10 prospect in the organization, Urias was one of the low minors’ most advanced hitters last season. He won the California League MVP award after batting .330 for High Single-A Lake Elsinore. He started 77 games at second, 19 at short and 14 at third.

Urias was originally signed out of Mexico as a shortstop.

“I know we all feel really good about how he defends second base,” Green said. “Now it’s really about how much versatility does he bring to the table. If we’re able to slot him in at short, it’s very valuable to us, long-term.

“There’s a lot of guys in our organization who believe he can play shortstop. … The way our roster is broken down, we’ve got a lot of options at second and at third, down the line. At the upper levels, minimal options at shortstop right now. So we’re eager to see what he brings to the table.”

New hires

The Padres have hired former reliever Akinori Otsuka as Triple-A El Paso’s new bullpen coach and Seiichiro Nakagaki as director of applied sports science. Both positions are newly created.

Otsuka, who pitched for the Padres from 2004-05, showed up in uniform for Monday’s workout and helped out with various drills. At one point, he busied himself shagging fly balls during batting practice. He was not immediately available for comment.

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Otsuka will assist El Paso pitching coach Bronswell Patrick; the Padres expect to have several talented relief prospects at the affiliate in 2017.

General Manager A.J. Preller and Nakagaki both worked for the in 2012, when Nakagaki served as the personal trainer for Japanese ace Yu Darvish.

Preller said Nakagaki, who had been a trainer for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, will help oversee strength and conditioning for the Padres. Nakagaki studied at the University of Tsukuba in Japan and, later, at the University of Utah.

“He’s going to be around looking at our minor league programs and around the big leagues a little bit too, which is more so looking at our programs to see if there’s things that we can add from the outside to what we’re currently doing, to see if we can improve,” Preller said. “He’s been the strength guy for the Nippon-Ham Fighters for a long time. He’s coming from one of the best organizations in Japan. Both the strength and conditioning and training side of things, but his focus is going be on more of the strength side.”

In recent years, sports-science positions have become more prevalent throughout professional sports.

“I think other teams have attacked it with all different kinds of guys, in terms of guys that are more academics, guys that have come from other sports,” Preller said. “I think we looked at a position here where someone’s coming from baseball but maybe with a little different set of expertise.”

Notable

Right-hander Paul Clemens will start the Padres’ Cactus League opener Saturday against Seattle, Green said. Clemens, who posted a 3.67 ERA in 16 appearances (12 starts) for the Padres last season, is one of about eight pitchers competing for the final two spots in the rotation.

Left fielder Alex Dickerson did not participate in Monday’s workout because of a stiff back. “We don’t think it’s long-term,” Green said.

The Padres on Monday began a 32-player ping pong tournament in which one match will be played each day. In the opener, veteran newcomer Jered Weaver defeated All-Star first baseman Wil Myers.

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After frenetic offseason, Tyrell Jenkins settling in with Padres

BY: DENNIS LIN

San Diego Union Tribune

February 20th, 2017

In the routine-driven world of professional baseball, continuity is a coveted resource, a shortage of which can result in the loss of identity. Asked the most challenging part about being with four organizations in less than four weeks, Tyrell Jenkins revealed a knowing smirk.

“Changing my (Twitter) profile every time,” Jenkins said. “Having to explain to Mom what’s going on. I guess she thought I had a say in what was going on. I was like, Mom, I have nothing to do with this.”

Of the 69 players in the Padres’ major league camp, none followed a wilder route to Peoria than Jenkins. On Dec. 8, the young right-hander was traded from Atlanta to Texas. That was merely the beginning of a scrambled timeline.

On Dec. 21, the Rangers, needing to open a roster spot, designated Jenkins for assignment. On Dec. 23, Cincinnati claimed Jenkins off waivers from Texas.

“After about the second time I (switched organizations), I just stopped telling people,” Jenkins, 24, said. “I just told family, explained to them, ‘Hey, this is what happened.’ … It really got to the point where I couldn’t put up a post saying, ‘All right, guys, now I’m with this team. … Never mind, this team.’”

Not long after Christmas, the Reds became the next team to designate Jenkins for assignment. Only neither the pitcher nor his agent, Scott Boras, knew ahead of time. During what is typically a quiet period for baseball transactions, Cincinnati was attempting what Texas had tried, to sneak Jenkins through waivers and keep him in the organization.

Once again, the tactic failed; plenty remained intrigued by Jenkins’ talent, though no one had fully committed to providing immediate opportunity. On Jan. 3, Jenkins received a phone call from a Reds official, who informed him he’d been claimed by the Padres.

The false starts have since ceased.

“I’ve been ‘Padres’ for over a week,” Jenkins, describing his social-media status, said over the weekend. “I think all the other teams were under a week, but I guess I was trying to catch (Richie) Shaffer and (David) Rollins.”

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Shaffer, now a Cleveland infielder, changed organizations four times over the winter. Rollins, now a Chicago Cubs reliever, switched hands five times. In hindsight, Jenkins’ offseason could have been even more unsettling.

Jenkins certainly seems to have maintained an optimistic outlook. Being dealt by Atlanta, he noted, lifted him from a packed rotation. Not sticking with the Rangers, his childhood team — he grew up in Henderson, Texas — meant he wouldn’t have to contend with a barrage of distractions.

“I was excited, obviously, but just the calls and texts I got the first two days were pretty crazy,” Jenkins said. “...I knew it would’ve been tough to pitch there, kind of stay focused, try to get established.”

Last season, Jenkins made a less-than-satisfactory debut in the majors. Command problems shadowed his promotion; he posted a 5.88 ERA in 14 appearances (eight starts) for the Braves, walking more batters than he struck out.

He was shut down Sept. 30 with numbness in his right forearm. It turned out to be a blip. Then came his offseason whirlwind.

Jenkins now finds himself in a jumbled landscape. Monday’s signing of veteran right-hander Jered Weaver provided some clarity, but at least seven other pitchers are competing for the final two spots in the Padres’ rotation.

In a largely inexperienced group, Jenkins’ pedigree — Baseball America rated him a top-100 prospect before the 2012 season — and athleticism — Baylor University offered him a scholarship to play quarterback — could help him stand out. The Padres are seeking to coax that ability from his 6-foot-4 frame.

“I had a great conversation with him on the phone the first time I talked to him,” Padres manager Andy Green said. “The message to him was, ‘Hey, man, go back to being an athlete.’ His delivery, when he was finishing with the Braves last year, was very bottled up. It was an attempt to look a little bit like Clayton Kershaw, and he wasn’t pulling it off.

“We went back to athleticism on the mound. The guy is an unbelievable athlete. Just watching him throw briefly … I saw drastically different mechanics, and (he was) much more athletic. He’s got an opportunity to make this club. He’s got heavy sink, he’s low-spin (rate). ... He’s just going to have to sink the baseball, he’s got a good change-up, and he’ll continue to work on the offspeed.”

Now that the offseason, which threw him a few change-ups, is behind him, Jenkins has begun to settle down.

“They’ve made it very clear you don’t have to worry about trying to over-impress,” Jenkins said. “Just come out here and throw, and everything will take care of itself. That’s the biggest thing

9 that a guy that had an up-and-down year needs to hear, is ‘we’re behind you and want you to be you and not be someone else.’

“We’re a lot of young guys and a few veteran guys competing for the rotation. I think this is the perfect spot for me to be, having a chance to compete for a spot.”

San Diego Padres: Jered Weaver Brings No. 27 to New Club

BY: KEATON MOORE

FOX Sports/Call to the Pen

February 20th, 2017

Jared Weaver is donning a new jersey and new number this season with the San Diego Padres. With his transition to the National League where pitchers get to hit, he hopes changing to No. 27 will help him be like Mike Trout at the plate.

Following his deal with the San Diego Padres, Jared Weaver took advantage of changing teams to change his number. Given his impending increase of plate appearances in the National League, Weaver changed to No. 27 because he wants to hit like his former teammate and reigning AL MVP, Mike Trout.

“I figured I’ve got to hit [with the Padres],” Weaver said (per mlb.com). “I went Mike Trout on them, so maybe that’ll help with my hitting. The numbers were slim pickings. I texted Trout and asked him if it was OK, He said he couldn’t wait to see 27 on my back.”

In all of his 11 seasons in the major leagues, Weaver has worn an Angels uniform. The homegrown right-hander gave the Angels 150 victories and four 15-plus win seasons. His best came in 2012, where he went 20-5 with a 2.81 ERA and finished third in the AL voting. It was during that same season that Weaver connected for his most recent hit.

Throughout his career, Weaver averaged four plate appearances per season. As is the case for many pitchers, his dominance on the mound did not translate to the plate. Weaver only has four hits to his name, half of which came in back-to-back starts in 2010.

Although he might not be the poster child for bringing the designated hitter to the National League like Madison Bumgarner or Jake Arrieta, he could surprise his new team, in much the same way Bartolo Colon did last season. Whatever comes, Weaver picked the right person to emulate through the number of his back.

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The move to San Diego keeps him close to his hometown of Northridge, California, which is just an hour north of his former team in Anaheim. Signing with the Padres will add about an hour to that drive, depending on traffic.

While the decision to wear the number 27 is in honor to Mike Trout, a slew of MLB players that don the number are regarded as some of the best in baseball including Jose Altuve and Giancarlo Stanton, along with some very solid/formerly solid players like Jeurys Familia, Aaron Nola, Matt Kemp, Addison Russell, Trevor Story and Jordan Zimmermann.

San Diego investment group unveils new Qualcomm stadium proposal

BY: STAFF REPORT

CBS8.com

February 20th, 2017

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A new plan for the Qualcomm Stadium site in Mission Valley was unveiled Monday by a La Jolla investment group that's trying to lure a Major League Soccer team to San Diego.

The plan would be 100 percent privately funded without the use of taxpayer money and be acquired from the city at fair market value, according to the investors.

The plan calls for the site to be transformed into a new destination for San Diegans, providing a place to live, work, dine, shop, and attend sporting events in a new stadium, including professional soccer, college football, and concerts.

The group is led by local businessman Michael Stone, and includes former Qualcomm President Steve Altman, technology entrepreneurs Massih and Masood Tayebi, Padres owner and local investor Peter Seidler, and Univision Sports President Juan Carlos Rodriguez.

The plan's features include 55 acres of parkland, including an expanded San Diego River Park and six community recreation fields; a state-of-the-art stadium for professional soccer and collegiate football that could serve San Diego State, and also be the new home of high school football and soccer championship games; a sports and entertainment district with restaurants, shops, bars and live music; and a transit-oriented, mixed-use development that would include 3,520 market-rate residential units, 800 student-focused residential units and 480 affordable housing units.

The commercial area of the development would include 2.4 million square feet of office space, 740,000 square feet of commercial space, and two hotels with the potential for up to 450 rooms.

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"There is a large population of San Diego that loves soccer," Altman said. "With the sport's growing popularity here, especially among young people, we believe the people of San Diego will embrace a Major League Soccer team."

The group believes the proposed mixed-use development, combining transit- oriented housing near the city's largest Trolley station, with a sports and entertainment district, commercial and office space, will be appealing, especially to Millennials.

"This concept offers exciting opportunities for major league soccer, more parkland and Aztecs football without public subsidy. Now it's time to examine the plan in detail to make sure it makes sense for taxpayers," San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer said in a statement. "I look forward to reviewing the proposal presented to the public today, as well as the public discussion to come."

The group is proposing to secure the entire 166-acre site from the city at fair market value determined by independent appraisal. They have offered to jointly construct a combined soccer and football stadium with San Diego State University and gift their half of the stadium to the university -- making it the largest single gift ever received by SDSU.

SDSU issued a statement in response to inquiries on the FS Investors' stadium plan:

"We have reviewed the renderings and descriptions presented by FS Investors and we wish to clarify two critical issues: First, given the proposed density of development in the stadium area, there is no prospect for future expansion to 40,000 seats. Second, while the proposed gift of stadium ownership may convey tax advantages to FS Investors, it conveys no revenue or rights of ownership normally associated with a gift," the statement said. "We look forward to working with the mayor, the city council and the San Diego community to construct a mixed-use stadium that will serve the needs of SDSU's top 25 football program."

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