Padres Press Clips Friday, March 30, 2018
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Padres Press Clips Friday, March 30, 2018 Article Source Author Page The Padres' Opening Day loss featured an outfield tumble The Athletic Lin 3 and not enough rumble from their lineup A solid spring has the Padres, and a loaded system, The Athletic Lin 6 heading in the right direction Galvis ties it in ninth, but Padres fall in extras MLB.com Cassavell 10 Lucchesi to take Lamet's spot in Friars' rotation MLB.com Cassavell 13 Strong infield defense shows mettle in loss MLB.com Cassavell 16 What you need to know about the 2018 Padres MLB.com Cassavell 18 Hosmer deal marks turning point for Padres MLB.com Cassavell 20 Padres flash leather, not lumber as they fall to Brewers in opener SD Union Tribune Acee 23 Padres prospect Joey Lucchesi to make major league debut Friday SD Union Tribune Acee 27 Subtle impact of Eric Hosmer reveals itself, even on the SD Union Tribune Miller 30 tough days Green's confidence unwavering after Adam Cimber takes SD Union Tribune Sanders/Acee 33 loss in MLB debut Baseball's opening day a constant always worth celebrating SD Union Tribune Canepa 37 Fans appreciate safety aspect of Petco Park's extended SD Union Tribune Kenney 40 netting, but it changes game experience First pitch: Hunter Renfroe starts on bench SD Union Tribune Sanders 44 Padres go prospecting: Joey Lucchesi draws start on Friday Yahoo! Sports Behrens 47 Brewers’ Chacin makes start against Padres in Petco Park FSSD Stats 48 Padres lose home opener to Brewers in 12 innings FSSD Hovarth 50 San Diego Padres drop 2018 season opener to Brewers, AP Wilson 53 2-1 in extra innings Padres pitching prospect Joey Lucchesi set to make MLB debut AP AP 55 1 Andy’s Address, 3/29 Friar Wire Center 57 #PadresOnDeck: “Athlete” Describes CF Jeisson Rosario Friar Wire Center 62 2 The Padres' Opening Day loss featured an outfield tumble and not enough rumble from their lineup Dennis Lin, The Athletic SAN DIEGO — Wil Myers charged toward the ball as it rolled into his vicinity, his glove outstretched, his mind set on the next move. His backhand attempt looked ambitious. The visual turned unflattering when the right fielder tumbled to the ground. The ball continued skittering over turf. “I was just trying to do anything I could to throw that ball,” Myers said. “It was just too far to my right. Just tried to do whatever I could there.” It was not enough. Milwaukee’s Ji-Man Choi, who had taken off on contact, scored from second base. The Padres suffered an Opening Day defeat, 2-1 to the Brewers, that underscored the importance of sample size. At this juncture, there is little from which to draw conclusions. But, baseball being a sport with ample downtime, snap judgments abound. Myers, in his official reintroduction to right field at Petco Park, provided an easy subject. “He looks like it's his first time out there,” one scout commented during the game, before Myers’ 12th-inning spill. “Like he’s bored and then surprised a ball comes his way.” The Padres do not necessarily agree. Too, it was just one game. In the offseason, Myers expressed enthusiasm over a potential shift. He was more than willing to relinquish first base, the position he had declared his favorite, if Eric Hosmer landed in San Diego. Early in spring training, the idea became reality and Myers began shagging fly balls. Rival talent evaluators predicted he would acquit himself decently in a corner-outfield spot. Thursday, Myers succeeded in making a number of routine plays. On one, he fired an accurate throw to second base, though the ball hopped multiple times before it reached its target. Milwaukee’s Travis Shaw slid into the bag for a double. Myers’ recent lack of right-field experience has been taken into consideration. “I thought he was good out there,” manager Andy Green said. “I know he was trying to come through and make a throw on the play that was more right-center 3 than right field in the last inning. But he made every play out there. I thought he looked locked in. I thought it was a fine debut in the outfield.” Myers, one of the league’s most candid personalities, has acknowledged the challenge of returning to the outfield. He had not played right field regularly since 2014, and he enjoyed the chance to be involved in every infield play. The outfield, by comparison, can be dull. It is partly why Myers volunteered to play left field as well; an occasional deployment also could aid Green in determining the lineup. “It can get kind of boring just being in one spot a lot, especially being in the outfield, so I think any time I can move back and forth it will keep me engaged a little more, keep me excited,” Myers told The Athletic recently. “Like, right field today, left field tomorrow — that’s kind of cool.” Thursday, Myers sounded pleased with his effort in right. He likely will receive most of his opportunities there. He has just four career starts in left field and, as he noted, right-handed pull hitters tend to impart more topspin on the ball. He has more to learn in that corner. In right, he had completed his 151st career start. “A little nervous that first inning. Needed that first ball hit to me,” Myers said. “But I felt good, I felt pretty comfortable out there, and I liked where I was at. “Getting out there every day, figuring out the hitters and figuring out where to play, I think, is obviously going to help and just get readjusted out there.” Elsewhere Thursday, there were more familiar assignments. Third baseman Chase Headley pleased a sellout crowd by gloving a one-hopper and starting a double play. Shortstop Freddy Galvis started another double play, falling backward as he corralled a tough bounce and, in the same motion, flinging the ball to second baseman Carlos Asuaje. “That changed the complexion of the game,” said Padres left-hander Clayton Richard, who threw seven innings of one-run ball in his first Opening Day start. “If those two plays aren’t made, who knows where the game goes in the first two innings and maybe we’re not in it later in the game.” In December, the Padres acquired Galvis and reacquired Headley knowing what they could bring. Both veterans are steadying presences. Their influence might be most apparent on the infield dirt. The club can expect more of the defense they saw Thursday. Hosmer has won four Gold Gloves at first base. Asuaje, who turned the aforementioned double plays, represents a solid option at second. 4 What is less certain is what the Padres can expect from their lineup. They finished Thursday’s extra-inning loss with six hits, six walks and 15 strikeouts. A spring of impressive Cactus League numbers was quickly forgotten. A year ago, San Diego’s offense was the least productive in the majors. Improvement, given some new additions, is anticipated. This much, this early, is clear: The revamped infield will make for a more interesting product. More ambiguity surrounds other elements, from the offense to Myers’ reintroduction to the outfield. “Everybody knows that hits and homers can come,” Galvis said, “but the one important thing is to play defense every single day because it stops (the other team) from having a lot of runners. I think we did a good job today, and we just have to keep doing it.” 5 A solid spring has the Padres, and a loaded system, heading in the right direction Dennis Lin ,The Athletic A new season has dawned in San Diego. The scenery has shifted from the land of a thousand chain restaurants to the splendor of Petco Park. Meanwhile, impressions from spring training will linger a while longer. San Diego’s Opening Day roster contains two side-arming relievers, three catchers, two left-handed hitting second basemen and five right-handed hitting outfielders. How did the Padres arrive here? Where are they going? These are good questions, particularly for a team approaching the latter stages of a rebuild. With an eye toward the season ahead, here are seven observations from the spring: 1. The Padres’ increasing organizational depth manifested itself in bona fide competition for several major-league jobs. More important, it showed on a four- field cloverleaf bustling with minor leaguers who could eventually seize those jobs. To scouts and baseball purists, the backfields of Peoria, Ariz., were hopping. General manager A.J. Preller often summarizes developmental timelines thusly: “The good ones come quick.” That statement will be tested before long. The farm system is filled with potential good ones, headlined by shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. and left-hander MacKenzie Gore; talent evaluators can see both 19-year-olds playing in the majors before their 21st birthdays. Preller would not win a league-wide popularity contest. Some rival officials grumble about his lavish spending on amateur acquisitions, wondering what they could’ve done with, say, $78 million on the international market. Others question where the big-league Padres might be if Preller hadn’t disassembled a well- regarded system a few winters ago. But most will grant him the following: The Padres have collected an unprecedented base of young talent. Preller can really evaluate, and he’s clearly swayed ownership to his vision. The Padres possess the sheer numbers to make a highest-level push sooner than later. They remain long shots this year, but 2019 could produce a different story.