Padres Press Clips Friday, April 27, 2018

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Franchy Cordero's potential is a struggle of power, patience SD Union Tribune Acee 2

Javy Guerra hits 5th homer in El Paso loss SD Union Tribune Sanders 6

NL West closers: Hand holding down ninth MLB.com Gilbert 8

Minor League Matters: Rising prospects generating The Athletic Waldon/ Lockard 9 buzz at the -Advanced level

Mets’ deGrom looks to continue mastery of Padres FOX Sports Stats 10

Happening Homestand Report: April 27–29 FriarWire Lafferty 12

This Day in Padres History — April 27 FriarWire Center 14

#PadresOnDeck: RHPs Scholtens, Cosgrove Sharp; Two FriarWire Center 15 Hits apiece for Naylor, Ornelas, Rosario

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Franchy Cordero's potential is a struggle of power, patience

Kevin Acee

In fascinating, frustrating spurts, the 23-year-old who looks like an outside linebacker and in another life, born in a different country, might be having his name called in this week’s NFL Draft, has shown signs he is capable of being a baseball star.

Franchy Cordero’s journey to being that player involves developing selectivity and discernment. That is not easy. It might not be quick. It is, as we are seeing, like breaking a magnificent young colt.

The process of making talent tangible requires forbearance — from Cordero and everyone watching.

But the payoff with this particular talent could be like nothing seen in these parts for some time, because when Cordero hits a baseball, well ...

“It’s insane how hard he hits a baseball,” Padres manager said.

More on that later, which seems appropriate in this case, since patience is required to get to the really good stuff with Cordero.

First, the speed bumps in the way, which we watch while we wait.

One of the exasperating Cordero at-bats, this one a newish phenomenon, came in the third inning of Wednesday’s loss in Colorado.

Cordero came to the plate and watched two balls from Rockies pitcher Jon Gray go by. Gray’s third pitch was a fastball down the middle of the plate that Cordero also watched. Honestly, the pitch was so ripe and Cordero has so ripped a number like it that you could practically feel the rest of the oxygen in Denver’s thin air sucked from the Padres dugout.

Cordero would end the at-bat flailing at a third strike.

In plate appearance after plate appearance, and in this one in particular, we see the evolution of the Padres’ most physically gifted player. 2

He’s been a wild swinger. His attempt at remediation has been evident, and he takes pride in that process. But the fact is that more than a few times up he has in his earnestness taken the bat out of his own hands.

“We want him swinging at the strikes,” Green said. “He’s working through that. The one thing you see with him is an obvious attempt to adjust to the big league level. … Whether he was being too disciplined or not — you definitely want him cutting his swing loose on pitches he can hit.”

Cordero struck out twice Wednesday after striking out all four times he was up Tuesday.

As is often the ebb and flow of a young player, those two games followed a night in which Cordero hit a two- homer in the seventh inning that traveled 465 feet and a line out to center field that was measured as the hardest ball hit by a Padres player since such things were measured.

In the two games before that, he was 3-for-8 with a and a 489-foot that was the longest home run hit by a Padres player since such things were measured.

Since being activated off the disabled list April 11, Cordero has four home runs, 21 and a .220/.264/.480 hitting line in 54 plate appearances. He has two hits in three games. He has struck out three or four times in three games.

The spikes and dips seem more spectacular in Cordero’s case, because that’s what unrefined talent often yields — the spectacular and the stark example of how much improvement is needed.

As with much with the Padres this season, patience is required.

It can be difficult, given the upside that flashes before our eyes — the raw muscle and the way it fires, the explosive speed.

“He’s toolsier than anybody here,” Green said. “… It’s an electric tool set that very few guys have in the game. He can fly. He’s got power.”

How that power has manifest is almost as much a sight to behold as the balls that rocket off his bat. 3

Chase Headley, who spent a while last year in New York watching the Aaron Judgephenomenon, marveled at the grace in Cordero’s strength.

“It’s real easy,” Headley said. “It’s a pretty swing.”

Said bench coach Mark McGwire: “He has one of the most day-to-day consistent swings on our ballclub.”

Hunter Renfroe is the only player to ever launch a ball to the top of the Western Metal Supply building at . Hitting from the left side, Cordero almost certainly won’t be able to manage that.

“But he’ll put it in the second deck in right field,” Renfroe said. “That would be just as impressive. I’ve never even seen anybody do that in BP.”

Of Cordero’s 11 hits this year, 10 have been 95 mph or harder. Those are just the hits.

Among players with at least 50 plate appearances, Cordero’s percentage of balls struck hard is 56.2, third-highest in the majors behind J.D. Martinez (63) and (60.5).

The rope Cordero sent to the side of the scoreboard at Arizona’s Chase Field on Friday night was clocked at 116.3 mph by StatCast, the hardest hit by a Padres player since those measurements began in 2015.

Then Cordero hit one harder Monday, 116.5 mph on a line out to Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon.

Then Cordero hit one harder Wednesday, a grounder that got on Rockies DJ LeMahieu at 116.8 mph.

Entering play Thursday, just six major leaguers have hit a ball harder this season, tops being Giancarlo Stanton’s 117.9 mph.

Stanton has stung five of the 30 hardest-hit balls in the majors this year. The only other player with that many that hard is Cordero.

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“He’s a big strong, kid,” Blackmon said. “That’s a tool that everybody wants. Everybody wants to be able to have the power tool. … Now we’ll just see how it develops. It doesn’t mean you’ve made it. It just means you have the makings.”

Blackmon asked some questions about Cordero, reiterated how strong and athletic “the kid” is and then said, almost hopefully, “He’ll figure it out.”

The Padres certainly hope so. Cordero is working on it.

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Javy Guerra hits 5th homer in El Paso loss

Jeff Sanders

Javy Guerra is enjoying his stay in the hitter-friendly .

The 22-year-old hit his fifth homer of the season, continuing a strong start to the season in -A El Paso’s 6-5 loss on Thursday to visiting Salt Lake. With the loss, El Paso’s eight-game win streak was snapped.

Acquired in the deal, Guerra remains on the Padres’ 40-man roster despite posting a .589 OPS in 2016 in the and a .615 OPS the next year as he repeated the Cal League and moved on to Double-A San Antonio.

Guerra fanned 300 times in 233 games over those two seasons.

This year, Guerra has struck out 29 times in 22 games after fanning in the three at-bats on Thursday that didn’t result in the home run.

Guerra’s five home runs are more than half the nine he hit each of the previous two years in the Padres system.

He is hitting .284 with a .941 OPS.

Right fielder Franmil Reyes (.274) doubled in three runs and center fielder Travis Jankowski (.338) and Shane Peterson (.265) each had two hits.

Right-hander Kyle Lloyd (2-1, 7.52) struck out six but allowed six runs on 11 hits in 5 1/3 innings in the loss for El Paso (15-6).

Right-handers Trey Wingenter (9.00), Tyler Webb (2.25) and T.J. Weir (5.91) combined for 3 2/3 scoreless innings to close the game.

DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (11-9)

• Frisco 3, Missions 1: SS Fernando Tatis Jr. (.179) piled up three more strikeouts in an 0-for-4 effort, giving him 31 through his first 20 games. 1B Josh Naylor (.377) went 2-for-4 and 2B River Stevens (.250) drove in the only run on his first homer 6

of the season. RHP Jesse Scholtens (2.35) struck out 10 and allowed a run in six innings before LHP Brad Wieck (0-2, 4.50) allowed two runs in the ninth. LHP Matt Strahm (2.61) struck out two over two scoreless innings.

LOW SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (8-13)

• TinCaps 4, Great Lakes 1: LHP Tom Cosgrove (1-2, 5.94) struck out six over six shutout innings for the win and RHP Jared Carkuff (1.23) allowed a run over the final three innings for his first . CF Jeisson Rosario (.298) went 2-for-4 with a triple and a run scored and RF Tirso Ornelas (.294) went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

Transaction

• INF Allen Craig was reinstated from Triple-A El Paso’s seven-day disabled list. The 33-year-old is hitting .270/.317/.405 with one homer and five RBIs in 10 games with the Chihuahuas.

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NL West closers: Hand holding down ninth

What's working, what's not and who's waiting in the wings?

National League West teams have taken different approaches to how much they invest in their closer.

You have the Dodgers and the Rockies, who have invested a lot of money in the position. Los Angeles re-signed Kenley Jansen before last season to a five-year, $80 million deal, just $6 million shy of Aroldis Chapman's record deal for a closer. Meanwhile, Colorado signed Wade Davis prior to this season to a three-year, $52 million deal, which set a record for highest average annual value for a closer.

You also have the Padres and the D-backs, who have done more bargain shopping for closers, with San Diego claiming lefty Brad Hand off waivers during the 2016 season and Arizona acquiring Brad Boxbergerand his $1.85 million salary from Tampa Bay during the offseason.

And then there are the Giants, who signed Mark Melancon to a four-year, $62 million contract prior to last season thinking they had secured the position, only to watch Melancon struggle and get hurt.

Here's a look at how the approaches have worked out and what the future holds:

Padres Who is the closer? Hand

How is it working out? Hand's season got off to a shaky start, when he blew a save against the Brewers on March 30 on Ryan Braun's three-run homer, then allowed three more runs to the Rockies in the ninth inning of a tie game on April 5. He's clearly back to his old self now. Hand has pitched 8 1/3 scoreless innings since. He's allowed just three hits in that span, while striking out 14.r. 20th, 2018

How secure is he? As long as he's a Padre, Hand is going to be the closer in San Diego. That said, he's almost certain to draw interest at the non-waiver Trade Deadline, as he has intermittently over the past two years.

Who's next in line? If something were to happen with Hand, Kirby Yates would most likely be the guy to take over. Yates, like Hand, was a waiver claim who has flourished since arriving in San Diego.

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Minor League Matters: Rising prospects generating buzz at the Class A-Advanced level

Emily Waldon and Melissa Lockard, The Athletic

In our third edition of Minor League Matters, we continue our tour of full-season minor league levels with a look at the Class A-Advanced leagues. Who are the prospects in the California, Carolina and Florida State Leagues who are generating early buzz this season? We highlight three from each league. All stats good through April 25.

RHP Reggie Lawson (Padres) Ht/Wt: 6-4, 205 lbs. B/T: R/R DOB: August 2, 1997 Season Stats: 2-0, 1.35 ERA, 20 IP, 15 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 24 K The Padres’ system is stacked, and Lawson may be one of their more underrated prospects. The big right-hander put up mediocre numbers as a 19-year-old in the Class A in 2017, but Lawson flashed enough potential with his three-pitch mix that the Padres weren’t afraid to challenge him with a difficult assignment in the California League. Thus far, Lawson has risen to that challenge. He has yet to allow more than one earned run in any of his four starts. Over his last two outings, he has allowed just six hits and two walks in 10 innings. Lawson has been generating groundballs at a solid clip and is getting plenty of hitters to chase his 93-96 mph fastball. In addition to the fastball, Lawson has a mid-70s curveball that generates plenty of swings-and-misses and a hard changeup that acts similarly to a split-fingered fastball, coming in at 87-88 mph with late downward movement. Lawson has a big frame with room to add muscle and he should be able to handle a significant workload as he matures physically. He is an excellent athlete who fields his position well and is able to repeat his delivery. Like many young pitchers, Lawson is still more of a thrower than a pitcher. If he is able to tighten up his command, Lawson could rise rapidly through the minors thanks to the quality of his stuff. The Padres won’t rush him out of the California League, but he could get a taste of Class AA by the end of his age-20 season.

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Mets’ deGrom looks to continue mastery of Padres

FOX Sports, Stats

SAN DIEGO — To paraphrase a cliche, Friday night’s matchup between starting pitcher Jacob deGrom and the San Diedo Padres‘ offense is akin to a rusty gate swinging in the path of a block wall.

The Padres are striking out at an alarming rate — 273 times in 26 games.

And they are striking out at a higher rate in their recent games — 37 times in a three- game series at Coors Field and 68 times during a 2-4 road trip to Arizona and Colorado.

San Diego returns home to Petco Park for a short three-game homestand. The first order of business for the Padres hitters is to put the ball in play against deGrom, who has 40 strikeouts in 32 innings over his first five starts this season.

DeGrom is 2-0 with a 2.53 ERA in his first five starts. Opposing hitters are batting .214 against deGrom. San Diego hitters, meanwhile, are hitting .221 on the season and averaging 3.8 runs per game.

DeGrom deserves to be 4-0. The Mets’ bullpen has blown the saves in deGrom’s past two starts, during which the right-hander has a 1.88 ERA.

DeGrom has already enjoyed success against the Padres and at Petco Park.

He has a 2-1 career record against San Diego with a 1.93 ERA in four starts. The Padres have a .188 career batting average against deGrom with a .220 on-base percentage. DeGrom has 27 strikeouts in 28 innings against San Diego.

And deGrom is also 2-1 at Petco Park with a 2.14 ERA in three starts.

Opposing batters are hitting .214 against deGrom this season. He has allowed 25 hits and eight walks.

Meanwhile, in addition to their .221 team batting average, the 9-17 Padres — even with two series at the hitting paradise of Coors Field under their belt — are reaching base only .29 percent of the time with a .362 for a 654 OPS.

San Diego’s offense should be bolstered by the return of Eric Hosmer. The has been away from the club for two days in Florida on emergency family Leave.

Facing deGrom on Friday night with be Padres left-handed starter Clayton Richard, who will be making his sixth start of the season.

Richard was an Opening Day starter for the first time of his career this season and responded by allowing one run on six hits over seven innings in his first start. 10

But he hasn’t gone farther than five innings since. Over his last four starts, Richard has given up 16 runs on 25 hits and 12 walks in 20 innings — an ERA of 7.20 and a WHIP of 1.85. Overall, Richard is 1-2 this season with a 5.67 ERA.

Richard has a 2-4 lifetime record against the Mets with a 4.41 ERA in eight starts. The Mets have a career .271 batting average against Richard.

Richard has had better success at Petco Park, where he has a 30-27 career record with a 3.30 ERA in 76 games (74 starts).

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Happening Homestand Report: April 27–29

CocktailFest, Padres hoodie giveaway, Friar Family Day

By Justin Lafferty

We’ve got a short 3-game homestand coming up this weekend, but it’s full of Petco Park fun.

Friday night is our CocktailFest celebration, all fans in attendance can snag a sweet 1998-themed Padres hoodie on Saturday and Sunday is a day for families. The Padres play host to the New York Mets before heading back on the road Monday for a series against the NL West rival San Francisco Giants.

Friday, April 27 — Padres vs. Mets @ 7:10 p.m.

Park at the Park gates open: 4:30 p.m. | Padres batting practice: 4:30–5:30 p.m.

Every Friday, we host our popular Party in the Park. This time, it’s our CocktailFest, presented by Southwest Airlines. The party starts at 4:30 p.m., when Park at the Park gates open, and features live entertainment. There will be Cutwater Spirit canned cocktails available for $5 and specialty cocktails for $10 (exclusively with Friar Funds).

We’ve also teamed up with San Diego Pride again for our annual OUT at the Park event. Those who purchased a special theme game ticket will receive a themed hat and a seat in the designated OUT at the Park section, as well as access to the pregame LGBTQ Friends and Family VIP space at Park at the Park.

The San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus, the San Diego Women’s Chorus, San Diego Pride and Padres staff will perform the National Anthem, joined by former Padre Billy Bean — MLB’s Vice President for Social Responsibility and Inclusion.

Officer Steven Gonzalez of the San Diego Police Officers Association will ring the Ceremonial Mission Bell.

First baseman Eric Hosmer will receive his newest hardware during a pre-game ceremony: his fourth career Gold Glove award.

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Saturday, April 28 — Padres vs. Mets @ 5:40 p.m.

Park at the Park gates open: 3:00 p.m. | Padres batting practice: 3:00–4:00 p.m.

A major theme in our giveaways this season is the 1998 champion team. All fans who attend Saturday’s game can take home a pinstriped Padres hoodie.

Hoodies will be available in youth large, adult medium, XL and 2XL. There will be exchange stations set up at Park at the Park as well as Park Blvd. and Home Plate gates. We strongly advise people to arrive early for this game to get their desired size. Sizes are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

This is our annual Faith and Family Night, as fans who purchase a special theme game ticket will have access to a postgame Q&A with Padres players, as they share their testimonies, and a concert featuring Jordan Feliz. The concert’s opener, Bianca, will perform the National Anthem.

Saturday is also Noche de Béisbol at Petco Park. Three Liga Municipal de Tijuana youth teams will be honored during a pregame ceremony.

The pregame ceremony will also recognize cancer survivors, as part of the Padres Pedal the Cause program. Representatives from the Padres and Padres Pedal The Cause will display a $2.4 million check — the amount raised for local cancer research during the 2017 event.

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This Day in Padres History — April 27 By Bill Center April 27, 1969 — Ed Spiezio caps a four-hit game with a walk-off single in the bottom of the 13th to give the Padres a 10–9, 13-inning victory over Cincinnati at San Diego Stadium. It is the first, walk-off win in franchise history.

April 27, 1982 — The Padres defeat the New York Mets 8–5 at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium. It is the Padres’ 11th straight win, which is a franchise record at the time and still tied for the second-longest winning streak in Padres’ history.

April 27, 1986 — Left-handed starter Dave Dravecky holds the Giants to two earned runs (four total) on five hits and three walks with four strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings as the Padres win 6–4 at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium. It is Dravecky’s last start in April. He finishes the month with a 0.75 for five starts, still the lowest ERA by any Padres starter for a full month while making at least three starts. goes 3-for- 4 with two homers and three RBIs.

April 27, 1995 — The Padres get 21 hits in a 13–1 victory over Houston at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium. Bip Roberts has four hits and Eddie Williamsthree. Tony Gwynn homers as one of five Padres with two hits.

April 27, 2004 — Right-handed pitchers Ismael Valdez and Trevor Hoffmancombine on a four-hit shutout as the Padres score a 3–0 win over Montreal at Petco Park.

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#PadresOnDeck: RHPs Scholtens, Cosgrove Sharp; Two Hits apiece for Naylor, Ornelas, Rosario By Bill Center

Right-handed starting pitchers Jesse Scholtens and Tom Cosgrove turned in strong starts Thursday while 18-year-old Top-30 prospects Tirso Ornelas and Jeisson Rosario had two hits apiece for Single-A Fort Wayne.

Scholtens, 24, the Padres’ ninth-round pick in the 2016 draft out of Wright State University, allowed one run on three hits and two walks with 10 strikeouts in six innings for Double-A San Antonio to lower his earned run average to 2.35.

Cosgrove, 21, the Padres’ 12th-round pick last June out of Manhattan College, allowed five hits and two walks with six strikeouts over six innings for Fort Wayne. He is 1–2 on the season with a 5.94 ERA.

Ornelas, the Tijuana native who is rated as the Padres’ 14th-best prospect by MLB Pipeline, was 2-for-4 with a RBI and a run scored to raise his batting average to .284 for the TinCaps.

Rosario, the Padres’ №18 prospect, was 2-for-4 with a triple and a run scored to raise his batting average to .298.

Around the Farm:

TRIPLE-A EL PASO (15–6): Salt Lake 6, CHIHUAHUAS 5 — CF Travis Jankowski (.338) was 2-for-4 with a run scored as El Paso’s eight-game winning streak ended. LF Shane Peterson (.265) was 2-for-4 with a RBI. C Brett Nicholas (.353) was 1-for-2 with two walks and a run scored. RF Franmil Reyes (.274) had a double with three RBIs in four at-bats. SS Javy Guerra (.284) had a home run in four at-bats. Starting RHP Kyle Lloyd (2–1, 7.52 ERA) allowed six runs on 11 hits with six strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings. RHP Trey Wingenter (9.00) pitched 1 2/3 perfect innings. LHP Tyler Webb(2.25) had a in a perfect inning. RHP T.J. Weir (5.91) allowed two hits with a strikeout in a scoreless inning.

DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (11–9): Frisco 3, MISSIONS 1 — Rehabbing LHP Matt Strahm (2.61 ERA) followed Scholtens and allowed a hit with two strikeouts in two scoreless innings. LHP Brad Wieck (0–2, 4.50) allowed two runs on two hits and a walk with two strikeouts in an inning to suffer the loss. 1B Josh Naylor (.377) was 2-for-4. 2B River Stevens (.250) had a homer in three at-bats with a walk. RF Auston Bousfield (.263) had a double in three at-bats. 15

ADVANCED SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (9–12): The Storm had Thursday off.

SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (8–13): TinCaps 4, GREAT LAKES 1 — RHP Jared Carkuff (1.23 ERA) followed Cosgrove and allowed a run on two hits and a walk with three strikeouts in three innings to gain his first save. C Juan Fernandez (.250) had a double in four at-bats with a run scored to back Ornelas and Rosario. 3B Esteury Ruiz (.246) was 0-for-4 with a RBI and a run scored. 1B Jalen Washington (.188) had a double in two at-bats with two walks.

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