Padres Press Clips Wednesday, January 24, 2018

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Hall of Fame's 2018 class could be largest since inaugural SD Union Tribune Kenney 2 class 82 years ago

Padres roster review: Jose Torres SD Union Tribune Sanders 5

Former Padres Bob Barton dies SD Union Tribune Sanders 7

Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. ranked No. 3 in ESPN's top-100 SD Union Tribune Sanders 8

Hoffman hoping for good news from Hall MLB.com Cassavell 10

Tatis named No. 2 prospect in MLB MLB.com Cassavell 12

Headley heads competition at third for Padres MLB.com Cassavell 13

Third Time Should be the Charm for and FriarWire Center 15 Hall of Fame

Burgos Wins Puerto Rican Title FriarWire Center 18

Sorry, — is a good sports city, SD Union Tribune Krasovic 20 if you widen your view

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Hall of Fame's 2018 class could be largest since inaugural class 82 years ago Kirk Kenney In 1936, members of the Writers Association of America were tasked with selecting major leaguers worthy of enshrinement in the game’s Hall of Fame, which would open three years later in Cooperstown, N.Y.

The writers were given little direction, which, if you know writers, was not a good thing.

They were to consider modern players — those who had played after 1900 (an Old-Timers Committee was supposed to address 19th century players) — but beyond that there were few rules or restrictions.

“Here’s the basic point: the Hall of Fame has never really thought through the issue of how to identify the most worthy Hall of Famers,” wrote in his book “Whatever Happened to the Hall of Fame?” “The decision to give the vote to the writers was very casually made, by a group of gray-suited men who were primarily concerned with serious money- and management- type decisions. They didn’t want to waste valuable committee time worrying about who would be honored.”

The BBWAA members were given a list that included dozens of “suggested” players to consider. They also were allowed to submit write-in candidates. They could vote for active players. They could vote for banned players. And there was no limit to the number of players they could put on their ballots.

There was this: In order to be elected, a player had to be included on at least 75 percent of the ballots.

Five players were elected in that inaugural year: , , , and . Amazingly, none of them were unanimous selections.

The writers have not voted in that many players in the 82 years since, although that could change Wednesday when results are announced for the Class of 2018.

With fewer than 24 hours remaining before this year’s Hall of Fame vote was to be announced, (98.3 percent), (94.8), (93.1), Trevor Hoffman (78.4) and Edgar Martinez (77.1) were above the 75 percent threshold for election. That’s according to tracking by Ryan Thibodaux ( handle is @NotMrTibbs), who had accounted for 55 percent of an estimated 424 ballots to be cast.

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The writers have elected as many as four players only three times and it had not happened in 60 years before the Class of 2015 swelled to include , , Pedro Martinez and .

Why the increase now? Good question.

There has been much hand-wringing in recent years over Steroid Era players crowding the ballot. But shouldn’t that reduce the numbers of players elected by spreading votes across more players (voters now are limited to selecting 10 players on their ballots).

When the Winter Meetings were held in San Diego three years ago, BBWAA members endorsed increasing the vote from 10 to 12 players. The Hall rejected their request.

And, in fact, an average of just over eight players have been listed on ballots the past five years. That’s the highest total since 1982-83, but it’s still lower than the 1950s when an average of nine players were listed on ballots.

One might assume a greater number of players would be elected in the 1930s, when the writers had nearly half a century of baseball to consider.

On top of that, in the early 1940s the writers voted only once every three years before Hall monitors realized you have to induct someone every year if you want to get fans more excited to come to Cooperstown.

Somehow, winning a major league-record 511 games didn’t make a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Actually, some of the writers weren’t sure at the time whether they should vote for him initially because half his career was pre-1900.

That oversight was corrected a year later when Cy was voted in with and .

But perhaps that’s what started the inexplicable notion of some writers not listing sure-fire Hall of Famers on the first ballot.

It is famously noted that Joe DiMaggio wasn’t enshrined until his third year of eligibility.

If, in fact, five names are cleared from this year’s ballot, we are almost certain to continue to have large classes the next couple of years.

Mike Mussina (70.1 percent) looks like a near miss this year and (63.6), Roger Clemens (63.6) and (59.3) have been rising steadily.

Newcomers to the 2019 ballot will include the late , and . In 2020, ’s name will appear.

So here we are 82 years into the process and it seems there’s still just as much complaining, if not confusion, as there was in the first election.

The Washington Post’s Thomas Boswell called the voting process a mess in a column four years ago. 3

“Worse, it’s not a mess that can be fixed, at least not now and maybe not ever,” Boswell wrote. “Sometimes you’re careless with a family heirloom. It’s cracked so badly that no matter how you patch and glue, the thing just never looks the same. You don’t dumpster it. But you think, ‘Man, we sure busted Grandpa’s spittoon.’ ”

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Padres roster review: Jose Torres Jeff Sanders Sizing up the Padres’ 40-man roster, from A to Z, heading into the 2018 season.

JOSE TORRES

• Position: Left-handed • 2018 age: 24 • Bats/throws: L/L • Height/weight: 6-foot-2 / 175 pounds • Acquired: From the Athletics in a December 2015 trade • Contract status: Earned $535,400 in 2017; will not be arbitration-eligible until 2020 at the earliest • Key stats: 7-4, 4.21 ERA, 1 , 63 , 16 walks, 1.16 WHIP, .244 opponent avg., 68 1/3 innings (62 games)

STAT TO NOTE

• 10 – Number of homers surrendered to right-handed batters in 2017. Torres allowed three to lefties, who had a .714 OPS over 103 plate appearances. Right-handers posted a .776 OPS, due in large part to a .478 over 181 plate appearances against Torres.

TRENDING

• Idle – The Athletics signed Torres for $150,000 out of Venezuela in July 2010 and added him to the roster in November 2015, weeks before shipping him, LHP and a player to be named later (Jabari Blash) to the Padres for 1B Yonder Alonso and LHP Marc Rzepczynski. Torres debuted at No. 28 in the Padres system, according to Baseball America, and moved to No. 21 after posting a 2.24 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 64 1/3 innings across three levels in 2016. He even made his MLB debut (3 IP, 0 ER), posted a 3.24 ERA in the Arizona Fall League and broke camp with the Padres in 2017. It was a busy year, too, as only All-Star LHP Brad Hand appeared in more games than Torres, who posted a 4.70 ERA at compared to 3.82 on the road. Although the middle months were unkind (6.56 ERA in June and July), Torres closed strong, posting a 3.27 ERA in August and 0.00 in September.

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2018 OUTLOOK

• A that touched 98 mph in the Arizona Fall League largely sat around 95 mph in 2017. He pairs it with a mid-80s, 11-to-5 curve and a change-up. Torres endured some tough lessons as a rookie, but a strong finish should have him in the middle of a camp battle for middle relief innings this spring.

PADRES POWER RANKINGS (Currently 40 players on 40-man roster)

1. 2. Brad Hand 3. Manuel Margot 4. Austin Hedges 5. 6. 7. Jose Pirela 8. 9. Hunter Renfroe 10. Cory Spangenberg 11. Luis Perdomo 12. 13. Bryan Mitchell 14. Carlos Asuaje 15. Franchy Cordero 16. Travis Jankowski 17. Alex Dickerson 18. Carter Capps 19. Colin Rea 20. Robbie Erlin 21. 22. Craig Stammen 23. Matt Szczur 24. Kyle McGrath 25. Walker Lockett 26. Colten Brewer 27. Kazuhisa Makita 28. Jose Torres 29. Buddy Baumann 30. Jose Castillo 31. Phil Maton 32. Jordan Lyles 33. Javier Guerra 34. Rocky Gale 35. Miguel Diaz 36. Luis Torrens 37. Allen Cordoba

Traded away: Jabari Blash

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Former Padres catcher Bob Barton dies Jeff Sanders Bob Barton, a catcher with the Padres in the early 1970s, died Jan. 15 in Vista after a long battle with dementia, his wife, Connie, told the Union-Tribune. He was 76.

Barton played parts of 10 seasons in the majors, beginning with the Giants in 1965. The Padres acquired him in December 1969 alongside Bobby Etheridge and pitcher for pitcher Frank Reberger.

Barton suited up for San Diego for three seasons before he was traded to the Reds in 1972 for catcher Pat Corrales. He enjoyed his best season in 1971, batting .250 with five homers and 23 RBIs in 121 games with the Padres.

Barton appeared in three games for the Reds in 1973 before he was released. He re-signed with San Diego the following year, appearing in 30 games before playing his last game on his birthday on July 30, 1974.

“As you can imagine, he loved (being a major leaguer),” said wife Connie, 70, whom he married in 1975. “He played sports all his life. He didn’t get to play as much as he thought he should have – that was a little bit of a sore spot – but he loved the game and loved working with the . … He had a real knack for teaching.”

Barton worked in insurance after his playing career, which began when he signed with the in 1965 out of high school in Covington, Ken. He was a standout in both baseball and basketball, and gave up a basketball scholarship to the University of Kentucky to play , Connie Barton said.

Barton, who signed for $25,000, was 17 when he started his career in Hastings in the Nebraska State League. Born in Norwood, Ohio, Barton debuted in the majors six years later.

In addition to being a catcher, Barton was also the Padres’ player representative in 1972 leading into the first players’ strike.

Barton is survived by his wife Connie, sons Brian, Tony, Joshua and Joseph and daughter Katie Riley.

The family will hold a service 1 p.m. Feb. 17 at Emmanuel Faith Community Church in Escondido.

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Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. ranked No. 3 in ESPN's top- 100 Jeff Sanders ESPN is higher on Fernando Tatis Jr.’s ceiling than anyone.

So-called “prospect season” continued this morning with ESPN scouting guru Keith Law releasing the latter half of his top-100 list with Tatis as his No. 3 prospect in all of baseball. Only Braves center fielder Ronald Acuna and Blue Jays third baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. rank ahead of Tatis, who was rated No. 9 on the list released by Baseball America on Monday.

In all, Law ranked seven Padres in his top-100, one more than Baseball America.

Here’s a rundown of his thoughts on each of the Padres in the top-100 (subscription required for the full synopses):

3 | SS Fernando Tatis Jr.

• “Tatis looks like did at age 18 and has similar gifts at the plate. His approach is very advanced -- he led the Midwest League in walks and OBP even though he was promoted out to -A in August -- and he already has above-average raw power, projecting comfortably to 30 homers in the big leagues. His swing is simple but explosive with good loft for that power to translate into homers. He has plenty of arm for the left side of the infield, and right now his hands and footwork are fine for shortstop.”

14 | LHP MacKenzie Gore

• “Gore will pitch at 90-93 mph now and has plenty of projection to gain some velocity in time. His is a mid-70s hammer with very tight rotation that is already a plus pitch, and he shows an average around 80-81 mph. … There's mid-rotation floor here and substantial ceiling beyond that if his velocity and/or changeup improve.”

38 | SS/2B Luis Urias

• “Though Urias is small, he is fierce with a compact, quick swing that should continue to produce contact even as the pitching he faces improves. He doesn't project to hit for much power, but there's enough strength in his hands and arms to hit for average with plenty of doubles power.”

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51 | RHP Michel Baez

• “The Padres were cautious about innings in his first pro season, but Baez, who just turned 22, needs to be challenged this year with better competition, as he has No. 2 upside but simply overpowered the younger low-A hitters he faced last year.”

72 | LHP Adrian Morejon

• “He (sits) 92-95 with a plus changeup and a short-breaking curveball that came and went start to start. He's 6-foot or a shade over but gets on top of the fastball well. He dominated short-season hitters for seven starts so the Padres bumped him up to low-A Fort Wayne, where he still missed bats but started to walk guys as the better hitters there didn't chase pitches out of the zone.”

81 | RHP Cal Quantrill

• “(T)here's still a good starter package here: an out pitch, above-average velocity, a chance for a plus , and above-average control right now. I think he offers a high floor, probably a fourth starter/league-average type, but we have seen better from him and there's still reason to hope it returns as he gets further away from the knife.”

89 | LHP Logan Allen

• “Scouts love his feel for pitching and the way he talks about and wants to understand his craft. They do differ on his ceiling, though, as he has some projection but not a ton left and has already gained velocity since signing. I see a good fourth-starter package now, but someone with the athleticism and command to end up above-average even if he never adds any pure stuff.”

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Hoffman hoping for good news from Hall Voting results announced Wednesday at 3 p.m. PT on MLB Network By AJ Cassavell MLB.com @AJCassavell Jan. 23rd, 2018

SAN DIEGO -- Regarding his candidacy for the Hall of Fame, Trevor Hoffman put a simple yet impossible task in front of himself this year.

"I'm trying to be 1 percent better," quipped the legendary Padres , summing up his third shot at induction rather succinctly.

Hoffman, after all, received 74 percent of the vote from the Baseball Writers' Association of America last year. He finished five votes shy of the 75 percent threshold necessary for election to the Hall of Fame. When this year's results are unveiled, he merely needs to gain one percentage point for enshrinement in Cooperstown.

Live coverage of the 2018 Hall of Fame announcement begins Wednesday at noon PT on MLB Network, simulcast live on MLB.com, with the electees named at 3 p.m.

Then again, it's not as though Hoffman himself has any control over that final percentage point. His career, unquestionably one of the best in MLB history for a , ended seven seasons ago. His resume -- which features 18 Major League seasons, a 2.87 ERA and 601 saves -- hasn't changed in the interim.

"It was out of my hands the minute my career ended in 2010," Hoffman told MLB.com. "The optimist in me is anticipating what's coming with the positive numbers. I'm trying to be 1 percent better. It's still a wonderful spot to be in. I'm excited, trying to keep things as normal as possible. I'm prepped for good news. If not, it's out of my control."

The early returns are certainly favorable for Hoffman, who received 67.3 percent of the vote in 2016 before jumping nearly seven points last year. As of Tuesday afternoon, he had been named on 78.3 percent of publicly available ballots, according to Ryan Thibodaux's BBHOF Tracker.

Perhaps more importantly, Hoffman has received 14 votes from returning BBWAA members who left him off their ballots last year. He has lost only three votes, giving him a net gain of 11. Meanwhile, 11 first-time voters have released their ballots to the public, and Hoffman has been named on 10 of them.

Hoffman says he keeps himself clued in on the tracker, where his Hall prospects seem to fluctuate on a near-daily basis. As it stands, Vladimir Guerrero, Chipper Jones and Jim Thome appear to be locks, while Hoffman and Edgar Martinez sit squarely on the fence.

Hoffman has already made significant gains among returning and first-time voters. But it's uncertain whether he lost any ground from voters who did not return this year. With nearly half of the electorate unaccounted for, Wednesday's announcement features its usual share of drama.

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"In the whole context of things, it's just such an unknown," Hoffman said. "There's a group of new writers coming into the opportunity to vote, some of the older writers are moving on, the uncertainty of the reliever role. It's not a slam dunk like a 3,000-hit or a 500-homer guy. There's still some uncertainty."

By now, Hoffman's case has been rehashed ad nauseam. It's a case that combines longevity and dominance better than nearly every other reliever in history, save for Mariano Rivera.

Hoffman's 601 saves are second only to Rivera, a sure-fire Hall of Famer. And among relievers with at least 1,000 innings, Hoffman ranks second in save percentage (88.8), eighth in ERA (2.87), fourth in ERA+ (141), second in opponents' batting average (.211), second in WHIP (1.06) and first in rate (25.8).

Hoffman is also widely regarded as the second greatest Padre of all-time -- behind Hall of Fame right fielder , who had a profound impact on Hoffman's career. Ultimately, Hoffman spent 16 of his 18 Major League seasons in San Diego, where he still resides. He has felt a groundswell of support in his Hall chase.

"I remember sitting with Tony in the early '90s," Hoffman recalled. "I remember him talking with us about having the opportunity to sign long-term in San Diego, making this our home. He said, 'It's hard to describe, but you won't be disappointed.' I took that really to heart -- a guy that has been through it, was in the middle of a 20-year career here in this city, to hear him speak on behalf of how great the community is, how much they appreciate you when you work hard. It's been nothing but that. I walk around town, and people couldn't be more complimentary, more supportive."

Come July, Padres fans might get the chance to carry their support all the way to Cooperstown.

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Tatis named No. 2 shortstop prospect in MLB Dynamic 19-year-old behind only Torres in MLB Pipeline's rankings By AJ Cassavell MLB.com @AJCassavell Jan. 23rd, 2018

SAN DIEGO -- The 's best shortstop prospect resides in the Padres' farm system, so says MLB Pipeline.

Fernando Tatis Jr. checked in at No. 2 overall on Wednesday, when MLB Pipeline unveiled its list of the 10 best shortstop prospects. He trails only the Yankees' Gleyber Torres.

In his age-18 season last year, Tatis torched pitching, posting a .281/.390/.520 slash line while crushing a franchise-record 21 home runs for Fort Wayne. He earned a promotion to Double-A San Antonio, where he held his own for the final month despite being one of the 's youngest players.

Following his Minor League season, Tatis was the No. 1 overall selection in the Dominican Winter League draft. He batted .246/.358/.386 in 17 games for Estrellas de Oriente.

"He was very talented, obviously, when we got him," said Padres farm director Sam Geaney. "But he's continued to make strides and improve. He's got a very, very strong desire to be a great player, and that's driven a lot of this."

Next month, Tatis will get his first crack at big league-caliber pitching; he received a non-roster invite to Major League camp last week.. 22nd, 2017

Ultimately, Tatis is destined to begin the season in either San Antonio or Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore. But the Padres are eager to see what he can do in his brief spring stint with the Major League club.

"I have no doubt he's someone who's up to the task of a big league camp," said Geaney.

There, he'll likely pair with Luis Urias (who was rated by MLB Pipeline as the No. 2 second-base prospect.)

"Seeing those guys get back on the field together, that'll be a lot of fun," said Padres general A.J. Preller. "Hopefully we're giving everybody a glimpse of what could potentially be a nice combo in the future.". 1st, 2018

Though some have wondered whether Tatis is better suited for third base in the long , right now the Padres view him exclusively as a shortstop. His pending arrival was enough to influence their decision-making process this offseason. San Diego was content to settle for a one-year solution in Freddy Galvis, with the idea that Tatis could make an impact as early as 2019.

The Padres, after all, have spent the past decade looking for their shortstop of the future. In Tatis, they hope they've found it.

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Headley heads competition at third for Padres Spangenberg, Villanueva also in mix at hot corner for San Diego By AJ Cassavell MLB.com @AJCassavell Jan. 23rd, 2018

With on the horizon, MLB.com is taking an in-depth look at the 2018 Padres, breaking the team down position by position. Today, we preview San Diego's third basemen.

SAN DIEGO -- Enter Chase Headley, exit Yangervis Solarte. But even after a busy offseason at the hot corner, many of the same questions linger for the Padres at third base.

General manager A.J. Preller traded for one veteran third baseman, and he dealt another. But the infield logjam remains, and it's worth asking how Headley, Cory Spangenberg, Carlos Asuaje and Christian Villanueva will split at-bats in 2018.

. 12th, 2017 Those four players are set to compete for jobs at second and third base this spring. Headley and Villanueva feature as third basemen exclusively, while Asuaje will play only second. Spangenberg, who has gotten plenty of time at both spots, will move back and forth.

"The message has been very consistent all along: It's all about competition," said Preller. "At the third-base position, obviously there was the trade of Solarte, but that still leaves Cory Spangenberg, Chase and Christian Villanueva. Those are three real options for us, and I think it's going to be a competition to see who gets at-bats."

. 24th, 2017 Headley, who came to the Padres along with right-hander Bryan Mitchell in a December trade with New York, is unquestionably the favorite. His .352 on-base percentage for the Yankees last season was higher than any other player on the roster. And he's easily the most experienced hitter of the bunch.

But there's still a possibility Headley could be moved by Opening Day. The Padres have made no secret that they're open to trading the 33-year-old switch-hitter. Headley has one year remaining on his contract, and his bat could certainly fit on a team looking to contend.

. 18th, 2017 Headley's presence could go a long way toward deciding Villanueva's roster fate. The 26-year- old hit .296/.369/.528 for -A El Paso last season, before a September callup which saw him bat .344 with four dingers in 12 games.

Villanueva would serve as a useful right-handed bat off the bench -- and as a backup at third. But it's hard to see how he fits on a roster with Headley, Spangenberg and Asuaje. (Then again, Spangenberg and Asuaje don't have their roster spots wrapped up, either -- though their experience gives them a leg up.)

It's been an eventful couple seasons for Spangenberg in the infield. He spent 2016 as a second baseman, then '17 as a third baseman. In '18, he'll almost certainly be asked to do a little of both -- filling the role vacated by Solarte.. 25th, 2017 13

In fact, shortly after Solarte was dealt to Toronto for a pair of prospects, Spangenberg checked in with the Padres to ask whether he should increase his offseason reps at second base. He was told he should.

All four would be favorites for the Opening Day roster -- except that none of the four can play shortstop. The Padres need a backup for Freddy Galvis there. And unless they're willing to carry seven infielders, one of their four options at second and third won't be in San Diego on March 29.

This spring will likely see a fierce battle to decide those roster spots.

Projected starter: Headley

Potential backups: Spangenberg, Villanueva

Top 30 prospects: No. 23 Hudson Potts, No. 29 Eguy Rosario

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Third Time Should be the Charm for Trevor Hoffman and Hall of Fame Early forecasts show Padres record-setting closer on election path

By Bill Center

The waiting will soon be over for Trevor Hoffman.

The results of the December-long election for the 2018 Hall of Fame induction will be announced Wednesday (Jan. 24) at 3:15 p.m. PT on MLB Network and mlb.com.

This is the third time that Hoffman — the first closer in Major League history to reach the 500 and 600-save milestones — has been on the Hall of Fame ballot.

And the odds are good that Hoffman will be voted into baseball’s national shrine in Cooperstown, N.Y.

But there remain many unknowns out there.

Last year, in the second of his possible 10 years on the Hall of Fame ballot, Hoffman was named on 74 percent of the ballots filed by eligible members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America — falling just five votes short of the 75 percent support needed for election. In his first year on the ballot in 2015, Hoffman garnered 68 percent of the votes.

No player who ever received 68 percent of the votes in their first year or 74 percent in the second has failed to gain entry into the Hall of Fame.

But the Hall of Fame voters of the BBWAA are a sometimes fickle and ever-changing lot. Last year, more than 450 ballots were returned. This season the number of eligible voters has been trimmed to around 425 — although up to 20 were added to the ranks as first-time voters (to be

15 eligible, a voter must be in the BBWAA for 10 seasons). That means almost fifty 2016 voters were culled from the ranks in 2017.

The best forecaster of the final Hall of Fame vote is the Hall of Fame Tracker conducted by Bay Area fan Ryan Thibodaux.

As of 10 a.m. Tuesday morning, more than 51 percent of the eligible Hall of Fame voters had shared their ballots with @NotMrTibbs . And Hoffman was supported on 78 percent of those ballots — meaning he is running three percent ahead of the pace needed to be elected to the Hall of Fame as well as his pace last year at this time.

And last year, Hoffman actually drew better support — by 1.7 percent — from “private” voters who didn’t share their ballots with Thibodaux . . . another positive.

Some forecasts have projected Hoffman’s final percentage to be closer to 80 percent than the mandatory 75 percent for election. The sample size from the tracker is large enough to project to a plus/minus two percent chance of error.

One forecast projected Hoffman’s odds at being elected to the Hall of Fame at 99.6 percent. Only one forecast had him falling short.

But, still, anything can happen.

Three players are shoo-ins to get the call Wednesday afternoon — first-timers Chipper Jones and Jim Thome and second-year nominee Vladimir Guerrero. Jones has been named on 98.5 percent of the ballots submitted to the Tracker. Thome and Guerrero are also running over 90 percent.

Hoffman and Edgar Martinez are both running in the 78–80 percent neighborhood.

If all five are voted into the Hall of Fame, this will be the biggest class since the founding vote of 1936, which also sent five players to the Hall of Fame.

And while the projections are in Hoffman’s favor, there are several major unknowns — most notably the way the voters culled from the list of 2016 voters voted in their final year.

There are two very strong signs for Hoffman.

— Hoffman fell five votes short of election last year. This year, however, he is a plus-11 on changed votes submitted to the Tracker. If the trend continues with the non-public votes, Hoffman could be a plus-20 with changed votes. 16

— Hoffman has been named on nine of the 10 ballots submitted by first-time voters to the Tracker. Again, a solid sign which could continue with the estimated 10 first-time voters not submitting their ballots to the Tracker.

But here is the big question mark.

How did voters dropped from the 2017 rolls vote during December of 2016? The Tracker knows of votes gained by hold-over voters and the rate of votes made by first-time voters, but it has no way of determining how voters not eligible in 2017 voted a year ago.

Still, with a day of waiting to go, Hoffman appears headed to the Hall of Fame.

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Burgos Wins Puerto Rican Batting Title Cordero, Margot complete play in Dominican Republic

By Bill Center

Aldemar Burgos claimed the Puerto Rican winter league batting title Tuesday while Manuel Margot and Franchy Cordero have completed play in the Dominican Republic Winter League.

The only other Padres still playing in an off-season league are right-handed pitcher Lake Bachar with Canberra in the Australian Baseball League and 17-year-old shortstop Jarryd Dale with Melbourne in the ABL.

The 21-year-old Burgos finished with a .403 batting average for Carolina during the Liga , which was restricted to an 18-game regular season schedule due to the devastation resulting from Hurricane Maria. Carolina finished the season Tuesday without qualifying for the playoffs.

Burgos, a right-handed-hitting , went 25-for 62 with a triple, a homer, nine runs scored and 10 RBIs. In addition to winning the batting championship, Burgos led Puerto Rico in hits (24). He also ranked third in Puerto Rico in on-base percentage (.431) and total bases (30). He ranked fourth in slugging percentage (.484) and OPS (.915); tied for sixth in RBIs (10), and tied for seventh in runs scored (nine).

The off-season schedules of Cordero and Margot ended Sunday when Escogido was eliminated from the Dominican League playoffs — although there is a chance that one could still be added to the Dominican Republic roster for the Caribbean World Series, which starts in Mexico on Feb. 1.

Cordero, who moved to left for Escogido when center fielder Margot joined the team for the playoffs, finished with 190 games played since the start of the 2017 season — 93 for Triple-A El Paso, 30 for the Padres and a total of 67 in the Dominican Republic.

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Cordero, 23, hit .296 over 17 games in the round-robin portion of the Dominican Republic playoffs. He had five doubles and a triple with 11 RBIs and nine runs scored. He had a .367 on- base percentage and a .394 slugging percentage for a .761 OPS.

Cordero was the Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year during the Dominican Republic Winter League’s regular season. Cordero hit .323 with a .393 on-base percentage, a .495 slugging percentage and a .888 OPS. He led the league in games (50), runs scored (30), hits (60) and triples (five). He ranked second in slugging percentage and OPS; tied for second in homers (five); third in batting average; tied for third in walks (22); tied for fourth in RBIs, and tied for eighth with seven doubles.

Cordero has hit .310 (229-for-739) since the start of last season with 36 doubles, 27 triples and 25 home runs. He scored 122 runs and drove in 109 with a .360 on-base percentage, a .533 slugging percentage and a .893 OPS.

Margot, 23, played a total of 25 games in the Dominican Republic, batting .330 (35-for-106) with seven doubles, 15 runs scored and eight RBIs. Including seven games at the end of the regular season, Margot had a .377 on-base percentage and a .396 slugging percentage for a .774 OPS.

Bachar is 5–1 with a 2.70 going into the final week of the ABL’s regular season. Bachar has pitched in nine games with eight starts. He has 46 strikeouts and 21 walks in 50 innings. Bachar is tied for the ABL lead in wins, ranks second in ERA and is fourth in innings pitched for Canberra.

Center fielder Buddy Reed and 17-year-old shortstop Gabriel Arias have already returned to the United States after completing their play with Canberra.

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Sorry, Associated Press — San Diego is a good sports city, if you widen your view Tom Krasovic The worst sports city in America is…

San Diego.

Sez who?

Says the Associated Press.

AP writer Paul Newberry, who penned the entertaining column, crowned San Diego as worst largely because no team here has won a major sports championship either in the professional or college ranks.

His math is correct.

But, it’s also a rather narrow definition.

My counterpoint: San Diego is actually a good sports city if you broaden the lens.

Good in these two aspects: 1) Many people here take advantage of the temperate weather and play outdoor sports, a wide variety of them; 2) due to a diverse population living in the Pacific time zone, San Diego has rare sports breadth and depth among its aficionados.

San Diego is something of a sports paradise, overall.

Start with the reliable weather. It affords year-round chances to play most sports. Yet basketball gyms have fostered careers of future college and pro standouts.

Though passionate about watching the major sports — San Diego regularly scores well in TV ratings for NFL and college-football broadcasts — San Diegans are less apt to be warped by overly obsessing over one particular team, because so many of us are from different parts of the country.

And, because, let’s face it, the teams here had so many dry stretches and big-game flameouts.

Living in the Pacific time zone is ideal for sports viewing, allowing us to watch far-away games at more convenient hours.

This raises the collective sports IQ. 20

As for the dearth of championships, let’s not overlook a factor that was beyond the control of San Diego teams.

Luck.

Unlucky timing Take the best Padres team, the 1998 squad that won 98 games and got to the World Series.

The Pads had the misfortune of facing the winningest of all Yankees teams — a club that went 114-48 and finished 22 games ahead of second-place Boston.

Call it bad luck that cost the Pads a World Series title they would’ve won in several other years.

How good were the ’98 Pads?

In the playoffs, they knocked off two teams that won over 100 games and had home-field advantage: the Astros (102 victories) and Braves (106).

The Padres breezed to winning records at home (54-27) and on the road (44-37) despite an inconsequentially bad September..

They were 41-34 against teams that were .500 or better.

Bruce Bochy was their manager, in his fourth season.

He would go on to direct the Giants, who’d never been the last team standing since their move to San Francisco, to three World Series championships from 2010-14. Pencil him into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Tony Gwynn was the right-fielder. He was 37 but managed to play in 149 games. He had a fairly typical Tony Gwynn year. Batted .321 and compiled an on-base/slugging rate that was well above average when adjusted for league and ballpark.

My favorite Gwynn stat for 1998 was batting average with men in scoring position and two out.

Gwynn batted 46 times in those clutch situations.

Of course, he never struck out, yet he also batted .472 and drew nine walks.

He was a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Trevor Hoffman, the closer in ‘98, stands to gain Hall election this week on his third ballot. Back then, Hoffman had the devastating “Bugs Bunny” change-up but also good whip high-speed .

The ’98 season was Hoffman’s best — yielding a league-high 53 saves along with a 1.48 ERA and a WHIP of 0.849.

Power pitching is what wins against top competition, say the scouts and some metrics experts. 21

The Pads had several power pitchers in their rotation, headed by ace Kevin Brown, and .

Lefty Sterling Hitchcock broke up the routine. Finding his best curveball in October, he dominated the Braves in the League Championship Series, earning the MVP award.

Ken Caminiti was in decline, but two years earlier was a unanimous MVP.

Greg Vaughn hit 50 homers in 1998. was a Gold Glove center fielder with good power and boundless energy. The middle infielders, Chris Gomez and speedy , were reliable defenders.

Wally Joyner could turn around anyone’s fastball and played a slick first base.

The ‘98 Pads were a very good team. They lost to a great team, one that went 7-2 in the playoffs.

San Diego’s record shows no “major” champions, but the ’98 Pads put on a quite a show.

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