Baseball in Fort Wayne

Posts Tagged ‘Drew Macias’

• Five Questions for … Nick Hundley (SignonSanDiego)
• Prospect’s speed has Pads intrigued – Luis Durango (SignOnSanDiego)
• Blanks impresses in the outfield (SignOnSanDiego)
• Wedge determined to improve Tribe (MLB.com)
• Would Indians Fire Wedge? (Eli’s MLB Rumors)
• Indians GM Mark Shapiro Needs to Fire Eric Wedge (Midwest Sports Fans)
• Padres recall outfielder Macias (MLB.com)
• Prospect Parker makes Double-A debut (MLB.com)
• Fantasy Baseball Stockwatch: Top Prospects on the Farm – Jarrod Parker – (Keeper League GM)
• Dirk Hayhurst’s Favorite Parks (BaseballAmerica)

If this headline doesn’t read as a big fat red “DUH!” I don’t know what does. The statement is true no matter the day or time. However, it’s worth stating right now because the Padres are in the midst of utter turmoil adn an uncertain future. With that being the case, it is obvious that the San Diego Padres will be making moves and those moves might change and alter the potential futures of some former Fort Wayne Wizards.

Wiht the Winter Meetings kicking into gear this week, here’s what we know so far:

• Trevor Hoffman will not be the closer in 2009. This is probalby 99.9% certain. He has not signed with another team yet, so I guess there is a glimmer of a chance he’ll be back, but don’t bet on it. That means there will be an opening for a closer. I’ve speculated on this previously, and I probably didn’t give Heath Bell a fair look, but my money is still on former Wizard, Greg Burke.
• The rest of the bullpen needs a little shoring up too. Reliable setup man, Mike Adams is likely out until the All-Star Break, so there are some spots up for grabs there too.
• Kahlil Green will be the starting shortstop . . . for St. Louis (where he may be playing next to former Wizard, David Freese who went to the Cardinals as part of the failed Jim Edmonds experiment. Freese has a very good shot at playing with the Cards in 2009. Back in San Diego, they will need a new starting shortstop. Unless there is a trade, The heir apparent is Luiz Rodriguez, but don’t count out former Wizard, Sean Kazmar.
• Former Wizards Pitcher, Jake Peavy still has a good chance of being traded (most likely to the Cubs). But, even if he remains with the club, the team still needs pitchers to fill the number three and four slots (Chris Young at number 2 and Cha Seung Baek as the number five guy). If he is traded, that leaves three openings. Maybe one or two of those slots will get filled from the ranks of the minors, but I expect trades and/or Rule 5 Draft picks to be used here. Former Wizard, Wade LeBlanc is likely to earn one of the spots up for grabs IMHO. Former Wizar, Josh Geer also would be likely, but there’s a chance he may be heading for Tommy John surgery, which will kill his 2009 season (if anyone has any updates on this, please comment below). Former Wizard Mike Ekstrom may also be a dark horse contender.
• Former Wizard Jon Ellis are unprotected in the Rule 5 Draft and could potentially be snagged by other clubs. The sidearmer is an interesting gamble for a club who is willing to take a chance and I suspect he’s as good as gone.
• The catching corps is owned by former Wizards. Right now, it looks like the starting gig will go to Nick Hundley, with Luke Carlin serving as backup unless a veteran presence is added. Wonder why Colt Morton never gets much consideration. Jose Lobaton probably has a pretty solid chance and playing with the big club in 2009 too.
• Ironically, the Padres seem to have an excess of outfielders. This time last year, they were converting former Wizard, Chase Headley from third base to outfield. Now, they have Headley, and fellow former Wizard Will Venable to slot into the outfield with Scott Hairston, Brian Giles and Jody Gerut. Couple that with an emerging former Wizard outfielders Drew Macias and Chad Huffman, and you have a couple odd men out (yes, that’s seven guys for three slots). It’s still likely that Giles will get traded (proably during the 2009 season). Moving Headley back to third and trading incumbant third baseman Kevin Kousmanoff is an option, but not one that the club seems to endorse.
• Second basse and first base seem to be in good hands with Edgar Gonzales and Adrian Gonzales respectively. Former Wizard Matt Antonelli might serve as a backup or utility player at second. If San Diego doesn’t move Adrian and he stays healthy, first base remains blocked for uber-prospect Kyle Blanks, so you may see him traded. But I suspect Blanks will play a full season at triple-A in Portland and then the club with consider their options at first for 2010.

So there you have it. The Padres season outlook remains dim, but the bright side is that they don’t have a lot of bad contracts and they are in a highly winable division if the Dodgers don’t run away with it early. Methinks, barring any huge trades to fill holes in the field, suspect we’ll see a roster witha lot of former Wizards.

Oliver Perez on the 2008 Former Indians All-Star Team

Of the 63 former Indianapolis Indians who finished the 2008 season on a Major League 40-man roster, 17 are highlighted on the 2008 Former Indians All-Star team.  Former Wizards Pitcher, Oliver Perez, was among them. Perez played in Fort Wayne in 2001 after signing as an undrafted free agent by the Padres in 1999. He was traded by Padres with Corey Stewart and Jason Bay to the Pirates for Brian Giles in 2003 and then was traded by Pirates with Roberto Hernandez to Mets for Xavier Nady in 2006.

September Call-Ups: Drew Macias and Will Venable 

MadFriars’ John Conniff interviews the former Wizard outfielders, Drew Macias and Will Venable (subscription required). Macias talks about his early season struggles in his third stint at Double-A, a new batting stance, while Venable dishes on his newfound power an patience. I still say you should look for him to be a starter in SD next season. Also look for Denis Savage’s interview with recent Wizard, Angel Mercado, who started with the Wizards this season and was demoted to low-A Eugene.

What Does the Future Have in Store for Peavy?

Well, the New York Yankees may be interested in former Wizards pitcher and NL Cy Young Winner Jake Peavy, but it will take a lot to pry him from San Diego. Although, keep in mind that his salary from this year will more than double by 2010 and continue to rise through 2012.

Soria wins September’s DHL Award

Former Wizards Pitcher, Joakim Soria’s perfect September had a perfect ending. The Royals’ right-handed closer, was named the winner of the DHL Presents the Major League Baseball Delivery Man Award. Soria was 9-for-9 in save opportunities and had a 1-0 record and a 0.00 ERA in 10 appearances. He gave up just three hits in 10 1/3 innings.

“He’s had a tremendous impact,” Royals manager Trey Hillman said. “Just looking at the statistics and the number of saves in comparison to the number of team wins. And there’s just a psychological advantage there for the whole team, just knowing that he’s available and the consistency of the product he brings to the mound.”

Soria had a 1.60 ERA in his 63 games, a 2-3 record and 66 strikeouts in 67 1/3 innings. Opponents batted just .169 against him.

Daryl Jones is 9th Best Indy Leaguer

Former Wizards first baseman and DH, Daryl Jones suffered from the logjam at the lower levels and never really got his career into motion despite an impressive first half MWL All-Star performance during his first year with Wizards that saw him split time with Kyle Blanks. Baseball America recently listed him as the 9th best prospect in Indy ball. Injuries and ineffectiveness led the Pares to release the former fourth round pick following the 2007 season. He caught on with Edinburg where he worked on his swing and showed off some speed.

… now Jones has a flatter swing that gives the ball some backspin that helps it carry further. He showed the ability to hit the ball out of the ballpark from foul pole to foul pole.

At 6-foot-4 with some nimbleness around the bag, Jones is very solid defensively and gives infielders a big target to aim for. He also runs well for a big man (4.2 seconds to first base), and he was second in the United League with 32 steals. But as you would expect for a first baseman, it will be his power potential that could get him back to affiliated ball.

Nick Hundley Gets Ejected

On Tuesday, former Wizards catcher, Nick Hundley received his first MLB ejection after arguing his strikeout with homeplate umpire, Marty Fosterin, the eighth inning. He was replaced by fellow rookie and fellow Wizards alumnus, Luke Carlin.

Michael Cuddyer Still Trying to Return

Minnesotat Twins’ outfielder and former Wizard, Michael Cuddyer took two batting practice sessions on Tuesday and he had his broken left foot re-evaluated. He was given the okay to start running, but he’s still making very slow progress and the chances of a 2008 return are starting to slim.

“We’re just going to let him get well first,” (Ttwins manager, Ron) Gardenhire said. “Maybe when he gets to the point where he can run a little bit, and maybe put a swing on it, then we’ll see what he can do.”

Drew Macias Hits Homer for First MLB Hit

Usually, when a player collects his first Major League hit, you see a player toss the ball to the team’s dugout personnel so it can be saved. But former Wizard, Drew Macias got his first Major League start the other night. He went 3-5 and homered off a first-pitch fastball from Giants RHP Matt Cain during his first at-bat to collect his first MLB hit and home run.

Gary Jones Discusses Cumberland, Zawadski, Kazmar, Blanks & more

MadFriars caught up with Gary Jones, where he talked candidly about the progress of many former Wizards who are still in the Padres system. If you want to know more about Drew Cumberland, Lance Zawadski, Sean Kazmar, Matt Antonelli, Kyle Blanks and Raynar Contreras, this is the read for you (subscription required).

Will Venable Making Most of His Playing Time

Padres center fielder, Jody Gerut has missed a lot of games due to a sprained left middle finger. Will Venable, who is a recent callup, has thrived while getting extra playing time in Gerut’s absence; including a sixth multihit game on Thursday. He’s going to be on the 2009 Opening Day roster IMHO

MadFriars is rerpoting that former Wizards, outfielder Drew Macias and right-hander Mike Ekstrom have had their contracts purchased by the San Diego Padres and will join the team in Milwaukee today.

Macias, who played in Fort Wayne during the 2004 season, made his Major League debut during September callups in the 2007 season. He played in one game with no official at-bat and scored a run. Looks like he is set to get a little more action this time around. He finished the season with a .288 average at Double-A San Antonio with 145 hits, 27 doubles, four triples and 11 home runds. He also tallied 92 runsand 66 RBIs while leading the Padres minor league system with 83 walks.

With the Wizards in 2004, Macias appeared in 129 games. He collected 127 hits, 8 home runs and 55 RBIs while drawing 49 walks on 478 at-bats. His .266 batting average in Fort Wayne was his career high until this season, where he hit .289 with Portland. He was selected in the 35th Round (1045th overall) of the 2004 draft by San Diego (who also drafted him in the 22nd Round (660th overall) of the 2001 draft). 

Ekstrom caught me by surprise. In fact, he wasn’t even on my radar until I saw the headline. On the season, he appeared in 41 games and boasted an 11-8 record with a 4.58 ERA, that included 101 strikeouts and 34 walks over 108 innings pitched. He started in 15 games and also collected one save in relief.

He was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 12th round (342nd overall) of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft. He appeared with the Wizards in 2004 and 2005.

In 2004, he appeared in only two games in Fort Wayne before returning for the 2005 season where he appeared in 28 games (all of them as a starter) and compiled a 13-6 record with a 3.70 ERA, 112 strikeouts and 36 walks over 167 innings pitched. He also had one complete game shutout.

Ekstrom is set to become the 75th former Wizard to debut in Major League Baseball and the thirteenth on the season; which extends the record set when Wade LeBlanc appeared last Wednesday.

Photos by Chad Gramling.

The Padres’ Spring Training camp has a lot of players already. As one would expect given the length of San Diego’s player development contract with Fort Wayne, there are many former Wizards on hand. And, with the WBC looming, the Friars have called even more former Wizards into camp.

As Corey Brock reports:

infielder/outfielder Brett Dowdy and infielder Sean Kazmar — two players who are not on the 40-man roster — will join the team in case there is a need for bodies during spring games.

Both Dowdy and Kazmar are former Wizards. Also as expected, Kyle Blanks is going to get a lot of starts since Adrian Gonzalez is heading to the WBC:

“He’s going to get starts,” Black said. “He would have gotten starts on an alternating basis. Blanks isn’t going to play every day, he’s not going to be the Cal Ripken of Spring Training. He’s climbed the ladder to the point where he projects to go to Triple-A. He had a great year last year. He’s a guy who is approaching the Major Leagues.”

Former Wizards Drew Macias and Chad Huffman have also been working out at first and will see time there. Jose Lobaton, Colt Morton  will get looks at catcher as the team decides upon the backup to Nick Hundley, who seems to have secured the starting role. All three catchers are former Wizards.