Baseball in Fort Wayne

Posts Tagged ‘Grady Fuson’

• Kyle Blanks, the 6-foot-6, 270-pound former Wizards first baseman went 5-for-7 for the Double-A San Antonia Missions on Wednesday. He tied a career high with six RBIs and had run-scoring singles in the first and fourth before hitting a two-run shot in the sixth. In the eighth, he doubled (his 20th of the season). Then, he slugged his second home run of the game in the bottom of the 12th to give lead the Missions to a 14-12 win.
• Josh Bard returned to the Padres from the DL on Friday. To make room on the 25-man roster, former Wizards catcher, Luke Carlin, was optioned to Triple-A Portland. Carlin made his MLB debut earlier in the season and was hitting .154 in 91 at-bats on the season.
• Torii Hunter still feels strange when facing the Twins, the team with whom he spent the first 15 years of his career.”Hunter’s connection to the Twins can still be felt by the way he speaks about the organization. But with his team chasing the top record in the American League, Hunter wants to pull off as many victories over the Twins as he can right now. Still, he said he’s hoping that the two clubs might perhaps meet up again in the playoffs.”
• Lots of Wizards related news over at MadFrairs.
  • John Conniff interviews one of my personal favorites, Felix Carrasco and Brad Chulk (subscription required).
  • Padres minor league field coordinator, Tom Gamboa, and Padres vice president of scouting and player development, Grady Fuson, talk about the Padres’ prospects – which include many current and former Wizards players. (subscription required)
• Speaking of prospects, Padres’ front-office executive, Paul Depodesta talks about this year’s draft picks – both that were signed and those who were not. Hopefully we’ll be seeing many of them come through Fort Wayne real soon (seventh rounder, Adam Zornes is already here).

The San Diego Padres Vice President of Scouting and Player Development, Grady Fuson is in town with the Wizards this weekend. The News-Sentinel’s Nick West caught up with Fuson and talked about this seasons standouts, recent draft picks, the rehabs of former number one picks Matt Bush and Nick Schmidt and a host of other topics.

A great read. Definitely check it out.

• Chase Headley: He’s back. And thanks to a Kevin Kouzmanoff injury, Chase Headley (who recently converted from third base to outfield) is going to get some starts at third. Oh the irony.
• Jake Peavy: He’s back too. “Peavy (5-3) combined with three relievers on a five-hitter in his first start in nearly a month since being sidelined by a strained right elbow. The reigning Cy Young winner looked as if he hadn’t missed a turn.” Even more important, his elbow was fine after the outing.
• Josh Barfield: He was back. Now he’s on the DL and likely out for 6-8 weeks. If Jamey Carroll keeps playing well, me may not return to the Majors this season (IMHO).
• Oliver Perez: He may have had a good start to getting back on the right track. Sseven innings, with Josh Hamilton home run being the only flaw. “So Perez, in spite of that blast, gave the Mets seven innings and 116 pitches’ worth of breezy baseball.” It still wasn’t enough to save his manager.
• Michael Cuddyer: Friday the 13th got the best of him and he left the game in the second inning after being hit in the right hand by a pitch. Doesn’t appear serious.
• Grady Fuson: He oversees the Friar’s farm system and he’s serious about changeups. Former Wizard, Michael Ekstrom lost his starting gig and current Wizard, Jeremy McBryde might be in line for the same fate unless he changes his way (hat tip to Friar Forum).
• Kyle Blanks: Apparently he’s trade bait due to a stockpile of first basemen (including the coming of age by current Wizard, Felix Carrasco) in the Padres’ organization. “Blanks is having a solid season; the 21-year-old is batting .306 with a .402 on-base percentage and five home runs.” Big mistake to let go of el Gigantor.
• Matt Bush: On draft day, Kevin Czerwinski used the Matt Bush saga to remind us that being the top overall pick doesn’t mean a sure thing.

While the Colorado Rockies were playing in the 2007 World Series, the Padres hired Felix Feliz away from the Rox with the hope that he would help them emulate their success in locating and signing talent in Latin America. As a player, Feliz, 40, was a career minor-league second baseman in Pittsburgh’s farm system. He later managed a Dodgers club in the Dominican Summer League and he was a top aide to Rolando Fernandez, Colorado’s director of international operations while with the Rox.

The Padres don’t have any Dominicans on their 25- or 40-man rosters and have just one Latin American player who is on their 40-man roster that began his professional career within the organization.

But the Padres are serious about their efforts in Latin America. In addition to hiring Feliz, they built an $8.5 million 15-acre facility, which opened this month in the city of Najayo, San Cristobal. Feliz says it is better than any other complex in the country. It can host up to 70 players, but they are currently at about half that with others there for tryouts. In addition to Dominican players, there are plans to house players from Mexico, Panama, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Colombia.

Acquiring international talent is different from the typical draft that occurs throughout Major League Baseball. June 2nd is the international signing day for players who have turned 16 during the previous year. According to Grady Fuson, the Padres’ Vice President of Scouting and Player Development, players can expect to spend about 1-3 years at the complex before coming to the Unites States.

“It’s very important for a player to spend at least one year at the complex. Coming to the United States early can be an ordeal. And just because a player might spend two or three years at the complex doesn’t mean he’s not a prospect. The six-year clock (for minor leaguers) doesn’t start ticking until they come to the United States. While most players are gifted skillwise, a lot of them are raw when it comes to mechanics. And remember, they’re very young” [source: SignOnSanDiego].

Players started moving into the facility on April 6 and began working out two days later. Instruction began April 12. It will operate 8 1/2 to nine months a year. Tomorrow, the complex will celebrate its grand opening.

n addition to setting new standards for Major League Baseball facilities and their operation in the Dominican Republic, the Padres have already made a significant commitment to the local Najayo community. The club entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with ENTRENA, a Dominican education company, along with USAID (United States Agency for International Development) and the American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic to work collaboratively to improve the quality of basic primary school education in the country.

This year’s Wizards squad sees some solid Latin prospects, like Luis Durango and Yefri Carvajal. Over the next couple years, provided the Wizards remain a Padres affiliate, we can probably expect to see more on the field in Fort Wayne.

Further Reading: SignOnSanDiego | ESPN | MadFriars