Ups and Downs
July 1, 2016
| MLB Standings - Updated: Jul 1, 2016 |
| NL WEST | W | L | GB |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 55 | 26 | - |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 48 | 33 | 7 |
| San Francisco Giants | 45 | 36 | 10 |
| San Diego Padres | 39 | 40 | 15 |
| Colorado Rockies | 27 | 51 | 26.5 |
At the halfway mark of the 2016 season, the Padres find themselves one game under .500 after going 14-12 in the month of June. The theme of the month, and perhaps the theme of the whole season, was ups and downs: San Diego went 12-6 versus sub-.500 teams and 2-6 versus plus-.500 teams, including a brutal 4-game sweep at the hands of the Washington Nationals that brought Luke Armstrong's team crashing back to earth after winning 10 of their previous 13. "This was a wake-up call," Armstrong said after that series ended. "We've been having fun these past few games beating the teams we're supposed to beat, but this is a message that we're not where we want to be yet. There's still a lot of work to be done." With the Dodgers running away from the field in the NL West and the Wildcard race a fight between four teams (Diamondbacks, Cubs, Nationals, Giants) all within 3 games of one another, the work that Armstrong has to do might be retooling the organization for next season and beyond. "We're going to take a look at our team at every level and figure out how to get better," Armstrong said, a slight change in tune from his previous statements about not making any moves. Perhaps if he can find a few willing trade partners, the Padres will have more ups than downs in their future.
The high-fives haven't come consistently in 2016
-With the bullpen continuing to struggle, the Padres made some minor moves on the final day of the month to try and remedy the situation. 27-year old RHP Dayan Diaz (0-1, 2.16 ERA, 25 IP) and 26-year-old RHP Jose A. Ramirez (2-1, 4.26 ERA, 31.2 IP) were claimed off waivers from Cincinnati and Atlanta respectively, with the struggling Jon Edwards (5.87 ERA) and Jose Dominguez (6.26) being sent down to Triple-A El Paso to make room on the big league roster. Both Diaz and Ramirez make the league minimum salary and are not up for arbitration until after the 2017 season, so they are cheap low-risk options who almost certainly can't do any worse than the guys they're replacing.
-Earlier in June, starting catcher Derek Norris was hit on the hand by a pitch while batting and fractured a finger, resulting in a DL stint and a 5 week recovery timetable. Backup Christian Bethancourt was called on to take over the starting role and did not disappoint, hitting .271 with 3 HR and 16 RBI over the month -- better than anything Norris (.236, 7 HR, 19 RBI) was doing at the plate earlier in the year. Norris is already due back in one week, so it will be interesting to monitor the playing time situation behind the plate going forward.
-Slugger Matt Kemp is having a decent year offensively, hitting .262 with 12 HR and 42 RBI, but one number in his stat line is quite eye-catching. Kemp has struck out 93 times so far in 2016, which puts him on pace for 191 K's -- a number that would smash the franchise record of 160 set by Mike Cameron in 2007. When asked about his alarming whiff rate, Kemp was less than eager to discuss it. "It's frustrating man," he told reporters after a recent game. "Frustrating to do it and frustrating to be asked about it all the time."
-Hot corner occupant Yangervis Solarte hasn't made many headlines this year (.278/.334/.397, 6 HR, 35 RBI), but he had a game to remember on June 10 against the Rockies at Coors Field. In a contest that San Diego won 19-2, Solarte collected six hits in seven at-bats, the first time this year any Padre had more than four hits in a game.
-Checking in on last month's local darling Travis Jankowski, the speedy outfielder had an even better month in June, hitting .296 and swiping 10 bases. Jankowski now ranks third in the league with 17 steals behind only super speedsters Billy Hamilton and Dee Gordon. "Once Travis gets on base, it's a lot of fun to let him loose," manager Andy Green said. Somewhere, Melvin Upton Jr. is preparing for a life on the bench.
NATIONAL LEAGUE RANKINGS
Runs Scored - 334 (8th)
Batting AVG - .246 (13th)
On-Base PCT - .306 (12th)
Home Runs - 62 (11th)
Stolen Bases - 49 (t-3rd)
Runs Against - 366 (12th)
Starters ERA - 4.12 (10th)
Bullpen ERA - 4.52 (12th)
Defensive Eff. - .699 (4th)
Draft Recap
The 2016 MLB Draft took place on June 6 and the Padres were fortunate enough to own 3 of the top 26 picks. Here's how they did:
Rd 1 - C T.J. Collett (4.5 stars - high school)
The top backstop in the draft, Collett offers good potential in the AVG and OPB departments and could be a 20 HR guy someday. The Padres also loved his work ethic (his scouting report called him a "baseball rat"), making him an easy choice for the their first pick.
Rd 1 - SS Garrett Hampson (4.5 stars - college)
Hampson projects as a guy who will be called "pesky" by opponents -- he lacks power but can get on base and run almost at will.
Rd 1 - 2B Bryson Brigman (3.5 stars - college)
Perhaps Hampson's future double play partner, Brigman projects to be a similar type of player as the guy drafted right before him, only with better defense and slightly less speed.
Rd 2 - CF Ryan Boldt (3.5 stars - college)
High average, low power, super speedy -- are we sensing a theme here? Boldt has already been placed at Double-A San Antonio so he could be the first member of this draft class to reach the majors.
Rd 2 - SP Dion Henderson (2.0 stars - high school)
The first pitcher taken by San Diego, Henderson in a groundball-inducing lefty who projects as a #3 or #4 starter down the line.
Rd 3 - 2B Carlos A. Cortes (4.0 stars - high school)
Cortes is awfully similar to earlier selections Hampson and Brigman, but this was a case of simply taking the best player available.
Rd 4 - LF Cory Campbell (2.5 stars - high school)
The youngest player in the Padres' draft class is 17-year-old Campbell, who may have been selected earlier if not for scouting concerns about his makeup. Still, he has the potential to be a starter someday if he can hold himself together.
Rd 5 - 2B Jaxon Williams (2.0 stars - high school)
Williams is yet another speedy infielder, though he is the last unsigned member of this class due to his high contract demands. Negotiations between the Padres and Williams' agent have broken down and it seems unlikely that he will be a member of the organization.
League Notes
6/1 - Detroit Tigers closer Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez picked up his 400th career save, making him just the sixth pitcher all time to reach that mark.
6/3 - Chicago Cubs pitcher John Lackey went down with shoulder inflammation and will miss the rest of the season.
6/11 - Yankees outfielder Carlos Beltran got his 2500th career hit versus Detroit.
6/14 - Tigers superstar Miguel Cabrera was diagnosed with a torn PCL and is out for the season.
6/16 - Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun fractured his ankle and will be out 3-4 months.
6/16 - Los Angeles Dodgers rookie SS Corey Seager hit for the cycle versus Milwaukee.
6/26 - For the second time in a month, Red Sox 3B Pablo Sandoval hit for the cycle, this time against the Texas Rangers.
Notable Transactions
6/8 - The Miami Marlins shipped 2B Derek Dietrich (.233, 3 HR, 12 RBI) to the Kansas City Royals for RP Joakim Soria (0-1, 6.04 ERA), minor-league 3B Travis Maezes, and $4.1M cash.
6/16 - The Baltimore Orioles signed SP Tim Lincecum to a 1yr/786k contract. Lincecum was released by Kansas City a week prior after sporting a 5.17 ERA through 15.2 IP.