The Perfect Summer Job

I was fortunate this week to land a summer job assisting on the pilot for the new 90210 series that will air this fall on the CW Network. I'll start on Monday (6/30) and it goes until the middle of August just before I return for a 5th season of Lost. I have to take this time to vent about about the lowly state of affairs for my San Diego Padres. This team is unwatchable. How many times can you get two men on base with less than two outs and not be able to knock a guy in? I guess this has been a long time coming because the close games they've lost this season were games they won the last three seasons. I think this team is in for a few long seasons as I think their whole draft philosophy is fundamentally flawed. Yeah, we've got Chase Headley playing well, but is there really anybody else in the farm system that another team is coveting? Do we have the next Justin Upton? At best, scouts say Headley will be a solid major-leaguer, not an all-star player. John Moores has spent $400 million of San Diegan's tax dollars to build Petco Park, yet he refuses to pay above slot in the amateur draft like the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees do, to build up the farm system with "the best available" players. Instead this franchise opts for low ceiling players because they're easier to sign. This might save the franchise money, but it will guarantee a weak farm system. The Padres' farm system consistently ranks in the lower third of all teams because of bad luck and or poor draft choices. Let's take a look at the draft choices this team has made since 2000 and see who has made an impact, if any. In 2000, they drafted a left-handed pitcher named Mark Phillips. I believe he was out of baseball by 2003. The second round was better with Xavier Nady, now starting for the Pittsburgh Pirates. 2001 was a complete waste with the selection of Jake Gautreau. The 4th round was better with the selection of Josh Barfield, who had one good season before his career hit the skids with the Cleveland Indians. 2002 was better with Khalil Greene, although six years later, still can't hit a breaking ball. 2003 was a potential steal with Tim Stauffer. Most agreed he was a solid pick, but after confessing he was hurt he agreed to sign at a much lower amount. After a few promising major league starts in 2004, he still hasn't regained his college form. 2004 brings us the most embarrassing bomb yet. Getting the first selection of the first round, the Padres thought they would make a bold statement by drafting local boy Matt Bush over Stephen Drew and Rickie Weeks. While Drew and Weeks haven't played to their potential yet, I doubt Bush will ever play one day in the majors. The jury is still out on the 2005 pick as Cesar Carillo has had arm problems. If he can come back as strong as he was at Long Beach State, he could be special, but there's a lot of ifs there. Chase Headley was drafted in the 4th round that year. 2006 might just have the most potential as Matt Antonelli was the 1st rounder with Chad Huffman in the 3rd and Cedric Hunter in the 5th. All of these guys will be with the Padres within the next few years. 2007 was a "safe" pick with left-handed pitcher Nicholas Schmidt. Most scouts describe him as a "control artist". Basically a diplomatic way of saying: "fringe stuff". Can you say Brian Lawrence, Part 2? For 2008, let's just say that opposing teams' scouts were howling with the selection of Allan Dykstra, a first basemen with no other positional ability. Being just a few months younger than Adrian Gonzalez, one wonders what the front office is thinking. Is there a place for him? Go figure. I've always advocated Moore's position of not paying huge salaries to over the hill free agents, but his timidity at paying top dollar for the best available talent in the amateur draft seem hypocritical. With the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks fielding far more athletic (and home grown) talent I fear we're at the beginning of another stretch of losing seasons. I hope I'm wrong.