Quote from Jeremy Hill on December 18, 2023, 3:00 pm

Tatis is playing CF in the Dominican Republic.

https://twitter.com/EOBASEBALLCLUB/status/1736871434536751501

Quote from JasonE135 on December 18, 2023, 3:07 pm

Quote from BoosterSD on December 18, 2023, 1:39 pm

Quote from JasonE135 on December 18, 2023, 1:22 pm

 

Personally I think Marsee in CF and Pauley at 1B is kinda a square peg in a round hole at this point. A guy with average speed, arm and defense in CF? A guy with a short stroke and hit-over-power approach at 1B? That sounds like Crone.

I think Marsee is slated for LF and Pauley for middle infield. They could possibly grow into more, but expecting Marsee to handle CF at the MLB level this year and keep hitting is a lot to ask.

Get a free agent CF for this year and possibly next so Marsee can play LF and worry only about his hitting and not his fielding. If they want a true CF(everyone does), they will probably have to wait for Bush or Head. If the Padres want a true power hitting 1B, they are going to have to draft one. They don't have one in the system, at least not a quality prospect.

If what you say about Marsee and Pauley are true, then in my mind neither one have a place on SD ML roster, as we already have plenty of these guys.

If Marsee does not have the ability to play CF (my concern as well), he is not a LFer. That is a spot for a power guy, such as Schwarber and Soto types. As much as I am in favor of Profar coming back, he is not a LFer in mind either, and Profars value is his club house presence. I dont like no power, OBP guys in LF.

If Pauley, who came up/drafted as 3B/2B man, can not develop power and then man 1B, then as you stated he is no different than Crone, who is really difficult to trade, and except for being LHH, offers no value over Bogaerts and should be trade fodder as well for something that we need. A power hitting LHH LFer or 1B.

But again, thats why I agree with you and get some temporary pieces, and see how both develop and then address it later this season or next winter.

It appears that my expectations for the 2024 Padres are lower than yours. Both Marsee and Pauley are potential average to plus bats with below average to average power. Those players still have value. A possible .270-.300/.330-.360 hitter(eventually) with 10-15 HRs annually in LF? Sign me up! No team is perfect. Every team has average to below average players.

If the Padres want a power hitting LF they are going to have to draft one. The last one the Padres had in the system was Wood, and we all know what happened to him. My only question is can Marsee play LF at the MLB level and be close to average. That's all we can get right now without paying major money or trading major prospects for short term rentals. Tony Gwynn had below average power for a RF. He worked out ok. If Pauley can hit 20-25 HR as a 3B, that is probably average. He hit 23 HR in 481-AB last year. That is below average for 1B, average for 3B and above average for 2B. They both have value, I just don't think that either one will be a star.

Perhaps Preller should start keeping instead of trading our good-but-not-great prospects so we can finally have a team with some depth. Average players have a lot of value to teams that win consistently.

I loved the Soto trade. I was wrong. It didn't put the Padres over the hump. Perhaps depth will. I'm sure the Pads would love to have Abrams, Gore and Wood back right now.

The Padres have almost no money to spend yet have a great farm system. That is the kind of team that builds through the draft, not free agent signings or trades.

Quote from Randy Manese on December 18, 2023, 4:05 pm

While there may be some concern over Marsee having average foot speed and an average arm for a centerfielder, it should be noted that Marsee gets excellent jumps, is very good at going back for the ball, has sufficient bursts of closing speed both coming in and laterally, cuts off the ball well, catches everything he can get to and is normally accurate to the cut-off man.  He doesn't have the speed of a Dillon Head (who may be our CF of the future) nor the arm of Tatis, Jr. but he can play the position without giving up so extra bases because of a less than cannon arm that he is a detriment to the team.  Similarly, Marsee stole a combined 62 bases at almost any 80% rate in 2023; so you have to believe that his foot speed plays up and will be sufficient to handle the position in most situations.  I'm more certain of Marsee's ability defensively than offensively because the power he showed this year may not be sustainable since his exit velocities at this point are not as consistently high as one would like.

As far as Pauley goes, the concern is not whether he will hit but whether he can get to the 30 HR mark that most teams would prefer at 1b.  I'm thinking he could platoon with Campusano at 1b (when Campy's not catching) and/or with Azocar in LF.  He has a calm set-up at the plate but explodes to the ball, so his power numbers may still be on the upswing.  Hit tool not as good as Marsee's and it may be an adventure in LF for awhile, but he could supply a much needed power LH bat if he can hit anywhere close to what he showed at Ft. Wayne, which suppress HRs.  Will either Pauley or Marsee open the season with the Padres - that's what Spring Training is for!

Quote from Randy Manese on December 18, 2023, 4:29 pm

Don't regret the Soto trade, just the fact that Soto was so so at the end of the 22 season, had a miserable first month or so in the 23 season and proved to be a decisive force in the club house - that was not predictable.  With a healthy team, Padres could have made the playoffs but that's water under the bridge - Bogaerts' wrist, Machado's elbow, Tatis' recovery from shoulder and wrist surgeries, Musgrove's toe & shoulder, Suarez' shoulder injury, Darvish's elbow, Kim's shoulder, Cosgrove's hamstring, Wilson's right pec, Campusano's thumb surgery & ankle & groin sprain, Cronenworth's wrist, etc. - combined with the collapse of reliable 2022 middle RPs Crismatt, Garcia and Hill surely was the difference.  A perfect storm for dashing mile-high expectations.

 

Quote from BoosterSD on December 18, 2023, 4:52 pm

Quote from Randy Manese on December 18, 2023, 4:05 pm

While there may be some concern over Marsee having average foot speed and an average arm for a centerfielder, it should be noted that Marsee gets excellent jumps, is very good at going back for the ball, has sufficient bursts of closing speed both coming in and laterally, cuts off the ball well, catches everything he can get to and is normally accurate to the cut-off man.  He doesn't have the speed of a Dillon Head (who may be our CF of the future) nor the arm of Tatis, Jr. but he can play the position without giving up so extra bases because of a less than cannon arm that he is a detriment to the team.  Similarly, Marsee stole a combined 62 bases at almost any 80% rate in 2023; so you have to believe that his foot speed plays up and will be sufficient to handle the position in most situations.  I'm more certain of Marsee's ability defensively than offensively because the power he showed this year may not be sustainable since his exit velocities at this point are not as consistently high as one would like.

As far as Pauley goes, the concern is not whether he will hit but whether he can get to the 30 HR mark that most teams would prefer at 1b.  I'm thinking he could platoon with Campusano at 1b (when Campy's not catching) and/or with Azocar in LF.  He has a calm set-up at the plate but explodes to the ball, so his power numbers may still be on the upswing.  Hit tool not as good as Marsee's and it may be an adventure in LF for awhile, but he could supply a much needed power LH bat if he can hit anywhere close to what he showed at Ft. Wayne, which suppress HRs.  Will either Pauley or Marsee open the season with the Padres - that's what Spring Training is for!

Marsee, his potential bat is what I like for a CFer, just not a LFer. Especially if he is as good as stealing bases in the majors as the minors. A LHH with a .400 OBP that can steal at 80%, sounds like the kind of lead off hitter I love. So if he can handle CF without compromising the defense, fantastic. We have a winner.

Pauley, first of all great name, think about every time he hits a HR, you hear Rocky going Yo Pauley! If you think he can get to the 22-28 HRs a year range, two things. Isnt that better than we have had since really AGon? Two, 25+ HRs would have been top 10 in MLB, plus if he can hit .275/.350 those are both top 10 in MLB last season as well. So, really isnt it possible for Pauley to be close to a top 10-15 ML 1B?

Like I said, lets not rush them this season and see how they can develop in the MiLs.

Quote from fenn68 on December 18, 2023, 5:24 pm

This is more about alternatives for all 4 open position slots with maybe a $25-28MM budget … sort of a mix and match to make the best grouping. (That does even consider spending on pitching upgrades).

If Marsee is the most ready of the internal prospects … they might just have to run him out there if  he can hit or field at all and spend on the other holes if they want anything close to ML quality.

Maybe less about how good any of the alternative may be … and more about how to avoid being saddled with some real bad alternatives that drag the four collectively down.

Quote from JasonE135 on December 18, 2023, 5:34 pm

Quote from BoosterSD on December 18, 2023, 4:52 pm

Quote from Randy Manese on December 18, 2023, 4:05 pm

While there may be some concern over Marsee having average foot speed and an average arm for a centerfielder, it should be noted that Marsee gets excellent jumps, is very good at going back for the ball, has sufficient bursts of closing speed both coming in and laterally, cuts off the ball well, catches everything he can get to and is normally accurate to the cut-off man.  He doesn't have the speed of a Dillon Head (who may be our CF of the future) nor the arm of Tatis, Jr. but he can play the position without giving up so extra bases because of a less than cannon arm that he is a detriment to the team.  Similarly, Marsee stole a combined 62 bases at almost any 80% rate in 2023; so you have to believe that his foot speed plays up and will be sufficient to handle the position in most situations.  I'm more certain of Marsee's ability defensively than offensively because the power he showed this year may not be sustainable since his exit velocities at this point are not as consistently high as one would like.

As far as Pauley goes, the concern is not whether he will hit but whether he can get to the 30 HR mark that most teams would prefer at 1b.  I'm thinking he could platoon with Campusano at 1b (when Campy's not catching) and/or with Azocar in LF.  He has a calm set-up at the plate but explodes to the ball, so his power numbers may still be on the upswing.  Hit tool not as good as Marsee's and it may be an adventure in LF for awhile, but he could supply a much needed power LH bat if he can hit anywhere close to what he showed at Ft. Wayne, which suppress HRs.  Will either Pauley or Marsee open the season with the Padres - that's what Spring Training is for!

Marsee, his potential bat is what I like for a CFer, just not a LFer. Especially if he is as good as stealing bases in the majors as the minors. A LHH with a .400 OBP that can steal at 80%, sounds like the kind of lead off hitter I love. So if he can handle CF without compromising the defense, fantastic. We have a winner.

Pauley, first of all great name, think about every time he hits a HR, you hear Rocky going Yo Pauley! If you think he can get to the 22-28 HRs a year range, two things. Isnt that better than we have had since really AGon? Two, 25+ HRs would have been top 10 in MLB, plus if he can hit .275/.350 those are both top 10 in MLB last season as well. So, really isnt it possible for Pauley to be close to a top 10-15 ML 1B?

Like I said, lets not rush them this season and see how they can develop in the MiLs.

"A LHH with a .400 OBP who can steal bases at 80% sounds like the kind of leadoff hitter i love." Same. "His potential bat is what I like for a Cfer, just not a LFer.

.400 OBP, great bat, steals bases and below average power? That sounds remarkably like Tony Gwynn, the greatest RF in Padres history. Why didn't he play CF? Defense. Great RF, not great CF.

"Evaluators who saw Marsee in the spring believe he's more likely ticketed for a corner." It's not me saying these things, it's scouts. If Marsee can handle CF at even an average level, I think he should play there. I just don't want to have to count on Marsee as a CF. If he can play CF, awesome! If he can't, he could still be quite valuable in LF, which is where scouts think he will end up. A .400 OBP is valuable at any position.

If Marsee can play CF effectively and Pauley can play 1B and hit 30-HR I will have an O because I will be so happy. What if they can't? What if Marsee can only play LF(even money) and Pauley only hits 15-20 HR per season? They still have value. Again, don't try to force a square peg into a round hole. If it fits, great! If it doesn't...move it to another hole(position).

Quote from BoosterSD on December 18, 2023, 5:55 pm

Quote from JasonE135 on December 18, 2023, 5:34 pm

 

"A LHH with a .400 OBP who can steal bases at 80% sounds like the kind of leadoff hitter i love." Same. "His potential bat is what I like for a Cfer, just not a LFer.

.400 OBP, great bat, steals bases and below average power? That sounds remarkably like Tony Gwynn, the greatest RF in Padres history. Why didn't he play CF? Defense. Great RF, not great CF.

"Evaluators who saw Marsee in the spring believe he's more likely ticketed for a corner." It's not me saying these things, it's scouts. If Marsee can handle CF at even an average level, I think he should play there. I just don't want to have to count on Marsee as a CF. If he can play CF, awesome! If he can't, he could still be quite valuable in LF, which is where scouts think he will end up. A .400 OBP is valuable at any position.

If Marsee can play CF effectively and Pauley can play 1B and hit 30-HR I will have an O because I will be so happy. What if they can't? What if Marsee can only play LF(even money) and Pauley only hits 15-20 HR per season? They still have value. Again, don't try to force a square peg into a round hole. If it fits, great! If it doesn't...move it to another hole(position).

A couple of issues with your comparison of Marsee to Gwynn.

One, you cant compare anybody to Gwynn.

Two, Gwynn was RF, not LF. You say not to put a square peg in a round hole. In my opinion that is what you are doing with a LFer that does not hit for power. LF is a power spot, and apparently we will just have to disagree on that.

 

Quote from BoosterSD on December 18, 2023, 5:56 pm

Quote from BoosterSD on December 18, 2023, 5:55 pm