As I finally came out of my bunker….just kidding !! The past few months have been incredibly busy in the natural resources sector (investment community) that has consumed majority of my interests along with spinning blues music at various venues, and attending the NCAA West Regional Finals in Anaheim. Though, I have purposely stayed away from tossing a few posts here. Why? Because, I do not want to add more to the global warming situation (hot air) on the blogsphere. Plus, there are many bloggers who are tracking every little movement the Padres have been doing in Spring Training. We do not need paralysis by over analysis…Laughs….I put little emphasis on what goes on during Spring Training and as I normally do every year, tend to say in the shadows observing a few things here and there. Call it situational awareness on the baseball scene.
On the eve before the start of the 2011 Padres season, I will toss out my predictions and hopefully come very close to replicating my results from last year. Though, before I announce my predictions I will take a cursory overview of the 2011 San Diego Padres.
The 2011 Edition Padres has dramatically change from the previous year, and I though the Middle East Countries were changing the guards at lightening speed ! From my perspective, I watch two games during Spring Training and to some that might seem too little of a sample size. But, I have a contrarian way of analyzing teams. Enough with the chit chat ! Let’s get down to the facts based on my observations.
Despite losing Adrian Gonzalez the biggest bad boy east of Albert Pujols the last past few years, I feel the Padres are definitely better overall in each of the starting positions. Yes ! You heard me right ! Brad Hawpe will be one damn pleasant surprise and this acquisition will stamp GM Jed Hoyer legacy. In fact, I look deep into the 2011 season for Hawpe to blast 28 HR’s and have 111 RBI’s with an average hovering around the mid .280’s. Come to think of it, not a bad replacement for A-Gon !! At 2nd base, Orlando Hudson (aka O-Dawg) will become the team’s leader on the field and inside the clubhouse. O-Dawg brings in some swagger, speed, and further ignite Buddy Black’s aggressive running attack on the basepaths. I could go on and on with each player, but I do not want to bore you with details. I have clearly stated who are the most important players. Ummm, there is one more player who will have a tremendous impact in 2011, that is Will Venable. When we reach the All-Star break in July, at a glance back we will notice that Venable has established himself as one of the premier right fielders in the game. This is the year when Venable becomes a 20/20 ballplayer, over 20 stolen bases and 20 homers. Essentially, Venable has a good chance to become what Ricky Henderson meant to the A’s and Yankees. Lead off and provide potential lead off homers and place the Padres ahead in the game immediately OR getting on base to create havoc and opportunities for the Padres.
As for Pitching side of the house, look for Cory Luebke to be a surprise in 2011. I foresee Luebke coming through with 12 wins and stabilizing the lower end of the rotation. In addition, Aaron Harang will have an outstanding season and lead the rotation with 18 wins overall. Don’t be surprise to see Heath Bell leading both leagues in savers with 51. This might come to a surprise to many of the so called baseball experts. But the Padres culture is very contagious with Buddy Black at the helm and steering the roundship full speed ahead. Another trend I see in the Padres is, that every expert has picked the Padres to finish no higher than 4th place and no more than 75 wins. Is that a complete slap in the face or not ? Moreover, I do have a contrarian outlook and firmly believe there are many players on this team that will emerge and replicate not only last year’s feat but surpass it. If you do not believe me. Just take a look at history when Seattle Mariners lost A-Rod and still had the best record in baseball. With this all being said, here are my 2011 NL West Predictions…….
- Colorado Rockies 94 – 68
- San Diego Padres 92 – 70
- San Francisco Giants 86 – 76
- Arizona Diamondbacks 80 – 82
- Los Angeles Dodgers 77 – 85
The Padres will finish in 2nd place and this time will qualify as a wild-card entry. This team will progress through the playoffs and compete for the NL Championship before bowing out of the playoffs. Here we go Padres fans, help me all !! help me now ! Yeah ! As I close out this post, here is the first music video of the season featuring Joss Stone and Mavis Staples singing “I’ll Take You There”… Yeah ! Come on Padres Fans, this team will Take You There ! Let’s set this as the theme for 2011 Padres season……I’ll Take You There ! Say Yeah !… Can I hear the playoffs in San Diego ??? I’ll Take You There ! Come on Padres, back up my prediction !!