This year was no different. In fact this year was a little worse than normal. I almost drafted Yonder Alonso out of pity. Another person in our league joked about taking Carlos Quentin to fill his DL spot, and we used Will Venable’s sticker to hold up the draft board. It’s not that we don’t want to draft Padres players; its just there really isn’t any point.

When we started our Fantasy League in 2000, the very first player picked was Trevor Hoffman. We made fun of the guy who did this immediately, to which he replied, “I have a strategy.” Needless to say his strategy didn’t pay off.

Since that first draft there have been few Padres worthy of a selection. Heath Bell, Jake Peavy, Mat Latos, and Adrian Gonzalez all had good runs. Brian Giles had a minute, Chris Young had a moment, and of course Khalil Greene had an issue. But, it’s been few and far between for quite awhile. I know you might be thinking, “A lot of teams don’t have players you would draft in a fantasy league.” That statement is correct. The Royals only have a couple, as do the Pirates, Rockies, and Indians. I mean hell, when we started our league we only had seven guys, so to make things even we made the Tampa Bay Devil Rays our eighth. Which meant you couldn’t draft any Devil Rays, and that was fine because you really didn’t want to. Remember this was the early 2000’s when the Devil Rays were still a joke. Yes, there are and have been plenty of teams who have had less than desirable fantasy players, but I write about the Padres not those other teams. For the most part drafting a Padre means you’re taking a pitcher or taking a chance. Now with the fences moved in, all that has changed. Not one Padres hurler was taken this year, not one. And, we have some pretty good candidates: Clayton Richard could be okay, Huston Street should have a strong season, and Andrew Cashner might end up with a regular line that tempts owners with a waiver wire pick up. I can only assume that the hesitation is in part due to PETCO’s fences being moved in, and I understand that, as I also refuse to draft any Padres pitchers this year. And, I’m the guy who picked up Joe Randa more than once – in the same season.

In our fantasy league there is a lot of hometown bias. Guys want to try and draft as many players from their hometown team as possible. We have a Dodgers fan, an Angels fan, an Orioles fan, a Giants fan, and four Padres fans. One of my favorite things to do is find out who the up and coming stud is in one of these organizations and snatch ‘em up before the homer does. It drives them crazy, and makes me happy. Dork jokes. You want the star player on your fantasy team that you get to watch on your real team, but when that star doesn’t really exist? It’s tough.

Seriously, just let him play 2nd. (Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports)

This year Chase Headley was kept, and someone drafted Jedd Gyorko as a minor leaguer. Yes, we do a minor league draft. If you don’t then I pity your league. But, both of those picks are attached to a whole lot of wishful thinking. We hope that Gyorko is the player he looks like he could be. We hope that Headley continues his 2012 stride. Of course, if both of those things happen it won’t only benefit the Padres, it will benefit our fantasy league. We could have a couple fantasy stars that are talked about, and offered in deals, and admired for a few years to come. This is would be good. It would be a point of pride for me on two levels, and I want to live on two levels. I’m a diehard Padres fan, and I am more hopeful than most that this season could be a real step up for the team. I want people in my fantasy league to drive up the prices of players who no one thought of before. I want the Padres to be the envy of statheads, and roto-junkies everywhere. I want that, because it echoes why most of us get in to Fantasy Baseball: A fun escape from the mundane realism of the actual game itself. It can trudge on and forcing yourself to pay attention to every facet of that mundane realism ends up making it more exciting and ultimately fascinating. You not only care about players and teams you once hated, but you start to care about your own hometown team even more. You want reality to imitate the fantasy, but in Baseball that can never be true, because as much as you cheer Cameron Maybin on as the hope of the future, he’ll almost certainly never be worth it.

For more Padres stuff and other things you might not care about follow me on Twitter @dallas_mc

On Wednesday, Robert posted a list of the Non-Roster players being invited by the Padres to Spring Training in Peoria over the next month and a half.  While there are some familiar players coming as Non-Roster invites such as Jedd Gyorko and Tim Stauffer, I was particularly intrigued by some of the talented Minor League Pitchers on the aforementioned list: Relievers Kevin Quackenbush and Matt Stites, and Starters Robbie Erlin, and Donn Roach.

Robbie Erlin will likely begin the year in Triple-A Tucson. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Quackenbush & Stites

Quackenbush and Stites, both Right-Handers, really burst on the scene as potential contributors in the Padres’ Bullpen after both enjoyed terrific stints in the Arizona Fall League.  During A.F.L. play, Quackenbush and Stites emerged as two of the League’s most effective Relief Pitchers, and Quackenbush was named to the League’s “Top Prospects” team at the conclusion of the season as he posted 6 Saves over 11 Appearances to go along with 16 Strikeouts and a 2.45 ERA.  No slouch himself, Stites posted a 1-0 record over 12 Appearances, and a 3.21 ERA with 15 Strikeouts, as both teammates were a formidable pair out of the Peoria Javelina’s Bullpen.

Because of how effective they were in the A.F.L., as well as the 2012 regular season, the Relievers are likely in line for a promotion in Minor League levels in 2013 too.  Stites is coming off of a productive year with Single-A Fort Wayne, as he befuddled Midwest League hitters to the tune of a 2-0 record, and a 0.74 ERA in 48.2 Innings Pitched and 43 Appearances.  Most impressive of all however was the 60 to 3 Strikeout to Walk ratio Stites tallied last year!  Quackenbush, who pitched with High-A Lake Elsinore, was no slouch himself as he went 3-2, posted a 0.94 ERA over 57.2 Innings Pitches and 52 Appearances, and Struck Out 70 batters.

Erlin & Roach

Acquired in exchange for then-Setup Man Mike Adams back in 2011, Erlin figures to be a fixture in the Padres’ Starting Rotation in the near future.  And like Quackenbush and Stites, he enjoyed quite the stint in the Arizona Fall League as well.  Overall, Erlin pitched 23.2 Innings, and went 2-1 over 7 Starts with the Peoria Javelinas (he was a teammate of both Stites and Quackenbush) this Fall after he sustained a rough 2012 regular season due to an injury.

Erlin missed a large chunk of the 2012 campaign due to elbow tendinitis, but was nevertheless effective in his 11 Starts as he posted a 3-1 record, and logged a 2.92 ERA to go along with 72 Strikeouts over 52.1 Innings Pitched.  The Left-Hander’s career stats in the Double-A Texas League, with Frisco and San Antonio, illustrate that he is more than ready to begin the regular season with Tucson in Triple-A.  If this happens, I for one will be coming out to Kino Stadium like I did last year as I saw Gyorko and Yasmani Grandal tear up Pacific Coast League Pitching.  Only this time I will be there to watch some top notch Pitching.

Speaking of Pitchers, do you Friars fans remember when the Padres traded Ernesto Frieri to Los Angeles of Anaheim in May of last year?  Well besides “Swiss Army Knife” Alexi Amarista, the Friars received Minor League Pitcher Donn Roach in exchange for Frieri.  Although Roach did not contribute at the Big League level like Amarista did in 2012, he really did a fantastic job in The California League.

How good was the former Angels prospect?  Well, Roach, with Inland Empire and Lake Elsinore, was as close to dominant as a Starter could be in High-A ball last year.  Over 14 Games (13 Starts) and 88.1 Innings Pitched, the Sinker-baller registered a 10-1 overall record, a 1.94 ERA, and an impressive 73 to 14 Strikeout to Walk ratio.  It would not shock me in the least to see Roach making Starts with Triple-A Tucson by the end of the year.  In fact, Roach could very well be on the fast track to Triple-A if he proves he can hang with Texas League hitters after his promising debut last year with the Missions (4 Appearances, 3 Starts, 1-1 record, 1.59 ERA) before he was shut down for the year due to his workload.

Final Thoughts

As promising as these Pitchers are, I nevertheless have to remind myself that only Erlin is likely to make any sort of contributions with the Padres this season.  Stites and Quackenbush have yet to pitch an Inning of Double-A ball, and Roach has a limited amount of experience at the Double-A level also.  Nevertheless, it is at least intriguing and hopeful to see that the Friars do have some potential in their Minor League system after so many years with their “cupboards” essentially “bare” of talent.  This added time against increased competition will hopefully serve these hurlers well, because they will be counted on to help the Friars as the rebuilding process continues for the franchise.

So keep a close eye out for these four prospects over the next month and a half, Friars fans.  Each one has the potential to be an integral pieces of the Padres’ Pitching Staff puzzle soon, and I for one am interested in seeing how they perform this Spring as Non-Roster invitees.

Stats Courtesy of: Baseball Reference and AFL Stats

Gyorko will hopefully be making his Major League debut this year. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

My thoughts on Mayo’s recent work aside, the reason I brought these posts up was in large part due to the “Top 10 Second Basemen” one from over the weekend.  Why did this post peak my interest?  Well, Mayo ranked not one, but two Padres Second Base prospects in his “Top 10:” Jedd Gyorko was his #1 overall prospect at the position, and Cory Spangenberg was listed at #4.

The success and recognition of some of the Padres’ best prospects should be no news to any of us “Friars Faithful.”  Over the last four seasons, San Diego has been able to build a competitive and highly touted Farm System, and according to Keith Law of ESPN.com, the Padres’ possessed the #1 ranked Farm System in all of Major League Baseball in 2012.

Gyorko more than deserves his #1 ranking, and his overall production at the plate since he began his career in the Padres’ Minor League system is the biggest reason why.

Second Base is not a position one usually associates with power numbers, but Gyorko does possess some “pop.”  Over the last two years, the Padres 2nd Round pick from the 2010 Draft has smacked a total of 55 Home Runs and 75 Doubles!  With his extra-base hits have come runs, and Gyorko has been an excellent run producer over his Minor League career as well.  During the 2011 season, he knocked in 114, and in 2012 he finished with an even 100 between San Antonio (Double-A) and Tucson (Triple-A).

As solid as his power numbers have been, Gyorko has proved that he can hit for a high average and get on base consistently as well.  Gyorko hit an impressive .311 between Double and Triple-A in 2012, and an even more impressive .333 between Advanced-A and Double-A ball the year before.  The former West Virginia Mountaineer also posted a terrific .400 On-Base Percentage in 2011, and a .373 mark last year, including a .380 OBP with Triple-A Tucson.

Gyorko might be able to find himself on to the big league roster if he enjoys a solid Spring.  But even if he does not break Spring Training with the Padres, he will likely be on the “door-step” to the Majors, and the first Middle Infielder called up if injuries or poor play strike those at the big league level during the regular season.  If by some horrible turn of events that Third Baseman Chase Headley is injured, Gyorko also has experience as a Third Baseman, and can fill in if the Padres need him to, or shift over to Second Base while Logan Forsythe assumes the position.

Unlike Gyorko, Spangenberg will likely spend the entirety of the 2013 season at the Minor League level.  The speedy Spangenberg finished his first year in Advanced-A ball last year (Lake Elsinore) in 2012, and is unlikely to advance past San Antonio this year.  Although the soon to be 3rd year player has yet to play in Double-A ball, there is still plenty for us Padres fans to be excited about regarding the 2011 Draft’s 10th overall selection.

Last year, Spangenberg earned a promotion to Advanced-A ball in 2012 after he enjoyed an impressive 72 Game debut (.316 BA, 17 2B’s, 3 HR’s, 44 RBI’s, 25 SB’s) between Eugene and Fort Wayne during the 2011 campaign.  Unfortunately for Spangenberg, a head injury forced him to miss a chunk of last year in the California League, and he only played in 98 Games.  While the head injury cost him time, the then 21 year-old was still able to have a decent season with the Storm.  Overall, Spangenberg recorded a .271 Batting Average, 12 Doubles, 8 Triples, 1 Home Run, 40 RBI’s, and 27 Stolen Bases.  While Spangenberg does not possess the type of raw power that Gyorko does, he has illustrated so far that he can be a top of the order threat in terms of getting on base, stealing bases, and driving in a fair amount of runs.

As I alluded to before, Spangenberg will likely begin this year with Double-A San Antonio.  The potential promotion should be good for the youngster as the competition should help with his development, and there is not a rush to call him up to the big leagues at the moment.  Plus, the Padres’ brass will be able to evaluate how well Spangenberg is able to perform against the higher-level of competition in the Texas League, especially the pitching.

Final Thoughts

Following Gyorko this year will definitely be an interesting activity as he could be ready to debut with the Friars as early as this Summer.  While Gyorko is playing Second Base right now and is projected to play there, his positional future partly depends on what will happen with Chase Headley and his future with the team.  If Headley does not receive a new deal with the club, and is instead traded before he hits Free Agency in 2015, the Padres might shift Gyorko over to the hot corner.

If Gyorko does indeed shift due to Headley heading elsewhere, it could be in time for Spangenberg’s big league arrival in a few years.  Although Spangenberg has not advanced nearly as far as Gyorko has in terms of the Minor League system, I for one will be intrigued to see how well he is able to adjust to Double-A ball this year, and hopefully Triple-A ball the following season if he is indeed promoted.

Hope for the future is always positive, and I sure would like to see these two highly touted prospects make some noise at the big league level sooner as opposed to later.  And all I can say now is that it is definitely nice to see that there is not only hope for the future in San Diego, but that our Friars have at least some tools to build with over the next few years.

Stats & Contract Information Courtesy of: Baseball Reference