A record 25 votes were cast in the Week 14 Throwdown Thursday competition, with the majority of the voters (67 percent) selecting Logan Forsythe over Chris Denorfia  as the Week 14 Throwdown Thursday champion.

Forsythe, a Padres infielder, won his first Throwdown Thursday crown by having a nine-game hitting streak that included a .500 average (7 hits) with one home run and three RBI in the past week. He also had a .714 slugging percentage.

Forsythe’s moment of glory will come to an end next week, as he is not a participant in the Week 15 Throwdown Thursday challenge.

This week’s Throwdown Thursday competition pits a dominant Padre pitcher bidding for his third Throwdown Thursday award, against a young guy making a case for Rookie of The Year: Clayton Richard vs. Yonder Alonso.

Clayton Richard pitches into the 8th inning against the Astros Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

Clayton Richard – Richard gave up four earned runs in his outing last week against the Houston Astros, but don’t let those earned runs fool you. Richard was on his game. The National League leader in innings pitched (135.1) came up just shy in his bid for his first complete game of the season, tossing 8 1/3 while giving up nine hits (two were home runs) and walking none. Richard was dominant because he was able to pound the the strike zone with quality pitches and with movement on his fastball. The lefty controlled the pace of the game as he tossed less than 10 pitches in three innings. Offensively, Richard helped his own cause by adding a RBI double that came just a few feet short of a home run. Richard is the first Padres pitcher to earn seven wins this year.

Yonder Alonso bats during 4th inning against Reds at PETCO Park.Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE.

Yonder Alonso – Alonso’s bat is starting to come around again. In the past week, Alonso is batting .368 with a home run, seven RBI, seven hits and an OPS of 1.139. In a game against the Astros, Alonso was able to collect his seventh multi-hit game of the season, and racked up six RBI’s in a two-game span. The slow running first baseman even added a stolen base.  But his bat wasn’t the only thing that landed Alonso on the Throwdown Thursday ballot, his defense was solid too. He backed up Clayton Richard’s 8 1/3 outing by laying himself out and getting dirty with some great diving stops.

Now Padres fans, vote in our poll for the Padres performer of the week.  Is it Richard or Alonso?

No longer with the Cincinnati Reds and blocked at First Base, Alonso will have a great chance to shine with San Diego Padres this season and beyond. Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

In the 43 seasons that the Padres have been a franchise, only two players have won the National League Rookie of the Year award: Butch Metzger (1976, shared), and Benito Santiago (1987).  While the Padres have not had a winner of the aforementioned award in a quarter century, San Diego is entering the 2012 season with a player that has a great chance to contend for the coveted honor and emerge as a “star in the making” as well: Yonder Alonso.

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