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Padres outfield situation could get ugly

To say that Petco Park’s outfield territory is expansive would be an understatement. 401 feet in the left field alley..396 in center..382 in right…you could get lost out there. Naturally, with that much ground to cover, the Padres require rangy outfielders to cover the gaps and help make Petco a pitcher’s safe haven.

Mike Cameron was that sort of fielder. Cameron was an asset in the field in both of his seasons with the Fathers- while he wasn’t quite the Gold Glove-caliber fielder of his prime, Cameron still rated as an above-average fly catcher:

Baseball Prospectus Fielding Runs Above Average (FRAA):

2006: 10

2007: 2

The Hardball Times Revised Zone Rating:

2006: 9/ 21 qualified CF

2007: 9/ 17 qualified CF

Alas, Cameron won’t be patrolling center for San Diego in 2008, as he took his glove to Milwaukee. To fill the void, the Padres traded for 37 year-old Jim Edmonds.

At one point, Edmonds would have been just the man for the job. However, a combination of age and injuries have reduced his once-prolific range:

2006: -1 FRAA

2007: -6 FRAA

Due to a litany of bumps and bruises, Edmonds did not qualify in the Revised Zone Rating system in either 2006 or 2007. Had he played enough innings to qualify, however, Edmonds would have ranked 16/22 in 2006 and 17/18 in 2007.

So, Edmonds rates as a below-average fielder these days and only figures to decline further as his body betrays him (he’s currently battling a calf injury). Perhaps that wouldn’t be such a concern if the Padres flanked Edmonds with two solid fielders, but there are plenty of questions surrounding the corner men as well.

Brian Giles, himself 37, has also lost a step or two with age- he rated as -6 FRAA and -5 FRAA in 2006 and 2007, respectively. Combine that with offseason microfracture surgery, and one has to wonder if Giles’ body is simply breaking down.

Left field could be a source of some bloopers as well. The position figures to be manned by some combination of Scott Hairston, himself injury-prone and ordinary defensively, Chase Headley, who is attempting to make the transition from third base, and Non-Roster Invitee Jody Gerut, who hasn’t played in the big leagues since 2005. Headley is a decent athlete, but he figures to make a few blunders as he learns the ropes. Gerut’s career was sidelined by a serious knee injury and questions obviously remain about his durability. The only other outfielder on the 40-man roster is Paul McAnulty, a 5-10, 220 pound fire hydrant who has drawn a few Matt Stairs comparisons during his career. His bat has stalled in AAA, yet the Stairs comparison still holds true on the defensive side of things. That’s not good.

No matter who mans the outfield for the Padres, the results figure to be gruesome/hilarious. Compounding matters is a pitching staff that features several extreme-flyball pitchers:

                               GB%   BABIP

Chris Young          30        .245

Jake Peavy           45        .281

Trevor Hoffman    32        .287

Randy Wolf*        42        .337

Mark Prior**        41       . 302

* With Dodgers

** with Cubs in 2006

Young, who surrenders as many flyballs as any starter in the game, is especially reliant upon his outfield defense. Hoffman and injured imports Wolf and Prior also rely heavily upon the talents of their fly catchers.

Note the low Batting Average on Balls in Play (BABIP) totals for Young, Peavy and Hoffman- with inferior outfield “D” behind them, don’t be surprised if those totals (and subsequently their ERAs) rise as a product of the suspect outfield crew assembled by the Padres.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 19th, 2008 at 7:06 pm and is filed under Mike Cameron, Paul McAnulty, Scott Hairston, Brian Giles, Jim Edmonds, Padres. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.