Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Every once in awhile
#1
SAN DIEGO - Justin Upton isnt intimidated by hitting in Petco Park. Javorius Allen Jersey .Wil Myers knows nothing about Petco Park.Derek Norris knew nothing about the San Diego Padres, other than Tony Gwynn once played for them.Will Middlebrooks said he was excited to be going from the East Coast to the best coast.The Padres on Tuesday introduced four-fifths of their big haul from general manager A.J. Prellers busy December wheeling and dealing. The news conference came some three weeks after they introduced slugger Matt Kemp, whom Preller calls the starting point in his effort to transform the worst offence in the major leagues into a contender.We think, if you go position by position, we match up against teams in our division, we match up against other teams in the league, manager Bud Black said. Now its a matter of doing it between the lines. Anything can happen in the course of a year but we feel pretty good about it right now.The five stars were obtained in separate deals during mid-December.You want to give your coaching staff a chance, said Preller, who was hired in August. You want to give them guys that if they go out and perform we have a chance to win and have an offensive unit thats championship-calibre.The Padres will control Norris, Middlebrooks, Myers and Kemp for several seasons. Upton is entering the final year of his contract, at $14.5 million.The Padres, whove missed the playoffs eighth straight seasons, had a historically awful offence in the first half of 2014. Although they played better in the second half, they finished at the bottom of the majors with a .226 average, .292 on-base percentage and 535 runs. Their 109 homers were the second fewest in baseball.Black envisions Upton in left, Myers in centre and Kemp in right. All are right-handed hitters, and the hope is theyll wear out left field at Petco Park. Norris, a catcher, and Middlebrooks, a third baseman, also are right-handed hitters.Upton, who was obtained from Atlanta, has 10 homers and a .291 average in 46 career games at Petco Park, where the spacious dimensions have gotten into some Padres hitters heads.Everybody says its big. I dont think so, he said. It usually plays pretty fair. Its one of those places where if you hit a home run, its going to be a home run. Ive enjoyed a bit of success here and I enjoy playing here. I think the parks great. Its a great atmosphere. I mean, how can you beat playing in San Diego every day? The new guys are going to love it, the guys who havent played here.Upton had 29 homers and 102 RBIs last season for the Braves.Myers came over from Tampa Bay in an 11-player, three-team trade. He was the 2013 AL Rookie of the Year.Hes never played at Petco Park.Everybody talks about how its a huge park but some of the players Ive talked to said its normal. It plays fair. If you hit it, its going to go. If you dont, its not.Norris was an All-Star last year with Oakland.Asked about his reaction when he found out hed been traded, Norris said: I was trying to figure out what a Padre was. I didnt really know. Growing up watching guys like Tony Gwynn represent this organization, that was about the closest I got to knowing what the organization was. I was happy to be part of something like that.Norris trimmed the bushy beard he sported with the As.Youve got to tame the beast before you can let it go, he quipped. You dont want to show up with it out of control, you know?Padres executive chairman Ron Fowler said hes pleased with what Preller has done.When we brought A.J. in, we found someone who embraced the task, Fowler said. He wasnt afraid of the San Francisco Giants or the Dodgers. He just had this David-Goliath mentality that he wanted to do it. He had this sort of look and this swagger about him.We had confidence he would do what he said he would do and he had priorities set up. We thought wed get maybe 60 per cent of what we were looking at. He basically got everything he set out to do.___Follow Bernie Wilson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/berniewilson Kyle Boller Jersey .J. Ellis hit an RBI single in the ninth inning, Hanley Ramirez hit a tape-measure, three-run homer in the first against Cliff Lee and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 on Saturday night. Duane Starks Jersey . Every once in awhile, it seems like life lets dreams become real - and that is a gift. http://www.customravensjersey.com/custom...2173d.html .com) - Marc Gasol and the Grizzlies withstood 18 Dallas 3-pointers, as Memphis took control in the third quarter and fended off a Mavericks rally en route to a 114-105 win in a Southwest Division showdown.New Orleans, LA (SportsNetwork.com) - The New Orleans Pelicans have reportedly found a replacement for Anthony Morrow by coming to terms with sharpshooter Jimmer Fredette. The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports Fredette agreed to a one-year contract. The newspaper reported forward Darius Miller has also chosen to re-sign with the Pelicans, this despite not being extended a qualifying offer by the team last month. Fredette, a standout at BYU, will play for his third diifferent NBA team. Brandon Carr Jersey. The 10th overall pick in 2011, Fredette has averaged 6.9 points over 179 games with Sacramento and Chicago. He has connected on 40.1 percent of his 3-point tries. Miller, a second-round selection of New Orleans in 2012, averaged 4.4 points in 45 games last season. Morrow, who averaged 8.4 points in a career-high 76 games last season for New Orleans, signed a three-year, $10 million deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier this week. ' ' '
Reply


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)