Hacksaw: Padres new ownership hitting home runs

Smiles have replaced scowls. Jokes have replaced stares and glares. Wins have replaced losses.

San Diego Padres baseball has a different feel, a different look, a different vibe and right now a different result.

In a summer of streaks, both good and bad, you remember the frustration levels, the hopelessness, the angst and the resentment. You heard it some, you felt it more. Not so any longer.

Related: Donavan Tate takes batting practice, media blitz

The wreckage left behind by John Moores’ departure as owner is being replaced by a new foundation, based on young players, signing bonuses and investments.

Jeff Moorad — former player agent turned new owner — is turning this franchise around and giving fans hope.

There was the day general manager Kevin Towers, his face flushed by poor performances mumbled: “I have seen enough of this,” in the midst of a maddening losing streak.

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There was vice president of scouting Grady Fuson grumbling “play with some pride.”

The 9-3 start and the 10-game winning streak were replaced by horrific stretches.

–No-hit by a pitcher the Giants were trying to trade
–Appalling losses at home to the lowly Pirates, A’s and a lost series at Washington
–Six-game losing streak on top of six-game losing streak
–18 losses in 21 outings
- Injury after injury

Fans wondered if it would ever get better.

Gone is the resentment over the Jake Peavy trade. Disappearing too is the anxiety as to whether every star with every big contract, like Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell, would be next to move. Now there is confidence. Now there is hope. Now there is belief in the leadership. Now there is trust.

It started with the acquisition of seven lively arms in the deals involving Peavy, Scott Hairston and Cla Meredith.

The comeback caught fire when rookie free spirit Mat Latos proved that what he did at Ft. Wayne and San Antonio, could be done at Petco Park. The blaze took hold with four really good outings by young White Sox lefthander Clayton Richard.

The game-winning home runs from Kyle Blanks caught everyone’s attention. He was intimidating pitchers, not the other way around. Big hits replaced big misses. His strikeouts went down and the home run numbers went up.

Suddenly the next hopeful phenom became a promise delivered. Shorstop Everth Cabrera reminds us of Ozzie Smith’s glove and Garry Templeton’s bat. The Padres scouted him in Class A, and stole him from the Rockies.

Kevin Kouzmanoff, a slow starter, is making up for it with a torrid stretch .380 stretch in mid-summer, as he drives in runs and dives for ground balls that could lead to a Gold Glove.

Chase Headley was hitting over .430 for nearly a month, making you believe he had found a way to make adjustments and that he belonged.

Add in Tony Gwynn Jr,, the sudden splurge of a young Will Venable, and some decent success from the collection of street free agent pitchers brought here in the spring, and you can see a future. Veteran glue and fire from David Eckstien and Heath Bell held this together.

And in places you don’t pay attention, you should start. Kids are putting up numbers like never seen before in this farm system.

Logan Forsythe (.322 average), James Darnell (.329), Andrew Cumberland (.296), and Jaff Decker (.300), are putting on impressive displays in that farm chain.

The Padres Class A team in the Midwest League, the Ft. Wayne Tincups, was 81-39 at midweek. The last minor league team to ring up those numbers was the Jacksonville Suns in the Dodgers farm system. That team was made up of guys like Chad Billingsley, James Loney, Matt Kemp and Russell Martin - all of whom reside in Chavez Ravine now.

And the new owner committed big money to sign 14-of-15 draft picks, including high school sensation Donavan Tate and slugger Everett Williams, while spending an all-time Padres record $9 million.

I said Monday at midnight was not only the deadline for signing draft picks, but for Jeff Moorad’s credibility as an incoming owner.

What a power display by Moorad, Towers, Fuson, Bill Gayton, Paul DiPodesta, and Fred Uhlman. It’s a front office team that moved to the forefront and found a way to get it done, and get those players here.

The Padres hit a home run this week on the field, in the draft room and within the farm system. They had a big inning. Next season has begun late this season. Hoping it leads to a bigger and better seasons in years to come.

Lee Hamilton hosts National Baseball Talkshows on XM-175-Home Plate Channel and writes columns for SDNN.

Tags: Donavan Tate, Everth Cabrera, Heath Bell, Jake Peavy, Jeff Moorad, John Moores, kevin towers, Mat Latos, SDNN, Will Venable

This entry was posted on Friday, August 21st, 2009 at 11:24 am and is filed under Baseball, Padres, Sports . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.