Vic Salazar: Youth give Padres potential pot of gold

Rookie Kyle Blanks could be a fixture for the Padres future.

It was a bizarre sight as I walked into Petco Park for the Padres-Dodgers game Tuesday night.

A rainbow developed over downtown.  Fans going into the game were pointing their cell phones to the sky and snapping photos of a weather phenomenon we haven’t seen here in several months.

Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are not Dodger blue.  I’m convinced that rainbow was intended for the Padres, to signify the end of the cloudy 2009 season and provide a bridge to a possible “pot of gold” in 2010.

Since July 28, the Padres have compiled the fifth-best record in the Major Leagues at 36-23.

Related: 2009 Padres in review | Visiting Rockies show surging Padres hope

San Diego posted a record of 17-9 in September.  The Padres just swept a short two-game series from the Dodgers, preventing L.A. from clinching the N.L. West title at Petco Park.

Not bad for a franchise that spent the entire 2009 season in a rebuilding mode.  The effort is reflected in the active roster.

As the season comes to an end, most of the players in a Padres uniform were in the minor leagues when San Diego played its home opener against the Dodgers on April 6.

More than a quarter of the current Padres were wearing a Portland Beavers uniform in the spring: Josh Geer, Joe Thatcher, Wade LeBlanc, Cesar Ramos, Will Venable, Greg Burke, Eliezer Alfonzo and Kyle Blanks all started the year in the Pacific Northwest.   Portland’s manager was Randy Ready, who in mid-season became the Padres batting coach.

Mat Latos, Luis Durango and Ernesto Frieri toiled in AA for the San Antonio Missions.

Tony Gwynn, Jr. was assigned to Milwaukee’s AAA club.   Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda and Adam Russell were in the White Sox organization.

San Diego Padres rookie pitcher Ryan Webb, center, heads to the bullpen past teammates Tony Gwynn, right, and Everth Cabrera before a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh Friday, Sept. 18, 2009. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

What’s to be admired about these young players is that they played hard when given the opportunity to perform at the Major League level.

Padres fans can count on seeing Venable, Blanks, Latos, and Richard in a San Diego uniform for a few more years.  At least until they, and Everth Cabrera, are arbitration eligible.

The core of what can be a winning ballclub in 2010 has taken shape the past two months.  But lots more needs to be done to challenge for a playoff spot.

First of all, center field needs to be upgraded.  Tony Gwynn, Jr. may be the son of a legend, but he is not the type of up-the-middle player that can power and run a team to a title.

Second base remains an enigma. Yes, David Eckstein has been signed for another year.  He provides great leadership and is a mentor to Cabrera, but he doesn’t provide enough offense to help the team get over the hump.

The same situation exists behind the plate.  Nick Hundley really needs to have a breakout year in 2010 for the Padres to contend.

It will be great to have Chris Young back next April.   As is Kevin Tower’s practice, the bullpen will be shuffled through spring training, but count on seeing Mike Adams and Luke Gregerson as the bridge to Heath Bell for another year.

After 40 years of heartbreaking baseball, Padres fans are accustomed to looking for omens. I’ll hang my hopes on what I saw hovering over the downtown ballpark.

Vic Salazar is an SDNN columnist.

Tags: Everth Cabrera, Kyle Blanks, Mat Latos, Padres, Salzar, SDNN

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 1st, 2009 at 7:43 pm and is filed under Padres . 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.