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AKA Coastal
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This should be interesting.
Experiment begins with Blanks in left
An uncertain yet potentially far-reaching experiment by the Padres will begin soon when Kyle Blanks plays left field for the Triple-A Portland Beavers.
Blanks likely will be in left field Monday in Portland, said Grady Fuson, the Padres' director of scouting and development. The first baseman, who is blocked in San Diego by Adrian Gonzalez, has batted .304 with a team-high seven home runs in his first 29 Triple-A games.
The 22-year-old appeared in left field four years ago but was not tested. At 6 feet 6, 285 pounds, he might look out of place in left, Fuson acknowledged. Scouts rate his speed as average or only slightly below and his arm strength as above average, though how well he can throw in games remains to be seen.
Fuson said Blanks will start out in left field, but the club hasn't ruled out putting him in right field as well. The more likely candidate for right field is his Triple-A teammate Will Venable, said Padres General Manager Kevin Towers, but Venable is batting only .262 and has 29 strikeouts in 107 at-bats to go with five home runs.
Fuson said Blanks worked hard in outfield drills. “Now it's time to put him out there and see how he reacts, how he anticipates, reads routes,” he said.
The outfields in the National League West argue against Blanks prospering in left field. Petco Park's left field, while not as demanding as the park's right field, is fairly large and has a tricky crosswind, plus a swirling effect near the line that has given Chase Headley troubles. The left fields in Denver, San Francisco and Phoenix are all more difficult than the norm and have exposed deficient Padres left-fielders in years past.
Headley, while not a Gold Glove candidate, has improved greatly since the 2007 spring training, when he moved from third base to left.
“Maybe Blanks can do what Headley does,” Fuson said. “Everybody was a naysayer about Headley, but Headley has done a pretty good job.”
If Blanks shows that he can play left, the Padres could revisit internal discussions about the viability of trading third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff and moving Headley to third. Kouzmanoff is off to a slow start, reducing his trade value. If he warms up, something he has done each of the past two summers, his trade value should improve.
Experiment begins with Blanks in left
An uncertain yet potentially far-reaching experiment by the Padres will begin soon when Kyle Blanks plays left field for the Triple-A Portland Beavers.
Blanks likely will be in left field Monday in Portland, said Grady Fuson, the Padres' director of scouting and development. The first baseman, who is blocked in San Diego by Adrian Gonzalez, has batted .304 with a team-high seven home runs in his first 29 Triple-A games.
The 22-year-old appeared in left field four years ago but was not tested. At 6 feet 6, 285 pounds, he might look out of place in left, Fuson acknowledged. Scouts rate his speed as average or only slightly below and his arm strength as above average, though how well he can throw in games remains to be seen.
Fuson said Blanks will start out in left field, but the club hasn't ruled out putting him in right field as well. The more likely candidate for right field is his Triple-A teammate Will Venable, said Padres General Manager Kevin Towers, but Venable is batting only .262 and has 29 strikeouts in 107 at-bats to go with five home runs.
Fuson said Blanks worked hard in outfield drills. “Now it's time to put him out there and see how he reacts, how he anticipates, reads routes,” he said.
The outfields in the National League West argue against Blanks prospering in left field. Petco Park's left field, while not as demanding as the park's right field, is fairly large and has a tricky crosswind, plus a swirling effect near the line that has given Chase Headley troubles. The left fields in Denver, San Francisco and Phoenix are all more difficult than the norm and have exposed deficient Padres left-fielders in years past.
Headley, while not a Gold Glove candidate, has improved greatly since the 2007 spring training, when he moved from third base to left.
“Maybe Blanks can do what Headley does,” Fuson said. “Everybody was a naysayer about Headley, but Headley has done a pretty good job.”
If Blanks shows that he can play left, the Padres could revisit internal discussions about the viability of trading third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff and moving Headley to third. Kouzmanoff is off to a slow start, reducing his trade value. If he warms up, something he has done each of the past two summers, his trade value should improve.
