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David Dodd

David Dodd is a Reader contributor. See staff page for published articles.

Bring In the Fences? We Don't Need No Stinking Bringing in the Fences!

Brian, you're using metrics as though the Padres somehow compare offensively to all of the other clubs. They don't. Lowest payroll in MLB. The only true power hitter on this year's roster is Carlos Quentin, and he has yet to even play a game for the Padres. I understand your points, but if you really want to do it right then you would need to break down the Padres at every position and compare the position players to each other. On the other hand, Padres pitching has an advantage, not just at home but carrying THEIR confidence on the road. True hitters can hit, period. And the Padres have a bunch of guys who are gaps hitters. Headley, Denorfia, Alonso, Venable, those guys are built to hit down the lines and in the alleys. Same with a lot of their prospects. Gyorko, Spangenberg, Liriano, and so on. Those guys are not power hitters, and Quentin aside, not a single Padres player projects to hit 20 home runs no matter what you do with the fences. When pitchers keep the ball down in the zone, only the very best and strongest opposing hitter is going to be able to take a ball deep in that park to right and center field. If you're a small market team and your payroll is going to be less that $100 million per year, then you have to decide if you're going to have a team full of crappy pitchers or crappy hitters. The Padres will never have both good hitters and good pitchers unless some filthy-rich billionaire decides to buy the club and burn his money. Otherwise, it's a horrible business decision to have a $150 million dollar payroll in San Diego, it'll lose a lot of money. Look, you quote a guy like Jason Bartlett, he's not even batting .200 this season. That has nothing to do with the dimensions of Petco. Guys like Bartlett and Hudson aren't hitting because they are place-markers. Other players are simply pressing, guys like Maybin and Guzman, it isn't because the fences aren't brought in. They're flailing away at pitches in every park. Mine is not going to be the popular opinion. I don't mind that. But I also think that a guy like Jed Hoyer is far more brilliant than either of us, and he also did not like the idea of bringing in the fences. Not at Petco. Because in a small market, it's easier and more economical to field a team that fits your field. And you're going to have to tell me why guys like Heath Bell and Mat Latos are struggling this season playing elsewhere when they were nails playing for the Padres, I mean what more of a basis do you need? And have you watched Edinson Volquez pitch this season? I highly recommend interviewing some Padres pitchers, especially those that have come over here from other organizations. I bet that would at least get you to consider the argument from another angle, even if you are still convinced (as are most of the media that cover the Padres) that bringing in the fences is a good idea that might somehow fix the Padres.
— May 2, 2012 1:16 a.m.

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