Hank's Padre Discussion Group - Alonso's approach

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Comparing Alonso this year to Rizzo last year and boy, it really shows the value of simply putting the bat on the ball and having the ability to smack a lot of singles and doubles.

Alonso - 111 PA, 18 K's (16.2%)
Rizzo - 153 PA, 46 K's (30.1%)

Over 600 PA's the gap would be huge, 183 K's for Rizzo, 97 for Alonso. Think Byrnes did well making that switch. It's worth noting that Adrian Gonzalez got his strikeout rate into Alonso territory only in his last two years in San Diego.

Alonso very well could be viewed as the teams best hitter by years end and really seems like a better fit in the 3-spot than Headley based on the type's of hitter each is. Headley has a lot of fans in the 2-hole, but I think that is in large part to the teams shortcoming's at the top of lineup in years past then Headley being perfectly suited for the spot. The OBP would definitely work but the strikeout's and average at best speed seems like he's more a #6 hitter on a good team.

So is Volquez prime deadline bait or a piece to keep for next year and possibly beyond?

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Luebke — longdistancefriar, Fri May 4 20:54

Looks like he might be out for a year or so if the diagnosis really calls for Tommy John surgery. The team really seems make bit.... more
- It's Interesting — Mark, Fri May 4 22:55
  
  My first thought was that I was glad it was Tommy John and not shoulder surgery. At least with TJ we know there is what an 80% chance he comes back at least as good as he was before? Shoulder... more
- - True and MI — longdistancefriar, Fri May 4 23:17
    
    Hudson's at least showing the tiniest signs of production. Bartlett...wow. I know the union is suspicious of cutting someone before the incentives kick in for appearances but there can be no problem... more
  - - That Deal — Mark, Fri May 4 23:25
      
      I'm 99% sure that deal was all about Roach who was on every break out prospect list known to man this offseason. Given Frieri is likely to be expensive by the time we see another good Padres team,... more
    - - Re: That Deal — Rich, Sat May 5 00:10
        
        So what's next? I guess Anthony Rizzo getting called up and hitting like Barry Bonds is a likely choice, given how things have gone so far...
      - walking wounded — longdistancefriar, Sat May 5 11:08
        
        Add Street to that list. Weird game last night. Really wanted them to be just a little slower tracking down Bass's triple so his first ML hit would be an inside-the-park grand slam.
        Re: walking wounded — McBain, Sat May 5 16:01
        
        In our team history, misfortune and poor play are more common than not, but this is absurd. Street was the one player most likely to be moveable for a decent return without really hurting the team,... more
        prediction — jst25, Sat May 5 17:38
        
        Next shoe to drop: Rymer Liriano is actually a 50-year-old named Carmelo Martinez.
        Re: prediction — Wahoo willy, Sun May 6 08:52
        
        Remarkable. Just not much left to say. It really is a season of major league. The good news(I think) is. That some unknown player will emerge and steal the hearts of the hundreds of padres fans. Eric ... more
        Give Me....Headley Hurt — Mark, Sat May 5 18:41
        
        I mean, Headley can't continue like he's going can he? More power, same OBP and Defense......that simply can't continue in SD can it?
        Headley's bat has gone to sleep — Chase, Sun May 6 03:31
        
        hitting .189/.318/.216 in his last 10 games coming into Saturday. Tucson played a doubleheader today. Everth Cabrera started in CF in the first game and 3b in the second game. Beemer Weemes is... more
        On Headley — Mark, Sun May 6 12:31
        
        If you asked people if a .390OBP and .453Slug were reasonable, I think mostly everyone would be thrilled with those numbers. Alonso is going to be interesting to watch. I mean, it's nice he's... more
        Alonso — McBain, Sun May 6 12:57
        
        Last night was the first time I've seen the team live in a couple of weeks. I'm certainly no scout, but does Alonso's footwork look awful to anybody else? His infielders (and Richard, who should be a ... more
        Oh yeah — Chase, Sun May 6 18:26
        
        Alonso's defense has a ways to go. Rizzo to me looked close to Adrian's equal in actions with more athleticism (pretty optimal combo). I am liking Alonso's approach at the plate. Shooting balls the... more
        Marc Kroon? — Wahoo Willy, Sun May 6 19:03
        
        Man... another rough one. Agreed on Alsonso. He just doesn't look like much of an athlete. He does seem to have a pretty good approach at the plate. The problem with dealing Headley is that he's... more
        Alonso's approach — Chase, Tue May 8 12:31
        Re: Alonso's approach — McBain, Tue May 8 14:12
        
        Alonso's going to have to hit a lot more singles and doubles to make up for his lack of HRs. It's far from clear that his ability to put the ball in play makes him a better 1b, especially given the... more
        Re: Alonso's approach — Chase, Tue May 8 15:18
        
        It's not like Alonso hasn't made adjustments, he has, something Rizzo wasn't able to do at all last year. Clearly he didn't look ready, but when a guy hits as well as he did at AAA and then struggles ... more
        Re: Alonso's approach — McBain, Tue May 8 16:23
        
        I don't know if this is Mark's point or not, but it's hard for me to pin a 14 game hot streak on Alonso making adjustments. In 14 games a couple of bloop doubles, like the one he dinked into RF... more
        Re: Alonso's approach — Chase, Tue May 8 17:51
        
        I don't know if you are watching more games now then you were in years past, but he's getting some pretty nice hits. There will never be another Tony Gwynn, but Alonso's approach at the plate seems... more
        Re: Alonso's approach — McBain, Tue May 8 19:39
        
        I see an ISO of .101 for Alonso. He'd sure as heck better have a Gwynn-ish batting average for that to be tolerable. I expect he's got better (than he has been, not than Gwynn) in him, but a 115 OPS+ ... more
        Re: Alonso's approach — Wahoo willy, Tue May 8 20:00
        
        Ive got very little to support it, but yonder reminds me of hal Morris. So, that's not quite as flattering as Wally Joyner. As you suggest now - and I think many of us felt at the time - moving rizzo ... more
        Re: Alonso's approach — McBain, Wed May 9 13:48
        
        Speaking of former Reds, we could go Sean Casey, except not so much batting average. The 99-2000 versions, that's good. The fallen-and-I-can't-get-up model that followed for several seasons, not so... more
        Re: Alonso's approach — Wahoo Willy, Wed May 9 19:00
        
        I think you're right about "power". I'd be looking for guys who can get to the wall. For me the difference is that I'd be willing to trade some OBP to do it. I wouldn't overpay, but somebody like... more
        Re: Alonso's approach — Chase, Wed May 9 14:55
        
        Wouldn't bringing in the outfielders like that play well into the teams hands? Less reaction time to stop a ball down the lines and to the gaps. It's not like were talking about a bunch of Luis... more
        Re: Alonso's approach — McBain, Wed May 9 15:55
        
        Not if the hitters don't have the power to do it. I'm not talking about playing on the rover line, but when the air holds those balls up, and the Padres are running a bunch of underpowered players to ... more
        Re: Alonso's approach — Chase, Wed May 9 04:50
        
        I think you nailed it about players that put the ball in play being more valuable at Petco then any other park. Guys who can put the ball in play at a high frequency, take a walk at a league average... more
        Re: Alonso's approach — Wahoo Willy, Wed May 9 17:31
        
        I don't think I follow on Cashner. He's striking out a decent amount of guys, which is the single most important metric. It's early to make any definitive judgment - but he's certainly not striking... more
        Cashner — Chase, Wed May 9 18:54
        
        He's allowed runs in only 4 of his 16 outings, with his outing on Saturday being the only one in which he gave up more then 1 run. Opponents hit .175/.313/.325 off him in April. He has an era of 1.94 ... more
        Sample Issues of Course — Mark, Tue May 8 15:39
        
        Chase-While I agree that those last 14 games look awfully nice, I wonder how sustainable that .340BA happens to be. I mean, those OBP and SLUG numbers are also really BA driven. It'll be interesting... more
        Re: Sample Issues of Course — Chase, Tue May 8 15:45
        
        Alonso's approach, both in contact and limited amount of strikeout's seems to bode well in the average department. Wouldn't bet on him surpassing a .450 slg% playing for the Padres. Could see his obp ... more
        dealing Headley — Chase, Mon May 7 12:04
        
        I'm not sure finding a team that see's him for what he is would be that daunting of a task, it's not like were talking about an arbitration panel held up soley on batting average, homerun's and... more

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