A little more than four years ago to the day, on June 2nd, 2005, Miguel Ojeda started the day’s game in right field. Though he was a backup catcher, Ojeda starting in the outfield wasn’t entirely out of a line, as he had a handful of starts in left earlier that year. The craziness comes in who Ojeda was starting over.

Xavier Nady was drafted by the Padres in the second round of the 2000 draft and was named the Padres number one best prospect by Baseball America in 2003. yet in his three years with the big league club, Nady never received consistent playing time, and was shipped out to New York in 2005 for Mike Cameron. Since then, Nady has jumped to Pittsburgh and then to the Yankees (the other New York team), breaking out last year with a .374 wOBA in 148 games, a career high.

On that fateful June day, Nady sat on the bench and watched Ojeda run out in right and go 0-for-3. And then five months later, he was gone.

Get to the point, Ray

Right.

The Padres have had a tremendous lack of success in developing homegrown talent. Outside of Jake Peavy, the second best player the Padres made for themselves this decade was Khalil Greene, and we all know how that turned out. Most of them busted, but at least Sean Burroughs got a chance. Nady never really got that chance in San Diego, and I’m beginning to worry about how big of a shot Chase Headley’s going to get.

Kevin Towers went on XX Radio last night for his weekly call-in. The topic of Headley, and why he’s been sitting so much, came up. Among other things, Towers said that he thinks Headley’s confidence level is down, that the strike outs are a concern, and that the team is out there trying to win games. He also said that it’s up to a player to make adjustments in game, and that maybe Headley should go back and look at video from the minors to see what’s changed.

Let’s start at the beginning: the team is out there trying to win games. Towers brought this up to explain why Headley’s sitting for Scott Hairston, but it begs the question: What are Kevin Kouzmanoff and Brian Giles doing in the lineup night-in and night-out?

Now, Giles has run into a hot streak, posting an .899 OPS in the past two weeks, which has raised his season mark up to .568. That’s an OPS+ of 52. He’s also played in 50 of the team’s 53 games. Kouzmanoff, meanwhile, has an OPS of .503 over the past two weeks, with a season OPS of .612, or an OPS+ of 63. He’s played in 51 games.

Giles’ recent hot streak and Kouzmanoff’s hot defense are two valid reasons for why these guys are still in the lineup, but I wonder why it comes at the expense of Chase Headley.

Like Nady, Headley is a former number one prospect, taking the title in 2008. And he’s also only 148 games into his major league career, but confidence in him already seems to be dwindling. In yesterday’s Union-Tribune, Headley was quoted as saying:

I’ve never had so few at-bats over a month. Since I hurt my shoulder, I haven’t played every day. I haven’t been given a chance to battle through this.

For a good number of my at-bats in May, I was fighting to get through the weakness in my shoulder. It was really weak. I had to change my stance because I couldn’t hold my hands in the same position.

Headley returns after Hairston hurt

Headley is referring to a shoulder injury he sustained in early May when he ran into the wall in L.A. This knocked him out for a couple of games, but based on Headley’s use of the past-tense, it doesn’t seem to still be bothering him. Surely not as much the position he’s found himself in.

He goes on to say:

It’s frustrating, the circumstance I’m in right now. I didn’t forget how to hit. I feel I have the capability. I think that in any capacity, I can help this team out. But this wouldn’t be the capacity I would choose.

That doesn’t sound to me like a player whose confidence is down.

Why is the team sitting on Chase Headley?

Headley’s supposed to be one of the young cornerstones of this franchise, but he’s sitting in favor of a 38-year-old in the last year of his contract. I hear Towers say that Headley’s strike outs are of concern, but more so than Kouzmanoff’s inability to draw a walk? Headley may be striking out 30% of the time, but his BB/K is still well above Kouzmanoff’s. Headley’s been the superior player of the three all year, but I don’t expect to hear the front office say so.

Finally, with Hairston on the DL, a spot in the outfield opened up. But last night, the newly recalled Will Venable got the start in left field over Headley, going 0-for-4 with an error.

One can only assume that Henry Blanco forgot his outfield glove at home.

Have you ever had two friends who dated each other? Two friends that both hung out with you in the same group, that you had many mutual friends with? Did they ever break up?

That’s what Jake Peavy and the Padres are doing.

As Mel pointed out, Peavy’s desires are all over the place. He wants to play on a contender, but he also wants to play on the Braves and Astros, and he wants to stay in San Diego. This we can easily chalk up to confusing. Break-ups are hard to go through. But then there are the comments his agent is making. Comments like:

“It’s a big decision,” said Axelrod, who noted a no-trade clause would have to be part of any trade. “You have to look at all the factors and moving parts. We’re usually pretty deliberate. … At times, (Peavy’s frustration) bubbled over. He’s a fiery competitor. You don’t want to take that out of him. You don’t want to tame that too much. But I heard Jake say it, I heard Brian (Giles) say it and I heard Trevor (Hoffman) say it —- they’re not that far away. I think if they kept (Mike) Cameron, (Geoff) Blum and (Doug) Brocail, they’re in it last year —- 84 games wins this division.”

Cooling off period for Peavy talks

Oof.

Much like the break-up of your friends, this has gotten ugly. Jake has always been one to tell Kevin Towers how to do his job/suggest better alternatives to his own teammates (like Kenny Lofton). I’m even surprised Jake’s agent didn’t throw Milton Bradley in everyone’s face. But those two aren’t done yet. They’re piling on:

“One of the things we will want to look at some point is, ‘Who are you giving up? How much are you weakening your team to make this deal?’” Axelrod said. “If Team X trades three starting pitchers and a starting shortstop to get Jake Peavy, that lessens their chance of being a successful team.”

Peavy throws a curveball into Padres’ trade talks with Braves

The specific player in question is Yunel Escobar, who is looking more and more like the centerpiece of a deal with Atlanta.

It was one thing when Jake told Towers what to do. But now he’s telling Frank Wren, the G.M. of the Braves (the team Jake is not on), how to do his job. What if Wren had a plan that didn’t involve Escobar? Jake’s all but gone from San Diego, but he’s also making it very difficult for the Padres to send him anywhere else.

It’s almost as if he’s playing a game of chicken with Towers. “Trade me for nothing or keep me. Your call.” The scary part is that Towers might actually blink.

Brewers, Cameron strike deal to bolster outfield depth

The Milwaukee Brewers have reached an agreement with center fielder Mike Cameron.

According to The Associated Press, the deal is a one-year, $7 million deal with a club option for 2009.

Cameron, 34, hit 21 homers and drove in 78 runs for the Padres last year. He will miss the first 25 games of the 2008 season, as he serves a suspension under the terms of baseball’s drug-testing program.

This is a dark day for us here at the Sacrifice Bunt. We’ve made no secret of our affinity for Michael Terrance Cameron, so a part of us has died with the news that he’s signed with Milwaukee. But, like any good ex-girlfriend(s), we’re happy for Mike.

Milwaukee has a solid team and is one that will actually appreciate what he does for them. He’s not only bringing his superior glove to the middle of Miller Park but he’s allowing Ned Yost to move Bill Hall back to third and out of center (where he was overmatched), which moves Ryan Braun out of the position (where he was overmatched).

Milwaukee comes to Petco in August, so maybe we’ll sponsor a Sacrifice Bunt night at the park.

For Mike.

Melvin Update: For Mike. Also for The Sacrifice Bunt.

My feeling about appreciation is that things soured with the negotiation breakdowns at the beginning of the year, then again during this off season.  It looks like his demands for a longer term may have backfired. People may see a one year deal with Mike as a better option than Edmonds.

Beyond The Box Score interview with Paul Depodesta

Paul comes across as such a smart guy. I wish he would have answered this question:

QUESTION: Not too long ago the new Pirates’ general manager Neal Huntington did a Q&A session with MLB.com and answered a question about the metrics they use to judge players, I’d like to pose that same question to you: what are some of the statistics you to evaluate potential targets?

Depo responds by saying he can’t divulge the proprietary methods the team uses. Statheads probably already knew that, but couldn’t Paul just say “VORP” so we feel smarter?

I just logged on to Gaslamp Ball to find the link to their Depodesta interview, which is fantastic by the way, and saw they also linked to this story. I take one day off work, and think I’ll be getting ahead of things but noooo.

The only solution here is to take more time off work.

Alex Rodriguez endorses Mike Cameron in the Bronx (New York Times)

The two were teammates on the 2000 Mariners squad. The bulk of the article is of the rare Yankees speculation variety, so you may want to check it out before the coverage is bumped for the most recent Devil Rays rumor.

Analysis of Mark Prior’s Mechanics (Hardball Times)

I’m still disappointed (and encouraged) about Arizona’s hiring of Carlos Gomez. Before being snagged by the evil Snakes, Gomez broke down the delivery of Mark Prior (among others) for the Hardball Times. Short version: Prior needs to be more aggressive.

Worst Hall of Fame Arguments of 2008 (Vegas Watch)

Link stolen from Fire Joe Morgan. Who can’t resist a good fun making of baseball writers ever now and again?

P.S. This post is by no means an attempt to bite Ducksnorts’ Friday Links. Sacrificial Links are crazy enough to come out any day of the week, this is just a coincidence. This will probably happen on one out of every seven Sacrificial Link posts.

Walk with me, won’t you, down memory lane.

It was but three days ago when all hope in Padresland seemed lost. The coveted Kosuke Fukudome chose the Chicago Cubs over us, leaving our 2008 season in jeopardy. In response to this, your’s truly wrote:

Jim Edmonds

Hollywood Jim could be a classic turnaround story. He’s already on the team’s radar and if he’s as healthy as he says he is, why not? If he bounces back to an average player by his standards, he’ll still be a middle of the lineup guy.

Why not indeed.

The Padres have agreed to a trade that will bring them center fielder Jim Edmonds, a 37-year-old who has won eight Gold Gloves.

After negotiations with Cameron were called off, the Padres acquired Edmonds for prospect David Freese.

Like I said a couple days ago, if he’s as healthy as he says he is, Edmonds could compliment the Z-Boys (© R. Lankford) [Kouzmanoff and Gonzalez] quite nicely.

The flip side to this joyousness, however, is the departure of Mike Cameron. For two seasons, Cameron patrolled Petco Park like no one before him, solidifying what may be the most crucial defensive position in that park. I hope to be in Petco for his first game back so I can show him my gratitude in person.

Thank you, Mike.

No, not really. But that’s a hard headline to pass up.

The Union-Tribune is reporting that the Padres have lost out on Fukudome.

The Padres found out Tuesday night that they lost out in their bid for Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome. The star outfielder is headed to the Cubs.

The Padres, rating Fukudome as the prime piece to their offseason plans, bid more than $10 million per season as part of a guarantee of at least three years. It was the most the club had offered a non-Padre since tendering a $55 million to $60 million proposal nine years ago to pitcher Kevin Brown, who chose to accept more than $100 million from the Dodgers.

While it would have been nice to have Fukudome, I’m almost relieved we didn’t get him. His centerfielding ability got a less than stellar review from Trey Hillman and his offensive ability does not project to be a player that would warrant the money the team was offering him. And considering we don’t know if he’ll be Hideki or Kaz, we may have just dodged a bullet.

Of course, we still have a hole in center and the options left on the market are dwindling. With that in mind, I propose three options the team could look into:

Mike Cameron

Yes, he’ll be suspended for the first month. And he usually takes a month to get his swing going, so he’ll be worthless until June. But he knows this team and he knows this ballpark and we know what we’ll be getting from him. Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t type of deal. Not to suggest that Cameron is the/a devil, but you get the idea.

That, and he’s got style.

Jim Edmonds

Hollywood Jim could be a classic turnaround story. He’s already on the team’s radar and if he’s as healthy as he says he is, why not? If he bounces back to an average player by his standards, he’ll still be a middle of the lineup guy.

Matt Antonelli

Whaaaaaaaat?

I really can’t back this up (because I can’t find the link) but I recall reading Fuson or one of those guys say that Antonelli is such a gifted athlete that he might be able to handle center. Since second is such an easy position to fill, why don’t we at least find out?

Melvin Nieves to the Rescue: Tom Krasovic special from June, 2006:

The Padres are intrigued about his potential in center field. Antonelli’s foot speed, Fuson said, warrants a 70 on a scouting scale that tops out at 80, and center field is a thin position within the system.

I have a feeling this is a reference to a scouting report published elsewhere. I also haven’t heard anything about Antonelli in center more recently. I think it could make sense, but it’s quite the impossible call to make without much working knowledge of the guy.

We tend to hang our hats on these throwaway sentences without any background a bit too much, in my opinion.

Melvin’s unhelpfully vague suggestion:

Corner Power Guy / All D No Bat Guy

Grab a Willy Taveras type in center, then make up the power and obp loss in left. This might mean Chase Headley or Kevin Kouzmanoff, or it could involve dealing Headley for someone like Jason Bay.

You hate to trade the young, homegrown Headley, so signing Geoff Jenkins might make sense as a backup plan. Headley could spell Jenkins, Giles, and Kouzmanoff if he is even deemed ready for the bigs.

In response to the UT’s “5 Reasons To Keep and 5 Reasons To Let Mike Cameron Go” to which no writer apparently wants to take credit for, The Sacrifice Bunt is here to provide 5 additional equally credible reasons to keep Mike Cameron.

1. Batting gloves (or lack thereof) Think back on some of the greatest players of all-time: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Willie Mays. Did any of them wear batting gloves? No. This can’t be a coincidence. There’s something to it, but no one on the Padres seems to take notice. That is, of course, except for Cameron. As a modest player, Cameron knows better than to constantly shove his excellence in the face of his opponents. That’s why he saves his batting glovelessness for special occassions, like Jackie Robinson Day:

Not only is it a sign that Cameron’s a player on another level than the rest, but it looks cool. And we know how important style is.

2. Old, beat up glove

Take a look at these pictures and tell me what you notice:

That’s right, Cameron’s very photogenic when he ranges to his left. And he’s had the same glove his whole career. That kind of loyalty is very rare these days, making it ironic if the Padres let Cameron walk.

3. Spring Training Photos

I’m getting kind of worried that this is going to turn into a photo essay, so I’m going to refrain from using any actual photos here. Go to Google and look around for some pictures of Cameron at Spring Training. Then come back here and thank us.

4. Off-center Hat

More so than any other, baseball is a sport about style. The players have become so stylish that they’re breaking the rules. Unfortunately for us, there aren’t a lot of Padres concerned with doing it big. The best we’ve got is Bard using that red bat every now and then. That is, of course, except for Cameron. Along with his long pant legs and general swagger, Cameron’s hat, worn just to the right, added a bit of excitement that is otherwise missing at Petco Park.

5. Ray Lankford Comparison

We’re well aware that Towers called the Lankford-for-Woody deal the worst trade he ever made, but did you realize that Lankford posted an OPS+ of 132 the year he became a Padre at the age of 34? That’s not bad. And for his efforts, Poppa Ray was named the fourth most similar batter to Mike Cameron this season. If that’s not a sign, I don’t know what is.

This UT post previously made fun of at Friar Forecast.

Ok you really need to see these spring training photos:

This article included contributions from Melvin Nieves

“Mikey, buddy”, said Kevin Towers with an arm across his shoulder and a sly grin creeping across his face. “I’m thinking about ‘offering’ you some arbitration. You get what I’m freshing here? Yeah? You do? Great, I’m buying the PBR next Mike Cameron Sloshball Classic™ this year.”

Padres do their arbitration thang, Mikey C. style. They’ll offer him arbitration, which he’ll likely not accept says Tom Krasovic.

Build through the system baby, take advantage of every opportunity.

Also, Padres interested in Kazuo Fukumori. Thats all I gots.

Umpire: You can’t leave first until you chug a beer. Any man scoring has to chug a beer. You have to chug a beer at the top of all odd-numbered innings. Oh, and the fourth inning is the beer inning.

Mike Cameron: Hey, we know how to play baseball.

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It’s not as common as greenies, but big leaguers have been known to step on the field liquored up. … Almost every current major leaguer I spoke to knew of players who had stepped on the field under the influence. When asked what the signs were, the players typically responded the way Giant Ryan Klesko and Padre Jake Peavy did: ‘I just knew.’ Interestingly, another Padre, center fielder Mike Cameron, had a more intimate experience with game-day tipsiness:

“Sh-t, I’ve played drunk.

“When?

“New York City.”

What were the circumstances?

“I went four for four with two jacks and eight ribbies. I’m not saying that’s the only day I played drunk, but that was the best one.”

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Mike Cameron: ‘I’ve Played Drunk’

Frankly, I’m more upset about the cursing.