Jays Journal » Jorge Padilla

Jays Rebound, Marcum Sets The Tone

Mat Germain — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 11:15:39 +0000

Shaun Marcum knows exactly what he;s got and knows exactly how to use it. His devastating change up is so awesome that hitters are in a constant state of flux about when to swing. Early swings, pop ups, and ground outs are the direct result of this pitch and it worked for Shaun all day long – with 1 exception being a pitch Ryan Howard recognized enough to tattoo into the center-right field stands. The Jays needed this win to get back on track some and will now be able to concentrate on winning the rubber match.The fact that Marcum was effective set the tone for the Jays in this game and allowed the offense to get things going, slowly but surely.To score 5 runs and have 3 HRs in a game is becoming pretty standard for the Jays as it still seems to be their strategy to knock the snot out of the baseball, regardless of averages that result from this approach.

Brett Cecil has had plenty of time to prepare and watch the Phillies hit, so hopefully he took the right notes. I really do like how Cito set up the lineup yesterday, although I’m not sure it will last. Batting Lind and Hill lower in the lineup gives them more RBI opportunities and is definitely the change of pace both needed to get back on track and motivated.It’ll be interesting to see if he uses a similar lineup today. (more…)

Jays Minors Review: 20-Apr-10

Mat Germain — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 12:04:36 +0000

Here is a review of the major events in the minors for the Jays on Tuesday, 20th of April:

AAA Las Vegas –Lost 8-5 vs Salt Lake (LAA)

Rei Gonzalez (6.06)was not at his best Tuesday as he allowed 9 hits over 5.1 IP, 4 ER, 3 walks, and got 4 Ks. Luckily for the Jays, there is no rush for him to perform after his promotion to AAA since others are definitely proving to be up to the task of providing depth for the big club.
Another pitching note is that Jesse Carlson gave up 2 runs on 3 hits in his 1 inning of work in relief.
OF Chris Aguila (.375) led off and went 2 for 5 with a double (his 5th of the season), while JP Arencibia (.273), Jeremy Reed (.238), and Jorge Padilla (.262) all went 2 for 4.

(more…)

Brett Wallace Hits Second HR of 2010

Mat Germain — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 11:08:34 +0000

The best outing of this game was definitely SP Robert Ray, who put up 6 great innings of work, allowing only 1 ER in the game. However, he did walk 5 and allow 5 hits, they just happened to be spread apart effectively. Zach Jackson, David Purcey, and Steven Register all chipped in a shut out inning a piece to close out the game for the 7-1 win over Fresno (SF).

However, the story all Jays fans will want to hear about his the fact that Brett Wallace, while playing 1B – not 3B, hit his second HR of 2010. It seems the Jays have already decided to move Brett to 1B and will have to wait until Lyle Overbay is departed to bring Wallace up to MLB. Brian Dopirak, meanwhile, was the DH in the game and went 2 for 4. Jarrett Hoffpauir led the way in hits for the game, going 3 for 5 with a double and also driving in 3 runs. Chris Lubanski was outstanding in the game going 2 for 4 with a HR of his own and a double, while Jorge Padilla had 2 hits as well.

The wins keep coming for Las Vegas, as they now sit atop their division with a record of 4 and 1. They meet Fresno again over the next 3 days.

Brett Cecil Handles Salt Lake

Mat Germain — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 16:10:06 +0000

He has to be disappointed about being demoted to AAA and is now forced to watch a ton of great starts by current Jays hurlers, but Brett Cecil is doing everything is his power to make sure the Jays keep him at the top of the “next” list.

Brett’s game stats were not overly dominant, but they were effective. He threw 5 innings, gave up 6 hits that resulted in 2 earned runs. More importantly, he struck out 8 hitters and didn’t walk any, which showed his propensity to throw strikes (65 of 92 pitches). Josh Roenicke and Sean Henn followed up his outing with 3 shutout innings of their own, while Rommie Lewis skated with danger, giving up 1 ER over 3 hits but still getting the save in the end (his second of the season).

Chris Lubanski, Jorge Padilla, Jarrett Hoffpauir, and Jesus Merchan all had 2 hits a piece, and Lubanski added a SB. For those wondering how prized acquisition Brett Wallace is doing, he went 0 for 4 (2 strike outs) and is now hitting .214 on the year. Let’s hope that changes some time soon – at least before he is sent down to AA.

Las Vegas is now 3-1 on the season and looking good overall. They should be able to do this well all season long and that winning attitude should transfer well to the Jays when promotions occur. Good stuff! It’s nice to know the Jays have a winner like Brett Cecil waiting in the wings.

Jays Spring Training Non-Roster Invitees

Mat Germain — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 19:04:39 +0000

The following players are listed on the Jays Website as non-roster invitees to their upcoming spring training:

Lance Broadway RHP
Willie Collazo LHP
Kyle Drabek RHP
Zach Jackson LHP
Chad Jenkins RHP
Rommie Lewis LHP
JP Arencibia C
Travis d’Arnaud C
Raul Chavez C
Brian Jeroloman C
Kyle Phillips C
Jesus Merchan SS
Brett Wallace 1B/3B
Joey Gathright OF
Adam Loewen OF
Chris Lubanski OF
Jorge Padilla OF

The question now becomes, should anyone else be invited? And if so, why?

My answer to that, in my humble opinion, is yes, 2 more names should be added to the list. They are:

Darin Mastroianni, OF: Mainly because he’s the best OF prospect that is close enough to the majors to have an impact in 2010. Giving him a taste of big league pitching would go a long way to setting his expectations and areas of improvement in 2010.
Daniel Farquhar, RP: If any minor league pitcher deserves a look it’s Daniel. Not only is he possibly our closer of the future, but he has the best chance of making a real big impact into the pen in 2010/2011. He could learn a lot from Scott Downs and Jason Frasor before either of them are traded away.

Am I missing anyone? Let me know in the comments.

(more…)

Jays Add 3 More to Minors Depth

Mat Germain — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 16:00:26 +0000

The Jays signed 3 FA players to minor league contracts: 30 year old William Collazo (LHP) who spent 2009 with the Marlins AAA affiliate, 30 year old Jorge Padilla (OF) who got his first taste of the big leagues with the Nationals in 2009 but spent the majority of the year in AAA, 28 year old Jesus Merchan (OF) who only played 43 games at various levels for the Reds in 2009. All of these players have been invited to spring training.

Jorge Padilla is 6’1″ 215 lbs and bats right. He was drafted in the 3rd rd of the 1998 draft by the Phillies and has had limited success since he was drafted. His highest totals so far have been 16 HRs (2001 in HiA and 2007 in AAA), 32 SB (2002 in AA), .367 average (2009 in AAA), .424 OBP (2009 in AAA). He was good enough in 2009 to get a look with the lowly Nationals, but has very limited power potential. As a bench player, he could do well enough since he’s hit for high average throughout his minor league career and does have some speed. His OBP is sound, but he would have a to prove effective right away to stick around on any MLB club. Out of the 3 players signed, he has the most potential to stick around in AAA and get called upon during 2010 if needed.

(more…)