Friday Recap: 1/28/12 – 2/3/12

Here’s another addition to our Friday lineup.  We want to make sure you stay caught up with everything we wrote about during the past week.  In case you ever miss anything, you can check back here and catch up.  The past week has not seen very much in the way of big news.  However, the Padres did sign their last arbitration-eligible player and they signed Micah Owings.  Let’s see what else we’ve been talking about this past week:

1/28/12 – We looked at Yonder Alonso and how he may be the perfect fit for San Diego.  “After years of quotes from players like Ryan Ludwick, Jason Bartlett, Phil Nevin, and Ryan Klesko about the park’s stifling effect on offense, it is refreshing to hear a player speak with an open mind about hitting in such a pitcher-friendly park.  Whether Alonso’s tune changes after a season of limited home run totals is something for us all to keep an eye on.”

1/29/12 – With the loss of Hoyer slowly fading from our minds, we revisited the Hoyer and Jason McCleod compensation.  “When the San Diego Padres agreed to allow the Chicago Cubs to raid their cupboards, it was agreed that the Cubs would send over some sort of compensation.”

1/29/12 – Our Conversations With the Enemy series was wrapped up in its first go-round with a discussion with Scott Allen of Venom Strikes.  “As far as the rotation, there is a little more of a question mark there.  Mat Latos’ departure is definitely a loss.  However, it seems the team feelsEdinson Volquez can have a bounce-back year in San Diego.  They will rely heavily on Tim Staufferwho has proven he can shoulder the load as a Major League starter.”

1/30/12 – The addition of John Baker behind the plate was analyzed, and we looked at whether there was a true platoon advantage to be utilized between Nick Hundley and Baker.  “However, when you look at the splits, Hundley actually hit righties better than lefties.  Hundley has faced righties much more than lefties, and that can be skewing the number, but his overall offense is certainly higher against right-handed pitchers.”

1/30/12 – With the upcoming changes to the postseason format, whether they come in 2012 or 2013, we took a look at how the Padres may be affected.  “Maybe this structure could bring some popularity back to Major League Baseball.”

1/31/12 – The Padres play in the most pitcher-friendly park in baseball.  We discussed home field advantage and how the Padres can use that to sneak up on the rest of the division.  “The Padres, like every other team in the league, rely on winning at home. Most teams hope to go about .500 on the road if they can dominate at home. The Milwaukee Brewers turned this into an art and a play-off run last season. But the Padres did just the opposite.”

2/01/12 – To start February, we presented you with our division predictions.  You can see my predictions here, Dom’s predictions here, and Robert’s predictions here.  We all have vastly differing thoughts regarding the upcoming season.

2/01/12 – New broke that the Padres may (or may not) have signed Micah Owings.  We examined his past performances and how he may be used in San Diego.  “Micah Owings brings more than just his pitching arm to San Diego.  He brings another option at the plate.  In all, this was a good move for San Diego.”

2/02/12 – The Padres came to terms with Dustin Moseley, thus finalizing all contracts on arbitration-eligible players.  We analyzed Moseley and other things Padres-related.  “With the 40 man roster basically set and Spring Training to begin soon, we can all begin the countdown until the Pitchers and Catchers report.”

2/02/12 – Jason Stark suggested the Red Sox may be in the market for a shortstop still.  This led to discussion surrounding Jason Bartlett.  We discussed what type of return the Padres could get for Bartlett and what they’d have to do to move him.  “Instead if contemplating who the Padres may get in return, the thoughts will need to turn to how much can the team afford to eat in Bartlett’s contract.”

2/03/12 – We covered the official finalization of Micah Owings’ deal with the Padres.  “Hayes went on to report that if Owings starts in the minors, he will be paid a higher than normal minor league salary, but he will not be paid his Major League deal.”