by Ben Davey

As with last year, we caught up with John Conniff of MadFriars.com on his recent trip to Peoria, Arizona to find out how the San Diego Padres’ prospects are looking this spring.

1) The first question has to center around Logan Forsythe. In the offseason we heard that he might go to second base, but it probably wouldn’t happen for a year. Then he started playing second base in spring training, with inkling that he might play it this year in San Antonio. How has Forsythe looked at second and will he stay there in the regular season? And where does he eventually end up Portland or San Antonio?

John Conniff: Based on what I was reading on the Union Tribune and on a few other sites I thought going to spring training that this was a done deal; Forsythe is now a second baseman. I interviewed Logan the first day I was in Peoria and he claimed this has been way overblown.

He has played a little at second in the spring MLB games mainly to give someone a blow. Ninety-five percent of the reps that he has been taking have been at third base and, according to Logan; no one has told him that he will be playing at second this year. The Padres coaches that we talked to have been saying that he could play some second but right now there are no plans to move him.

Since James Darnell is ticketed for San Antonio, I can’t see Forsythe not being in Portland especially with the way he has performed in the big league camp.

2) Last year Jeremy McBryde, Kellen Kulbacki, Steve Garrison, and Drew Miller were a few high profile prospects to miss significant time due to injury. How have they looked in Spring Training, and will they be healthy enough to join their assigned team for opening day on April 8th?

John Conniff: I didn’t see much of Miller, Denis may have more information on that that I do. McBryde has looked ok; he’s still on the fence between San Antonio and Lake Elsinore. Kulbacki is healthy but didn’t really show much in the game that I saw. When speaking with most of the coaches that all recognize his talent but really need to see more consistency from him especially as a corner outfielder/middle of the order bat. He should begin the year in San Antonio.
Garrison has looked good in drills but they are still being very careful with him after his injury. He should be available sometime in May and probably in AA.

3) Has spring training cleared up any of the questions regarding the Fort Wayne outfield? How have Williams, Tate, and Liriano looked this spring, and is there a chance all of them end up in Fort Wayne to begin the year?

John Conniff: Not really and I think there are quite a few debates going on right now. However I am pretty sure that Everett Williams will be in about any scenario. He impressed me the most of the three. Good athlete, simple, repeatable swing and a very solid idea of the strike zone for a young player. He doesn’t have the power of a Jaff Decker but they are similar in the fact that you can see they have played quite a bit of baseball. I think he could do pretty well in Fort Wayne this year.
Donovan Tate is a physical specimen and when he takes batting practice you can see what the Padres are hoping he will become. The problem that I think he has is that he really hasn’t played as much baseball as someone like Jaff Decker or Williams and is going to have trouble making contact right now against more advanced pitching. I didn’t see him hit a ball square the time I was out there. On what they will do with him this year, I’m not really sure they know either. In my opinion the best scenario is to keep him in extended spring training, work with him on baseball skills, and then send him to Eugene. If he puts up great numbers he can always begin next year in Lake Elsinore.
Liriano is another player that is a very good athlete but also struggles with the breaking pitch. Right now, mainly because he is so young and the team has so much outfield depth, it could be a reach for him to begin the year in Fort Wayne.

4) Is there any player(s) who have come to spring training looking drastically improved in body, attitude and or appearance on the field?

John Conniff: Nearly everyone I saw in camp looked, to use the Johnny Drama phrase from Entourage, “lean”. Seriously, the Jaff Decker looked great, between 195 and 200. He wasn’t that much heavier in Fort Wayne but you can tell he really worked out and replaced quite a bit of baby fat with muscle. Once he recovers from his hamstring injury he could really put up some numbers in Lake Elsinore this year.

5) With Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod now in charge it seems that the new organizational philosophy is adapting the players to Petco. Is this philosophy of being more aggressive at the plate and on the base paths being stressed in the minor league camp? If so, what is the general reaction by players and coaches to this new philosophy?

John Conniff: I think the new regime has pretty much the same philosophy as the old one, especially in how much they value on-base percentage and pitchers not allowing walks. The big difference is they are going to look for players that are a little more athletic and plan to be more aggressive on the bases. So in a nutshell they still want to teach the same philosophy, but just start with better parts.