Padres could look to minors for closer

By: JOHN MAFFEI - Staff Writer | Sunday, August 21, 2005 8:30 PM PDT ∞

Trevor Hoffman is one of baseball's all-time great closers. Next season, he would like to be paid like one.

But new Padres chief executive officer Sandy Alderson is a man who has a history of not giving rich, long-term deals to veteran pitchers.

If the two sides can't get together on a deal, the Padres will be looking for a closer next season. And they have some options in their system.

Here are some of the candidates:

< Brad Baker is at Triple-A Portland and leads the Pacific Coast League with 27 saves. But the PCL All-Star has 10 blown saves. Acquired from the Red Sox in a 2002 trade that sent Alan Embree to Boston, Baker's fastball is 88-91 mph and his change-up has been compared to Hoffman's. But Baker lacks a quality breaking pitch. His biggest problem is inconsistency, leading to the blown saves, a 5.47 ERA and 31 walks in 54 1/3 innings entering Sunday.

< Dale Thayer, who was signed as a non-drafted free agent after an All-American season at Chico State in 2002, leads the Southern League with 23 saves for Double-A Mobile. His fastball is 89-92 mph, and he has a true big-league slider. In 52 2/3 innings, he has walked 24 with 57 strikeouts and a 2.56 ERA through Saturday.

< Leo Rosales has 22 saves for Single-A Lake Elsinore, second in the California League. A 20th-round draft pick out of Cal State Northridge in 2003, he has an overpowering fastball that has produced 191 strikeouts in 158 professional innings, including 67 in 57 1/3 innings this season. He has 11 saves in a row, has allowed just two earned runs over his past 19 appearances and, since July 1, opposing batters are hitting .175 against him.

< Matt Varner leads the Single-A Midwest League with 32 saves for Fort Wayne. An 11th-round draft pick out of Houston in 2004, he has 59 strikeouts in 50 innings.

And the award goes to ...

< Portland right-hander Chris Oxspring was named the Pacific Coast League's pitcher of the week for Aug. 8-14 after going 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA, including a seven-inning, complete-game shutout. In 13 innings, he allowed one run. Overall, he is10-6 ---- one of four PCL pitchers with 10 wins ---- with a 4.17 ERA.

< Fort Wayne shortstop Scott Kazmar was named the Midwest League player of the week for the period ending Aug. 14. Kazmar hit .524 (11-for-21) for the week with seven runs scored, three home runs, a double and five RBIs. Defensively, he had 11 putouts and 18 assists. A fifth-round draft pick out of Southern Nevada JC in 2004, Kazmar is hitting .270 with 10 homers, 25 doubles and 47 RBIs for the Wizards.Ý

Locals watch

< Right-hander Adam Johnson, who starred at Torrey Pines High, pitched 2 2/3 innings for Triple-A Sacramento on Wednesday and was touched for six earned runs in a 16-9 victory. It was his first outing since the Oakland Athletics purchased his contract from the Surf Dawgs.

< Neil Jamison, who starred at Ramona High, was promoted from short-season Single-A Eugene ---- where he had eight saves ---- to Fort Wayne by the Padres. He made his debut for the Wizards on Friday and retired all four hitters he faced, striking out two.

< The Philadelphia Phillies promoted former Rancho Buena Vista High right-hander Jacob Barrack from low Single-A Lakewood to high Single-A Clearwater.

< Outfielder John Drennen, Cleveland's top pick in June out of Rancho Bernardo High, continues to adjust to pro ball. Hitting .169 after 83 at-bats at Burlington of the rookie level Appalachian League, he is hitting .424 in August and now has eight homers and 28 RBIs in 42 games.

< Former Fallbrook High standout Troy Cate didn't allow a run in three appearances over 4 1/3 innings for Single-A Inland Empire last week. Property of the Seattle Mariners, he didn't walk a batter, struck out seven, posted his first save of the season and lowered his ERA from 3.23 to 2.92.

< Veteran left-hander Brian Mazone, who starred at San Dieguito High, evened his record at 8-8 and dropped his ERA from 3.80 to 3.51 after a strong eight-inning performance for Double-A Norwich last week. A reliever early in the season, he is thriving as a workhorse starter.

Around the bases

< Portland 2B Josh Barfield continues to sizzle, raising his batting average from .250 in June to .311. He has 12 homers, 22 doubles, 16 stolen bases and 62 RBIs.

< C Nick Trzesniak hit .520 (13-for-25) on Portland's nine-game homestand that ended Friday. He is hitting .385 in 52 at-bats since being promoted from Mobile.

< SS Jesse Garcia, who was with the Padres briefly early in the season, had a franchise record seven-RBI game for Portland recently against Colorado Springs, including a pair of three-run homers. Garcia, who also spent time at Double-A Mobile this season, is hitting .198 for the Beavers.

< Saturday was Sean Burroughs Nestible Doll Night at Portland with the third baseman featured in his Padres uniform, a Portland uniform and the uniform from his Little League days in Long Beach.

< RHP Cesar Carrillo, the Padres' top draft pick in June, is 5-0 as a pro, including 4-0 with a 3.23 ERA in five starts at Mobile. He has 35 strikeouts and seven walks in 30 2/3 innings with the BayBears. Baseball America has him ranked No. 14 on this week's "Hot Sheet."

< Because of bad weather early in the season, Mobile was forced to play three straight doubleheaders with Birmingham over the weekend.

< Lake Elsinore snapped a 15-game losing streak Wednesday, beating Lancaster 9-8. It was the first win for the Storm since July 30.

Contact staff writer John Maffei at (760) 740-3547 or at jmaffei@nctimes.com. The minor-league report runs each Monday through the end of the minor-league season.