We caught up with Tom Krasovic, the beat writer for the San Diego Padres on
the recent surge by the team and what may be in the future plans of the
team.John Conniff - In one of your articles in today’s paper you
alluded to the fact that the Padres may send Sean Burroughs back to the
minors.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/padres/20050531-9999-1s31padnotes.html
Can you elaborate on that?
Tom Krasovic - I didn’t want to say that they are going to do it, he
does have one remaining option so they could send him down to Portland
without exposing him to the rest of the league, similar to what they did
with Ramon Vasquez last year.
I am not saying they are going to do it, but the manager likes Geoff Blum
a lot at third base and it would be an opportunity for Burroughs to work on
some things.
John Conniff - When the Padres sent Ramon Vasquez down last year he
was hitting under .200. What would they send Burroughs down for?
Tom Krasovic - To start hitting the ball hard again, and use the
whole field, like he was a few years ago. He needs to incorporate his leg
and hips into his swing to generate more power.
John Conniff - When Tim Redding and Woody Williams went down with
injuries, the team called up Tim Stauffer from Portland. So far he’s
performed very well, and both Redding and Williams are scheduled to come off
of the DL. What do the Padres think of Stauffer and what do you think they
will do?
Tom Krasovic - The Padres are very high on Stauffer, and they don’t
have any plans on sending him down in the near future. Redding is going to
have to prove that he belongs on the staff after a few terrible outings
earlier in the year. Also, the controversy on his injury didn’t help him out
a lot either.
John Conniff - Going into the season the Padres stated that they were
going to try to get Xavier Nady some playing time at third base, but now
seem reluctant to play him there. Any reason for this change?
Tom Krasovic - Xavier Nady is better off in the outfield right now,
he’s just more comfortable there. He takes ground balls everyday at third
base, but it’s a lot different under game conditions. He does however look
better with the bat all the time, and they are going to find a place for him
eventually.
It looks like with both Nady and Blum, Burroughs is going to have some
competition for third base in the future.
John Conniff - Justin Germano and Jon Knott are putting together nice
seasons in Portland. How closely are the Padres monitoring their progress?
Tom Krasovic - The Padres are good at keeping tabs on what is going
on in their minor leagues. They are very aware of Justin Germano, who
recently had a very good outing in Colorado Springs which is even worse than
Coors Field for pitchers. According to reports he’s been relying on his
sinking fastball, as compared to last year when he threw too many curves. A
few American League teams were interested in him during Spring Training,
before he experienced some problems. He’s helped himself out a lot in the
past few weeks.
The problem with Jon Knott is he just doesn’t seem to have a place to
play, especially with the organization having so much talent in left field
and at first base. I’m not sure if his swing is better than Tagg Bozied, but
it’s a little long. Also, Jon’s defense is not the greatest.
John Conniff - With the recent winning streak by the Padres, what has
it been like to cover the team on a daily basis?
Tom Krasovic - What is fun, and I don’t really care who wins as a
reporter, is just watching the team play. They know how to play and have
fewer weak links than any other team I‘ve seen.
Its just a lot of fun watching a team play major league baseball.