San Diego Buzz: A look back on Padres spring training

By foxsports
Published

When Detroit signed Justin Upton to a mega deal and Ian Kennedy and Craig Kimbrel left soon thereafter, the Padres received two additional draft picks and relinquished big contracts. The club then swapped struggling second baseman Jedd Gyorko for veteran outfielder Jon Jay to replace Upton. Kimbrel signed with the Red Sox as did Kennedy with the Royals, and Kemp and Myers became the only pieces from the outlandish 2015 signing season to remain with the Padres.

A new-look team needed a new-look manager, and that is exactly what Andy Green is. Green added spunk, charisma and optimism to a young Padres team from the day he took over as manager and made an early splash by announcing that Tyson Ross would be the Opening Day starter before Ross had even thrown a game in spring training.

Spring training provided a close look at some of the Padres key role players. RHP Colin Rea put on 20 pounds in the offseason, increased his fastball velocity and has made a case to be in the starting rotation come Monday. Wil Myers is past his physical injury and mental struggles, which means the Padres could get the production out of Myers similar to his 2013 American League Rookie of the Year season. Tyson Ross, James Shields and Andrew Cashner all had solid spring outings and are healthy going into Opening Day. Prospects such as Jabari Blash and Manuel Margot bring exciting bats and young athletic talent, and will most likely play in the big leagues at some point this season.

The proposed new $1.8 billion stadium next to Petco Park could cause problems for the toursim industry and downtown hotels. According to the Union Tribune, the plan would increase the city's hotel tax from 12.5 percent to 16.5 percent, making it one of the most expensive stays for guests in the United States.

The public would pay for roughly one-third of the stadium, which will be made possible only if the Chargers can gather 70,000 signatures to get the plan on the November ballot.

The Aztecs went cold from the field and ran into a confident George Washington team in the NIT semifinals. One of the reasons the Aztecs couldn't win enough games to get into the NCAA tournament this year was because of their offensive struggles, which showed up again Tuesday night. Winston Shepard, playing his last game as an Aztec, scored only seven points. The Aztecs leading scorer, guard Trey Kell, also scored just seven points.

In an interview with the Union Tribune, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred discussed the upcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement, an expansion to 32 teams and the possibility of two teams playing in Mexico, among other headline news stories in baseball. Most importantly, however, he exclaimed his excitement for the San Diego All-Star game. Here is Manfred's statement to the Union Tribune.

Q: San Diego hosts this season's All-Star Game. This was the last one selected by then-Commissioner (Bud) Selig. What are your expectations? What does a successful All-Star Game look like in your mind?

A: "I'm tremendously excited about San Diego. I didn't announce the San Diego election, but if it hadn't been done, I would have done it anyway. They were due to have an All-Star Game. I think it's going to be a tremendous site... I think San Diego offers us venues that allows us to be creative, in terms of the events we can have. I'm sure the weather is going to be great. It's almost a perfect venue for an All-Star Game."

 

Joe Piskula is more than the captain and leader on the ice. He has made significant contributions in the San Diego community, focused around men and women in uniform, underprivileged children, schools, youth hockey, disabled children and cancer patients. Piskula will host the "Hockey4Hope" event, which will raise funds and awareness for brain cancer research and support. For his incredible efforts around the community, the Gulls named Piskula the IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year for the team.

 

Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred speaks during a press conference after his first owners' meeting as baseball commissioner, Thursday, May 21, 2015, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)