Spring Training REport

West St Paul, MN-- There was a spring training game between the Padres and the Red Sox over the weeked.  The Padres looked very sharp behind the pitching of reigning Cy Young John Cronin.  It's looking like John may have added some pitches to his arsenal over the offseason.  The league media also got a first look at 3 rookies, Sam Essen, Seth Nilsen, and Andy Lehman.  Here is a quick scouting report on each player:
Sam Essen: He is the manager and presumed best player on the Red Sox, but don't be too quick to say that.  He was stellar at the plate, when facing anyone not named John Cronin.  Sam struggled on some pitches, but his left handed pull power will be perfect for the short right field fence.  He will live up to the hype at the plate.  His pitching was a challenge for him.  He has a couple quality pitches already, but his accuracy is a big problem. Just look out for his riser!

Seth Nilsen:  Seth will be a very important puzzle piece for manager Sam Essen. Seth came in with no wiffleball experience whatsoever, but he looked very good on the mound.  He has the accuracy down already, unlike Essen.  Seth will mix it up with a knuckleball every once in a while, which will be very entertaining to see.  At the plate, he will be a fine hitter.  Defense seems to be his biggest struggle right now, but that could easily change with better weather.

Andy Lehman:  The Padres slugger still needs some work.  He looked good batting, with a couple HR. Pitching will be a problem.  Manager John Cronin will need to take a closer look and see if he will fit into the rotation.  Cronin said, "We already have 1 of the 3 spots in the rotation full and already are talking with a free agent to take the 2nd spot.  That 3rd spot is up for grabs on our team and I am very open as to who will take it.  Andy is a candidate, but didn't make a good case today."  At this point, Andy looks like a middle-innings/spot starter.  

After the mud settled, the Padres won 3 out of the 4 games they played Saturday.  Opening Day is coming up fast on April 26th, we'll see you there!