Beginner's Luck: Arizona's Gilbert twirls unlikely No-No

In what's been a dismal season for the Arizona Diamondbacks, there hasn't been a whole lot to cheer for in the desert this year. Sitting in the cellar of the National League Western Division at 38-81 and 38.5 games behind the first-place San Francisco Giants, positivity and all around good vibes have been at a minimum for the D-Backs who own the worst record in all of baseball. However, the was one magical moment that took place on Saturday with the snakes in the limelight as 27-year old pitcher Tyler Gilbert threw a no-hitter in his first career big league start. With his family in attendance at Arizona's Chase Field, Gilbert blanked the high-powered San Diego Padres, albeit without their best player in Fernando Tatis Jr., to become the fourth pitcher in Major League history to toss a no-no in his first career start and the first since 1953. Making things even more improbable, Gilbert who had bounced around with the Phillies before being traded to the Dodgers and ultimately released and picked up by Arizona, had never logged a complete-game at any level in his professional baseball career. That was until his historic night. 

Having just made his Major League debut nine days earlier in a relief appearance against San Francisco in which Gilbert gave up a hit and a walk while striking out one in 2/3 innings pitched, followed by two shutout frames (1 hit, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts) against San Diego two days later, the D-Backs' southpaw has lived up to the adage, "one man's trash is another man's treasure." Or in this case one team's trash is another team's treasure, even if only for this one spectacular history-making evening. After all, it's stories like this that make us fall in love with baseball time and time again. Before being mobbed by his teammates as out No. 27 was caught in center-field on a line-drive off the bat of Tommy Pham, Gilbert walked three batters and struck out five Padre hitters on 102-pitches (64 strikes). And while he didn't have the type of stuff that was blowing guys away as he barely sniffed the low-90's with his fastball, he did enough to throw guys off and keep the ball in the park. Something that's easier said than done at Arizona's hitter-friendly ballpark. Oddly enough, Joe Musgrove who pitched the first no-hitter of 2021 back on April 9 against the Texas Rangers, was the opposing pitcher on Saturday. 

The first Diamondbacks no-hitter since Edwin Jackson's no-no in 2010 and just the third in D-Backs franchise history (Hall of Famer Randy Johnson the other), unless you count Madison Bumgarner's 7 no-hit frames in the second game of a 7-inning doubleheader back on April 25, it's the eighth no-hitter tossed this season which ties the record for the most in a single season set back in 1884. Quite the story and an unforgettable night for a guy who even if we never hear from him again, etched his name into the record books and will forever have a story to tell, especially considering he was working with his father as an electrician less than a year ago following the cancellation of the 2020 Minor League Baseball season due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Learning the trade just in case he never received that call to the bigs. 

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Bochy's Farewell

In what's been a rather dull offseason for Major League Baseball with the top two coveted players in Bryce Harper and Manny Machado still on the free-agent market less than a week before the start of Spring Training exhibition games, the news of San Francisco Giants skipper Bruce Bochy announcing his retirement following the 2019 season might be the biggest news yet this offseason. The 63 year old skipper who is already the oldest manager in the league, will celebrate his 64th birthday less than three weeks into the 2019 season. However, it's safe to say he'll be treated like everyday is his birthday for the entire season by his team, front-office and fans alike as he looks to hang it up following his 13-year tenure as manager of the Giants and his 25th season overall.

Basically a shoo-in for Cooperstown, the future Hall of Fame skipper announced from a dugout prior to Monday's Spring Training workout in Scottsdale, Arizona that the 2019 season would be his last at the helm of the team he managed to three World Series titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014 and helped create into a dynasty. "In my mind it's time," he told reporters before admitting his plans to stick around the game of baseball in some form or capacity. What position that'll be, we'll just have to wait and see, but my guess is that Giants brass will make him a Giant for life or for however long he's willing to man a position. The active leader in wins among all Major League managers, Bochy currently stands with 1,926 total wins during his combined time spent with the Giants and San Diego Padres which places him 11th on MLB's all-time wins list. A former Manager of the Year Award winner in 1996 with the Padres, Bochy would go on to lead San Diego to only their second World Series appearance just two years later before losing to New York during the Yankees' 1996-2000 dynasty. Relocating from San Diego to San Francisco in 2007, Bochy would become one of only five managers in MLB history to lead a team to three titles in a five-year span and is the only manager in the game's history with 900+ wins with multiple franchises.

Helping bring a trio of World Series championships to a city that had been starving of a title since the Giants followed the archrival Dodgers from New York to California in 1958, not many of the players he managed were as beloved as the manager himself during his time spent spent with the Giants which I'd say is pretty rare for a skipper these days considering how short we've seen some managerial careers last in certain places. As for the other nine managers before him to hoist the Commissioners Trophy at least three times, they've all been enshrined into Cooperstown which should make Bochy a lock to one day be able to say the same. Boasting a career record of 1,926-wins and 1,944-losses which equates to a .498 winning percentage, Bochy is 975-969 during his time with the Giants who will need to win at least 75 games in 2019 to ensure a winning record for their skipper of the last decade plus. But Bochy's team will try doing a lot more than that to help give him a proper sendoff, even if it means fighting off superior teams like the Dodgers and Rockies within the division. 82 wins shy of tying another Hall of Famer and World Series-winning manager with the Giants -- Leo Durocher, Bochy could move into the top 10 of all-time wins among managers. But we all know another miraculous postseason run and fourth World Series title is really what lies on the minds of Bochy and his team as they prepare for his final go-around.


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Scoreless in San Diego

The San Diego Padres are bad. How bad you ask? They just kicked off their 2016 season in the worse way possible -- by being swept in shutout fashion by the rival Dodgers. This all happened in their own park no less as San Diego was outscored 25 to 0. We all knew heading into the season that the Friars were going to be bad this year, but nobody could've expected this. Making matters worse for San Diego, Dodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda homered in his second career at-bat, while pitching in his Major League debut. That's right, the Dodgers' pitcher has accounted for more offense than the entire Padres lineup combined.

Regardless of how much credit first-year skipper Dave Roberts deserves for his team's blazing start considering how bad the Padres are, it's one hell of a way to kick start your managerial career. L.A. became just the second team in modern-day Major League history to record three straight shutouts to open a season, joining the 1963 St. Louis Cardinals. The 27 consecutive scoreless-innings to start a season is also a Dodgers franchise-record, breaking their previous best of 23 set back in 1974. Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw began the scoreless streak by hurling seven innings of 1-hit ball (no surprise there) before handing it off to the bullpen. Offseason acquisition Scott Kazmir followed suit in his National League debut by giving the Dodgers six solid innings in which he also only allowed one hit, followed by Maeda's memorable outing on both sides of the plate. With a 4-game slate against the arch-rival Giants (2-1) taking place in San Francisco starting Thursday, the Dodgers (3-0) will need five more scoreless frames to tie the Cardinals' record of 32 consecutive innings without allowing a run and six to set a new record. Pitcher Alex Wood will be asked to keep the streak alive for the Dodgers as San Francisco hopes to counter by turning to veteran hurler Jake Peavy.

As for the Padres who now own the dubious record previously held by the 1943 St. Louis Browns who went 26 innings without scoring a run to start a season, San Diego will have to sleep on it for at least another day as they've got an off day on Thursday. However, I do like their chances of scoring at least one run when they take the field again as they open a 3-game series on the road at Denver's Coors Field where a pitcher's earned run average goes to die and balls fly out of the park more so than anywhere else. But hey, it's not all doom and gloom if you're a baseball fan living in San Diego, as the city will play host to this year's MLB All-Star game in July. Though it's still a few months away, the Mid-Summer Classic might be the only time that San Diego baseball fans will be treated to some offense generated by the home team this season.


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Never too late for a Blockbuster

First year general manager of the San Diego Padres A.J. Preller proved on Sunday that there's never a bad time to make a blockbuster trade in the MLB. After a very busy offseason which saw the Padres steal the headlines at baseball's winter meetings in December by making acquisition after acquisition to remodel the outfield with such names as Matt Kemp, Justin Upton and Wil Myers as well as Derek Norris behind the dish and Will Middlebrooks in the infield, only to add the cherry on top a month and a half later in the form of pitching ace James Shields, Preller has helped morph the Padres from the doormat of the NL West to a potential contender. And on the eve of Major League Baseball's Opening Day, San Diego made yet another deal to revamp the franchise. 

As if Padre fans weren't already ecstatic to turn a new leaf and witness a team with the potential to send the franchise to the postseason for the first time since 2006, they were given one final gift from their new general manager before the start of the season in the form of All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel. Preller made a deal to land Kimbrel and outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. aka BJ Upton from the rebuilding Atlanta Braves. The Friars managed to kill two birds with one stone with the trade as it helped solve their crowded outfield problem by sending outfielders Cameron Maybin and Carlos Quentin to Atlanta and also helped them add some extra depth to the back end of the bullpen with the acquisition of one of the best closers in the game. The Braves also landed right-handed pitcher Matt Wisler in the trade, who is one of San Diego's top prospects as well as Minor Leaguer Jordan Paroubeck and a Draft pick. 

Taking on the hefty contract of the struggling Melvin Upton Jr. was less than ideal for the Padres who are now looking at an Opening Day payroll near the $109 Million mark which is a franchise record, but chances are they wouldn't have been able to land Kimbrel without it being a package deal and taking Upton as well. Unlike his brother Justin who is due to be a free-agent after the season, the 30-year old Melvin Upton is under contract until 2018 and is owed over $45 Million over the next three seasons. As for Kimbrel, the 26-year old fire-baller is owed $46 Million over the next four seasons with a club option to buy out in '18. But if the All-Star reliever can continue to duplicate the numbers he's produced in each of his first four seasons, there's little doubt the club would choose to part ways. Since being called up to the bigs in 2010, Kimbrel owns the lowest ERA in all of baseball at 1.43 with a minimum of 250 innings pitched and his 186 saves over the last four seasons are the most in the Majors during that span. With four consecutive seasons of 40 saves, a feat reached only three other times, Kimbrel will have a chance this year to become the first pitcher in MLB history to make it five straight seasons of 40 saves.

Padres skipper Bud Black was expected to give the ball to reliever Joaquin Benoit to close out ballgames, but chances are he'll now be moved to a setup role in the eighth as Kimbrel is assigned closing duties. With some pundits predicting the Padres to snap their playoff drought the moment they signed James Shields, they've gotta be licking their chops now that San Diego's chances just got a lot better. But since they were basically being declared a wild card team before Preller's latest blockbuster trade, does this now make them a potential favorite to knock off the consensus NL Western division champion L.A. Dodgers whom they open the season against and maybe even put them in the discussion for an NL Pennant? That's a question yet to be answered, but one thing that is for certain is that A.J. Preller and the Padres will more than likely be buyers at the trade deadline and not sellers.


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A Remodel down South

Predicted by many in and around the baseball community as a dark horse to contend for a title in the NL Western Division last season, the San Diego Padres fell short of those expectations by finishing 77-85, good enough for third in the division. And though championships aren't won in the offseason, one thing that's certain is the impressive offseason the Padres and their newly hired general manager A.J. Preller have put together prior to the 2015 season.

After missing the postseason for an eighth straight season last year, the Padres front-office made it their priority to put an end to that in 2015. Having been a relatively quiet club during the offseason in years past, the San Diego Padres have caught everyone's attention while being this offseason's most active team by far. Along with their new GM came some new talent which the Friars were able to acquire both via trade and the free-agent market thanks to an increase in payroll which will set a new franchise record and is closing in on the $105 Million mark. San Diego's busy shopping spree begun with the acquisition of Matt Kemp whom they landed from the rival Dodgers. While adding a player of Kemp's caliber alone in years past would've riled up the Padres fan base, they weren't finished there as a deal to land Justin Upton from the Braves was the next item on their list. With two of the three outfield spots being claimed by new faces, Preller made it a whole new cast by completing the trifecta and bringing in Wil Myers from Tampa Bay.

The trio of new outfielders gives San Diego one of the best looking outfields on paper. If Kemp, who's often injured and is several seasons removed from being the NL MVP runner-up, can stay healthy, Upton is able to regain the confidence he had at the plate as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks while often facing the Padres and Myers can to return to his 2013 form when he took home AL Rookie of the Year honors, the Padres will have themselves a star-studded outfield. The flurry of moves didn't stop there, however, as veteran shortstop Clint Barmes, third baseman Will Middlebrooks and 2014 All-Star catcher Derek Norris were also added into the mix along with pitchers Brandon Maurer, Shawn Kelly and Brandon Morrow. But just when you thought he was done, A.J. Preller complimented his already stellar body of work by adding that final cherry on top in the form of one of the top free-agent pitchers on the market -- James Shields.

It was learned early Monday morning that Shields was the last of the major free-agent dominoes to fall when he and the Padres agreed to a 4-year deal worth $75 Million. The signing of Shields, a 33-year old native of southern California, is the richest contract in the club's history, surpassing the 3-year, $52 Million deal with former Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy in 2007. Having topped the 200 innings pitched mark in eight straight seasons, Shields comes as durable as any but not without a bit of concern regarding the workload on his arm. Not to mention, no pitcher threw more pitches last season than Shields did as he helped guide the Royals to their first World Series appearance in over 30 years. But calling a pitcher friendly stadium like Petco Park home for the next few seasons should help keep Shields among the game's most reliable hurlers on the mound. Not a bad offseason for a guy who's only been a GM since August, right?

But don't go thinking Preller's busy spending and team renovation didn't come without risk, though, as he had to part with a good portion of players including some of the club's top picks and prospects and in the process is letting us know that San Diego is ready to compete now as they look to dethrone the higher powers within the division in L.A. and San Francisco in what's been a two-team race for the past several seasons.


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Padres add a pair of All-Star's to the mix

With many new faces in new places this upcoming MLB season like every year following the off-season, two players who will see a drastic change more so than others due to their new surroundings will be Mat Latos and Carlos Quentin. Having dealt such talent as first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and reliever Mike Adams last season, the San Diego Padres made another trade this off-season to continue the franchise's path to rebuild. After making his Major League debut in 2009, the year 2010 saw starting pitcher Mat Latos make his way onto the big league scene with a breakout season where the 24-year old right-hander capped off his first full year with a trip to the All-Star Game by compiling a 2.92 ERA in 184.2 innings to go along with his 14-10 record and 189 strikeouts. Latos would miss the beginning of the 2011 season due to an injury sustained to his throwing arm, but would respond much better than his 9-14 record indicated with a respectable 3.47 ERA and WHIP of 1.18.

But just when it began to look like the Padres had found their long-term answer for an ace, the team shipped Latos to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for former All-Star pitcher Edinson Volquez along with first baseman Yonder Alonso, catcher Yasmani Grandal and pitcher Brad Boxberger, all of which are former first-round Draft picks and are highly touted prospects. For Volquez who has been unable to duplicate the success from his breakout season in 2008 due to injuries and a suspension, if he can stay healthy he could very well regain form while benefiting from one of the league's more pitcher-friendly ballparks in San Diego's Petco Park. Meanwhile, Latos will be forced to make the transition to one of the more hitter-friendly ballparks in all of baseball in Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park which will demand more precision in Latos' pitching location, or that fly-ball that normally resulted in an out could very well end up being a souvenir.

If both hurlers can find success in their new homes, the Padres might have very well found their new ace while the Reds hope to build a formidable tandem at the top of the rotation led by Latos and Johnny Cueto.

The Padres followed up their acquisitions from Cincinnati by adding a power hitter to the lineup in Carlos Quentin. The hard hitting slugger will be sent from the Chicago White Sox where he's served the last four years to his home town of San Diego in return for Minor League pitchers Simon Castro and Pedro Hernandez. Quentin is projected to be the team's starting left fielder come opening day where he'll join an outfield cast of Cameron Maybin and Will Venable. Since dealing Adrian Gonzalez last December to the Boston Red Sox, the Padres have ranked among the worst teams in all of baseball in the home run department which just so happens to be Quentin's bread and butter. After seeing minimal playing time in the NL West with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Quentin amassed a monster 2008 season in his first full year, batting .288 while hitting 36 home runs and driving in 100 RBI's to receive his first of two All-Star nods.

Though he hasn't quite matched those numbers from 2008, logging 24 HR's and 77 RBI's just a season ago, Quentin has remained productive and should generate a majority of San Diego's offense next season. Playing in Petco Park, however, could hurt his home run numbers. If he can pull the ball to the left side of the field though like he's been known to, he should fare well. With pitching being their strong point the last few years, the Padres could once again depend on the pitching staff and bullpen in 2012, something that will be a lot more difficult now with former All-Star closer Heath Bell now setting up shop in Miami. Unlikely to compete for a division title this upcoming season, San Diego appears to be making the right moves that could spring them back to the top of the division and lead to success the franchise has been starving of since bidding a farewell to such Padres as Trevor Hoffman and Jake Peavy.


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Throwback Thursday x Trevor Hoffman

Hells Bells - With the early stages of baseball's Spring Training underway as pitchers and catchers begin reporting to camp, one hurler who won't be taking part in the festivities for the first time in nearly 20 years is the recently retired Trevor Hoffman. Having solidified himself as one of the best closers the game of baseball has ever seen, the 43 year old reliever decided it was finally time to hang up his cleats. After 18-years in the big leagues, the highly touted right-hander set the bar for closers, logging a total of 601 saves making him baseball's all-time career saves leader. Better known as the longtime ninth inning specialist for the San Diego Padres where he would set numerous Major League and franchise records, the California native also served time with the Florida Marlins whom he was drafted by, and the Milwaukee Brewers where he spent the final two years of his prestigious career.

The 7-time All-Star recently announced his retirement late last month after becoming the first and only player in Major League history to reach the 600 save plateau in September of last season. After a lackluster season productively in which he struggled and was demoted to a set-up role, the 2-time NL Rolaids Relief Man of the Year still managed to compile 10 saves, improving his all-time saves mark to 601 where it stands today. Helping him dominate at his position for so many years, was the devastating changeup he added to his repertoire once his fastball velocity began decreasing after undergoing surgery. In 1998, Hoffman recorded career bests in both Saves (53) and ERA (1.48), creating quite an argument for the highly coveted Cy Young Award as well as MVP honors. However, he fell short of bringing home either piece of hardware, finishing seventh in MVP voting and runner up for the Cy Young.

Despite the long list of milestones he achieved, Hoffman, a converted infielder, saw limited success in the postseason, making a lone trip to the World Series in 1998 where he blew a 3-2 lead in the 9th inning upon getting swept by the eventual world champion New York Yankees. Given he played a majority of his career with a mediocre Padres squad, his impressive body of work both on and off the field made up for it. Receiving high praise from his teammates as well as his managers for his leadership skills, Hoffman's unmatched work ethic made him a fan favorite among players and organizations alike. The younger brother of a former big league shortstop, Hoffman's high leg kick and his traditional 'Hells Bells' introduction music by AC/DC became just as synonymous as Southern California's warm weather.

Second to none in San Diego, unless you're Tony Gwynn of coarse who won fans over by way of hitting the ball instead of throwing it, Hoffman was in many ways the face of the Padres ball club. And just like the great Gwynn who was awarded a statue outside of Petco Park, don't be surprised if San Diego plans to honor Hoffman with a statue of his own in the near future. Although his days as baseball's all-time saves leader are limited with Yankees closer Mariano Rivera most likely to surpass Hoffman's 601 mark in the next year or two, Hoffman will still be the NL's all-time saves leader. Though he might not be looking forward to the day his record is broken, one occasion that will be circled on his calendar is when he'll be Hall of Fame eligible in 2016. While voters remain unkind to relievers when it comes time to vote, in my eyes the guy is a first ballot candidate.


A story of my own - Although he never played for my team and was actually a member of one of the Giants division rivals, I always respected Hoffman's body of work and became an instant fan of his when I learned firsthand just how humble he was, regardless of being one of the games bigger names. While on vacation with some friends in Colorado, I managed to make it to a Rockies-Padres game in Denver's Coors Field and witnessed the players taking batting practice and warming up before the game. Lo and behold was Trevor Hoffman stretching in left field. Even though I stood there wearing the hat of a rival team, Hoffman was kind enough to sign my ball, creating one of my all-time favorite moments while at a sporting event.