Q and A: FriarForecast’s Daniel Gettinger
Tomahawk Talk recently had the opportunity to run a series of Braves, Padres, and MLB-related questions by Daniel Gettinger of FriarForecast.com (a GREAT San Diego Padres blog/fansite!) and with the Braves set to take on the Padres in a three-game series, the timing couldn’t be better!
Here’s a look at what Daniel had to say in response to our questions:
Tomahawk Talk: Thanks for doing the Q and A with us, Daniel. Let’s get right to some Braves, Padres, and MLB questions. A lot of the “experts” are predicting/projecting that 2010 will be a tough year for the Padres. How do you think this year’s Padres will do?
Daniel Gettinger: This is a transition year for the Padres, but I see the team performing better than most “experts” believe. Given the Padres’ current talent level, I see no reason the team cannot win 75-80 games.
Tomahawk Talk: What do you like best about the 2010 edition of the San Diego Padres?
Daniel Gettinger: The Padres are a deeper team than they were the past two seasons. Although they lack any stars outside of Adrian Gonzalez, the Padres are stacked with young, cheap, league-average talent.
Tomahawk Talk: What is your primary concern about this year’s Padres team?
Daniel Gettinger: The starting pitching might disappoint. Outside of Mat Latos, none of the starters have overwhelming stuff. If they limit their walks and homeruns allowed, the starters could be fine, but the downside is there.
Tomahawk Talk: Peter Gammons recently listed the Padres as one of six teams that could be a lot better than many expect them to be. Is Peter on to something there?
Daniel Gettinger: I think so. The Padres don’t have a lot of truly terrible players, which should help them overcome their lack of great players.
Tomahawk Talk: San Diego has one of the best players in the game in Adrian Gonzalez (a very underrated player in my opinion), but all we hear about is how he is going to be traded. Do you think he will be traded?
Daniel Gettinger: Not only do I think Adrian Gonzalez will be traded, I believe he should be traded. Gonzalez’s contract only runs through the 2011 season and the Padres are unlikely to be able to keep him after that. Since the team is not quite ready to be truly competitive, it should trade him for young, major league ready, cost-controlled talent that will help the team win in future seasons.
Tomahawk Talk: If Gonzalez is traded, what do you think the Padres will (or should) be able to get in return?
Daniel Gettinger: I’d look for the team to receive at least one top, major league ready prospect, a near major league ready prospect who projects as a league-average player, and one or two high upside prospects currently in the lower minors.
Tomahawk Talk: The Padres are currently scheduled to face three of the Braves’ best starting pitchers (Jair Jurrjens, Tommy Hanson, and Tim Hudson) in this week’s series. What are your thoughts on those guys?
Daniel Gettinger: Tommy Hanson is fantastic. He dominated at every level in the minors, had a great rookie season, and projects to be just as good this season. And I like Tim Hudson as well. His problem has never been effectiveness, it’s been staying healthy. I’m not quite as bullish on Jurrjens, but at the very least, he is an above average starting pitcher. Given his major league service time, a player like Jurrjens is extremely valuable to a team.
Tomahawk Talk: What are your initial thoughts/impressions of this year’s Braves team?
Daniel Gettinger: The Braves should be very good in 2010. The starting pitching is fantastic, and the bats are pretty solid as well. The key for the Braves will be staying healthy. Chipper Jones, Troy Glaus, Tim Hudson, and Billy Wagner have all struggled to stay off the DL in recent years and are being heavily relied upon by the Braves.
Tomahawk Talk: I know it’s not the Padres’ division, but how do you see the NL East race playing out this year? What’s your projected order-of-finish for the division?
Daniel Gettinger: The NL East should be a race between the Braves and the Phillies. If I had to pick one of those teams, I’d take the Phillies by a hair because I do have doubts about the Braves’ ability to stay healthy throughout the season. The Mets could also make some noise. They got hit with a lot of injuries last year, but could bounce back.
Tomahawk Talk: And returning to the Padres and their division, how do you see the NL West race shaping up? What’s your projected order of finish for the NL West?
Daniel Gettinger: The NL West is tough to project. The Rockies and Dodgers are both good teams and are probably the favorites to win the division. But they are not so much better than the other teams that I would feel confident saying one of them is going to win. The Giants and Diamondbacks are both okay teams, albeit with question marks, but could get lucky and win the division.
Tomahawk Talk: And what about the rest of MLB? What teams do you see as division champions and wild-card winners this year?
Daniel Gettinger:
NL Central – Cardinals
NL West – Rockies/Dodgers (toss-up)
NL East – Phillies
NL Wildcard – Braves
AL Central – Twins
AL West – no clue
AL East – Yankees
AL Wildcard – Red Sox
World Series Champions – Yankees
Tomahawk Talk: Great stuff, Daniel. Thanks for doing the Q and A!
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Nice interview. I really like these Q and A’s.
Thanks, Max. Glad you liked the interview – Daniel really knows his stuff!