While we cannot conclude anything from 4 games, we can note some significant occurrences:

1. I have been fortunate to get to know a few of the Padres minor leaguers over the last few years… And more than any other, I got to know Anthony Bass. So I know he was amped to be placed in the same rotation as Casey Kelly – so he can show the world how good of a pitcher he is… I’m also confident that he relished the opening day start; especially since it was against the highly regarded Kansas City AA affiliate, NW Arkansas Naturals.

Bass line from Thursday night:

6.0 IP 4 H 2 R 2 ER 1 BB 1 SO 1 HR

It wasn’t a dominant outing, but it was a nice showing for a guy who is routinely overlooked by prospect experts (Bass was left off BA’s top 30 prospect rankings before the 2010 season).

2. Donavan Tate had three objectives going into the 2011 season: 1. Stay healthy, 2. Cut down on strikeouts, 3. Hit. In his first game he K’d twice. In the three games since: zero. So far, so good…

3. The only reason Drew Cumberland is not a top 5 prospect is that he hasn’t been able to stay on the field and out of the trainer’s room. According to Baseball America, he opened the 2011 season on the bench due to vertigo. He has never played as many 80 games in a season in his career.

4. In the offseason, in my top 30 rankings, I had Sampson at 17 and said, “Sampson would rate much higher on this list [except for injuries].” The injury concerns proved to be minor and in his first game back, Sampson pitched 6 perfect innings with 10 strikeouts. Sampson is good bet to be a top 10 prospect following this season.

5. Scouts have said that 3B Edinson Rincon lacked the ability to handle the hot corner. The Padres, under Grady Fuson (former Padres Dir. of Player Development) countered that Rincon DID (emphasis mine) have the athletic ability to man 3B. While Rincon may have the athleticism to handle the position, he is proving that he does not have the requisite defensive acumen. After committing 36 errors in 106 games at 3B. This year he is sharing 3B (and DH) duties with Jed Gyorko. Sunday night, in Rincon’s second game at the hot corner this season, Rincon committed 4 errors. You can’t help but wonder if it is time to begin the defensive transition to a corner outfield.

On the other hand, Rincon is doing what will get him to the big leagues; hitting. He has a hit in each of the Storm first 4 games.

I will not be posting a weekly observations piece, but periodically you may hear from me... Happy baseball, people and Go Padres!