Kevin Towers was the general manager of the San Diego Padres from 1995 to 2009. His trades, drafts, and overall ways of running a ball club was the only thing I knew as a fan because I really didn't pay much attention to those things before 1996. Last year, Towers was let go and replaced by first-time GM Jed Hoyer. Everyone in the media is giving Hoyer two giant thumbs up this year with the success of the Padres, but I'm a little skeptical.
For the most part, Hoyer's off-season acquisitions of John Garland, Yorvit Torrealba, Chris Denorfia, and Jerry Hairston Jr. have delivered. As the July 31st trade deadline becomes a distant memory, his landings of Miguel Tejada and Ryan Ludwick have proved to be very valuable for this stretch run that the Padres find themselves very much a part of. The real story, however, of the 2010 Padres has been the pitching.
With the best overall ERA in the majors and one of the worst offenses, the Padres would be nothing without its pitching. The starters have kept the team in every game and the bullpen has simply been lights out. This is where my skepticism stems from.
Hoyer went out and signed Garland to a very modest one-year deal and he has lived up to expectations. Everyone else on the pitching staff was Kevin Towers' doing. It's virtually the same bullpen as last year and yet Hoyer is reaping the benefits. The Padres have the best record in the National League and the third best in the majors and yet no one is giving any praise to Towers' consistent ability to build a strong bullpen.
The fact that Hoyer was able to trade for Ryan Ludwick still amazes me. Ludwick wasn't even being offered by the Cardinals and teams weren't aware he was available. It was Hoyer that was in constant communication with St. Louis. The only way they would give him up is if he had a starting pitcher of value to offer. He then went to Toronto, persuaded them to let go of Jake Westbrook for a prospect and then to the disbelief of everyone in baseball, sent the pitcher to the Cardinals for Ludwick. It was a brilliant move and it has already been paying for itself.
As inspiring as that trade was, I still haven't seen him address the pitching. Thanks to Kevin Towers, the pitching is solid this year. What happens when it's time to stock up again? Will Hoyer be able to find the hidden gems that Towers was known for? Only time will tell if he can draft players better than Towers (which I don't think will be very hard to do). Thinking outside of the box with trades could prove to be very useful for a small market team but it will be a few years before we see what a true Jed Hoyer team looks like. I only hope he continues with his creative ways to keep the Padres a contending team.
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