2/26 Cactus League Recap

San Diego IF Jedd Gyorko

Each spring, baseball fans are enamored with a handful of players who show up to Spring Training and just dominate.

Right now, the leader of that group is San Diego Padres prospect Jedd Gyorko.  Gyorko, who is 24 years old, is fighting for a spot as the Padres starting second baseman to open 2013.

Gyorko is considered the top prospect in the Padres organization, so his success this spring is not completely out of the blue, but so far in 10 at-bats he has three homers and nine RBI.  With a .400 average to go along with that, Padres fans are licking their chops waiting for Gyorko to arrive at Petco Park.  He has logged just over 1300 at-bats in three minor league seasons, hitting .319 in 334 games.  Gyorko was good in 2012, hitting 30 homers and knocking in 100 RBI while hitting .311 split between Double-A and Triple-A.  But his 2011 was even better, with 25 home runs, 114 RBI and a .333 average in 140 games.

The main competitors for the second base job in San Diego are Gyorko, Logan Forsythe and Alexi Amarista.  Nothing against those guys, but for a franchise who only has one legitimate star (Chase Headley), bringing Gyorko up now may hold the fans over until more help arrives.  The Padres will more than likely finish at the bottom of the National League West, but a fresh, young, talented face would be a welcome site at Petco Park in 2013.

Scores from Tuesday:

Arizona (SS) 7, L.A. Angels 7 (F/9)

San Diego 7, Cincinnati 5

Chicago Cubs 4, Colorado 2

Kansas City 4, Cleveland 1

Seattle 6, Milwaukee 5

San Francisco 8, L.A. Dodgers 8 (F/9)

Arizona (SS) 9, Oakland 4

Notes:

Lots of long balls in the Cactus League on Tuesday, as 21 homers were hit in the eight Cactus League games.  Among those to go deep were Rod Barajas, Jason Kubel and Gerardo Parra of the Diamondbacks, phenom Jedd Gyorko of the Padres, Billy Butler of the Royals and Franklin Gutierrez and Justin Smoak of the Mariners.  But perhaps the best offensive performance of Tuesday was by San Francisco prospect Brett Pill, who launched two home runs and accounted for five RBI in the Giants 8-8 tie with their rivals, the Dodgers.  Wade Davis of the Royals got the win in his first appearance for the Royals, and Heath Bell, now of the Diamondbacks, got the win in Arizona's split squad win over Oakland.  Bell was terrible last season in Miami, and the Diamondbacks are hoping he can return to his 2011 form when he was an All-Star with San Diego.