Somebody told me the other day that they want me to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at this Monday night's game between the Padres and New York Mets. This, along with making me very nervous (and flattered), has caused me to think about several different things:
One. the average age of the Padres' great, young pitching staff just tripled. Two. As a former pitcher at San Diego State, I must get up atop the rubber and deliver a solid, if not spectacular first offering to at least equal the one that my great 97.3 The Fan radio partner Tony Gwynn Jr. threw prior to a game last year. And most importantly, three. Where in the world is Darren Balsley when a guy really needs him most?
I rest my case.
Well, no, I don't rest it quite yet. Here's more proof: the Padres are second in the National League and fourth in all of baseball in pitching so far this season, bringing a collective 3.48 team ERA into this weekend's big series at Petco Park against the Los Angeles Dodgers. They rank seventh in strikeouts with 287 and fifth in fewest walk allowed with only 87. Major league teams are hitting a paltry .227 against San Diego this season, which also ranks fifth-best.
Balsley, of course, is accomplishing all of this with a pitching staff that was mostly in diapers just a few short years ago. It's an unbelievable achievement, really, when you consider that coming into this season, the Padres' opening day starting five had amassed a total (total!) of just 57 major league starts among the entire group. Joey Lucchesi, who is only 25 years old, had 26 starts. Eric Lauer, 23, had, well, 23. Matt Strahm, the old graybeard of the bunch at 27, had made eight. Chris Paddack, 23, and Nick Margevicius, 22, as rookies, had not made any.
When you're a pitching coach and you're presented with a group as young as this, first, you're supposed to throw up. But Balsley simply has them throwing. In a long and storied career which has spanned 17 seasons and included a pair of back-to-back seasons (2006-07) when the Padres led all of Major League Baseball in ERA, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that the bit of work he has done so far this season is right up there along with some of the best he has done in his career.
After all, it's much easier to be a great pitching coach when you've got established big-time All-Stars on your staff. And Balsley has had those over the years, too. And the Jake Peavy's and Kevin Brown's have flourished under his watchful eye. As a matter of fact, it's hard to think of too many pitchers around baseball who haven't done some of their best pitching while wearing a Padres uniform.
The bullpen is another place that Balsley has flourished. I mean, when was the last time the Padres didn't have one of the top closers in all of baseball? This year, it's Kirby Yates. Before that, you've got All-Star names like Brad Hand, Heath Bell and, of course, the great Trevor Hoffman. Balsley has presided over all of their careers. And he has performed his top-of-the-line service with class and dignity all while preferring to do his best work out of the limelight.
Look, I'm not the only one who says Balsley is the best. In fact, most pitchers who get a chance to work with Balsley say it. Young guys, veteran guys and even Hall of Fame guys. Yep, even Greg Maddux (now a pitching coach himself at UNLV) said, while pitching for the Padres late in his career, Balsley was easily one of the best he ever worked with.
If Balsley is good enough for Maddux, well, then he's good enough for me. Now all I have to do is go find him prior to this Monday night.