San Diego Padres Quest for the Playoffs
Are the San Diego Padres legitimate MLB contenders after a busy offseason?
The San Diego Padres have been active on the trade market since the Winter Meetings and improved their offense in a big way.
Padres’ general manager A.J. Preller was busy on the phones with general managers throughout the league and acquired outfielders Matt Kemp, Justin Upton and Wil Myers. In addition to adding the outfielders, the Padres also traded for third baseman Will Middlebrooks and catcher Derek Norris. All five players are projected to start on Opening Day.
Offensively, the Padres needed to make some moves to improve their offense. During the 2014 season, they were last in runs with 535, last in batting average hitting .226, last in on-base percentage getting on base at a .292 rate and last in slugging percentage with .342. Petco Park is one of the largest baseball stadiums in Major League Baseball, which contributes to low offensive numbers, but the Padres were bad offensively.
Kemp returned to his MVP-caliber season in 2014 by hitting .287 with 25 home runs and 89 RBI’s. Kemp was unhappy with the Dodgers when they were moving him from center field to the corner outfield positions. He has made it known that he wants to be a center fielder and it is projected that he will start in center field. Kemp played in 150 games and showed he was healthy last season and helped fuel the offense during their slump during late May and early June. Kemp, 3o, is signed through the 2019 season.
Upton has continued to show consistency over the course of his career and the story stayed the same in 2014. Upton hit .270 with 29 home runs and 102 RBI’s during his 2014 campaign. Upton played right field to begin his career but has recently been playing left field with the Braves. He has been healthy his entire career through seven seasons between the Diamondbacks and Braves. Upton, 26, will become a free agent following the 2015 season.
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Myers doesn’t have much experience, playing in only 175 games, but has shown plenty of potential to become a superstar right fielder. Myers won American League Rookie of the Year in 2013 after playing in 88 games and hitting .293 with 13 home runs and 55 RBI’s. He struggled during the 2014 season through 87 games and was battling injuries. In the sample of his 2014 season, Myers hit .222 with six home runs and 35 RBI’s. Myers has a strong arm and good speed and will be a force in the middle of the Padres’ lineup. Myers, 24, is signed through the 2019 season.
These power hitters will be tasked with pressure to hit for power in one of the worst parks for hitters. According to ESPN’s Home Run Tracker, Petco Park ranks last in home runs per game with an average of 1.25 home runs per game and a total of 101 home runs. According to RotoGrinders, Petco Park favors hitters for triples and walks, but pitchers dominate otherwise.
The Padres pitching staff ranked among the top staffs in the MLB in 2014. They were fourth in ERA with 3.27 runs per game, ninth in quality starts with 91, eighth in WHIP with 1.22 and seventh in opponents batting average with opponents hitting .241 against them. Part of this can be attributed to playing 81 games in a pitcher’s park, but the Padres proved that they have a talented pitching staff. Headlined by Ian Kennedy and Andrew Cashner and with rookie Odrisamer Despaigne coming strong onto the scene, the Padres’ rotation has an opportunity to improve over last season.
Roto Champ projects the 2015 Padres lineup:
SS Alexi Amarista (2014: .239, 5 HR, 40 RBI)
2B Jedd Gyorko (2014: .210, 10 HR, 51 RBI)
LF Justin Upton (2014: .270, 29 HR, 102 RBI)
CF Matt Kemp (2014: .287, 25 HR, 89 RBI)
RF Wil Myers (2014: .222, 6 HR, 35 RBI)
3B Will Middlebrooks (2014: .191, 2 HR, 19 RBI)
1B Yonder Alonso (2014: .240, 7 HR, 27 RBI)
C Derek Norris (2014: .270, 10 HR, 55 RBI)
There is a balance throughout the offense of power and potential. Gyorko, Myers and Middlebrooks are all looking to improve over their past seasons and make a statement in 2015. Middlebrooks struggled with the Red Sox in the beginning of his career, but with a fresh start in San Diego he has an opportunity to become the player he was expected to be. Myers is coming off an injury and may return to his rookie of the year form if he is fully healthy. Gyorko had a down season after an impressive rookie year with the Padres and looks to bounce back in his third season as the Padres second baseman.
With the Dodgers rearranging their offense, it is uncertain how they will fair. Dodger pitching will be as good as they have in recent years and will be tough to beat for the National League West Division. The Giants have downgraded on offense and didn’t make any changes to their pitching staff. The Padres could be fighting for the second spot in the NL West or one of the two Wild Card spots in 2015.