San Diego Padres Hitters: 2015 Team Preview
Sep 20, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres second baseman Jedd Gyorko (9) lines out during the sixth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
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The San Diego Padres undoubtedly had the most exciting off-season, and I love their new lineup from a fantasy perspective. The Padres had the worst fantasy hitters in 2014, but they now have two top players in Justin Upton and Matt Kemp as well as complementary pieces for once. Here is my earlier look at their outfield.
Wil Myers was going to be one of my top rebound candidates in 2015 because I figured he would regain his power once he recovered from wrist injury last year. However, Myers saw his name thrown into the spotlight when he was dealt to the Padres. I personally think that Wil Myers will find himself around 20 homers because his wrist injury likely sapped his power in 2014.
Matt Kemp is one of the tougher players to project in 2015 because he moved to a very pitcher-friendly ballpark, but he is coming off a second half with the Dodgers where he dominated and looked almost like 2011 Kemp at the plate. Matt Kemp finished with a very impressive line of 77/25/89/8/.287, but his age and injury history could scare buyers. Personally, I think he is still worth the upside around pick #40.
Even at Petco Park, Justin Upton is still a strong bet to exceed 25 homers if healthy. While Upton is not quite a truly elite fantasy player, his R/HR/RBI total is often good enough for a top 25 player. Justin Upton has always crushed his homers way, way over the fence, so I am not that worried about his home run total in 2015.
I have not really mentioned Jedd Gyorko much this off-season, but there is no doubt that he is a strong candidate to rebound in the power department. He hit 23 homers in 2013, but he completely fell apart last year. I am not entirely convinced that Gyorko bounces back, but he could be a cheap source of potential power in the middle infield.
Tanner Bell of Smart Fantasy Baseball has created all of the projections seen in this post. You can read about how he develops his projections here. His projections are invaluable to this site. You can also visit his site at www.smartfantasybaseball.com.
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