San Diego Padres 2015 MLB team preview and predictions
By Will Osgood
3 Players to Watch
Truthfully, figuring out which three players must be watched this season for the Padres is like trying to find Waldo if the setting for such game is set on “Impossible”. The parts that A.J. Preller has put together seem like an odd fit. But the guess is that these three players, more than any others, will determine if the great experiment works, or fails once again.
- OF Matt Kemp
We’ve seen already that of the Padres’ risky offseason acquisitions, Kemp figures to bring the most to the table offensively, at least based on last season’s production. Kemp caught fire at the end of last year, but given his enormous salary—he’s still owed $107 million through 2019, according to Spotrac—it is a risk.
The risk seems to multiply itself given his rather awful defensive performance a season ago, and the fact that his new home ballpark requires an outfielder to cover a lot of ground. He’s played a lot of centerfield in the past, but all indications are that Wil Myers will man that spot in 2015.
We’ll see how it works. If Kemp can hit like he did in the latter half of 2014—which was reminiscent of his 2009-11 run, he will prove worthy.
- 3B Will Middlebrooks
It doesn’t seem like a huge stretch to say that the Padres were rather desperate to figure out the third base spot after dealing Chase Headley to the Yankees a season ago. In theory, Will Middlebrooks is a fairly commensurate player. But his WAR from a season ago suggests otherwise.
But Middlebrooks was awesome at times in the Boston Red Sox’s run to the World Series title in 2013 (though admittedly he stunk it up in the playoffs, and did not even play in the six game series against the Cardinals). Still Middlebrooks represents a buy-low move where Preller is betting that a change of scenery will benefit him (he’s still just 23-years-old).
The U-T San Diego reports that the third base job remains an open competition between Middlebrooks and Yangervis Solarte. But Solarte is a guy who can and will move all over the field, so he figures to be important part of the Padres’ plans regardless. Expect Middlebrooks to start at third, with Solarte filling in when necessary.
- P Tyson Ross
Of course the Padres’ acquisition of James Shields late in the offseason is a big addition. But Tyson Ross should be the Padres’ opening day starter, or at least their ace. I attempted to show why Shields was not a huge loss here.
Meanwhile Ross is coming off a season, at age 27, where he posted a 2.81 ERA and just a 3.24 FIP with a solid 1.2 WHIP. And he struck out exactly nine hitters for every nine innings. Or it could be said that he struck out one hitter every inning.
Most of the numbers were career bests, but his efforts as a part-time starter/part-time reliever for the Padres in 2013 were pretty solid as well. Ross is just entering his prime, meaning he is likely to improve slightly, or at least provide the same All-Star-type effort, and could potentially challenge for the NL Cy Young in 2015.
Next: What will make this lab experiment work in 2015?