Fantasy baseball: San Diego Padres 2020 fantasy preview

2020 San Diego Padres projected starting lineup:

Fernando Tatis, Jr., SS (.317, 22 HR, 53 RBI, 16 SB in 334 AB)
Tommy Pham, LF (.273, 21 HR, 68 RBI, 25 SB in 567 AB with TB)
Manny Machado, 3B (.256, 32 HR, 85 RBI, 5 SB in 587 AB)
Eric Hosmer, 1B (.265, 22 HR, 99 RBI, 0 SB in 619 AB)
Trent Grisham, CF (.231, 6 HR, 24 RBI, 1 SB in 156 AB with MIL)
Jurickson Profar, 2B (.218, 20 HR, 67 RBI, 9 SB in 459 AB with OAK)
Francisco Mejia, C (.265, 8 HR, 22 RBI, 1 SB in 226 AB)
Wil Myers, RF (.239, 18 HR, 53 RBI, 16 SB in 435 AB)

This team is pretty loaded. They did trade Hunter Renfroe, Austen Allen, and Eric Lauer, but this is arguably a better lineup even without Renfroe’s tremendous power.

Surprisingly enough, Machado still hit 32 homers last year. His power still has him as an early third round pick. I think Machado’s average will get back more towards normal and he should drive in 100 in an improved lineup.

Tatis could go even earlier than Machado. He nearly had a 20/20 season in just 334 at bats! That’s great numbers at any position, but when you put that at SS, he is a great option for those that miss out on Lindor or Correa. He’s probably going to come a little cheaper than Bo Bichette too and I think the numbers could be better.

Renfroe will be missed, but Pham is a great fit for this lineup. He has three straight 20 homer seasons and is a threat to score 100 here. Pham is a solid second or third outfielder on your fantasy team.

Hosmer’s numbers never jump off the page and they never really have. He’s always been a good hitter and has always been great at driving in runs. His average power is a bit of a drag at 1B, but if you are in a points league or a league that counts OBP, there’s sneaky value in Hosmer.

The Padres thought enough of Mejia to move Allen. He’s a solid pick if you wait until the end to grab a catcher.

Grisham had a good spring. He is worth a look near the end of your draft. He’s batting fifth in what looks like a solid lineup. This is the kind of upside you want later in your draft.

There’s plenty of questions around both Profar and Myers. Franchy Cordero has power equal to or better than Renfroe. Can he displace Myers, or will that be a straight platoon? If it’s a platoon, Cordero holds more value. At any rate, the peripherals are good for Myers, but he seems to be on the way down even though he’s not yet 30.

Profar is another guy that could lose his job even though they traded for him. The average will really hurt you, but 20 HR is hard to come by at 2B. Brian Dozier is lurking though. If he has anything left in the tank, Dozier could steal some at bats or the job outright. Neither were great in spring, so I’m not sure either is worth a pick.

Prospects to watch:

Owen Miller has ravaged the low minor in his first two seasons of professional baseball. Profar and Dozier seem to be stop-gaps for Miller. There’s a slight chance that Miller could force the Padres’ hand this year. He’s worth a pick-up if he gets to the majors this year. He may also be blocked by Jake Cronenworth, who was picked up in the Renfroe deal. Whichever one makes is first is probably worth a waiver claim.