The Padres are coming off the weekend barely avoiding a three-game sweep in opposition to the Toronto Blue Jays with a 6-3 win at house on Sunday.
San Diego now sits in second place within the NL West with a 12-12 file only one sport behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. The division is shaping as much as be loads nearer than many would have assumed.
With that being mentioned there have been a number of gamers who’ve outperformed what was anticipated of them and put the Padres in an important spot now a month into the season.
Nonetheless, listed below are three gamers on the roster who want to show issues round for San Diego to remain aggressive and finally attain the playoffs
Second baseman Xander Bogaerts
Now in his second season with the Padres, Bogaerts is off to a tough begin. Via 102 plate appearances, he has a slash line of .204/.275/.290, two house runs, 10 RBI, 15 runs and an OPS+ of 63. These numbers can be unhealthy for any participant within the league a lot much less a participant below a 10-year $280M contract.
What makes his efficiency really feel even worse is that everybody is aware of what he is able to. In his 10 seasons with the Boston Crimson Sox, he gained 5 Silver Slugger awards and was named to 4 All-Star video games with an OPS of .814 in 5,389 plate appearances.
A easy repair could possibly be to simply transfer Bogaerts additional down within the lineup however the supervisor Mike Schildt hasn’t proven a lot curiosity in that choice. Bogaerts has bat leadoff each in each single sport this yr he has appeared in.
Proper-hander Joe Musgrove
With Padres ace Yu Darvish combating early neck accidents, Musgrove’s function within the beginning rotation has turn into all of the extra essential. It appears as if his spring coaching troubles have adopted him into the common season.
Via six begins he has allowed 37 hits (most in MLB), 20 earned runs, and 11 walks with an ERA of 5.74 and a WHIP of 1.532. His WAR has even dipped into the negatives at -0.2. Musgrove is ready to make $20M this season which ties him for the seventeenth highest-paid beginning pitcher. Of all certified SPs, he has the Sixty fifth-worst ERA.
If there is no such thing as a enchancment quickly he might discover himself slipping within the beginning rotation behind Michael King, Dylan Stop and Darvish as soon as he returns from damage.
Third baseman Manny Machado
With Machado rehabbing an extensor tendon in his proper elbow that required surgical procedure, he has been relegated to strictly enjoying designed hitter for the Padres. Contemplating how superb he’s defensively it’s a significant loss to his total manufacturing. As of now, he hasn’t made up for it offensively both.
Machado ranks sixth amongst certified Padres gamers by way of OPS (.741), fifth in batting common (.260), sixth in RBI (12) and has struck out probably the most (24) all whereas having probably the most at-bats (96).
On Monday he was placed on paternity go away, and possibly with just a few days relaxation he can return to the constant hitter the Padres want.
