Post by rdavispadres on Dec 30, 2017 23:59:56 GMT -5
Ryan Davis's 1st offseason was a very active one. Multiple moves were made, whether they be trades, free agent signings, or waiver claims in an effort to add controllable talent to a team that lost 101 games in 2017. Jake Lamb, Bryan Shaw and Dan Vogelbach highlight the team's offseason acquisitions as Davis focused on bringing in established Major League talent to mentor the youngest team in the MLB in 2017. Not expected to compete this year due to a below average semblance of pitching, the Padres will still look to climb the standings and improve on a poor 2017 showing on both sides of the ball. Here are some notes from San Diego:
The San Diego Padres have many question marks, especially when their pitching comes to mind, but the team is making strides and has a clear goal of staying respectable while integrating young talent to the bigs. Keep an eye on this team in 2018 as they try to take that next step as a franchise.
- 33 year old Steven Wright will get the Opening Day nod for the Friars when they take on St. Louis at Petco Park on April 9th. This is Wright's 1st season with San Diego.
- The rest of the rotation will consist of Colin Rea, Luis Perdomo, Zack Godley, and Adalberto Mejia. 3/5ths of the Padres rotation were acquired this past offseason.
- Yimi Garcia and Jarred Cosart will join Brad Hand, Ryan Buchter, Andrew Chafin, Bryan Shaw and Kevin Quackenbush in a bullpen that could very well be a strength in 2018. Going into Spring Training the bullpen had 2 open spots that ultimately fell to Garcia and Cosart despite strong showings from Rookie Davis and Kaleb Fleck.
- 23 year old Franchy Cordero will be tasked with holding down left field until Cory Spangenberg returns from a fractured rib suffered earlier this month. He and Hunter Renfroe earned spots on the big league bench and will be fighting over the 4th outfielder's role once Spangy returns.
- Rocky Gale beat out Luis Torrens for the backup catcher's role, but Gale isn't expected to see much playing time as he is keeping the position warm for Christian Bethancourt...
- Christian Villanueva and Jordy Mercer make up the rest of San Diego's bench as both righties bring a balance to a very left handed lineup.
- Ryan Schimpf is expected to be the team's Opening Day DH and Yangervis Solarte will be the everyday second baseman. Allen Cordoba will play short and Jake Lamb will play third in this revamped infield while Manny Margot and Travis Jankowski will play CF and RF respectively. Austin Hedges will have a chance to cement himself as a premier defender behind the plate as he will be given every opportunity to prove himself behind the plate.
- 2B Luis Urias struggled a bit in his first taste of big league pitching but there is no doubt the youngster has tons of contact potential. He will begin 2018 in AAA but very well could receive a call up sooner rather than later. On the pitching side, Rookie Davis and Phil Maton are two prospects to watch. Both could conceivably contribute to the big league staff in 2018 after strong spring showings.
The San Diego Padres have many question marks, especially when their pitching comes to mind, but the team is making strides and has a clear goal of staying respectable while integrating young talent to the bigs. Keep an eye on this team in 2018 as they try to take that next step as a franchise.