San Diego Padres: Spring Training Information

By Myron Logan
Location: Peoria Sports Complex Stadium - Peoria, Arizona
Pitchers and Catchers report: Feb. 14th
First game: Feb. 25th (Charity game), Feb 26th (Seattle)
Schedule

Projected Opening Day Lineup   

1. Jody Gerut (CF) 
2. David Eckstein (2B) 
3. Brian Giles (RF) 
4. Adrian Gonzalez (1B) 
5. Kevin Kouzmanoff (3B) 
6. Chase Headley (LF) 
7. Nick Hundley (C) 
8. Luis Rodriguez (SS)
9. Pitcher 

Projected Rotation

Jake Peavy
Chris Young
Cha Seung Baek
Kevin Correia/Mark Prior/Chad Reineke 
Wade LeBlanc/Cesar Ramos/Cesar Carrillo/Josh Geer 

Projected Bullpen

Long: Justin Hampson  
Situational: Joe Thatcher
7th and 8th Inning: Cla Meredith, Mark Worrell, Chris Britton
Closer: Heath Bell 

 Continue Reading

---

---

Key Battles: If you're a fan of playing time battles in spring training, the Padres are probably a team for you. Unlike last year's club, a lot of playing time is still up in the air, and spring training will be a good time to sort out some issues.  

There aren't as many battles for position players as there are on the pitching stuff, but there are still a few positions that are undecided. Naturally, the Padres weakest positions, catcher and shortstop, should see the most action. 

At short, with Khalil Greene traded to St. Louis, the favorite to win the starting spot is probably Luis Rodriguez. So far in 733 Major League plate appearances, split between the Twins and Padres, Rodriguez has hit .257/.316/.343. Defensively, according to UZR, Rodriguez has rated poorly at short (-8 runs per 150 games) and well at second (+8.3 runs/150). It's important to note, however, that he's only played about 440 innings at each position, so scouting should probably take precedence.  

Rodriguez's main competition could be 22 year old Everth Cabrera, a rule 5 selection taken from the Colorado system. In the minors for the Rockies, Cabrera hit .280/.381/.379 with 104 steals (78% success rate) in 984 PA's. It's a big jump from A ball to the bigs, but Rodriguez is not exactly the stiffest of competition. Utility infielder Chris Burke could see some playing time at short, though his bat is probably not better than either Rodriguez's or Cabrera's.  

Another position battle may take place at catcher for the Padres this spring. 25 year old Nick Hundley, who hit .237/.278/.359 in his brief ML debut, appears to be the clear favorite. The catcher prospect hit .253/.336/.451 in four minor league seasons. His competition will probably come from veteran backstop Henry Blanco, who came over from the Cubs in the offseason. The defensive specialist has put up a .653 OPS in his 11 year career.  

While the starting line-up is fairly set, the pitching staff is another story. In the rotation, after Jake Peavy and Chris Young, it is basically a free for all, where any number of pitchers could secure a starting spot. One top candidate is Cha Seung Baek, who came over from the Mariners last year, and has posted a career 4.83 ERA over 280 innings in his career. Other candidates include a wide array of characters, like injured vet Mark Prior, former Giant Kevin Correia, and youngsters like Wade LeBlanc, Cesar Ramos, Cesar Carrillo, and Josh Geer.  

The bullpen is much like the rotation, with one player, Heath Bell, locked into a role (closer), and a bunch of guys scrambling for innings. The relievers expected to slot in behind Bell, are righties Cla Meredith, Chris Britton, and Mark Worrell. The list of other guys looking for innings includes Kevin Correia, if he doesn't crack the starting rotation, Joe Thatcher, Chad Reineke, and Justin Hampson. Big hat tip to the Union Tribune for their invaluable position previews.  

What To Expect: For the first time in a while, this Padres team in not expected to contend, even in a relatively open NL West. The offense should be fine, probably somewhere around average, maybe a little below. The fielding should be okay, not an asset, but not a weak spot either. The pitching staff, both the rotation and bullpen, however, is where the team is really not built well. This team may be a few good breaks away from making a decent run at contending, but more than likely you're looking at a mid-70s win team. 

Myron covers the Padres on his blog Friar Forecast.