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Padres News: ESPN, Bowden Rank San Diego Tops On Off-Season Report Card

By Billy Brost

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Just like when we were in school, it was always nice to get top marks on our report cards. Whether it really means anything or not, the media likes to issue letter grades for how teams did during the off-season, just before the start of spring training. With pitchers and catchers reporting to Arizona, ESPN and former GM Jim Bowden, recently ranked and issued letter grades to each team in the big leagues, determining how they believe each team performed to improve their club this past winter.

Jim Bowden believes that San Diego Padres GM A.J. Preller, could possibly have had the greatest rookie off-season in baseball history. Both he and ESPN issued the Padres an A+ for the many moves the team made to go from anemic offensively, to one of the most-feared lineups in the National League, all while keeping their stellar starting rotation and bullpen intact, AND adding free agent workhorse James Shields to the fold.

The funny thing is, Preller and Co. may not be done. The team remains far too right-handed for many experts’ liking, they have yet to determine who will hit lead-off heading into spring training, and who will man the starting shortstop position between Clint Barmes, Alexi Amarista, Cory Spangenberg, Yangervis Solarte, or someone else yet to be named. There are still plenty of rumors surrounding an Andrew Cashner-for-Cole Hamels deal, so that could change the make-up of the Padres’ roster further.

Regardless, the winter has been one for the ages for the San Diego Padres, and it’s nice to see the east coast biased, Yankees/Red Sox-loving group in Connecticut finally give some love to a small market team, who is looking to win big in 2015.

Next: Padres Front Office Aggressive In Pursuit of Cole Hamels

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