Padres Players of the Week

Apr 12, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres catche Wil Nieves is greeted by third baseman Will Middlebrooks (second from left) and left fielder Matt Kemp (middle) and left fielder Justin Upton (far right) after hitting a fourth inning grand slam against the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

The first week of the season is in the books! The San Diego Padres finish with a winning record at 4-3, after series with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants. Every week I will highlight a hitter and pitcher that stood out the most during the week.

The Padres opened the season with a 3-game set in Los Angeles, which they dropped two games to one. The offense looked good, scoring 14 runs in the three games, and three runs off the mighty Clayton Kershaw. The biggest story was the return of the Dodgers’ golden boy of yesteryear, Matt Kemp. He made them pay.

It was also fun to see all the new Padres players playing in games that actually count. They all have performed well, for the most part. We saw home runs by Justin Upton and Will Middlebrooks. Matt Kemp hitting over .350. James Shields had two solid starts. Craig Kimbrel blew people away. Derek Norris busted his butt all week-long.

There are a lot of choices for player of the week on both sides.

Mostly, it was fun to see the Padres play well. They are fired up! This is a different team, no doubt about it. If Ian Kennedy can get healthy, and the Padres can avoid any more major injuries, this could be a special season.

Now, on to the top players of this week….