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Reviewing Padres 2015 Predictions

By Daryll Dorman

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Suffice to say my predictions for the 2015 season, as a writer for a Padres website, were optimistic.

I had the Padres holding par with the Dodgers for most of the season until the Dodgers traded for Cole Hamels to seal the division title. I had the Padres finishing second and grabbing the first wild card spot.

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So in that case, like most predictions, I predicted somewhat accurately. The Dodgers did win the West, Cole Hamels was traded, but he was traded to the Rangers and helped them win the AL West instead.

My other core predictions were as follows:

“Yongarvis Solarte will emerge as the third baseman for the Padres.” Okay, so I hadn’t even quite figured out how to spell Yangervis Solarte yet, but the truth bore itself out on this one. Of course my next sentence had Tommy Medica supplanting Yonder Alonso at first base which didn’t come anywhere close. I saw Wil Middlebrooks as a bust from the outset and unfortunately this too came true.

“I said it last year and I will say it again: Tyson Ross or Andrew Cashner will throw a no-hitter.” Nope. Sorry.

“Wil Myers will handle center field just fine.” Well, when he played he did okay despite below-average range. The problem is he wasn’t healthy long enough for us to really say how he would fare playing center field full time for the first time in his MLB career.

“James Shields and Tyson Ross will both throw 200 innings”. Shields accomplished the feat but Ross fell four innings short this season after falling 4 1/3 short last season.

I swung and missed on a Ian Kennedy for J.J. Hardy mid-season trade and acknowledging this piece was written before the Craig Kimbrel trade had Kevin Quackenbush getting 20 saves in 20 chances after Joaquin Benoit got hurt in late June.

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Lastly I had Derek Norris as the only disappointing newcomer besides Middlebrooks, with him hitting just .220 with 12 home runs. He hit .250 with 14 home runs.

In summary, the year didn’t turn out as positive as many including myself expected. However, the emergence of Solarte at third base is a big one if he can improve on his 2015 campaign in 2016 with hopefully more everyday position dependability instead of being shifted all around the diamond. A healthy year from Wil Myers and likely in left field should help his defensive stats, and who knows, maybe Ross and/or Cashner can get that no-hitter done this year.

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