Padres Midseason Report Card

May 30, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman

(23) gets a single against the Chicago White Sox during the fifth inning at U.S Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Infield:

Yonder Alonso: D-

Alonso is hitting .210 with 5 home runs, 22 RBI, and 19 runs scored. He had a reasonable month of May, in which he hit .267 with four homers, 12 RBI, and 11 runs. But the rest of the season he has been downright awful. As a first baseman without home run power, he was counted on to bring a high batting average to the team. His .210 is third worst among major league first basemen. And now he is on the DL.

Jedd Gyorko: D-

The only thing that kept Jedd Gyorko’s first half from being a total disaster is that he managed to drive in a team-leading 24 runs before going on the DL. He had the worst on-base percentage in the majors by nearly 50 points. He hit .162. Despite his RBI, he still managed to put up the fourth worst WAR in the majors, at -1.2. On June 4, he went on the DL with plantar fasciitis, an ailment which tends to take a very long time to heal. Expected to be a middle-of-the-order run producer, Gyorko’s sophomore season has been an unmitigated disaster.

Everth Cabrera: F

Another player with high expectations who has failed to deliver, Cabrera, the leadoff hitter, finished the first half with a the 7th worst OBP in baseball at .255, and only 13 stolen bases, after stealing 81 over the last two years. Defensively, his 13 errors are the third worst in baseball among shortstops. He has been a major disappointment.

Chase Headley: F

After starting the season as the team’s number 3 hitter in the lineup, Headley has never found any kind of groove all season long. His season high in batting average is .212, and he ended the first half at .207. His six home runs are the bright spot in his season so far, and six homers is nothing to get excited about At all. Headley is having his worst year by far, and is a prime candidate to be traded, if a willing trade partner can be found.

Yasmani Grandal: F

Another potential middle-of-the-order bat having a disastrous season, Grandal is hitting .196 with six homers and 17 RBI. He has lost his starting catcher job to Rene Rivera, who is better defensively, and has outhit Grandal this season. Grandal has thrown out only 10% of baserunners, third worst among catchers with at least 30 attempts.

Rene Rivera: C

One of the pleasant surprises of the season, Rivera, who started the game as the third catcher on the roster, has hit above expectations and frequently catches for the Padres’ top two starters, Cashner and Ross. His 36% caught stealing is 5^th in baseball among catchers with at least 30 attempts, and his catcher’s ERA is second in baseball behind Derek Norris of the As. While his defense it top-rate, his hitting has been an added bonus this year, and while his average of .220 doesn’t qualify as great by any standards, it is higher than the team’s average as a whole, and his OPS of .699 is sixty points higher than Grandal’s.

Overall infield: D-

Only Rene Rivera’s catching keeps this from being an F. Everyone else has been just awful.