Chase Headley Starting To Find Groove

Jun 7, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres 3rd baseman Chase Headley (7) during the Padres 4-3 win over the Washington Nationals at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Stan Liu-USA TODAY Sports

Chase Headley has struggled most of this year. He has not quite been the same since he finished the 2012 season with 31 HRs and 115 RBI. This year he is hitting only .216 with 6 HRs and 25 RBI. His lifetime batting average is .265, almost 50 points higher than the average he has in 2014. The past 3 games have indicated he may be emerging from a season-long slump. He has 6 hits in his last 13 at-bats with 2 RBI. He is coming off of a 4-hit game yesterday against the Giants.

“Overall, his at-bats over the last two weeks have been better. I can’t remember the last time we had a guy with four hits,” Bud Black told mlb.com’s Corey Brock regarding Headley.”

In 3 games, his average has gone from .201 to .216. Just watching him swing in Friday’s game showed that he is confident and is finding a groove. Headley has played regularly for the Padres since 2008. The lowest batting average he has had at the end of any season is .250 last year, and that was with injuries. A .216 clip is bad, and frankly, a shell of what Headley really can do. He is a quality hitter. Hopefully, Friday’s game was an indication of things to come, not a flash from the past.

If this is the last month we see Headley in a Padres’ uniform, I want him going out swinging. He can help us pick up a few wins along the way. The Padres are slowly climbing out of their hole, having won 5 straight, and sit in 3rd place in the NL West. Headley will be a key piece if the Padres finish July above .500. With the way he is swinging right now, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him hit a few out of the park in the next week.