Padres Kick Off Series With the D-Backs

Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Player to Watch:

At the deadline the Padres made moves acquire smaller pieces that in the grand scheme of things won’t be the faces of the team for years to come, but are building blocks to a better team down the line. One of those guys is Abraham Almonte. In his 14 games since joining the Friars he’s hit .333/.340/.467 and has also played some pretty great defense to go along with it. Obviously no one expects Almonte to be a .333 hitter for his entire Padre career, but the promising start gives us some hope that he’ll be something.

Tonight we’ll get to see Almonte get some at bats against a struggling pitcher in a hitters park while in the hottest stretch of his short career. If you are a Padres fan who is struggling to find any reason to turn on the game that should be one of them. All of his at bats something special could happen and since he almost never walks, you’ll most definitely see some swings.

Another reason to watch is his aforementioned defense. He’s already notched a couple of outfield assists and made a few nice catches to go along with it. With Cameron Maybin returning to center field he’s been relegated to the corner where he can’t show off all his range, but he still has the capability make great plays.