Spangenberg In Search of a Permanent Position for 2015

Cory Spangenberg is an intriguing prospect for the Padres, as they figure out who they want to have as mainstays on this roster. Though he is very green in terms of playing in the major leagues, the time he did spend up with the big club, he did impressive work with the bat for a 23-year-old still trying to find his way and his future position with San Diego.

Referring back to that small amount of time he spent with the major league team, he quickly found his rhythm and timing with his swing. In the 20 games that he spent on his call up, Spangenberg hit a very impressive .290 with two home runs and nine RBI.

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He displayed some power and also the ability to consistently hit balls to all fields which is so key for a young player to develop as he continues to grow and mature within his game. The Padres are in need of an infusion of offense as witnessed by their lack of production from the lineup this past season. San Diego is not counting on him to be a huge power hitter, but someone who can hit in the high .280s, .290s would be very ideal for the lineup.

The 20-year-old also spent time playing at three different positions: left field for three starts, second base for three starts and third base for eight starts. From the way San Diego moved him around to different positions, it is clear that they are trying to zero in on a position that they could plug him in and just run with that position and grow into it.

Unfortunately it is not so clear cut for A.J. Preller and his staff as they comb over where he could land and be an asset for the ball club. The preference by some in the organization is for him to start at the second or third base position , depending on what happens with Jedd Gyorko and where he will end up playing.

The other option is to make Spangenberg a utility player, which would certainly give him exposure to other positions to learn and play while on the job. It also would open up more at-bats for him to see how he would pan out long term in the lineup. Utility players are always in demand and San Diego would be one of those teams who could use one. That would give manager Bud Black a luxury late in games to be able to go to his bench and insert Spangenberg into a position and not drop off in terms of production in the field or at the plate.

The most likely plan for the young prospect is the outfield, where he is expected to see some time next spring. If San Diego is lucky enough to have depth at the outfield positions, they could start him in Triple-A, and take their time and pick the right time to bring him up and start to give him a long look at the major league level at one position.