San Diego Padres Options at First Base

Aug 10, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman

(23) in the field against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. San Diego won 8-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Since the Padres sent Adrian Gonzalez to Boston prior to the 2011 season, production from first base has been hard to find. Since his departure, Padre first basemen have combined to slash .245/.316/.382 putting them in 21st, 23rd and 29th in those categories respectively. In short it hasn’t been pretty. The Padres have yet to find someone who can consistently perform and at least replace some of the production that Gonzalez provided years ago.

The guy who has had the most starts in that span of time and has been considered the starting first baseman for the team the past couple seasons has been Yonder Alonso. While he hasn’t been a disaster, he hasn’t been great either. He’ll always be compared to Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs, who the Padres traded to open up first base for Alonso. Now Rizzo has become an All-Star while we’re still trying to figure out who Alonso is.

Bill Center on Friarwire opined that Alonso’s future isn’t as clear cut as it looked 3 years ago. Now his time in San Diego could be coming to a close due to his lack of performance and injuries that could have lasting effects on how he plays.

So if not Alonso then who? Here are 5 guys who I believe could take the reins from him at first in 2015.

Jun 29, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman

(14) comes off the bag to get the throw to first as Arizona Diamondbacks center fielder

(5) reaches safely during the first inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

#5 Tommy Medica-Career: .246/.308/.417, 12 HR; 2014: .233/.286/.408, 9 HR

If the Padres want to stay in-house, Tommy Medica would be the logical choice. Both times Yonder Alonso went down he was tabbed as the starting first baseman. When I sat down to write this, I thought back to all the clutch hits Medica had and figured his numbers were held back by his early struggles, but the deeper I looked it appeared that he didn’t have a very good 2014.

Even if you take out his tough first stint in the majors to start the year, he still only hit .244/.296/.426. His biggest issue was the strike out. Medica struck out in 29% of his plate appearances, which would have put him at the 3rd highest in the National League if he qualified behind only B.J. Upton and Ryan Howard. Next to a double or triple play, the strike out is the worst kind of out, because it accomplishes nothing. In just under a third of his plate appearances, Medica accomplished nothing.

If Medica can learn to put the ball in play more often, he might be an alright candidate to play first on a team with a deep lineup. Unfortunately there’s nothing to suggest he won’t continue to strike out and the Padres lineup isn’t deep enough to sustain someone like Medica. He’ll definitely be under consideration to play just because he’s on the roster, and 27-years-old entering what should be his prime, but I hope he’s far down the list of options and is only used as last resort.

Jul 19, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres catcher

(8) fields a ground ball as starting pitcher

(38) runs to cover first during the first inning against the New York Mets at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

#4. Yasmani Grandal-Career: .255/.350/.412, 24 HR; 2014: .225/.307/.401, 15 HR

With Rene Rivera starting to steal reps at catcher in 2014, and Austin Hedges coming up the pipeline, Yasmani Grandal’s future with the Padres looks bleak. He was tabbed as the future catcher in San Diego when he was acquired for Mat Latos in 2012 and now he might be in limbo. 

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2014 was Grandal’s first full season in the majors after injuries and a PED suspension forced him too miss large chunks of time. The injuries that Grandal was suffering from, were knee injuries and forced him out of the crouch, and out to the field, so that he could remain in the Padres lineup. This got him to first base and helped him become a competent first baseman. What these injuries also could have done is hurt his offensive production. Labeled as an offensive catcher, Grandal didn’t live up to the name. He was in the middle of the pack in most offensive stats among catchers with over 400 plate appearances.

It’s way too early to give up on Grandal with the potential he brings, but with the forthcoming logjam behind the plate a move to first might be the only option. While 2015 won’t be the year that logjam comes, it might be in the team’s best interest to make the switch now to help him learn the position.

Sep 12, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Washington Nationals first baseman

(25) hits an RBI single against the New York Mets during the third inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

#3. Adam LaRoche-Career: .264/.340/.472, 243 HR; 2014: .259/.362/.455, 26 HR

Adam LaRoche’s time as a National is almost certainly over. Ryan Zimmerman will likely be the team’s first baseman next year due to shoulder injuries that will prevent him from playing any position that requires a significant amount throwing. This coming on LaRoche’s free agent year is bad timing for him, but it could be great timing for the Padres.

The Padres offense was one of the worst, if not the worst, offense in baseball last year. Adding a bat like LaRoche could do a lot for the Padres, especially with the terrific pitching the team has. If he was on the Padres last season, he would have led the team in home runs and RBI by a wide margin, and also been behind only Seth Smith in wRC+. While Petco could hurt his numbers, he has always performed well there, hitting .315./377/.622 with 10 home runs in 39 games.

The one issue with LaRoche is his age. He’ll be entering his age-35 season in 2015 and is bound to regress from last year. Also the Padres can’t build around him, and would have to be planning to contend next year, which should prove to be difficult with the Giants and Dodgers in the same division. If the Padres do pursue LaRoche, he can’t be the only move to help the woeful offense.

Sep 4, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman

(26) fields a ground ball and tags first base for an out during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

#1. Adam Lind-Career: .273/.327/.466, 146 HR; 2014: .321/.381/.479, 6 HR

A younger, out of the organization option, could be Adam Lind. Despite missing a large chunk of time due to a foot injury, Lind was a solid contributor whenever he played. He wouldn’t be the flashest acquisition, but he would provide a much-needed upgrade to the lineup.

There’s no guarantee that Lind will hit the free agent market this year. The Blue  Jays hold a $7.5 million, one- year option and according to Shi Davidi, the Blue Jays are learning towards picking up the option. Even if the Jays decide to do so, Lind shouldn’t be too hard to obtain. With an already deep lineup, Lind can be expendable especially at $7.5 million.

A trade for Lind shouldn’t be all that pricey either. He’s an oft-injured, non-essential part of the team in a contract year. If the price is right, the Padres should pull the trigger if all the other options fall through. There’s little risk in a one-year deal, and if he doesn’t work out, they can easily just move on.