Padres Editorial: 3 Questions the Padres Must Address in March

The newest San Diego Padre and former Los Angeles Dodger, Matt Kemp is all smiles with Manager Bud Black as he puts on a Padres jersey for the first time during a press conference at Petco Park. — Howard Lipin / U-T San Diego

Pitchers and catchers are reporting and full-scale Spring Training is just around the corner. Never in my 23 years of life have I ever seen such buzz and excitement surrounding a Padres season. Not in 1998 nor 2005 or 2006. The lineup has more beef and the clubhouse has gained confidence. Tickets are selling like never before. Everyone is counting down the days until April 6th when the Padres take the field at Dodger Stadium for the first official game of 2015. Spring Training will mostly be about how all of these new pieces will gel together to make a successful product on the field. Even with all these shiny new toys the Padres have acquired, some questions still remain.

This Padres team is by no means perfect. Nor will they be able to just waltz on the field and expect to be in the World Series come October. It is going to take work and patience. There are some questions aside from the main 3 addressed here that need answering: Who will hit leadoff? Who will be the everyday 3rd baseman and shortstop? Which outfielder gets left off of the Opening Day roster? There are so many things the Padres need to get done before they can think about contending. It’s February and a lot can happen between Spring Training and the postseason. Here are the 3 main questions the Padres need to answer during Spring Training….