Padres News: Who’s on First?

May 10, 2013; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; San Diego Padres left fielder Carlos Quentin (18) is congratulated by first baseman Yonder Alonso (23) after he hit a solo home run during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY SporDespite being the corniest name for any thing written on the topic of baseball, it is a legitimate question to ask as a Padres fan. Who’s on First? We know What isn’t on second that job belongs to

, and while I don’t know about third, it seems to be down to

and

. First is a different story though. Eight different players played first base last year for the Padres. Three of those eight remain, but none of them are the most attractive options on a team that plans on contending. That being said, two of them, Yonder Alonso and Tommy Medica, have experience with the position and time spent in the majors, something that none of the other candidates currently on the roster have.

While I am about to look at candidates to play first base for the San Diego Padres in 2015, Yonder Alonso will more than likely be the first baseman barring an injury. Which in his case is well within the realm of possibility. Those injury concerns, coupled with a lackluster performance the last two seasons is why this is even being written about in the first place.

Over the course of a 162 game season there’s a lot that could happen, so having depth is a very good thing for a team. While the Padres don’t have any options at first that will strike fear into any pitcher or wow anyone on the defensive end, they do have depth and that can be equally as valuable as a great player.

Yonder Alonso

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

As in most competitions, the incumbent is the favorite at the very start. Despite the concerns I outlined earlier, Yonder Alonso will be starting at first base when the season kicks off in April. There’s really no reason for Bud Black to go with anyone else at this juncture. The once highly touted prospect deserves another chance to prove he’s capable of being an everyday player.

His injury history is the biggest red flag when it comes to Alonso, he’s not reliable. His first full season was back in 2012 when he played in 155 games for the Friars, but he has only played in just 181 games in the two since. One encouraging sign could be that a lot of his problems have stemmed from his wrist, which he had surgery on last year. The repaired tendon in his wrist will hopefully put the pain behind him. If it was the sole issue behind his injury issues we could see a full year out of Alonso in 2015.

That repaired wrist could do more than clear up the injury concerns for Alonso, it might improve his performance woes as well. The wrist is an integral part of hitting and having a damaged wrist would make it very difficult to perform up to a player’s capabilities. Last year he hit .240/.285/.397 with seven home runs. While the slash line was atrocious, surprisingly the seven home runs topped his 2014 total of six in thirteen fewer games. That may suggest that his power issues could extend beyond his wrist.

All in all, Alonso is the team’s best option but this year could be his last chance to prove he’s an everyday player. Nobody is expecting him to be an All Star, but he has to prove his worth.

Tommy Medica

Sep 17, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Tommy Medica (54) takes a wide throw at first base against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fourth inning at PNC Park. The San Diego Padres won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Tommy Medica had the second most innings played at first base for the Padres in 2014. Thinking back on Medica’s 2014 campaign, I remember his clutch hits late in the season. I feel like those big moments blinded me and convinced me that Medica had improved. In reality Medica hit just .237/.297/.407 at the end of the season, which isn’t much better than his .227/.268/.412 first half.

Most notably before and after the break, he was worse than Alonso. The numbers aren’t too far apart, but it’s comparing a healthy Medica to an injured Alonso; whose track record suggests that he’s a better player than he showed in 2014. That might make it very difficult for Medica to even get a look to make the big league roster. There’s a lot of outfield depth that are ahead of him on the pecking order and without a way to claim the starting first base job out of camp, we’ll likely see Medica start 2015 in El Paso. That’ll make it tough for him to ever get any looks at first.

Another big issue with Medica is that he bats right handed. The current Padres lineup is in severe need of lefties to balance it out. First base is one of the few positions where the Padres don’t have someone locked in as a starter, so it’s a perfect place to get that balance.

Jake Goebbert

Sep 19, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Jake Goebbert (4) in the field during the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Jake Goebbert came to the Padres via a trade with the Oakland Athletics for Kyle Blanks last season. Goebbert was never much of a prospect, but he rose through the Houston Astros‘ system quickly. He was drafted in the 13th round by the Astros in 2009 and made it all the way to AAA in 2011. Despite taking less than two full seasons to reach AAA it took a lot longer for him to graduate to the big leagues.

This past year Goebbert made his MLB debut with the Padres. He ended up playing in 51 games, mostly at first base, hitting .218/.313/.317. While his average and slugging percentage both look pretty ugly, his OBP was the highest of any of the other candidates last season. That’s not really saying a whole lot, but that could go a long way for him. If guys like Medica and Alonso struggle, turning to a guy who you know can at least get on base might be the best course of action.

His OBP may still be low compared to the the rest of the league but if you compare it to his average, you can see it takes a lot of work and a good eye to get his as high as he did. His walk rate of 10.4% would have ranked in the top 40 in all of baseball had he gotten enough at bats to qualify. While it’s not ideal for a first baseman to be a light hitting, high OBP guy, if the rest of the options are light hitting & low OBP guys, Bud Black might have to turn to Goebbert.

Carlos Quentin

Mar 4, 2015; Peoria, AZ, USA; San Diego Padres left fielder Carlos Quentin (18) runs to first base against the Seattle Mariners during a spring training baseball game at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

A month ago the thought of Carlos Quentin playing first base wouldn’t have crossed my mind, but this spring he’ll be taking some reps at first base. He better hope that he can figure out first base, because there might not be room on the roster for him otherwise. With the revamped outfield, plus having Cameron Maybin and Will Venable ahead of him on the depth chart, Quentin will need to find a way to make himself stand out to earn a roster spot.

Injuries have been Quentin’s downfall in San Diego. In his first season with the Padres in 2012 he played just 86 games and followed that up with 82 games in 2013 then last year he played in just 50 games. It hasn’t been his fault his tenure here has been a disaster, but it has been and there’s no changing that. At this point in his career, playing in the outfield everyday is probably out the question due to his health, but first base is a far less physically demanding position. First base could be where he could have a career renaissance.

Even with the injuries, Quentin was a productive hitter in 2012 and 2013. Last season he did fall off a cliff, but that could be attributed to his health and not being able to string together enough games to be comfortable at the plate. In an ideal world the Padres would just trade Quentin and move on, but at this point that doesn’t appear to be possible. So maybe first is the best place for him.

Alex Dickerson

Feb 21, 2014; Peoria, AZ, USA; San Diego Padres outfielder Alex Dickerson (78) poses for a photo during photo day at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

While Alex Dickerson has never played above AA and has yet to take regular reps at first since 2012, don’t be surprised if he’s starting everyday at first at some point in 2015. Last spring Dickerson had his first shot to play in big league camp. Unfortunately he was injured by tripping over a sprinkler head, but crazily enough the MRI revealed a hole in his heel. Had it shattered his career would have likely been over, but he had it repaired and is all healthy now.

That injury was expected to hold him out for all of 2014, but he was able to comeback and play in 41 games across three minor league levels. Even though he had gone close to a year without game action, he came back strong. In his 34 games with AA San Antonio he hit .321/.367/.496 with three home runs and 24 RBI.

Last year Dickerson showed great resolve to bring himself all the way back from an injury that was supposed to end his season, and to put up big numbers in the process. That kind of resolve can drive him all the way through AAA and into the big leagues, especially if the guys ahead of him don’t perform. Also he’s a lefty and can play both corner outfield positions. The Padres do have a need for as many lefties as they can get, but extra outfielders are far from a pressing need. That being said, positional versatility can only help him out.

Will Middlebrooks

Sep 1, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks (16) throws the ball to first for an out against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Padres acquired Will Middlebrooks from the Boston Red Sox this off-season for Ryan Hanigan. Middlebrooks was once a top prospect, but since the wrist injury ended his rookie career, he hasn’t been the same.

During his 2012 rookie season, the Red Sox moved fan favorite Kevin Youkilis to open up third base for him and it looked like it was going to be a move that paid off. Middlebrooks rewarded the Sox for their faith in him by hitting .288/.325/.509 with 15 home runs and 54 RBI in 75 games. He had potential superstar written all over him, but then everything changed. The past two seasons he’s hit .213/.265/.364 with 19 home runs in 157 games. That’s a far cry from from where he was in 2012.

Maybe a change of scenery is what Middlebrooks needs to resurrect his 2012 form. Boston is one of the toughest places to play and the media hit him hard when he started to struggle. One benefit the Padres may have from his struggles is that when he was sent down to AAA, Middlebrooks had a chance to work at first base. Now in San Diego the plan is for him to compete for the third base job with Yangervis Solarte, but if Solarte wins the job, Middlebrooks will need his added positional versatility to keep him in the big leagues.

If he starts to get regular at bats in a much lower pressure situation, Middlebrooks might thrive. Even if he can just bring back the power he showed as a rookie, he may be able to force his way into the Padres’ lineup regardless if it’s at first or third.