Padres Editorial: What's in a Number?

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It was a tough season for the Padres, but a total loss?. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

In 2005, the San Diego Padres won the National League West with a record of 82-80. In 2006, they did the trick with a record of 88-74. The following year they won one more game in the regular season but ended the regular season tied with the Rockies, forcing a one game playoff which they lost in dramatic fashion. After a couple of poor seasons 2010 came along which saw the Padres surprise the baseball establishment with a 3 team race between the Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants and the Padres going down to the final weekend. The Padres ended up missing out on the playoffs despite winning 90 games.

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The point is – win totals can be deceptive when it comes to measuring a team – particularly in a division where with an unbalanced schedule the level of competition in your division can directly affect your overall schedule. In 2013 and likely this season the second wild card has been from the same division, with the Giants sneaking in 2014 and winning the World Series from it.

So with the Padres entering Wednesday nights game with a record of 68-78, we are curious to see just how they will finish up as the ownership group has invested more money into the team. Last year they managed to continue their 3 year one win improvement trend with 77 wins. Woohoo. For the Padres to win 78 games this year in the final 16 games they would need to go 10-6 for a team that stands 11 games under .500. So from a win total perspective, this team could be the worst Padres team in years. So how can we measure this team?

I propose three simple measuring sticks up for grading:

1) Building Blocks for 2016

2) New Acquisition Performance

3) Minor League Prospects

Next: Building Blocks for 2016

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Padres Editorial: What’s in a Number?

By Daryll Dorman | Sep 16, 2015