San Diego Padres: Consistency Key for Myers in 2017

Given the natural ability of Wil Myers, the San Diego Padres feel excellent about their young star’s potential. But consistency has been the power hitter’s downfall, and his ups and downs must level out in 2017.

The San Diego Padres know that they may have a very special player in Wil Myers. The All-Star first baseman pounded out 28 home runs and drove in 94 in a season full of peaks and valleys. These numbers warranted him the opportunity to hit cleanup in Petco Park’s All-Star Game.

Myers continues to look forward though, and looks to level out his numerous ups and downs.

2016 was a roller coaster ride for the 25-year-old. April was solid, before he ran into a dry spell in May. June was incredible, as he won National League Player of the Month honors, but once again the North Carolina native fell into another rut.

Myers finished with a strong September, but left a lot to be desired in retrospect of the entire season. His numbers reveal incredible power, but the unpredictable nature of his play is troubling.

It isn’t completely unexpected though. After all, Myers spent the first few months of his career with Tampa Bay tearing the cover off of the ball. He then ran into injuries, and hasn’t played a true full season until this past campaign. The hope is that entering 2017, his first 157 game season will have taught him how to balance out the ups and downs.

Of course, the first step to fixing inconsistency is realizing it. Myers does, which is encouraging, and it will become a primary motive for him in 2017. The budding star also has other ambitious objectives, showing that he isn’t completely satisfied with even a decent 2016.

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In an interview where he laid out his goals for next season, Myers commented on what drives him to be better.

“I’d love to go 30-30, I’d love to drive in 100. I’d love to score 100. And I’d love to win a Gold Glove.”

It won’t be simple for Myers, but his goals are reasonable. He fell just two short in home runs, two short in stolen bases, one short in runs, six short in RBI, and he is up for a Gold Glove this season. This all came in a very inconsistent 2016, one which he seeks to improve upon in order to become one of baseball’s true superstars.

Next: Pulse of the Fanbase, October 2016

Consistency is key. If Myers could smooth out some of the rough patches, or if the Padres could figure out how to minimize their impact, the NL West ought to watch out. At just 25, Myers will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.