San Diego Padres: Many 2017 Camp Competitions Wide Open

Second Base

With the Padres re-signing third baseman Yangervis Solarte, the second base position has become much more highly contested. Since rookie Ryan Schimpf will not be making a move over to third, him, as well as Cory Spangenberg and Carlos Asuaje will each seek an every day role at second.

While many consider this to be a weak spot for San Diego, the club does have three capable starters. The difficult part will be deciding the winner of this wide open competition.

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Schimpf hit 20 home runs in just over a half of a season last year, but isn’t as reliable with the glove as Asuaje. Spangenberg seems to be the most complete player of the three, and has waited for a starting role for several seasons. But he isn’t necessarily a part of the youth movement taking over the organization.

With all of these factors taken into consideration, there is no clear favorite. Each will have his play assessed this spring thoroughly, and the compelling race for the starting position will be a major story of camp.