San Diego Padres Projected 25-Man Roster For 2018

There will surely be some drama surrounding the final 25-man roster the San Diego Padres will finalize before Opening Day. Today we’ll put together our projected group of Friars that will start the season with the big club.

This season there will be a lot of young faces on the field and in the dugout for the San Diego Padres. Some of these players will be familiar to the casual fan while others will be literally faces in the crowd, albeit a small crowd.

Guys like Chase Headley, Freddy Galvis, and Jose Pirela (and even Matt Szczur) need to take the leadership roles that have been bestowed upon them and lead by example. Clayton Richard, Craig Stammen, and Kirby Yates will need to take on the same responsibilities for the Friars young pitchers.

After the starting eight positional players have been chosen by manager Andy Green, the front office and coaching staff will put their heads together and fill out the remaining seventeen roster spots that will be up for grabs.

Young Padres like Franchy Cordero, Carlos Asuaje, and Christian Villanueva are all set to contribute to the 2018 Padres in their own separate ways. The Friars have big expectations for young hurlers Matt Strahm, Dinelson Lamet, and Luis Perdomo, as well.

Follow through the following slides for our Friars on Base projected Opening Day 25-man roster for the San Diego Padres.

San Diego Padres Projected Opening Day Lineup

There shouldn’t be a ton of surprises come March 31st for the San Diego Padres. Most of the Friars starting-nine has already been etched into stone, barring any roster changes that may still come (read: Eric Hosmer, possibly another SP).

Veterans like Wil Myers, Chase Headley, Freddy Galvis, and Jose Pirela have all virtually cemented their places in the lineup. Even youngsters like Hunter Renfroe and Carlos Asuaje head into spring training without having to worry about a positional battle.

The Padres starting rotation, well at least the top-three spots, are practically locked up too. Clayton Richard, Dinelson Lamet, and Luis Perdomo will, in all likelihood, be the first three pitchers Andy Green trots out this year. After that, though, it’s anyone’s guess.

Let’s take a look at our projected starting lineup for Opening Day:

P – Clayton Richard

C – Austin Hedges

1B – Wil Myers

2B – Carlos Asuaje

3B – Chase Headley

SS – Freddy Galvis

LF – Jose Pirela

CF – Manuel Margot

RF – Hunter Renfroe

Naturally, if the San Diego Padres were to sign Hosmer or make a deal for a starting pitcher like Chris Archer or Jake Odorizzi, things would change considerably. But, as for right now, these are the guys we are heading into the season with, so we won’t speculate on any potential additions (not here, at least).

San Diego Padres Projected Starting Rotation

We’ve already heard San Diego Padres manager Andy Green discuss the possibility of the Friars using a six-man rotation this season. Even if the Pads do end up going back down to five at some point, we’re going to presume they start off the season with six projected starters.

As discussed, Clayton Richard, Lamet, and Perdomo have the spots one-thru-three sewn up. After them, it’s going to come down everyone else’s spring training performances to round out the rotation.

Bryan Mitchell, Matt Strahm, Jordan Lyles, and Tyson Ross are expected to compete for the remaining spots in the rotation. Dark-horses Colin Rea (returning from injury) and Robbie Erlin also figure to be in the mix.

Assuming the Padres do indeed go with a rotation of six starters, here are our projections for the Friars starting-six:

SP1 – Clayton Richard

SP2 – Dinelson Lamet

SP3 – Luis Perdomo

SP4 – Bryan Mitchell

SP5 – Matt Strahm

SP6 – Jordan Lyles

Of course, if Ross or one of the long-shot candidates pitch their way into the rotation over the next month-or-so, we would likely see a back-end by committee until someone pulls away from the pack to fill in the last spot or two.

San Diego Padres Projected Bench Players

The bench is where the San Diego Padres will keep a of their developing prospects this season. Other reserve spots will go to proven veterans who can show the youngsters how to carry themselves and to always be ready to be called upon, no matter what the situation is.

As per Jeff Saunders of The San Diego Union-Tribune, yesterday the Padres signed veteran catcher A.J. Ellis as a backup/mentor to Austin Hedges, who will almost assuredly begin the year as the Friars’ starting backstop. So with the backup catcher position now solidified, let’s turn our attention to the rest of the bench.

There are no-doubters among this bunch like Cory Spangenberg and Matt Szczur, who will be the Padres primary infield and outfield reserve players. Then there’s Travis Jankowski who will also play some outfield, as well as pinch-hit from time to time.

I’m giving the last two spots on the San Diego Padres bench to rookies Franchy Cordero and Christian Villanueva. Both of these players will gain more experience learning life at the big league level than compared to the false confidence they’d be building while being head-and-shoulders above their opposition, talent-wise, in the minors.

Next: Friars on Base Exclusive Interview With Matt Strahm

The Pacific Coast League, where the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate (El Paso) plays, is a notoriously hitter-friendly atmosphere. The dry air and high-elevation give the balls a lot more carry and can produce skewed stats for players in the league, both pitchers and batters.

Having Villanueva and Cordero in both The Show, learning from a group of players who’ve been here for a bit, could have a much more positive effect on their development, in my opinion.