San Diego Padres: First Month Player Report Card

The San Diego Padres have been led by a dominant bullpen this season.

The San Diego Padres have had arguably the best bullpen in Major League Baseball this year, earning “Bullpen of the Week” on April 16th.

Phil Maton, a second-year man out of Louisiana Tech, has appeared in seven games for the Friars. He’s posted an incredible 0.00 ERA over 7.1 innings, giving up a combined five hits and three walks while striking out nine.

Grade: A

The 27-year-old rookie sidearmer, Adam Cimber had a rough opening day outing, but has since pitched well for the Padres. With a 2.40 ERA in 11 games and a K/BB ratio of 17/3, Cimber and his unorthodox delivery should be watched closely in 2018.

Grade: A

After coming off of Tommy-John surgery, Robbie Erlin has had an up and down season. Used as a spot starter and a long reliever, Erlin has pitched a total of 15 innings and has an ERA of 4.20 in six appearances. During his lone start of the year, he was roughed up by the Dodgers, giving up six runs over six innings. If he wants another shot at a start this year he will need to continue to be efficient out of the bullpen and prove that he deserves to start.

Grade B-

Jordan Lyles, another long relief pitcher, has pitched in nine games for the Padres this year, with a 2.35 ERA over 14 1/3 innings. Lyles has only had one bad outing, coming on April 9th where he gave up two runs on two hits during one inning of work. Other than that, his conversion from starter to long relief has gone about as well as the Padres could have hoped.

Grade B+

Kazuhisa Makita, the 33-year-old submarine pitcher from Japan has had an up and down start to his Padres career. His funky delivery fooled hitters early on but his command has prevented him from being more effective. His inability to hit his spots has contributed to his rise in ERA  to 5.40. Below is an example of his unique delivery and release point.

https://twitter.com/Padres/status/949823237873065985

Grade: C+

After coming off of a solid 2017 campaign, Craig Stammen has continued to dominate hitters. His 2.03 ERA over 10 games this season has been stellar, save for one bad outing against the Dodgers, where he gave up three runs on four hits during one inning of work. Over the course of his nine other appearances, Stammen has pitched lights out, working an ERA of 0.00 over those games, baffling hitters by mixing up his pitches.

Grade: A

Kirby Yates, the Padres setup man, had a great start to the year posting a 0.00 ERA and appearing in six games before going on the DL with right ankle tendonitis. He has continued to build on his impressive 2017 season. Let’s hope he continues his dominance once he comes off the DL.

Grade: A-

The Padres 2017 All-Star and closer, Brad Hand had a rough start to the season against the Milwaukee Brewers, blowing the save while giving up five runs on four hits. Since then, however, Hand has lowered his ERA to 1.59 and his slider is just as devastating as it was last year.

Grade: B+

Colten Brewer, Kyle McGrath, Tyler Webb, and Buddy Baumann have all been through the revolving door that is the eighth man in the bullpen this year. They have each showed promise in different outings, giving Andy Green confidence in his extremely deep bullpen options down in El Paso.

Combined grade: C

The San Diego Padres infield has been led by breakthrough third baseman, Christian Villanueva.

Austin Hedges, the Padres starting catcher, has had a slow start to the season, hitting .149, but still providing some pop with two home runs. He is already one of the best defensive catchers in the majors but his lack of plate discipline is concerning for the Padres. Hedges is the Padres catcher of the present and future so let’s hope he can show improvement at the plate.

Grade: C-

A.J. Ellis, the one-time personal catcher of Clayton Kershaw, is now a member of the San Diego Padres, trying to be a leader in a clubhouse that needs one. In seven games this season Ellis is hitting .150 with an encouraging OBP of .292.

Grade: C-

Infield:

Led by first baseman Eric Hosmer, the Padres have seemingly upgraded defensively at every position this season, but the offensive production remains a work in progress.

Chase Headley and his $13 million contract came back to San Diego to mixed reviews from Padres faithful. The front office raved about his ability to get on base, which has been a major issue for this young club.  So far this season, he has three hits, batting an abysmal .100 with an OBP of .250.

Grade: D-

Eric Hosmer, the San Diego Padres new All-Star caliber first baseman, has had a seesaw year at the plate. His batting average is sitting at .259 and his OBP is .364 so he is at least getting on base, including getting on base six times during Monday nights game against the Rockies (he went 2-2 with four walks). In order to live up to his contract, he will need to start hitting the ball more and striking out less.

Grade: B

Christian Villanueva has had the best start to the year of any Padres player. He should easily win National League Rookie of the month. He has been hitting .355 with a OBP of .444 while mashing seven home runs and driving in 16 runs. Villanueva made a major statement on April 4th, hitting three home runs in one game.

https://twitter.com/MLB/status/981392667711016960

In addition, he is currently in the midst of a nine game hitting streak during which his average and OBP has spiked from .257 to .355. He has struggled defensively at times but has more than made up for it with his bat this season.

Grade: A+

Handed the keys to second base to start the season after a scorching hot spring training, Carlos Asuaje has cooled off considerably during the first month of the season, hitting .226. He has shown flashes recently of his potential at the plate but will need to get on base more consistently if he wants to become an everyday starter and hold off Luis Urias. Defensively he has partnered well with Freddy Galvis, helping the Padres turn 12 double plays while he has been at second base.

Grade C+

Cory Spangenberg, the Padres super utility man, has played in left field, second base, and third base this year. He is currently hitting .212 with two home runs in 52 at-bats. With the Padres finally getting healthy, his playing time seems to be decreasing, but he will always be a useful bat off the bench, as well as a decent late-inning replacement for the Friars.

Grade: C+

Freddy Galvis is without a doubt the Padres best fielder and has been a pleasure to watch in 2018. He has amazed Padres fans all season with his defensive excellence, and if he keeps it up will surely win a Gold-Glove at the end of the season. His offensive numbers have also been above average before recently hitting a cold patch, with an average of.244 and an OBP of .343.

Grade: B+

So many outfielders, not enough spots.

Manuel Margot entered the year with high expectations and has thus far fallen below those expectations. He started the year slowly, and then went on the DL with bruised ribs when he was pummeled by a fastball from Scott Oberg. Margot is hitting .135 with a .186 OBP and has been struggling mightily at the plate. Hopefully, Margot can get swinging a hot bat soon because he is a big part of the offense as the leadoff hitter.

Grade: D

Wil Myers has also been in and out of the lineup due to injury. He is hitting .346 with a home run and three runs driven in but has only had 26 at-bats due to being on the DL with back and arm tightness. Hopefully, now that he is fully recovered he can help jump-start a struggling Padres lineup and protect the hitters behind him such as Villaneuva and Hosmer. He showcased that ability Monday night against the Rockies, driving multiple balls into teh gaps.

Grade: B+

The most consistent outfielder so far this season has been Jose Pirela. His defense has improved, building on an experimental year in 2017. He has also been the Padres best hitter, positng seven doubles while hitting .260. He has hit all over the lineup, anywhere from leadoff to fifth in the order. His usefulness as a hitter cannot be underestimated on a Padres team that is struggling to hit the ball anywhere this season.

Grade B

Franchy Cordero is arguably the best prospect the Padres have in the outfield, with a rare combination of speed and power that have scouts raving about him. He is currently hitting .256 with 15 strikeouts and four monster home runs in 37 at-bats. He needs consistent at-bats in order to develop into the talent the Padres think he can be.

Grade B+

Hunter Renfroe, the most recent Padres outfielder to hit the DL, has struggled at the plate again this year in what is a crucial year in his development. It will be interesting to see how he responds to a platoon situation. In 50 at-bats, he has 16 strikeouts while hitting .200 with two home runs. He has lacked discipline at the plate in key situations at times for the Padres, coming up short throughout the year.

Grade: D+

Matt Szczur, the fifth outfielder on the roster, has mostly come off the bench as a defensive replacement or as a pinch hitter this season.  He has been extremely successful in that role hitting .304 while playing above average defense at all three outfield positions.

Grade: B-

Next: Michel Baez Was Highly Impressive In His 2018 Debut

If the Padres can improve their overall plate discipline, and the starting pitching improves, the Padres could surprise some people and start moving up in the standings.