San Diego Padres: Cory Spangenberg is Having a Terrific June

The San Diego Padres should be optimistic about the resurgence of a player that they’ve shown a lot of faith in up until this point.

Cory Spangenberg has been the super-utility player we and the San Diego Padres were all hoping he would eventually become. Since returning from Triple-A El Paso in mid-May, the 27-year-old has brought with him a newfound confidence and it’s beginning to pay off in spades.

From the beginning of the season until the time he was demoted (April 25), Spangenberg was hitting just .196/.237/.357 in 60 plate appearances with twenty strikeouts and just two walks. Since making his return to the Padres, things have taken a full revolution for the five-year MLB veteran.

From the time he came back to the big club (May 12) through the end of the month, the Clarks Summit, PA native slashed .156/.182/.250. This was an extremely concerning turn of events for the young utility player.

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He had shown flashes of pure talent in the past but had also shown the penchant for falling into more than a few prolonged slumps.

June brings us a rejuvenated Cory Spangenberg

Since the calendar turned to the sixth month, Spangenberg has absolutely shone for the San  Diego Padres.

It’s almost as if he knew that he could have been very close to reaching a point of no return for this organization.

That may not have necessarily been the case, but the sense of urgency was surely there and he responded quite accordingly.

In 48 plate appearances this month, not only are the Friars 8-7 in games he plays in, he’s hitting .304 with a .920 OPS, three home runs, six runs batted in, and two triples.

His walks (one in 48 PA) are still down and his strikeouts (13) are still a bit higher than anyone would like to see them, but progress is most certainly being made.

If Spangenberg can continue to gain momentum, as well as build confidence and assurance in himself along the way, things may only get better from there. Again, the talent is clearly there and, once combined with the self-belief that is necessary at this level, he’s just hitting his “prime years”.

Next: Green & Co. are Doing a Great Job

If Cory Spangenberg has indeed found his niche and is comfortable in that role, he could turn into a considerably valuable in-house asset for the Padres moving into the future.