San Diego Padres: Solving the current outfield equation

The new guys

Tommy Pham comes to the Padres as one of the most productive of the Tampa Bay Rays players. He is a true left fielder with big offensive talents, an edgy personality, limited arm strength and a presence in the clubhouse.

If he can play equal to his career arc, the Padres have their best outfielder.

Trent Grisham came to the Padres, along with RHP Zach Davies, from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for IF Luis Urias and LHP Eric Lauer.

The bat first lefty, 23 years old, comes to the Padres from a playoff team where he was trying to survive an outfield blunder during the playoffs that cost the Brewers a costly run.

Grisham’s claim to fame as a highly rated Brewers prospect was his bat. But after struggling during his minor league career, Grisham made some adjustments to his batting grip and approach with dramatic improvements in his stats.

Grisham is basically an untried major league player. His short tenure with the Brewers tells us little about his ability to hit major league pitching.

His defense is average with an adequate arm and good speed. He can play all three outfield positions but his arm strength will limit him.

Spring training might determine if he starts the season with the major league squad or in Triple-A for more seasoning.

The Padres have outfield prospects

Two of them are elite athletes with high upside and can once again make Padres fans salivate at their potential. But having been disappointed so many times in the past, I will be waiting to see the performance on the major league field before getting too excited.

Taylor Trammell was acquired from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for Franmil Reyes. Rated the #2 prospect on the Padres prospect list, Trammell is 22 years old, left-handed with plus speed, athleticism, and makeup.

His arm is considered below average and his batting line has not impressed so far.

The potential as an everyday center fielder remains but Trammell needs more seasoning in the minors as well as good coaching in order to improve his pitch selection and hone his swing.

His strike zone judgment and low strikeout rate give room for hope that Trammell can develop to the level of his potential.

CJ Abrams is the #4 prospect on the Padres list. He’s primarily seen as an infielder but at 19 years of age, he possesses all the skills needed to be a talented IF/OF prospect.

The Padres seem set at shortstop with Fernando Tatis Jr and it is possible that the trade of Luis Urias indicates the Padres might be grooming him to be the second baseman of the future.

I think that would be a waste of his talents. And as versatility is becoming a highly desired ability in the major leagues, Abrams appears to be the ideal athlete to develop as a multi-positional player.

His primary position could easily be centerfield and he could develop into an elite centerfielder with his speed and athleticism.

But his ability to play the infield would make him second only to Tatis as a tool for the Padres
going forward.

Time will tell how the outfield and infield makeup develops but I am hoping the organization is able to find a seasoned second baseman in Jurickson Profar or another athlete acquired by trade and save Abrams for the type of player our evil neighbors to the north take pride in. An elite athlete groomed to be flexible.