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San Diego Padres: Don’t sleep on Esteban Quiroz for the second base job

By Jake Mastroianni

TOKYO, JAPAN - NOVEMBER 17: Infielder Esteban Quiroz #8 of Mexico grounds out in the bottom of 4th inning during the WBSC Premier 12 Bronze Medal final game between Mexico and USA at the Tokyo Dome on November 17, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images)
TOKYO, JAPAN - NOVEMBER 17: Infielder Esteban Quiroz #8 of Mexico grounds out in the bottom of 4th inning during the WBSC Premier 12 Bronze Medal final game between Mexico and USA at the Tokyo Dome on November 17, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images) /
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The competition for second base will be fun to watch in Spring Training for the San Diego Padres. And Esteban Quiroz should not be overlooked in that battle.

A name that I keep hearing a lot this offseason is San Diego Padres prospect Esteban Quiroz.

Earlier this offseason Jon Morosi mentioned how great Quiroz looked in the Premier 12 with Mexico Baseball and thought he was MLB ready.

And then just recently, Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune published an article about Quiroz possibly forcing the hand of the Padres with how well he’s played this offseason.

So I thought it would be a good time to take a deeper look into this up-and-coming infield prospect for the Padres.

Related Story. Keep an eye on Quiroz. light

The Boston Red Sox signed Quiroz to a Minor League deal back in November 2017. That was after he hit .293/.428 with 11 home runs in 89 games for one of Mexico’s Triple-A teams.

He only played 24 games in Double-A in 2018 but hit a solid .299/.413 with 7 home runs.

That following offseason the Padres traded Colten Brewer to the Red Sox for Quiroz.

In 96 games at El Paso this past season he hit .271/.384 with 19 home runs and 25 doubles for a slugging percentage of .539 and an OPS of .932.

He’s carried that into the winter leagues where he’s slashing .273/.375/.515/.890 through 19 games with 4 home runs.

At just 5-foot-7 and 175 pounds, Quiroz is not a big guy, but there have been plenty of great second baseman in our game that have proven size doesn’t matter in baseball.

He still generates good power and has a very high hit tool from the left side of the plate, which the Padres could use more of right now.

The soon-to-be 28-year-old Quiroz is not currently on the 40-man roster for San Diego, which hurts his chances a bit.

But if he comes into Spring Training and continues hitting as he has in the minors and in international play, I don’t see how San Diego can keep him off the roster.

Just because the Padres traded for and signed Jurickson Profar, that doesn’t mean he’s a lock at second base — or at least it shouldn’t.

Next. 3 FA left to consider. dark

The battle for second base will be a lot of fun to watch in Spring Training, and Quiroz is a player I will definitely be keeping my eye on.

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