San Diego Padres: 5 player improvements needed to contend

Wil Myers needs to show more power

Unless A.J. Preller pulls off a miracle and is somehow able to trade Wil Myers before the season starts, he will be part of this team in 2020 and will get plenty of playing time.

And I’m optimistic that he can still be a productive player in a Padres uniform. But for that to happen, he has to get back to hitting home runs on a regular basis.

After hitting 28 home runs in 2016 and 30 home runs in 2017 with the Padres, he hit just 11 and 18 home runs the past two seasons.

I can take him hitting .250 with a .320 OBP if he’s hitting 25-30 home runs down in the lineup.

What’s crazy is that he’s hitting the ball harder in the past two seasons than those 2015 and 2016 seasons, and he’s hitting just as many flyballs.

That tells me that he’s still capable of putting up big home run numbers, and perhaps he’s just run into a bit of bad luck the past few seasons.

I also think that with the depth of the Padres, there won’t be as much pressure on him to produce. Maybe that will allow him to relax and get back to the hitter he was in 2016.

And with that depth, it will allow Tingler to put Myers in more situations where he can be successful.