San Diego Padres: Surging Taylor Trammell presents good problem

Playing time could be easy if Tommy Pham starts the year on the IL

The Padres acquired Tommy Pham back in December because of his ability to put the bat on the ball. He’s emerged as a vocal leader thus far in camp through his work ethic, and Trammell has taken a liking to him as well.

Pham had elbow problems down the stretch of 2019 season, and his medicals were heavily scrutinized with several reports indicating a contingency that could potentially rescind the trade.

However, an oblique strain has limited Pham to the designated hitter role, which has opened a considerable amount of playing time for Trammell.

The Padres also made a trade for Trent Grisham, who was, at one point, considered to be untouchable in the Milwaukee Brewers’ organization. And through six starts, the 23-year-old has posted a .412/.444/.588 slash line with seven hits, including a home run last Friday off Cubs’ starter Tyler Chatwood.

But with the oft-injured Cordero and slimmed-down version of Naylor vying for additional playing time in 2020, it’s going to be challenging for everyone, especially Trammell, to get enough reps that both aid their development and the team.

Trammell is simply not going to be rotting on the bench, and if the Padres cannot get regular at-bats for him, he’s better off starting the year in Triple-A El Paso.

FanGraphs projects Trammelll to play in 125 games (516 plate appearances) and post a slash line of .204/.293/.308 with nine home runs and 37 RBI. I think he’s capable of performing much better than that, given the right amount of playing time.

Which brings up the next important question. What do with Wil Myers?