Padres: Immediate reaction to 52-man player pool

The Padres released their 52-man player pool ahead of Spring Training 2.0 opening up on Friday. We offer some thoughts on the list of players.

As part of MLB’s return-to-play plan, teams had to submit their player pools by Sunday, with up to 60 players allowed on it. The Padres were one of the last teams to submit their player pool, which included 52 names and all 13 of their top prospects. Here’s how the entire roster looks:

Right-Handed Pitchers (18)

Michel Baez
David Bednar
Ronald Bolaños
Zach Davies
Jerad Eickhoff
Javy Guerra
Pierce Johnson
Dinelson Lamet
Chris Paddack
Emilio Pagán
Luis Patiño
Luis Perdomo
Cal Quantrill
Gerardo Reyes
Garrett Richards
Craig Stammen
Trey Wingenter
Kirby Yates

Left-Handed Pitchers (8)

Joey Cantillo
José Castillo
MacKenzie Gore
Joey Lucchesi
Adrian Morejon
Drew Pomeranz
Matt Strahm
Ryan Weathers

Catchers (5)

Luis Campusano
Austin Hedges
Francisco Mejía
Webster Rivas
Luis Torrens

Infielders (12)

C.J. Abrams
Gabriel Arias
Jake Cronenworth
Ty France
Greg Garcia
Eric Hosmer
Manny Machado
Tucupita Marcano
Owen Miller
Jurickson Profar
Fernando Tatis Jr.
Breyvic Valera

Outfielders (9)

Franchy Cordero
Trent Grisham
Robert Hassell III
Hudson Head
Wil Myers
Josh Naylor
Edward Olivares
Tommy Pham
Taylor Trammell

•  I think perhaps the biggest surprise on this list is seeing Robert Hassell, the team’s first-round pick of the 2020 MLB Draft, here. He is likely not going to see any live-game action this year, but there is a benefit to him training and practicing alongside guys who will be.
• Seeing Edward Olivares and Albert Almonte added and omitted makes me both happy and sad, respectively. Olivares mashed in spring training, so there is a scenario where he could see some playing time, albeit not much most likely. But by the same token, Almonte’s story had me rooting for him to make the roster in some capacty. Now his time in San Diego is likely over.
• I was somewhat surprised to see Valera added here, as I didn’t think he had that much to offer to the Padres. Even if he ends up being a depth piece.
• It’s good to see Abrams added to the player pool, although I think he serves in a similar capacity as Hassell this year, practicing alonside the starters and bench players rather than sitting at the alternative site.