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3 Padres players who need a comeback season in 2022

By Gabrielle Starr |
Sep 29, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (13) reacts against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 29, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (13) reacts against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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The San Diego Padres need comeback seasons from several players if they want to contend in 2022

The San Diego Padres were favorites to be in the postseason in 2021 but fell quite short in the second half of the year.

And before this season has even begun, they’ve already experienced a hefty setback, as Fernando Tatis Jr. will be sidelined for approximately three months with a fracture that required surgery. The roster is also full of question marks in the form of players returning from injury, including Mike Clevinger, Dinelson Lamet, and Drew Pomeranz.

In the midst of all the above, the Padres need some players to step up and rebound from less-than-ideal seasons last year. Here are three players who need comeback seasons so the Padres can have a comeback season of their own…

Manny Machado

Manny Machado certainly didn’t have a bad year in 2021 – .278/.347/.489/.836, 28 home runs, 31 doubles – but it wasn’t as much power as fans have seen from him in previous years. Prior to the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he had 32+ home runs in five straight seasons.

Machado has proven himself to be an elite hitter, but he wasn’t at the top of his game last season. Blame some of that on MLB players needing to readjust to a full season after only 60 games in 2020.

It’s not his fault that Tatis is out, but the Padres will need Machado to step up in his absence, team effort and whatnot.

Sep 3, 2021; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer (left) tosses his helmet after striking out to end the seventh inning against the Houston Astros at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2021; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer (left) tosses his helmet after striking out to end the seventh inning against the Houston Astros at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports /

Eric Hosmer

Eric Hosmer‘s 8-year, $144M contract was always crazy (the richest in franchise history at the time), but it’s gotten worse as it’s played out. The Padres have been “aggressively shopping” Hosmer for a while now, but no one wants to be the team that takes it on.

Hosmer’s batting average is a full 20 points lower over his first four seasons with the Padres than it was during his seven seasons with the Kansas City Royals. His on-base and slugging percentages are both 10+ points lower with the Padres, his OPS is 43 points lower, and his 102 OPS+ is barely above league average.

He’s never been much for power-hitting, but Hosmer only hit 12 home runs in 151 games last season. His career-high is 25 home runs, which he slugged in back-to-back seasons in 2016-17 with the Royals, right before his blockbuster contract with San Diego.

At this point, the Padres know what they’re getting with Hosmer, hence their repeated attempts to trade him. But since that seems impossible at the current juncture, all they can hope is that he stays healthy and keeps his numbers the same or slightly better than they were last year.

PHOENIX, ARIZONA – AUGUST 31: Blake Snell #4 of the San Diego Padres delivers a seventh inning pitch against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on August 31, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – AUGUST 31: Blake Snell #4 of the San Diego Padres delivers a seventh inning pitch against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on August 31, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

Blake Snell

Blake Snell didn’t look like his American League Cy Young self last season, but many players struggled after the shortened 2020 season. He actually made the second-most starts of any season of his six-year career, posting a 4.20 ERA over 27.

Being realistic, his 2018 Cy Young season was an aberration, not the norm. It was the only season of his career in which he posted an ERA under 3.24, an astoundingly low, American League-leading 1.89 over a career-high 31 starts.

What the Padres need is for Snell to stay healthy, make 28+ starts, and try to keep the earned runs minimal. We wouldn’t say no to another Cy Young season, but we’ll take an ERA under 4 and a boatload of strikeouts.

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