Jurickson Profar may be headed toward breakout season with Padres

San Diego Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar isn’t known for being a strong hitter, but he may currently be contributing more to the Friars’ offense than expected.

Profar hasn’t had many good seasons since his MLB debut in 2012. He played at about replacement-level performance until accounting for 1.9 WAR during the 2018 season, and he was able to maintain about 1 WAR each year until the 2021 season. In 2021, his second season in San Diego, his numbers tanked, as they had before 2018.

Now, he’s having one of the best seasons of his career. He’s hitting a lot more powerfully and his eye has gotten a lot better. His isolated power alone jumped from .093 last season to .167 this season.

His walk rate remained consistently average from 2018-2020 and rose above average last season at 11.9 percent. Now, he’s above average at 12.7 percent.

He is hitting for more power as well. He’s hitting many home runs this season. Profar’s hit eight total in 2022, which is more than he’s done the past two seasons. He’s third for most home runs this season on the Padres, just one behind tying for second.

He’s well-known for hitting infield pop flies and had a high 19 percent last season. This season, he’s reduced that to 10 percent. Profar is exceeding his expectations and contributing a lot to the Padres’ overall weak lineup.

San Diego Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar is heating up this month

Profar started the season in April hitting .186/.318/.457 and is now hitting .302/.390/.465.

Though it’s expected for players to have occasional fluke games that don’t accurately demonstrate their typical performance, Profar has consistently been on an upward curve all month.

He’s contributed the second-most runs scored to the team this season (46), nearly half of which were produced in June. He’s stepped up in slugger Manny Machado’s temporary absence, particularly in last night’s game. Profar contributed two runs of his own and drove in two more in the 10-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The improved strength and ability to hit better over this season has helped the Padres keep their struggling offense afloat. Though he’s not the sole driving factor of success, he’s noticeably contributing to the team and is seemingly only going to get better as the season unfolds.