3 Padres who deserve way more respect heading into the 2026 season

The San Diego Padres definitely have their fair share of stars, but the club's second and third-tier players aren't too shabby, either. It's easy to get caught up in the flashiness and All-Stardom of Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Mason Miller, and Jackson Merrill. Those guys are the backbone of this team.

But when you look a bit further, players like Jake Cronenworth, Jeremiah Estrada, and Yuki Matsui become underrated, though they'd be among the best if they were on another roster. They deserve more recognition and respect by fans. Let's take a look each player.

Jake Cronenworth, Jeremiah Estrada, Yuki Matsui deserve more respect ahead of Padres' 2026 season

Jake Cronenworth

A career Padre, Cronenworth recorded his fourth season with an OPS+ of 100 or better in 2025. He provided significant value in three areas: Offensive production on the road, offensive production with men on base, and defensive versatility.

Cronenworth was a .270 hitter away from Petco Park in 2025, which includes 13 of his 21 multi-hit games. With runners in scoring position, Cronenworth batted .287 last year with an OPS north of .800. For a guy who is your fourth or fifth best hitter, that is unbelievable contribution.

Jeremiah Estrada

It's so easy to forget about Estrada when you look at the Padres' bullpen. Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon, and Jason Adam are elite, but so is Estrada. Sitting anywhere between the 90th and 99th percentiles in six major pitching metrics last year, it's time to start talking Estrada being in contention for his first All-Star Game in 2026.

The hard-throwing right-hander has reeled in back-to-back seasons with a K/9 over 13 and a WHIP under 1.17. This isn't our first or second option?! It's crazy to think, but Estrada is that good. And he does it consistently, too — the man appeared in almost half of the games in 2025. A dominant workhorse.

Yuki Matsui

Matsui gets pushed even further down the totem pole than Estrada, but let's not forget that he ended the 2025 campaign on a great note. He entered September with a 4.45 ERA, then allowed just one run in his final 8.2 innings. His sophomore slump hit a halt, which should give fans the confidence that he will return to a solid state for 2026.

Matsui also offsets the bullpen nicely. He and Jason Adam aren't going to light up the radar gun like most of the bullpen. But with Adam being dominant on the right side, it's beneficial for the Padres to have a lefty with a great splitter to come in and keep things from redundant. Matsui provides more versatility to this staff, we just hope he continues to get better.