3 surprising players who are off to strong starts for the Padres

Through 16 games this season, the San Diego Padres have the best winning percentage (.813) in Major League Baseball, donning a 13-3 record thanks to phenomenal bullpen work, the superstars hitting well, and Nick Pivetta being dominant at home.

In the mix of it all, there are three hitters who have been a bit surprising to some Friars fans. Gavin Sheets' resurgence will continue to stun the baseball world, Xander Bogaerts is silencing the doubters, and Oscar Gonzalez is proving that he belongs in the big leagues.

Gavin Sheets, Xander Bogaerts, Oscar Gonzalez have contributed to Padres' early success

Gavin Sheets, who registered three full seasons entering 2025, never put up a season with a positive bWAR. Through 14 games, he has 0.3 WAR thanks to two home runs, eight RBIs, and two doubles. Signed to a minor league contract, Sheets is far exceeding expectations and besides Fernando Tatis Jr., has been San Diego's most electric hitter through a few weeks.

Bogaerts hasn't quite been the biggest standout player on the Padres this year, but his production has been more than enough to keep the fans satisfied. At 32 years old, the baseball world felt like Bogaerts was declining, especially after a 2024 campaign that saw him bat .264, a season-worst since 2014.

Through 16 contests in 2025, Bogaerts is a .304 hitter with five doubles, five RBIs, and eight runs scored, logging four multi-hit games over the last week. Padres fans should be more than happy by his early streak.

As for Gonzalez, there was unfortunately a bit of pressure on him when he was called up. He replaced Jackson Merrill in the lineup, who just signed an exciting nine-year contract extension but hit the injured list.

Gonzalez has played in four games, but only played a full contest twice. In those two games, he is 3-for-7 with two RBIs and a run scored. One of those RBIs came in a tight 2-1 win against the Athletics April 9, which kickstarted a four-game winning streak. He has been terrific in Merrill's absence, whether fans thought he would do so or not.