Padres' Jake Cronenworth is quietly having his best season in four years

Jake Cronenworth is a fan favorite at Petco Park. There is no denying that. The career Padre has one of the most recognizable left-handed home run swings in the game, but beyond the superb character and likeness of Cronenworth is his value on the field - which tends to get overlooked.

With teammates like Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, and Jackson Merrill occupying the lineup, it's easy to forget how much Cronenworth means to the team. But, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, he is having his best season in four years, which has made him a nucleus to San Diego's winning formula.

Padres' Jake Cronenworth is a much better player than you might think

Worth a 3.0 fWAR, Cronenworth leads San Diego in OBP entering Monday (.371), which marks a career-high. His OBP is also currently four points higher than Tatis Jr.'s, and 37 points higher than Machado's.

This past week in particular, Cronenworth has risen to the occasion with the postseason looming. The Padres' magic number is 1, which is in part due to Cronenworth batting .318 this pst week with four RBIs and a pair of walks.

Cronenworth is typically a second baseman, but he provides tremendous value in other areas of the infield. He can play shortstop (13 games) and first base (13 games) as well, and plays reliable defense at both spots.

Looking at his metrics, his .339 wOBA and 121 wRC+ are his best marks since 2021. His .302 BABIP is his highest since 2020. After batting .293 in August, he's reached base safely in 16 of 19 contests in September. His consistency has been a major part of San Diego's success this year, and although his home runs and RBIs are a bit below his career averages, he is more than making up for it in every other areas of hitting.

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