2023 San Diego Padres midseason report cards with letter grades: Position players

2023 San Diego Padres midseason grades: Infielders

Jake Cronenworth - C+

If there was one player who was affected by the position shuffling, it was Jake Cronenworth. Moving to first from second, he started the season slow offensively, but got better toward the end of the first half. He finished the first half slashing .217/.318/.361 with eight home runs and 33 RBI. He's currently not on pace to equal his home run and RBI totals from last season, but his defense has been good at first. His bat is going to be key in the second half if they are going to make a charge for a playoff berth.

Ha-Seong Kim - B+

After a good first half, Ha-Seong Kim is on pace for a career season. The 27-year-old second baseman has 10 home runs, one shy of his 11 from last season, and 31 RBI while slashing .258/.349/.411. His defense has been good and his .760 OPS is fourth on the team. Keeping him healthy in the second half will be key for San Diego.

Xander Bogaerts - A-

Preller's big offseason catch was shortstop Xander Bogaerts. Signed to an 11-year, $280 million deal after spending the first 10 years of his career with the Boston Red Sox, Bogaerts got off to a strong start with the Padres, cooled off, and then got hot before the break. He's slashing .253/.339/.392 with 10 home runs and 35 RBI and his defense has been good as well. He was a very good second-half player with Boston and will need to be again this season for the Friars.

Manny Machado - A

Out of all the players that closed out the first half on a roll, Manny Machado was the hottest position player behind Snell on the mound. He missed a month after fracturing his hand, but in July, the veteran third baseman turned it on at the plate. He's slashing .406/.472/1.000 with six home runs and 16 RBI in just eight games this month. Overall, he's slashing .261/.307/.458 with 15 home runs and a team-high 49 RBI. He had two home runs in the final game before the break against the Mets off of Max Scherzer and they will need his bat to stay hot out of the break.

If the Padres are going to make a move in the second half and get a postseason berth, they will need some of these grades to improve, but also get what they have some of their top players. They have put themselves in the position they are in and they have to dig their way out of it.