Fansided

3 Padres players the fans are growing impatient with

By Zachary Rotman |
San Diego Padres v Minnesota Twins
San Diego Padres v Minnesota Twins / David Berding/GettyImages
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Fans of the San Diego Padres are beginning to grow just a little bit impatient with the team. The Padres sit at 19-20 which isn't horrible, but the team should be way better.

San Diego has gotten mostly solid pitching this season, but they rank 25th in runs scored. The only teams worse in that category are the Athletics, Nationals, Tigers, Marlins, and Guardians. Cleveland should improve, but for the most part, the Padres are not surrounded by company they want to be around.

Fernando Tatis Jr. is back and has swung the bat well since returning. The team, however, is just 10-9 with him. Several players are underperforming, and they'll have to improve if the Padres want to realize their World Series aspirations. Juan Soto has begun to turn his season around, but there're other players Padres fans are starting to lose patience with.

1) Padres fans are growing impatient with Manny Machado

Will he turn his season around? Very likely. However, Manny Machado has been abysmal to begin the 2023 season.

The Padres superstar is slashing .243/.288/.392 with just five home runs and 18 RBI through his first 37 games of the season. He's on pace to have his worst offensive season by far, and has been a below average hitter overall with an OPS+ of 90.

Machado is not getting on base, and is not hitting for power. The defense, as always, has been elite, but his bat has been nowhere to be found. Could moving him down in the order provide a spark? It's hard to win when your number three hitter has a .679 OPS, just slightly better than Ha-Seong Kim's .671 OPS.

It might be unfair considering how good Machado has been since signing in San Diego, but this team is going nowhere with Machado playing like this.

The Padres need to score runs and they need their stars to be at the center of that. Since coming back, Tatis has done that. Despite some struggles lately, Xander Bogaerts has done that. Juan Soto has done that, especially of late. Machado has to step up.

San Diego Padres catcher Austin Nola
San Diego Padres catcher Austin Nola / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

2) Padres fans are growing impatient with Austin Nola

While he's never been great with the bat, Austin Nola was good enough last season for a catcher. He was a guy who had an uncanny ability to simply put the ball in play, and never seemed to get himself out. He ranked in the 93rd percentile in chase rate and whiff %. Nola is still solid in those areas offensively, but he isn't hitting the ball hard whatsoever. This has caused his offensive production to plummet.

Nola has gone from the 57th percentile in average exit velocity to the fourth percentile this season according to Baseball Savant. He's gone from the 47th percentile in hard-hit rate last season to the fourth percentile this season.

With this in mind, Nola is slashing .152/.256/.215 with one home run and seven RBI. His OPS+ stands at a horrific 36. His .471 OPS is a mark you might've seen from some pitchers back in the day when they used to hit.

Last season, Nola's 91 OPS+ was passable, especially for a catcher. This season he's been a nightmare at the plate. San Diego doesn't have any great options, especially with Luis Campusano out, but if Nola doesn't pick it up in a big way they're going to have to search for an external upgrade. You can be a Gold Glover but if you have a 36 OPS+ it'll be very hard to be a positive player.

San Diego Padres center fielder Trent Grisham
San Diego Padres center fielder Trent Grisham / Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

3) Padres fans are losing patience with Trent Grisham

At this point, Trent Grisham is what he is. He's a guy who lives and dies by the three true outcomes. He'll hit some homers, draw walks, and strikeout a ton. What makes him playable is his terrific defense in center field, a premium position.

The thing with 2023 Trent Grisham is his defense hasn't even been the same. After ranking in the 99th percentile in outs above average last season, Grisham is only in the 58th percentile this season. Grisham won a Gold Glove last season and likely won't be in the conversation this season. With his bat providing little value, he's definitely a frustrating player to watch right now.

Grisham is slashing .205/.322/.378 with four home runs and 12 RBI. He's walking a lot as his 21 walks drawn is tied for 19th in the league (with Jake Cronenworth), but his 44 strikeouts are also tied for 19th in the league. He's walking more than he ever has by a sizeable margin, but is also striking out more than he ever as, as he's fanning at a 29.3% clip.

Grisham's 98 OPS+ is certainly better than his mark from 2022, but his defense has fallen dramatically, which is why he's just a 0.2 bWAR player right now. Grisham showed much more potential in 2020 and 2021, and to see him become the offensive player he is now is certainly disappointing.

I'm not saying the Padres have to upgrade, but it wouldn't hurt to look. Again, the defense is the issue here. If he's a below average hitter and not providing the Gold Glove defense, what exactly is he good for? Walking? The Padres are second in the league in walks. They don't score, and Grisham doesn't help with that. If he can't defend, he's not helping much at all.

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