3 under-the-radar San Diego Padres players off to a good start in 2023

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The San Diego Padres have gotten off to a pretty underwhelming 8-10 start to the 2023 season. The Padres are expected to contend for their first World Series title, but are also without several key pieces.

While the key pieces are out, San Diego has seen many regulars expected to produce at a high level struggle out of the gate. Manny Machado has just one home run and a .600 OPS. Juan Soto has a .707 OPS. Blake Snell has an ERA approaching 7.00. While those players need to improve, the Padres have also gotten some nice starts out of players who weren't expected to be big pieces.

These three players have helped keep San Diego afloat in what's been an otherwise rough start to a crucial year.

1) San Diego Padres DH Nelson Cruz looks like a bargain signing

The Padres signed 42-year-old Nelson Cruz to a one-year deal worth just $1 million. Cruz is obviously one of the best designated hitters the game has ever seen, but he was coming off of an abysmal year in 2022.

I thought Cruz would retire following last season because he slashed .234/.313/.337 with 10 home runs and 64 RBI in 124 games for Washington. Cruz is proving he at least has something left in the tank as he's gotten off to a very nice start this season.

The veteran is slashing .295/.319/.500 with two home runs and 12 RBI in his first 12 games of the season. He leads this Padres team with Machado, Soto, and Xander Bogaerts on it in runs batted in, which is something nobody had on their bingo card most likely.

Cruz has five extra-base hits in his first 44 at-bats after managing just 26 in 448 at-bats last season.

I have no idea how long he can continue to hit like this. However, if Cruz continues to hit the way he's hit this season, the contract he signed might end up being one of the best in all of baseball.

San Diego Padres relief pitcher Steven Wilson / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

2) San Diego Padres reliever Steven Wilson looks like a back-end of the bullpen piece

Steven Wilson had a nice year for the Padres last season, posting a 3.06 ERA in 50 appearances and 53 innings of work. He played a big role for the Padres out of the 'pen, but pitched mostly in lower-leverage opportunities as he accumulated just five holds all season.

This season has been a different story. With Robert Suarez and Drew Pomeranz on the injured list, Wilson has been serving as the main set-up man to Josh Hader. He's been phenomenal in that role.

The right-hander has allowed just one run on four hits in his 10.2 innings of work. He has walked five (which is more than the Padres would want), but he's struck out 13. Wilson already has three holds and a win in his league-leading nine appearances.

Wilson has taken on a larger role and has been dominant in the early going. Whether he sticks in that eighth-inning role when Suarez returns remains to be seen, but it's hard to not be pleasantly surprised with what Wilson has done.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Ryan Weathers (40) / Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

3) San Diego Padres pitcher Ryan Weathers could stick in the rotation

Ryan Weathers was not supposed to open the season in the Padres rotation, but took Joe Musgrove's spot after he went on the IL with a toe injury. Weathers has been better than San Diego could've ever dreamed in his first three starts of the season.

He's gone at least five innings and allowed two runs or fewer in all three of his starts to begin the season. That kind of production is what San Diego would expect from Musgrove, not from their presumed seventh starter in Weathers.

The southpaw has gotten off to a great start and has pitched against extremely tough competition. His first start came at home against the NL West-leading Diamondbacks. His second start came against the 11-6 New York Mets at Citi Field. His most recent start came against the 13-4 Braves. These are three of the four best teams in the NL thus far.

San Diego lost his most recent start, but that was not because of Weathers as he tossed six innings allowing two runs on six hits. The Padres won his other two starts.

Musgrove is expected back shortly, and the Padres will have a tough decision to make. They have to decide between Weathers, Nick Martinez, and Seth Lugo for the final two rotation spots. Lugo and Weathers have been great while Martinez has not.

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