Fighting for First
July 1, 2017
The 2017 season is just a handful of games short of the halfway point, and the Padres find themselves locked in a tight battle with the Colorado Rockies (of all teams) for first place in the NL West. A 16-11 record in June helped the team stay near the top of the division all month long while perennial contenders like the Dodgers and Giants started to falter a bit. San Diego is now tied for the second-most wins in baseball (the Texas Rangers have 48) but there is still a feeling that things could be better. The pitching staff has continued to dominate in every possible aspect but the offense is still completely putrid. Injuries certainly have not helped; Manny Margot is still out while Cory Spangenberg, Martin Prado, and Tommy Pham all spent the majority of June on the disabled list. New starting catcher Ramon Cabrera (.213, 0 HR, 6 RBI) has not been much of an upgrade behind the plate. To put it simply, things are bad.
In an attempt to inject some life into his offense, GM Luke Armstrong pulled the trigger on a trade earlier today to shake up the daily lineup:
Padres get:
LF Khris Davis (.208, 9 HR, 37 RBI)
CF Billy Burns (.254, 4 HR, 32 RBI)
A's get:
SP Mike Foltynewicz (4-8, 6.75 ERA @ AAA)
SP Erasmo Ramirez (3-8, 5.23 ERA @ AAA)
It's not much, but it's at least something new to try. Boog Powell (.240/.295/.343) had been dreadful in left field all year and has now been sent back to Triple-A, so Davis becomes the new starter. His contact numbers are actually worse than Powell's but his HR and RBI totals are already good for third best on the San Diego roster. Burns is a speed demon in the outfield but may have trouble finding a spot on the roster since Travis Jankowski already fills that role. Foltynewicz and Ramirez were both claimed off waivers by the Padres earlier in the season as backup options in the rotation and are now expected to become instant starters for Oakland.
Khris Davis has been brought in to help San Diego's anemic offense
-The Tyson Ross extension storyline has already come to an end with almost none of the expected drama. Ross initially balked at what he felt was a low-ball offer from the Padres, so the team stepped up and came back with a 5yr/$111M contract that the pitcher happily signed. He has an opt-out clause after the third year and a player option in the fifth year.
-Lucas Giolito entered the month on the shortest of leashes -- one more bad start and San Diego was prepared to send him back to Triple-A. Perhaps feeling the pressure and not wanting to return to that minor league life, the youngster responded well and had the best month of his career, going 2-2 with a 2.61 ERA and most importantly looking like he belonged at the big league level in every single start. The highlight of the month was on June 19 when he pitched his first complete game and first shutout in a win over Arizona.
-Signs of life? Jose Abreu saw his AVG, OBP, and SLG rise for the third straight month and even had fewer strikeouts in more at-bats than he did in May. Getting Abreu on track would be a major step for the Padres who rank last in the NL in runs scored.
-"Sonny" days ahead! San Diego ace Sonny Gray (9-4, 2.38 ERA) is now fifth among NL starting pitchers in All-Star fan voting. He is the only Padre receiving any significant fan votes and is the top candidate to represent his squad at the upcoming All-Star game in Miami.
Team Leaders
AVG - Wilmer Flores, .302
HR - Randal Grichuk, 14
RBI - Randal Grichuk, 40
SB - Travis Jankowski, 13
ERA - Sonny Gray, 2.38
Wins - Sonny Gray, 9
K's - Sonny Gray, 108
SVs - Carter Capps, 23
NATIONAL LEAGUE RANKINGS
Runs Scored - 282 (15th)
Batting AVG - .250 (10th)
On-Base PCT - .298 (15th)
Home Runs - 47 (14th)
Stolen Bases - 38 (4th)
Runs Against - 233 (1st)
Starters ERA - 3.11 (1st)
Bullpen ERA - 2.64 (1st)
Defensive Eff. - .703 (1st)
Draft Recap
Many baseball pundits considered the 2017 draft class to be a relatively weak one with no obvious superstars at the top. San Diego hopes they found a few winners out of the bunch, though.
Round 1 - 1B Alejandro Toral, 18 (4.0 stars - high school)
Toral is an exciting prospect and by far the most highly touted pick that the Padres made. He can play first base or either corner outfield position and has the potential to be a .300 AVG/20 HR guy someday.
Round 2 - 3B Mathew Annunziata, 19 (2.0 stars - high school)
Does a lot of things well but isn't fantastic at any one particular thing. More of an AVG/OBP guy than a HR/RBI guy. Has a great work ethic and has an outside shot at being a starter in the future.
Round 3 - CF Stuart Fairchild, 21 (1.0 stars - college)
His potential is a carbon copy of Annunziata, except Fairchild can play all three outfield positions and run well. He should find himself on a major league roster in the coming years.
Round 4 - SP Doug Norman, 21 (1.0 stars - college)
Norman is not an exciting pitcher by any means (his max velocity clocks in at 91), but he already has four pitches that he can throw for strikes in his arsenal and could be a serviceable back-end starter or long reliever at his peak.
Round 5 - SP/3B Austin Bodrato, 20 (0.5 stars - college)
Bodrato went 8-6 with a 3.62 ERA and 128 K in 20 starts at the collegiate level for Iona, but those numbers are not what interested the Padres. Even though he did not play offense at all during his last season of amateur ball, San Diego drafted him and immediately converted him to third base where they feel he has more potential.
League Notes
6/7 - Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco was lost for the season due to a torn ACL.
6/8 - Toronto Blue Jays closer David Robertson went down for fourth months with shoulder inflammation.
6/10 - Toronto Blue Jays LF Matt Holiday hit his 300th career home run in a game versus Boston.
6/11 - Arizona Diamondbacks ace Zach Greinke was diagnosed with ulnar nerve irritation and is out for the year.
6/14 - Boston Red Sox DH David Ortiz, who decided not to retire after 2016 after all, got his 2500th career hit against Detroit.
6/25 - Toronto Blue Jays SP Aaron Sanchez was diagnosed with shoulder inflammation and will miss four months. Sanchez was an 18-game winner last season.
6/25 - Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes got his 2000th career hit versus Miami.
Notable Transactions
6/14 - Pittsburgh Pirates signed free agent RP Tim Lincecum to a 1yr/$786k contract. The two-time Cy Young winner joins his third team since the beginning of 2016.
6/16 - Washington Nationals signed SP Drew Smyly to a 3yr/$21.9M extension. Smyly is 4-0 with a 2.61 ERA since being traded from the Rays to the Nats in May.
League Leaders
AVG - Bryce Harper (WAS), .346
HR - Chris Davis (BAL), 23
RBI - Neil Walker (NYM), 60
SB - Billy Hamilton (CIN), 28
ERA - Max Scherzer (WAS), 2.07
Wins - Chris Sale (CHW), 10
K's - Jose Fernandez (MIA), 131
SVs - Jake Odorizzi (TB), 24