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Skitch929 · 07-18-2016, 12:22 AM

San Diego Padres 2017 Season Review
November 6, 2017

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The offense that was a laughing stock for the first half of the year turned their fortunes around after some mid-season moves and ended up finishing second in the NL in batting average and seventh in runs scored. Wilmer Flores was the team battling champ at .301 and Cory Spangenberg improved dramatically from his 2016 campaign to hit .287 and provide some consistency at second base. Said consistency was not contagious, however. Jose Abreu and Randal Grichuk were counted on to be the big run producers in the lineup but neither had very successful seasons despite tying for the team lead at 27 HR apiece (and Grichuk's .285 OBP was downright awful). The big bats brought in around the trading deadline were all decent but unspectacular, as Chance Sisco (.278 AVG), Eugenio Suarez (.269 AVG), and Michael Brantley (.261 AVG) were better than the guys they replaced but didn't offer a lot of firepower. Manny Margot was easily one of the team's best hitters but missed half of the year due to injuries, so a healthy 2018 season from him could be what the Padres need to get over the hump.

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San Diego's pitching was the opposite of their hitting: they started out amazing and then faded down the stretch. Sonny Gray was the personification of that fading as any reader of these reports surely knows by now -- how many other All-Star starting pitchers finished the year with a sub-.500 record you think? Michael Wacha and Tyson Ross kept things on track behind their stumbling ace, but then the bottom of the rotation was a bit of a mess. Lucas Giolito never quite looked as advertised, and mid-season additions Alex Cobb (3-4, 5.02 ERA) and Jake Odorizzi (3-2, 4.99 ERA) didn't scare anyone. The bullpen was dominant most of the year (although they also got knocked from the top of the rankings over the final month of the season) -- led by regular season save king/postseason choker Carter Capps and fellow All-Star Mike Morin, San Diego's relief core was no doubt the strength of the team. Keeping up with a recurring theme, the players added around the trade deadline were disappointments in Padre uniforms and the future fates of Genison Reyes (5.40 ERA, 16 G) and Felipe Rivero (5.34 ERA, 36 G) are now up in the air moving forward.

Minor League Report
San Diego's top three minor league affiliates--El Paso Chihuahuas (AAA), San Antonio Missions (AA), and Lake Elsinore Storm (A+)--all finished in first place but stumbled in the playoffs. Outfielder Victor Robles, the other big piece that came to San Diego in the Lucas Giolito trade, had a fine year between Lake Elsinore and San Antonio (.280, 15 HR, 85 RBI) and could be ready at some point next season. Same goes for outfielder Ryan Boldt who hit .279 and swiped 26 bags at three different levels. San Antonio 1B Dominic Smith was the club's Minor League Player of the Year for his .350, 26 HR, 122 RBI campaign but isn't considered a threat to unseat Jose Abreu at the big league level any time soon. 2016 first round pick T.J. Collett couldn't break out of the Rookie League for the second straight year and hit just .239 while 2017 first rounder Alejando Toral hit an eye-popping .372 with 8 HR and 56 RBI in his first 56 games as a professional.

07-18-2016, 12:22 AM	#40
Skitch929 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Upland, CA Posts: 107	San Diego Padres 2017 Season Review San Diego Padres 2017 Season Review November 6, 2017 The offense that was a laughing stock for the first half of the year turned their fortunes around after some mid-season moves and ended up finishing second in the NL in batting average and seventh in runs scored. Wilmer Flores was the team battling champ at .301 and Cory Spangenberg improved dramatically from his 2016 campaign to hit .287 and provide some consistency at second base. Said consistency was not contagious, however. Jose Abreu and Randal Grichuk were counted on to be the big run producers in the lineup but neither had very successful seasons despite tying for the team lead at 27 HR apiece (and Grichuk's .285 OBP was downright awful). The big bats brought in around the trading deadline were all decent but unspectacular, as Chance Sisco (.278 AVG), Eugenio Suarez (.269 AVG), and Michael Brantley (.261 AVG) were better than the guys they replaced but didn't offer a lot of firepower. Manny Margot was easily one of the team's best hitters but missed half of the year due to injuries, so a healthy 2018 season from him could be what the Padres need to get over the hump. San Diego's pitching was the opposite of their hitting: they started out amazing and then faded down the stretch. Sonny Gray was the personification of that fading as any reader of these reports surely knows by now -- how many other All-Star starting pitchers finished the year with a sub-.500 record you think? Michael Wacha and Tyson Ross kept things on track behind their stumbling ace, but then the bottom of the rotation was a bit of a mess. Lucas Giolito never quite looked as advertised, and mid-season additions Alex Cobb (3-4, 5.02 ERA) and Jake Odorizzi (3-2, 4.99 ERA) didn't scare anyone. The bullpen was dominant most of the year (although they also got knocked from the top of the rankings over the final month of the season) -- led by regular season save king/postseason choker Carter Capps and fellow All-Star Mike Morin, San Diego's relief core was no doubt the strength of the team. Keeping up with a recurring theme, the players added around the trade deadline were disappointments in Padre uniforms and the future fates of Genison Reyes (5.40 ERA, 16 G) and Felipe Rivero (5.34 ERA, 36 G) are now up in the air moving forward. Minor League Report San Diego's top three minor league affiliates--El Paso Chihuahuas (AAA), San Antonio Missions (AA), and Lake Elsinore Storm (A+)--all finished in first place but stumbled in the playoffs. Outfielder Victor Robles, the other big piece that came to San Diego in the Lucas Giolito trade, had a fine year between Lake Elsinore and San Antonio (.280, 15 HR, 85 RBI) and could be ready at some point next season. Same goes for outfielder Ryan Boldt who hit .279 and swiped 26 bags at three different levels. San Antonio 1B Dominic Smith was the club's Minor League Player of the Year for his .350, 26 HR, 122 RBI campaign but isn't considered a threat to unseat Jose Abreu at the big league level any time soon. 2016 first round pick T.J. Collett couldn't break out of the Rookie League for the second straight year and hit just .239 while 2017 first rounder Alejando Toral hit an eye-popping .372 with 8 HR and 56 RBI in his first 56 games as a professional.