The San Diego Padres - 2025 and Beyond

[Sundance]

4/5/2033

It’s argued by many that pitchers find their form faster than batters, and that appeared to be the case in today’s game between the A’s and the Rangers. Oakland starter Bubba Thompson tossed a no-no against Texas – striking out 8 and walking 3. And while Thompson undoubtedly pitched great, the defense did their part as well, with several diving catches that ensured this achievement for the 29 year old. Behind the efforts of Thompson and the defense, the A’s won the game 2-0.

4/9/2033

The injury bug has hit early for the Padres. Star left fielder Jorge Alvarado is expected to miss 4 weeks after being taken out of today’s game against the Giants. While attempting to run down a foul ball, Alvarado landed awkwardly on one of his strides and stumbled to the ground. Team trainers helped him off the field, and the official word is that he suffered a sprained ankle. While no official word has come out yet about who the Padres will call up to replace Alvarado, it is widely expected to be EL Paso left fielder Jose Delgado, who has started off hot in AAA, with 6 hits in his first 9 at-bats.

4/13/2033

The baseball world had quite the scare today during the San Diego – Colorado game. In the bottom of the 7th inning, Rockies second baseman Gene Stevenson hit a rather unspectacular groundball to Padres third baseman Brendan Rodgers. With only 1 out in the inning, this seemed like your typical inning ending double play. Rodgers’ throw carried second baseman Jim DeWitt towards the first base side of the bag, at which point tragedy struck. The attempted turn was broken up, not by a hard sliding Guo-Dong Chou, but rather by a barreling steam powered locomotive Chou. Chou plowed through DeWitt, who, expecting to dodge a slide, was rather exposed and unprepared to see the 6’1” Rockies shortstop inches from his face. As you can imagine, the resulting collision was not pretty. Having been caught completely off guard, DeWitt received the worst of it. The stadium held its collective breath as DeWitt lay momentarily motionless on the ground. Trainers rushed out to his aid, and at the first sign of movement, his fellow Padres erupted in fury. Benches cleared, although it was only harsh words that were thrown. There were no ejections, but both benches received official warnings from the ump.

The word from the clubhouse is that DeWitt will miss the next 3-4 months as he recovers from what is being described as post-concussion syndrome. Major League Baseball is reviewing the play, but with no prior history between these two players, it doesn’t appear that there was any ill-intent behind the actions of Chou.

The loss of DeWitt will certainly be a blow to the Padres’ lineup. Through the first 7 games of the season, the 25 year old middle infielder is hitting .458/.480/.708 with 3 doubles and 1 HR.

4/18/2033

Padres shortstop Alfredo Miranda has been named the NL Player of the Week! The 25 year old owned opposing pitching, hitting .464 with 4 homeruns over the last 7 days.

4/20/2033

Koto Suzuki has hit for the cycle! The Tigers’ second baseman went 5-6 with a double in the 1st, a two-run HR in the 4th, a second two-run HR in the 4th, a triple in the 8th, and a single later that same inning. In total, Suzuki had 5 RBI and 4 R, and the Tigers crushed the Rangers, 25-2.

4/21/2033

There must be something in the water. A day after Tigers player Koto Suzuki hit for the cycle against the Rangers, Rangers’ outfielder Tim Burris returned the favor by hitting for the cycle against the Tigers! The 31 year old went 4-5 with 6 RBI and 2 runs. He tripled in the 1st, doubled in the 6th, singled in the 7th, and hit a solo shot in the 8th. This time it was the Rangers’ turn to perform a beat down, as they took down the Tigers 17-7.

4/22/2033

Padres ace Gustavo Spotelli has been suspended by the league for 6 games for his role in a bench clearing brawl in today’s game versus the Giants. After striking out the first batter of the game, Spotelli surrendered a 2-2 homerun to Esteban Ramirez. Spotelli then went up 0-2 against Jorge Hernandez before plunking him with an errant pitch. Hernandez was none too pleased about this turn of events and after a few moments of jawing back and forth, tempers erupted and a brawl ensued. Punches were thrown and benches were cleared. Team staff and the umpiring crew struggled to reinstate order, and both Spotelli and Hernandez had to be dragged away by teammates – both looking worse for the wear.

When pressed for a comment about the incident, Spotelli let loose a rant worthy of invoking memories of the Bevacqua – Lasorda feud in Padres fans. “Hernandez is a f***ing idiot. If I’m gonna throw at a guy, I’m sure as hell not going to do it when I’m up two f***ing strikes, and I’m sure as hell not going to do it against some two-f***ing-ten hitting piece of s*** scrub like Hernandez. I can guaran-f***ing-tee you that.”

Monthly review

April was just an ok start to the new season. We went 13-11 and are currently in 3rd place, 4 games behind the Dodgers. Our rotation has started off the season well, but there seems to be some issues with our pen. The offense as a whole is not performing as well as I would have liked. Still, it’s early in the season, so I’m not overly worried just yet. The season is a marathon, not a sprint, so there’s plenty of time to smooth out some of the issues that we’re having.

Hot

2B Jean-Philippe Gras - .346/.416/.474, 8 doubles
SS Alfredo Miranda - .305/.345/.571, 6 HR, 8 doubles, 6 SB
RF Edouard Kieffer - .303/.388/.472, 9 doubles, 3 SB
SP Raul Barosio – 3-0, 2.48 ERA, 1.24 WHIP
SP Adrian Gonzalez – 2-2, 2.45 ERA, 0.85 WHIP
SP Bob Jone – 2-0, 2.01 ERA, 1.02 WHIP
SP Gustavo Spotelli – 3-1, 1.15 ERA, 0.73 WHIP

Not

C Jose Rodriguez - .232/.301/.378, 16 K
1B Victor Herrera - .209/.301/.319, 23 K
3B Brendan Rodgers - .233/.282/.311, 28 K
OF Jose Savage - .206/.227/.302
RP Dave Ling – 11.45 ERA, 2.09 WHIP

Monthly Awards

AL:

Top Batter – Antonio Zavala (.353 BA, 5 HR, 15 RBI, 15 R), Orioles
Top Pitcher – Augusto Cruz (6 SV, 0.60 ERA, 17 K), Astros
Rookie – Donnie Coleman (.291 BA, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 11 R), Angels

NL:

Top Batter – Dennis Boulter (.316 BA, 7 HR, 28 RBI, 16 R), Cubs
Top Pitcher – Daniel Rivera (9 SV, 0.00 ERA, 16 K), Nationals
Rookie – Dennis Boulter (.316 BA, 7 HR, 28 RBI, 16 R), Cubs

[Sundance]

5/9/2033

San Diego left fielder Jorge Alvarado has been named the NL Player of the Week! Over the last 7 days, the 26 year old outfielder has hit .407 with 5 HR, 10 RBI, and 8 R.

5/12/2033

Former Padre Justin Bellinger hit homerun #300 today! The 37 year old went 1-3 in today’s game as his current team, Philly, went on to beat the Dodgers 2-1. In 2337 career games Bellinger has hit .260 with 2131 hits, 370 doubles, and 1101 RBI.

5/29/2033

Indians outfielder Esteban Gonzalez has joined the 300 HR club! The 35 year old went 1-3 in today’s game, but his moment was marred by his team’s loss to the White Sox, 7-2. Gonzalez is a career .274 hitter with 1645 hits, 388 doubles, and 982 RBI.

Monthly Review

May was a slow month for news worthy moments, but I’m not going to complain. Why you ask? Because we finished the month 20-7, which brings our overall record to 33-18 and puts us atop the division! A 7 game winning streak has put us 4 games up on the Giants, who have been playing some good ball themselves this month – they started May in last place.

The biggest difference between this month and last month is that our offense seems to have come around. We’re currently 4th in the NL in OPS, 2nd in extra base hits, 5th in K, and 1st in SB. Our pitching continues to be just ok. Our starters are performing pretty well, but the pen continues to struggle. Might have to shake things up in there.

Hot

C Jose Rodriguez - .370/.433/.587, 4 HR, 8 doubles, 16 RBI
SS Alfredo Miranda - .313/.355/.580, 7 HR, 7 doubles, 18 RBI, 6 SB
LF Jorge Alvarado - .379/.393/.681, 10 HR, 21 RBI
OF Jose Delgado - .404/.440/.553
SP Raul Barosio – 2-0, 1.14 WHIP, 0 BB
SP Bob Jone – 3-0, 2.51 ERA, 1.08 WHIP
RP Tadaaki Maeda – 0.98 WHIP, 9.3 K/9

Not

3B Brendan Rodgers - .210/.307/.360, 26 K
SP Adrian Gonzalez – 2-1, 5.46 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, 4.5 BB/9
RP Max Fried – 6.70 ERA, 1.93 WHIP
CL Edwin Harvey – 0-3, 7.94 ERA, 2.38 WHIP, 4.8 BB/9

Monthly Awards

AL:

Top Batter – Kel Brown (.340 BA, 8 HR, 26 RBI, 19 R), Twins
Top Pitcher – Jorge Gallegos (4-1, 0.76 ERA, 25 K), A’s
Rookie – Kel Brown (.340 BA, 8 HR, 26 RBI, 19 R), Twins

NL:

Top Batter – Jorge Alvarado (.379 BA, 10 HR, 21 RBI, 18 R), Padres
Top Pitcher – Gyu-Sik Koo (5-0, 2.32 ERA, 16 K), Crusaders
Rookie – Yataro Matsura (.276 BA, 4 HR, 12 RBI, 12 R), Dodgers

[Sundance]

6/5/2033

Indians starter Jesus Mora tossed a no-no against the White Sox today! The 26 year old was untouchable as he faced just 30 batters, struck out 13 of them, and surrendered 3 walks. Mora is on his way towards putting together his best season yet with a record of 4-2, a 2.72 ERA, 11.1 K/9, and he is holding opposing batters to just a .229 BA.

In other league news, Philadelphia starting second baseman Antonio Carrillo is expected to be out of commission for the next 4 months. Carrillo was taken out of today’s game against the Mets in the bottom of the 9th. With runners on first and second, Mets shortstop Jesus Herrera hit a groundball to short that should have resulted in a game-ending double play. However, Phillies shortstop Alfredo Sanchez struggled to get the ball out of his glove and had to rush his throw to second. The delay gave the runner at first, Kuniyuki Sumita a chance to break up the double play with a hard slide. Carrillo was unable to avoid the incoming Sumita, and his leg got caught under him as he slide in.

After protesting against the advice of trainers, Carrillo was eventually helped off of the field. The report from the clubhouse is that he suffered multiple tears to ligaments in his ankle. There’s been no word on who will replace him in the lineup. Carrillo has been an All-Star in each of the last two seasons, and is currently hitting .312/.344/.424 this season.

6/6/2033

Padres outfielder Antonio Galindo had quite the scare tonight. Today had uncharacteristically poor weather for San Diego, and as the 24 year old drove home, his car hydroplaned and he skid off the road. Thankfully he was wearing his seatbelt and the only injury he suffered was a thumb contusion. It is not known whether or not he was speeding in the poor driving conditions, but we are thankful that it was only a minor incident.

6/8/2033

SP Alexander Figueredo has joined the 200 win club! The Giants starter achieved the feat with a 7 inning, 3 run effort against the Dodgers. For his career, he is 200-120 with a 3.33 ERA, 2864 IP, and 3405 K. He’s a three-time Cy Young Award winner, and a seven-time All-Star.

6/12/2033

Astros starter Oliver Veliz is done for the season, and perhaps for his career. The 37 year old was taken out of today’s game against the A’s after tearing his rotator cuff during a pitch. Veliz was in the midst of a career year, having gone 8-1 with a 2.32 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP in 13 starts. The expected recovery time is 15 months, but it is unclear what Veliz will do. When asked for a comment he replied, “I’m just in shock right now. I’m going to take some time, discuss things with my family, and then decided what’s best for us going forward. There’s a lot of unknowns at the moment, so I can’t say any more than that.”

6/15/2033

The Padres have had little luck when it comes to incidents involving opposing runners. The latest victim claimed by an opposing base runner is 3B Brendan Rodgers. The longtime face of the franchise was taken out of the game against the Astros in the 1st inning following a collision at third base. With two outs in the inning and a runner on first, former Padre Robbie Crain hit a single into right field. The runner on first, Yong-U Sin, attempted to reach third on the hit. Juan Franco came up firing and delivered a bullet to a waiting Rodgers. However, rather than attempting to dodge the tag with a slide, Sin ran through Rodgers, who proceeded to writhe on the ground in obvious pain while clutching at his lower back.

Having witnessed a similar sight before, nearby Padres players were quick to come to Rodgers’ defense. Thankfully the coaching staffs of both teams were able to diffuse the situation. The official report coming out of the Padres clubhouse is that Rodgers is suffering from a herniated disc. He is expected to miss 4-5 weeks as he recovers.

No move has been announced yet, but it is expected that current first baseman Victor Herrera will move back to third for the time being. It’s unclear whether or not the Padres will call up a first baseman from their minor league system. It’s rumored that Antonio Galindo, who got hot last month, will take over duties at first, thus opening up a spot for a fourth outfielder to be called up. There’s a number of prospects that could fill that role, but a name that has been heard being thrown around so far is 22 year old Hwi-Gon Moon.

6/17/2033

Rays starter Bryan Hoeing is the second pitcher this month to join the 200 win club! The 35 year old gave up 0 runs over 7 innings to lead his team to a 1-0 win over the Mets. Hoeing made his major league debut in 2018 with the Padres, and was featured as a main component of their starting rotation until 2032, when he signed with the Rays as a free agent. He is a career 200-116 with a 2.90 ERA and 2023 K over 2942.2 IP. He is a former Rookie of the Year, a two-time Cy Young winner, a Gold Glove winner, and a five-time All-Star.

In other news, another former Padres player also made headlines today. 2B Chris McKinney claimed hit #2000 today! The 34 year old went 2-5 today as his Cardinals topped the Twins 10-8. McKinney was the #1 overall pick in the 2017 draft. He made his debut for San Diego in 2019, but was traded by the club in 2028. He’s a career .293 hitter with 387 doubles, 182 HR, and 849 RBI to go along with his 2000 hits. He’s a four-time All-Star and won the Gold Glove in 2028.

6/25/2033

Reports are coming in of a deal between the San Diego Padres and the St. Louis Cardinals. It appears as though the Padres have been shopping back up left fielder Sean Stephens, and the Cardinals apparently came calling. The multi-player deal will see LHP Max Fried, OF Sean Stephens, OF Juan Franco, backup catcher Tim Lee, and a handful of picks head to St. Louis. In return, 34 year old outfielder Kichibei Kobayashi and prospect 3B Bert Henri are headed to the west coast.

Fried has been a good option out of the pen for San Diego, but it is rumored that he was unhappy with his role on the club and wants to be a starter. Stephens is an average offensive talent, but is solid defensively. He’s struggled a bit this season, hitting just .225 for San Diego so far. Franco is another average offensive prospect, but he has fantastic instincts on the base paths and is a good defender. He struggled in his first stint in the big leagues, hitting just .189 for the Padres this season. Lee is a career backup at the very best.

Kobayashi is on the wrong side of his prime, but is putting together a comeback season thus far. In 181 AB he is hitting .343/.394/.481. He’s a four-time All-Star, but his last selection was in 2027. While he is no means a bad hitter, his offensive production has been in a pretty steady decline since then. Could very well be a case of St. Louis selling high, but time shall tell. With the injury to Rodgers it became apparent that the Padres organization is pretty thin in talent at third base. The acquisition of Henri is a step in the right direction towards fixing that. He’s by no means a blue chip prospect, but he projects to be an average offensive talent, with decent running ability, and a solid glove.

In league news, Astros second baseman Robbie Crain is expected to miss the next 6-7 weeks with a fractured finger. Crain slide headfirst into second base, where his hand was met by the foot of Tigers shortstop Huibrecht van den Haar. The former Padre and reigning AL MVP has struggled thus far this season, hitting just .254 – 43 points lower than his BA last season.

6/28/2033

Padres star left fielder Jorge Alvarado will be riding the pine for the next couple of weeks. In the bottom of the 7th in today’s game against the Rockies, pinch hitter Mike Strong crushed a 1-0 pitch deep into left-center. Alvarado was able to track the ball down and make a somewhat awkward leaping catch that slammed him into the wall. He was in obvious discomfort afterwards as he attempted to stretch out his back, and after a talk with team trainers, he was taken out of the game as a precaution. Thankfully there doesn’t appear to be any serious injuries, but in order to avoid any further damage, Alvarado is going on rest with what is being described as general back soreness.

So far this season Alvarado is hitting .328/.347/.559 with 13 HR. It is expected that recently acquired outfielder Kichibei Kobayashi will assume starting duties in Alvarado’s absence.

Monthly Review

June was not the greatest month for us as we went just 13-14. Our overall record now stands at 46-32, and our lead in the West has shrunk to just 2 games over current second place holders Colorado. Our offense has cooled off some, which explains our lack of wins. We’re still performing well as a whole, but we’re definitely not as hot as we were last month. We’re now 1st in SB and 5th in OPS, but we’ve struggled to score runs as of late. The story remains the same for our pitching staff, as a whole, we are doing well, but the pen continues to struggle. Our team ERA is 2nd in the NL, but the pen’s is 9th.

Hot

C Jose Rodriguez - .341/.457/.459
OF Jose Delgado - .349/.446/.535
SP Adrian Gonzalez – 1-2, 2.51 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 11.3 K/9
RP Kevin Lee – 2.70 ERA, 1.20 WHIP
RP Tadaaki Maeda – 2.16 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 1.4 BB/9, 10.1 K/9
RP Andres Matos – 1.50 ERA, 0.89 WHIP
CL Edwin Harvey – 6 SV, 2.38 ERA, 0.79 WHIP,

Not

1B/3B Victor Herrera - .165/.214/.304, 16 K
SS Alfredo Miranda - .221/.279/.283, 16 K
RF Edouard Kieffer - .232/.259/.357, 23 K
RP Dave Ling – 4.02 ERA, 1.72 WHIP, 5.2 BB/9, 6.9 K/9

Monthly Awards

AL:

Top Batter – Antonio Zavala (.346 BA, 5 HR, 25 RBI, 26 R), Orioles
Top Pitcher – Manny Avellaneda (8 SV, 1.29 ERA, 13 K), Orioles
Rookie – Juan Vazquez (.452 BA, 3 HR, 20 RBI, 9 R), Mariners

NL:

Top Batter – Jesus Martinez (.359 BA, 6 HR, 19 RBI, 22 R), Reds
Top Pitcher – Ken Dodson (5-1, 2.08 ERA, 36 K), Pirates
Rookie – Jose Delgado (.349 BA, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 11 R), Padres

[Sundance]

With the 22nd pick in the 2033 draft, the San Diego Padres selected 22 year old RHP Bob “Hellraiser” Harden out of Notre Dame. In 14 starts for the Irish, Harden went 8-2 with a 2.12 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 13.1 K/9, and 3.8 WAR. Despite starting in college, he projects to be a reliever/closer in the pros. He has great velocity, regularly hitting 97-99 MPH, and has a curve that has the potential to buckle the knees of even the best hitters. He has a lot of growing to do, but he already has big league ready stuff and borderline big league ready movement on his pitches. He definitely needs to work on his control however.

Harden is the latest addition to what seems to be our ever growing collection of young pitchers. He joins the likes of David Gonzalez, Geoff Nelson, Jonathon Gardner, Cristo Gutierrez, Josh Robinson, Ty Hickman, Pat Arnold, Manny Nichols, Edwin Harvey, Sam McLeod, Pete Taylor, Hal Lehman, Eric Williams, and Antonio Garcia. You can never have enough pitching, right? No matter how good, or how poor, our offense has been, when we were at our best it was because we had the best staff in the league. We’re hoping that as these kids develop that we’ll get back to that standard.

The #1 overall pick went to Texas with the selection of Texas shortstop Jeremy Andrews.

[Sundance]

7/2/2033

Rookie closer Edwin “Spitfire” Harvey will see his first year in the big leagues cut short. The Padres closer tore his labrum in today’s game against the Giants. In 41 games this season, Harvey had 20 SV with a 4.19 ERA and 1.51 WHIP.

7/7/2033

Yankees third baseman Cisco Gonzalez has been suspended 80 games by the league for violating baseball’s drug testing policy. Gonzalez is currently hitting .254/.321/.415 in 142 AB this season. He was not available for comment, but it has been rumored that he was using banned substances to help recover from a lingering injury.

7/11/2033

The All-Star rosters have been announced! Representing the Padres will be:

SP Bob Jone (2nd selection)
C Jose Rodriguez (9th)
SS Alfredo Miranda (3rd)

Former Padres CL Jorge Fernandez, 2B Adrian Martinez, and OF Brad Sutherland were also selected. The full rosters can be seen at the end of this post.

7/19/2033

San Diego starter Antonio Mendoza shut out the rival Giants today! He struck out 5, gave up 5 hits, and walked none as the Padres took the game 5-0. So far this season Mendoza is 6-5 with a 3.32 ERA.

7/27/2033

Washington Nationals catcher Hector Nava has reached a 30 game hit streak! Nava went 1-1 with a double in the 9th inning in today’s game against the Mets. So far this season the 31 year old is hitting .370 with 9 HR and 53 RBI.

7/28/2033

It’s all over for Hector Nava. It seems like just yesterday we were reporting on his 30 game hit streak – oh wait, it was yesterday. That’s right, the streak has ended. Nava was blanked in three at-bats against the Mets today as the Nationals dropped the game 4-1.

7/30/2033

Boston’s Dan Perry has hit for the cycle! The 25 year old outfielder went 4-5 with 4 RBI and 2 R. He doubled in the 1st, hit a solo shot in the 3rd, singled in the 5th, and tripled in the 7th. Boston would go on to beat the Tigers 6-5.

In other league news, star Rockies youngster Bobby Crawford is expected to miss the next 7 weeks as he recovers from a torn hamstring. In the bottom of the 3rd Crawford reached base on a single. Two batters later he tried to reach third on a single by OF Jesus Hernandez. Crawford came up short and limped his way safely to the bag. He was promptly helped off the field by team trainers. So far this season the first baseman is hitting .323 with 19 HR and 74 RBI.

Monthly Review

July was a slight improvement over last month as we went 14-13 for the month. Our overall record now stands at 60-45. We’re still in 1st place in the West, but we’re now just .5 games ahead of the DBs and Rockies. Our pitching has improved, which is great to see. We now have the best ERA in the league, with our starters ranked 3rd and the pen ranked 4th. We’ve given up the 2nd fewest hits, but we’re only ranked 9th in K. Our defense has been getting a workout. Offensively, we’re third in extra base hits, but only 11th in runs scored, which is not very good at all. We’re also now 8th in OPS. It would be nice if we had both sides of the ball working, but as long as our pitching is keeping us in games, I’m not overly worried.

Hot

SS Alfredo Miranda - .302/.348/.430
SP Adrian Gonzalez – 2-2, 3.44 ERA, 1.06 WHIP
SP Gustavo Spotelli – 2-3, 3.49 ERA, 0.88 WHIP
RP Andres Matos – 1.98 ERA, 0.95 WHIP
RP Tadaaki Maeda – 1.93 ERA, 1.00 WHIP

Not

IF Wilson Cervantes - .224/.288/.343
RF Edouard Kieffer - .211/.317/.367, 21 K
OF Kichibei Kobayashi - .207/.217/.328, 15 K

Monthly Awards

AL:

Top Batter – David Vela (.439 BA, 8 HR, 18 RBI, 15 R), Falcons
Top Pitcher – Bubba Thompson (5-0, 1.74 ERA, 50 K), A’s
Rookie – Juan Vazquez (.315 BA, 6 HR, 17 RBI, 16 R), Mariners

NL:

Top Batter – Jesus Martinez (.376 BA, 11 HR, 24 RBI, 18 R), Reds
Top Pitcher – Roger Lacroix (5 SV, 2.25 ERA, 14 K), Phillies
Rookie – Dennis Boulter (.294 BA, 6 HR, 21 RBI, 13 R), Cubs

[Sundance]

Here's a look at our team leaders in pitching and batting at the All-Star break:

[Sundance]

8/5/2033

Baltimore’s CF Antonio Zavala is expected to miss the next 3 weeks with a fractured rib. In the top of the 8th with a runner on first, Zavala hit a double into left center. In an attempt to hold the runner at third, Washington left fielder Sancho Granados rushed his throw in – which sailed over the waiting cutoff man, shortstop Manny Ortega, and managed to find its way directly into an oblivious Zavala at second base. Zavala immediately doubled over in obvious pain, and team trainers rushed out onto the field to inspect him. He was promptly removed from the game, and subsequent scans revealed the damage.

So far this season Zavala has hit .310 with 21 HR and 76 RBI. There has been no official word yet on who will replace him.

8/12/2033

Star left fielder Jorge Alvarado will be sidelined for the next 3-4 weeks. The Padres outfielder rolled his ankle while running down a short fly ball in today’s game against the Rockies. It is being reported that he suffered a sprained ankle and will miss time as he heals up from it. So far this season Alvarado is hitting .324 with 17 HR and 50 RBI.

8/16/2033

Head first slides claim another victim! This time it’s Cincinnati first baseman Sumitomo Kamida who fell victim to the perils of launching oneself head first at maximum velocity into a base. Kamida attempted to stretch a hit out into a double and as he slide into second base his extended hand was met by the foot of Dodgers shortstop Rod Knutsen. The collision resulted in a fractured hand for Kamida, who is now expected to miss somewhere in the range of 7-8 weeks as he recovers. Kamida is currently hitting .289 with 28 HR for the Reds.

8/18/2033

Another one bites the dust. Brad Sutherland’s season is officially over. The Reds left fielder was taken out of the game today against the Dodgers when team trainers spotted him clutching at his shoulder following a throw. Upon being inspected, he appeared to protest against being taken out, but in the end manager Carlos Santana decided to error on the side of caution and take him out. It appears to have been a good decision by the skipper, as we have received reports that Sutherland is suffering from apparent shoulder inflammation. In order to avoid further damage to his arm, he is done for the rest of the season. So far this year Sutherland has hit .272 with 31 HR and 103 RBI.

8/22/2033

Padres veteran Brendan Rodgers has been named the NL Player of the Week! The 36 year old third baseman has been on fire since returning from injury, hitting .577 with 2 HR and 6 RBI over the 7 days.

8/25/2033

Phillies closer Roger Lacroix has racked up save #300! Lacroix took down the Brewers in order to achieve this milestone, as the Phillies took the game 2-0.

8/28/2033

Add one more member to the 300 save club! This time it was Giants closer Luis Pena who achieved the feat. Pena entered the game in the 9th against the Dodgers with a 4-1 lead – he gave up a homerun before retiring the side, an effort good enough to earn him the save and give his team a 4-2 victory.

Monthly Review

We seem to be gaining a bit of momentum as we start our approach to the end of the season. We went 16-11 in August – bringing our overall record to 76-56. We currently sit in 2nd place, 1 game behind Arizona, and 3 games up on Colorado. The pitching staff has continued to improve and is currently performing like one of the top staffs in the NL – which bodes well for us going forward. The offense on the other hand continues to perform at a second tier level. As the prospect of making the playoffs enters our view, we know that our pitching will be able to keep us in games, but it is unclear if we’ll be able to produce enough runs to win a series. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the lineup to see if there are any adjustments that we can make to get more out of the guys.

Hot

3B Brendan Rodgers - .433/.485/.717, 3 HR, 6 doubles, 4 SB
SS Alfredo Miranda - .307/.339/.526, 6 HR, 7 doubles, 15 RBI
SP Adrian Gonzalez – 1-0, 0.57 ERA, 0.77 WHIP
SP Bob Jone – 4-1, 2.38 ERA, 0.97 WHIP
RP Juan Diaz – 1.98 ERA, 0.59 WHIP
RP Kevin Lee – 0.00 ERA, 0.63 WHIP, 10.7 K/9
CL David Gonzalez – 7 SV, 1.50 ERA, 1.00 WHIP

Not

IF Wilson Cervantes - .237/.276/.290, 16 K
RF Edouard Kieffer - .218/.307/.337, 32 K
SP Antonio Mendoza – 1-2, 5.81 ERA, 1.52 WHIP

Monthly Awards

AL:

Top Batter – David Vela (.394 BA, 9 HR, 23 RBI, 19 R), Falcons
Top Pitcher – Jiovanni Orozco (5-0, 1.05 ERA, 31 K), Red Sox
Rookie – Jesus Rios (.284 BA, 8 HR, 17 RBI, 16 R), Rangers

NL:

Top Batter – Alfredo Yan (.375 BA, 8 HR, 23 RBI, 27 R), Crusaders
Top Pitcher – Jorge Fernandez (12 SV, 1.59 ERA, 28 K), Reds
Rookie – Manny Longoria (.337 BA, 4 HR, 18 RBI, 13 R), Pirates

[Sundance]

9/4/2033

Indians slugger Raul Ramos is out of the lineup for the next 4 weeks. The 29 year old second baseman is the latest victim of a disastrous head first slide. In an attempt to stretch out a single, Ramos slid hard into second and caught his thumb on the bag. He came up clutching at the finger and was taken out of the game by team trainers. Thankfully there is no significant damage, but he appears to have suffered a sprained thumb. So far this season Ramos is hitting .303 with 28 HR and 69 RBI.

9/5/2033

2033 must be the year of the closer. The latest closer to reach save #300 during this season is Angels closer Wu-Ti Jen. The 34 year old righty surrendered 1 hit before retiring the side as his team took the game 4-1 over Arizona.

9/13/2033

Another week, another #300 save pitcher. This time it’s Reds closer Jorge Fernandez who earned his way into the 300 save club. Punch retired the Brewers in order to achieve this feat as his team took the game 5-3.

9/20/2033

It’s a no-no for Yo! The Red Sox lefty was untouchable today against Toronto as he struck out 8 and walked 2 on his way to a no-hitter! So far this season Yo Yamada is 16-11 with a 2.24 ERA and 273 K. He’s held opposing batters to just a .199 batting average.

9/30/2033

Arizona shortstop Antonio Alvarez has extended his hit streak to 30 games! The 24 year old has been on fire this season, hitting .363 thus far.

Monthly Review

September was another 16-11 month for the club, which brings our overall record to 92-67. We’re currently in 2nd place, 3 games behind Arizona and 4 games ahead of Colorado, and we have clinched a playoff spot. The team’s performance is basically identical to last month – the pitching staff has been great and the offense has been ok. Even though we’ve lost the top spot in the division, we’ve put together 3 winning months in a row, so we’re carrying a bit of momentum into the playoffs.

We didn’t make any September call ups this year for two reasons. The first is that the playoff race was just too close for most of the month. It would have been great to have gotten a chance to rotate some guys in and rest some people, but we had to make sure that we actually got into the big dance. The second reason is that we had already called up a number of players as a result of injuries. Several of our guys were set to return this month, so whoever had been called up just got to stay with the team, rather than being sent back down.

Hot

2B Jim DeWitt - .311/.343/.437
SS Alfredo Miranda - .367/.406/508, 7 SB
LF Jorge Alvarado - .324/.351/.581, 6 HR, 9 doubles, 22 RBI, 5 SB
OF Jose Delgado - .433/.514/.600, 6 SB
SP Adrian Gonzalez – 2-1, 2.89 ERA, 1.21 WHIP
SP Antonio Mendoza – 3-0, 2.45 ERA, 1.17 WHIP
CL David Gonzalez – 6 SV, 0.64 ERA, 0.79 WHIP

Not

3B Brendan Rodgers - .222/.288/.315, 26 K
IF Wilson Cervantes - .152/.188/.152
RF Edouard Kieffer - .210/.270/.295, 39 K

Monthly Awards

AL:

Top Batter – David Vela (.434 BA, 6 HR, 18 RBI, 22 R), Falcons
Top Pitcher – Juan Salazar (4-0, 1.03 ERA, 54 K), Yankees
Rookie – Juan Vazquez (.316 BA, 12 HR, 31 RBI, 18 R), Mariners

NL:

Top Batter – Nacho Diaz (.337 BA, 8 HR, 26 RBI, 18 R), Cubs
Top Pitcher – Finley Dryden (11 SV, 1.26 ERA, 17 K), Cubs
Rookie – Rapu Haunio (.344 BA, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 15 R), Dodgers

[Sundance]

We closed the gap a little bit over the last few games of the season, but we ended up finishing in 2nd place in the West – 1 Game behind Arizona and 3 games up on the Rockies. We finished the season with a record of 94-68, which is just 2 games off of our preseason prediction. Arizona was the biggest surprise in the division as they ended up far exceeding their preseason prediction.

Looking towards the playoffs, I think it’s anyone’s game in the NL. We’re the only team in the NL built around pitching – the other four teams are all ranked within the top 5 in runs scored. There’s no real dominant team or clear cut favorite. Every series is going to be wide open. In the AL there’s the always dangerous Orioles, but I think that the Red Sox and Twins are a little more balanced and either could possibly make a run.

[Sundance]

The Wildcard matchups saw the Red Sox take on the Angels in the AL and the Padres battle the Rockies in the NL. The Angels had taken the season series from Boston 4-2, but they proved to be no match for them in the playoffs. Boston ace Yo Yamada was brilliant, striking out 15 in 7 innings of work. Meanwhile the Boston offense jumped on opposing pitcher Kyung-Chor Park for 3 runs over 4.2 innings. Boston took the game 3-0.

In the NL, it was a battle between the best pitching staff and the best offense in the league. We had played Colorado 18 times during the regular season and had taken the series 10-8. This was definitely going to be a battle. Our first hard decision was who to start. Do we go with Spotelli – the ace of the staff who has had a down year? Or do we go with the hot hand – Bob Jone? We ended up going with Spotelli, and he did a fine job for us – 7.1 IP, 7 K, 2 ER. It was an effort that kept us in the game; the only problem was that our offense failed to show up. We managed a measly 4 hits and couldn’t get anything going. We ended up dropping the game 2-0.

Divisional Series

Baltimore wins the series 3-2 over Boston
Minnesota wins the series 3-2 over Houston
Colorado wins the series 3-0 over Arizona
Philadelphia wins the series 3-1 over Cincinnati

League Series

Minnesota wins the series 4-3 over Baltimore
Colorado wins the series 4-1 over Philadelphia

Championship Series

Colorado wins the series 4-1 over Minnesota

[Sundance]

The Good

C Jose Rodriguez
.303/.407/.533, 29 HR, 29 doubles, 100 RBI, 8.1 WAR. Is anyone surprised at this point to see Rodriguez on this list? He’s been the NL MVP runner-up in each of the last 3 seasons and it looks like he’ll be in contention for the award once again. He set career highs in HR, RBI, and WAR.

3B Brendan Rodgers
Rodgers makes this list primarily due to his lifetime achievement to the club. This past season he became the Padres’ all-time leader in games played, at-bats, and runs scored. He also leads the franchise in total WAR, HR, SB, and BB. His production has slipped, but he only played in 109 games this year, so I can’t be overly harsh. Projected over 600 AB, the 36 year old would have had a decent year - .251/.321/.390, 17 HR, 4 triples, 24 doubles, 58 RBI, 25 SB. He might not be the star that he once was, but he can still contribute.

SS Alfredo Miranda
.302/.344/.480, 25 HR, 37 doubles, 80 RBI, 31 SB, 6.3 WAR. Career highs in hits, doubles, HR, and RBI. Chalk up yet another great year for the 26 year old infielder!

LF Jorge Alvarado
.320/.342/.542, 23 HR, 24 doubles, 72 RBI, 14 SB, 5.0 WAR. Alvarado continues to prove that he is one of the premier left fielders in the league. 2033 was his fourth year in the league, and this is exactly the kind of production we have come to expect out of the 26 year old.

OF Jose Delgado
.324/.387/.464, 10 HR, 30 doubles, 52 RBI, 22 SB, 3.1 WAR. Delgado was quite the surprise this year. We called him up out of necessity and he truly made the most out of his opportunity. One season is a small sample size, but for the time being he seems to have played himself into being our center fielder of the future.

SP Adrian Gonzalez
10-8, 3.07 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 158 K, 2.9 WAR. For a guy that we picked up just to fill out our rotation, we’ve gotten some incredible value from Gonzalez. He had looked like his career as a starter might be over when we signed him two years ago, and now we’ve got him pitching the best that he’s pitched since winning the Cy Young in 2022. Best part of it all is that we’re paying him just $2.8 million!

SP Bob Jone
18-6, 2.87 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 159 K, 4.0 WAR. There may have been bigger names in the free agent market, but Jone ended up being quite the catch. He pitched a career high 194.1 innings, scored a career best 18 wins, and posted his second lowest ERA and WHIP of his career. We’ve had some great luck with veteran pitchers, and at 37 years old, Jone ended up being the cream of the crop.

SP Gustavo Spotelli
11-13, 3.38 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 217 K. Last year’s magic seemed to have escaped Spotelli this season, but he still quietly produced a solid year.

RP Kevin Lee
91 games, 3.02 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 1.2 WAR. Once again, Lee proved to be one of our best and most consistent options coming out of the pen. He was a workhorse this year and set career highs in games and strikeouts.

RP Tadaaki Maeda
66 games, 2.68 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 1.0 WAR. Maeda has bounced back and forth between starting and the pen in recent years, but he really seemed to feel at home coming on as relief this season. Even with missing the last month or so of the season, he put up some great numbers for us.

CL David Gonzalez
21 SV, 1.79 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 0.6 WAR. Gonzalez proved that he has what it takes to be a closer at this level. He may not have started the season as our go to guy, but he certainly earned that position with his play this year.

The Bad

1B Victor “Blitz” Herrera
.228/.300/.359, 10 HR, 23 doubles, 35 RBI, 1.7 WAR. This was by far Blitz’s worse season as a professional. Not counting his rookie season, which was just 55 games, he set career lows across the board – hits, HR, R, RBI, BA, OBP, SLG, and WAR.

RF Edouard Kieffer
.239/.309/.363, 10 HR, 29 doubles, 5 triples, 59 RBI, 11 SB, 2.3 WAR. Kieffer seemed to regress big time this past season. He looked like the Kieffer of old, which would be fine if his power had returned. I can overlook him hitting .239 if he was still hitting 20+ HR and close to 40 doubles, but he’s not. For someone who had reinvented himself at the plate in recent years, it was just a shame to see him revert back to some of his bad habits.

CL Edwin “Spitfire” Harvey
20 SV, 4.19 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 0.2 WAR. We picked wrong. Plain and simple. Harvey wasn’t ready to assume the reigns as our closer. He’s only 24, so there’s still a bright future ahead of him – it’ll just have to be in a different role.

[Sundance]

Here's how we stacked up against the rest of the NL

[Sundance]

2033 League Batting Leaders

[Sundance]

2033 League Pitching Leaders

[Sundance]

MVP

AL:

David Vela, Jac
.365/.454/.627, 33 HR, 32 doubles, 88 RBI, 8.2 WAR

NL:

Jose Rodriguez, SD
.303/.407/.533, 29 HR, 29 doubles, 100 RBI, 8.1 WAR
(Alfredo Miranda finished 3rd in voting)

Cy Young

AL:

Yo Yomada, Bos
17-11, 2.20 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 297 K, 10.3 WAR

NL:

Artie McAdoo, LAD
12-9, 2.41 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 223 K, 7.0 WAR

Rookie of the Year

AL:

Juan Vazquez, Sea
.313/.349/.596, 27 HR, 22 doubles, 87 RBI, 3.1 WAR

NL:

Jose Delgado, SD
.324/.387/.464, 10 HR, 30 doubles, 52 RBI, 22 SB, 3.1 WAR

Reliever of the Year

AL:

Mike Varner, Min
49 SV, 2.06 ERA, 110 K

NL:

Daniel Rivera, Was
40 SV, 2.84 ERA, 99 K

Silver Slugger

AL:

P Jiovanni Orozco, Bos - .231/.324/.369, 2 HR, -0.1 WAR
C Bernardo Rosa, Det - .313/.370/.515, 21 HR, 5.5 WAR
1B Calvin Maltman, Tex - .317/.379/.585, 40 HR, 6.6 WAR
2B Raul Ramos, Cle - .308/.361/.536, 30 HR, 7.0 WAR
3B Juan Flores, Bal - .268/.298/.483, 26 HR, 3.1 WAR
SS Antonio Martinez, Bal - .282/.385/.474, 25 HR, 5.8 WAR
LF David Vela, Jac - .365/.454/.627, 33 HR, 8.2 WAR
CF Antonio Zavala, Bal - .291/.382/.506, 26 HR, 6.1 WAR
RF Mike Jones, Bal - .264/.356/.475, 31 HR, 18 SB, 4.3 WAR

NL:

P Ruben Cruz, CHC - .304/.361/393, 1 HR, 0.2 WAR
C Jose Rodriguez, SD - .303/.407/.533, 29 HR, 8.1 WAR
1B Nacho Diaz, CHC - .317/.371/.548, 30 HR, 6.2 WAR
2B Alfredo Soto, CHC - .333/.419/.460, 8 HR, 31 SB, 5.6 WAR
3B Jesus Martinez, Cin - .308/.359/.530, 31 HR, 5.1 WAR
SS Alfredo Miranda, SD - .302/.344/.480, 25 HR, 31 SB, 6.3 WAR
LF Sancho Granados, Was - .312/.395/.493, 19 HR, 24 SB, 4.8 WAR
CF Alfredo Yan, Ind - .275/.344/.496, 28 HR, 16 SB, 7.7 WAR
RF Sancho Acevedo, Col - .343/.404/.563, 28 HR, 7.9 WAR

Gold Glove

AL:

P Jose Diaz, Det
C Kwan-Yew Guo, NYY
1B Hector Rodriguez, NYY
2B Steve Hill, Jac
3B Mike Holmes, Oak
SS Fabien Nicolas, LAA
LF Shawn Barber, Tex
CF Sean Sims, Tex
RF Yong-U Sin, Hou

NL:

P Isoruko Tanabe, Cha
C Steve Whitley, SF
1B Nacho Diaz, CHC
2B Junji Yamamoto, LAD
3B Jon Harper, Col
SS Tremaine Spears, SF
LF Jorge Alvarado, SD
CF Alfredo Yan, Ind
RF Edouard Kieffer, SD

Manager of the Year

AL:

Shane Monahan, Hou

NL:

Brandon Pullen, Col

[Sundance]

Goals from the Owner

2034 - Reach the playoffs
2034 - Upgrade at center field (Current 15th, was 29th)
2034 - Acquire a top player (Closest match: Bob Jone)
2035 - Have a final total balance of $20 million (Projected balance: $11,925,022)
2038 - Reach the World Series

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Retirements

Rookie Ball:

RP Juan Chavez
C Leonardo Gallegos

A:

Hitting Coach Akihito Fukuo
LF Wilson Vega
SS Ernie Wickett
SS Teddy Sabato

AA:

SS Brian Bond
RP Jesus Roman

AAA:

RF Mauro Conde
LF Jose Martinez
RF Andy Reynolds
1B Shoichi Otsuka

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Options

SP Adrian Gonzalez – Vesting Option met
RF Kichibei Kobayashi – Void
RHP Andres Matos – Executed
RP Dave Ling – Void
SP Raul Barosio – Executed
SP Bob Jone – Executed
SP Gustavo Spotelli – Executed

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Re-signings

RP Tadaaki Maeda – 3 year, $7.62 million
RP Kevin Lee – 4 year, $25 million
LF Jorge Alvarado – 10 year, $144.8 million
SP Raul Barosio – 2 year, $6.8 million
SP Gustavo Spotelli – 6 year, $153 million
2B Jim DeWitt – 3 year, $3.96 million
RHP Antonio Mendoza – 3 year, $3.3 million
1B Jean-Philippe Gras – 3 year, $4.71 million

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Arbitration

RHP Antonio Mendoza – 1 year, $850,000 – Ruled in favor of team

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Trades

Trade #1

Seattle receives CF Daisuke Sumita. In return, the Padres receive SS Tanyu Shirokawa.

Sumita was named the #98 prospect in baseball last year. Offensively, he projects to be average, but he has phenomenal speed and running instincts and he’s a Gold Glove caliber defender in center. However, our outfield is pretty set, and given that our starters are still pretty young, there just wasn’t any room for him. So we shopped him and the Mariners were willing to trade Shirokawa straight up.

Shirokawa had a career year last year hitting .339/.369/.468 with 13 HR, 33 doubles, 19 SB, and 6.4 WAR. He was by far the best player offered to us for Sumita, which is why we took the deal. We still want to make a couple of moves, and I’m not sure if Shirokawa is going to factor into our plans going forward. He’s a very good player, but do we need another middle infielder?

Trade #2

The Indians receive LF Hwi-Gon Moon and OF Antonio Galindo. In return, the Padres receive LHP Vic Rheaume.

Moon was named the #54 prospect in baseball in 2030, but much like Sumita, we just didn’t have any room for him. Galindo is a phenomenal defender with plus speed, but again, he was another outfielder that we just didn’t see a place for.

You guys know me – I have a weakness for young arms. Rheaume looks like a future starter, but he needs to iron out some control issues before he makes it to the big show. He’s got a cannon and can regularly hit 97-99 MPH with his fastball, and he likes to mix things up with a very good curveball and a decent splitter that could end up being even better.

Trade #3

The Royals receive 1B Victor Herrera, SS Tanyu Shirokawa, OF Juan Mesa, and SS Wilson Cervantes. In return, the Padres receive prospect SS Artie Hall.

This trade wasn’t an easy on to make. Blitz has been a staple of our lineup for the last 5 seasons, and despite a down year last season, he was a very productive player for us over that time. However, given the talent and versatility of our infielders, we felt comfortable with trading Blitz away. Also, I mentioned before that I couldn’t quite see Shirokawa’s place on the team, so adding him to the deal was an easy decision for us. We would have liked to have held onto Cervantes as our backup, but KC needed a couple of players to sweeten the pot, and he was one of the names thrown around.

Hall is a prospect that we’re very excited about. He looks like a line drive hitter with decent pop and plate discipline. He’s got plus speed and very good instincts on the base paths, and he’s a natural defender that can play multiple positions in the infield.

Trade #4

The Orioles receive RHP Juan Gonzalez, RHP Gary Conroy, RHP Andres Matos, and SS Chad Mitchell. In return, the Padres receive prospect SS Juan Colon.

Gonzalez and Conroy were both pitchers that we kept waiting on to fully develop, but they just couldn’t break into the big league club. They aren’t bad pitchers, but at this point, we’ve just got younger arms with a lot more upside that we want to go forward with. Matos pitched very well for us last year, but he had a bit of a rough spring and we needed to make room for some of our younger guys. Mitchell was a recent minor league signing. He’s not much of an offensive prospect, but he’s got good speed and is a great defender at short.

Colon projects to be a role player. He’s not talented enough offensively to be a star, but he’s got a lot of tools that we like. He got amazing speed and instincts on the base paths and he’s a solid defender. He’s also a tough out that will make pitchers work. I could certainly see him on our bench as a pinch run specialist and someone to go to when we need someone to battle an opposing pitcher. And most importantly, he gives us some more organizational depth in the infield, which is something that has plagued us in recent years.

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Free Agents

With all of these deals, we finally had some money to spend in the free agent market! Unfortunately, there weren’t any names out there that were calling to us, so we decided to use the money to add to our organizational depth.

Aside from the minor leaguers we signed, we also added a couple of players to our bench. The first is 2B Bob “Zombie” McKee. He’s a suitable backup with good speed and a solid glove. The second player was SS Joe Kirwan. He doesn’t offer much at the plate, but he’s a defensive specialist and is a very smart runner on the base paths. These aren’t the most exciting signings, I know, but they're the sort of deals that are necessary for us to succeed.

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League News

Marty Paterson finalized a deal to purchase the Seattle Mariners. Paterson has a reputation for being generous when it comes to financial matters.

Cleveland manager Jose Patino, Jacksonville manager Micah Franklin, and Texas manager Ramon Borrego have all been fired.

Brad Sutherland retires. The former Padre and current Red had been recovering from shoulder inflammation when reports broke that he suffered a massive setback in his recovery. Taking the advice of multiple medical professionals, Sutherland has decided to announce his retirement at age 31. He played in 1452 games, hitting .252/.327/.478 with 291 HR, 277 doubles, 41 triples, 911 RBI, and 200 SB. He was a three-time All-Star, but endured a career that was plagued by recurring injuries.

Colorado starting pitcher Shunen Koda filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy after it was reported that his restaurant chain lost $5.5 million last year. Among his assets, the 35 year old listed over $2 million in Rolex watches. Koda was not available for comment, but there are rumors that the Rockies have hired a financial expert to help Koda through this situation.

More bad news for Colorado – reports are coming in of an investigation of former international free agent signing 2B Juan Munoz. It appears as though the “25” year old may have lied about his age when he signed with the Rockies organization. Munoz was not available for comment, but an official press release from Colorado’s front office indicated that they are working with the commissioner’s office to get to the bottom of these rumors.

Houston owner Jim Crane has passed away. It is expected that his son, Tim, will assume ownership duties of the organization. Tim Crane is known to be charitable with financial concerns, but has high expectations and can be very demanding. Our thoughts go out to the Crane family.

[Sundance]

In Forel’s 20 years as the Padres GM, the club has only missed the playoffs 4 times. In fact, the last time that the Padres missed the playoffs was way back in 2022. So as he enters his 21st year at the helm, everyone knows that the team is going to be good and that they are going to be around come playoff time. The task for the Padres now is to prove that they are a championship caliber team, which is something that has eluded the organization since 2027.

This team is built to win, and it’s built to win for a long time. Of the 8 starting position players, 6 are age 28 or younger. The starting rotation is a veteran crew, and there are some very exciting young arms out in San Diego’s bullpen. The next step for this club is to bring home another World Series championship and to establish themselves as a true dynasty.

[Sundance]

Catchers

Starting C: Jose Rodriguez
2033 Stats: .303/.407/.533, 29 HR, 29 doubles, 100 RBI, 8.1 WAR
Rodriguez is considered by many to currently be the game’s top catcher. He’s the reigning NL MVP, a 3-time MVP runner-up, and a 9-time All-Star. His 8.1 WAR last season set a new Padres single season record. Not too shabby for a former 27th round draft back, huh?

Backup: Freddy Brown
2033 Stats: .267/.290/.333, 1 HR, 1 double, 6 RBI, 0.1 WAR
Brown is all that we could ask for in a backup catcher. He’s got a good glove and enough offensive talent to contribute when needed. He only played in 31 games last season, so opportunities are few and far between for the 29 year old, but he is a solid option when Rodriguez needs a rest.

Infielders

Starting 1B: Jean-Philippe Gras
2033 Stats: .304/.364/.389, 0 HR, 20 doubles, 4 triples, 34 RBI, 11 SB, 0.5 WAR
We’ve struggled to find places for Gras to play, but we’ve always known that we wanted him in the lineup. He started his career with us as part of a platoon at second, then took over duties in center field last season before being injured, and now he is our first baseman. He picked up his new position incredibly well this spring and is now very handy with the glove over there. He’s not highly rated by anyone outside of our office, but he’s a career .292 hitter with great speed, and he plays every game like it’s his last. He’s scrappy and he battles and we love him.

Starting 2B: Jim DeWitt
2033 Stats: .284/.319/.399, 6 HR, 15 doubles, 1 triple, 39 RBI, 13 SB, 1.0 WAR
DeWitt is looking to bounce back from an injury plagued 2033. Much like Gras, he’s another player that isn't highly thought of outside of our organization, but the kid can play. He’s got a bit more power and is a bit more of a free swinger than Gras is, but he’s got good speed and is incredibly smart on the base paths. We’ll be looking for more consistency out of the 26 year old this season.

Starting 3B: Brendan Rodgers
2033 Stats: .251/.321/.390, 12 HR, 17 doubles, 3 triples, 41 RBI, 18 SB, 3.0 WAR
When you think of this generation of Padres, one name comes to mind – Brendan Rodgers. While he is no longer the most heralded player on the club, he is still the face of the franchise. He’s an 8-time All-Star and the Padres all-time leader in games played, at-bats, runs, homeruns, stolen bases, walks, and total WAR. He may not quite be the player that he once was, but he’s still considered to be among the league’s top 3 third baseman.

Starting SS: Alfredo Miranda
2033 Stats: .302/.344/.480, 25 HR, 37 doubles, 3 triples, 80 RBI, 31 SB, 6.3 WAR
Miranda is currently considered by many to be the game’s top shortstop. He’s a 3-time All-Star, a former Gold Glove winner, and he finished 3rd in NL MVP voting last season. He’s got a natural effortless swing, a cannon of an arm, great footwork, and plus speed. He’s the kind of player that you love to have in your lineup, and that opposing pitchers dread facing.

Backup: Bob McKee
2033 Stats: N/A
2034 will be McKee’s first season in the pros. He’s a plus-plus defender with good speed and enough offensive talent to contribute in a limited role. This spring he hit .333/.324/.667 with 1 HR, 2 doubles, 3 triples, and 8 RBI in 33 at-bats.

Backup: Juan Cruz
2033 Stats: .208/.208/.250, 0 HR, 1 double, 0 RBI, 0.0 WAR
Cruz is a 19 year old former international free agent signing that has progressed quickly through our ranks. He’s a Gold Glove caliber defender at third, with an absolute canon of an arm, and he’s got average speed, but is sneaky fast on the base paths. Offensively, there isn’t much to write home about, but he’s got enough skill to contribute in a limited role. When Rodgers went down last season, it became apparent how thin we were in talent at third base. Cruz might not be our best third base prospect, but he’s capable of contributing if Rodgers is nagged by injuries again.

Backup: Joe Kirwan
2033 Stats: .242/.321/.400, 1 HR, 6 doubles, 3 triples, 8 RBI, 0.5 WAR
Kirwan made this team for his glove. He is a phenomenal defender that can play multiple positions in the infield. Offensively, he doesn’t have much to offer, but he can be called upon late in games as a pinch runner, which is a plus. He’s nothing more than a role player, but he’s extremely good at what he does, and that’s exactly what we want out of him.

Outfielders

Starting LF: Jorge Alvarado
2033 Stats: .320/.342/.542, 23 HR, 24 doubles, 4 triples, 72 RBI, 14 SB, 5.0 WAR
Alvarado is considered by many to be one of the two best left fielders in the league. In his 4 years as a pro he’s been named the NL Rookie of the Year, he’s won 2 Gold Gloves, he’s been selected to 2 All-Star games, and he finished 3rd in MVP voting in 2032. He’s a bit of a free swinger, but he’s tough to strike out because of his fantastic hand-eye coordination. He has tremendous power and when he turns on a pitch he can send it a long, long way. He’s also an incredibly hard worker that gets the most out of his skills.

Starting CF: Jose Delgado
2033 Stats: .324/.387/.464, 10 HR, 30 doubles, 52 RBI, 22 SB, 3.1 WAR
Not much was expected out of Delgado last season when he was asked to help out in the outfield. He shocked everyone with his production and went on to win the NL Rookie of the Year award. Delgado was the type of player that everyone seemed to want, but that no one wanted to hold on to. He was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2028 draft by Colorado, then he was traded to the White Sox, where he was then traded to Houston, before finally being traded to us. He was never highly rated by scouts and when we signed him, we expected him to be nothing more than organizational depth. But he proved everyone wrong and had an amazing 2033 season. Now the question is whether or not he can maintain that production.

Starting RF: Edouard Kieffer
2033 Stats: .239/.309/.363, 10 HR, 29 doubles, 5 triples, 59 RBI, 11 SB, 2.3 WAR
Despite a down season last year, Kieffer enters 2034 rated as the 3rd best right fielder in the league. He’s a former All-Star and a 2-time Gold Glove winner. This season, we want to see some consistency out of Kieffer. At this point, we just don’t know what to expect from him. Half the time he’s a .280 hitter, the other half he’s a .250 hitter. Half the time he hits 20+ HR, half the time he only hits 10. We’re hoping that he can start to develop a consistent approach at the plate, and our coaching staff has been working with him during the offseason to try and make that happen.

Backup: Jose Santos
2033 Stats: .196/.218/.304, 0 HR, 4 doubles, 4 triples, 11 RBI, 9 SB, -1.2 WAR
Santos is a player that we’ve been high on for a while, but were just waiting on to develop. He struggled last season when he was called up, but prior to that, he was hitting .351 in AA over 95 games. He has phenomenal speed and is a solid defender. He doesn’t have any homerun power to speak of, but he can drive balls into the gap, and with his speed, he can stretch singles into doubles and doubles into triples. He’s not good enough to start for us, but he’s more than able to fill in for our starters when they need a rest.

Starting Pitchers

Gustavo Spotelli
2033 Stats: 11-13, 223.2 IP, 3.38 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 217 K, 4.0 WAR
Spotelli is considered by experts to be one of the top 10 pitchers in the league. He’s a flamethrower and consistently hovers around 100 MPH with his fastball. He keeps hitters off balanced with a bat breaking cutter, a deceptive forkball, and a solid change. He’s a 3-time All-Star and finished 2nd in Cy Young voting in 2032.

Bob Jone
2033 Stats: 18-6, 194.1 IP, 2.87 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 172 K, 4.0 WAR
Jone is a grizzled veteran that knows how to pitch. He’s throws a fastball in the low 90s and effectively mixes in a cutter and a curve that can fool even the best hitters. Jone’s history is a story of two tales. On one hand, he was a 10th round draft pick in 2017 that no one expected much out of. In that regard, he has far exceeded expectations throughout his career. On the other hand, in 2021 he was named the #6 prospect in baseball, but he never lived up to that tremendous potential. So in that regard, he’s been a bit of a disappointment. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a good pitcher, but he’s never been able to take that next step and become a great one – he’s only ever shown glimpses. Still, he’s enjoyed a long and successful career, and we’re looking to him to produce another season like last year.

Raul Barosio
2033 Stats: 14-9, 180.0 IP, 3.75 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 128 K, 1.4 WAR
Barosio is a name that should be familiar to Padres fans. He made his debut with the club in 2025, and in his first year as a starter, 2027, he finished 3rd in Cy Young voting. He was traded by the club in an attempt to bring in more offense, and after 2 years away from San Diego, he was re-signed as a free agent. Barosio is a quality arm, but it’s obvious that he’s on the back side of his career. He still throws in the low to mid 90s, and he’s got four quality pitches. He has superb control, but his pitches don’t have the same bite that they used to, and the ball seems to find the bat a bit more often these days. He pitched well last season, but, as a starter, set career worsts in K, BB, WHIP, WAR, tied his lowest innings pitched, and posted his second worst FIP. He’s not the pitcher he used to be, but he’s still a quality mid to backend starter.

Adrian Gonzalez
2033 Stats: 10-8, 167.1 IP, 3.07 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 158 K, 2.9 WAR
Gonzalez has experienced a resurgence since coming to San Diego. The former Cy Young winner has looked more like his old self over the past two seasons with the Padres. The veteran can still bring the heat, throwing his cutter in the mid 90s and breaking bats with the best of them. His pitches don’t have the movement that they used to, but they remain hard to square up.

Antonio Mendoza
2033 Stats: 10-10, 168.0 IP, 4.13 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 137 K, 0.7 WAR
Mendoza regressed last season, but that’s not to say that he pitched poorly – he just didn’t do as well as we would have hoped. He’s an in betweener – he’s too good to come out of the pen, but he’s not really starter material either. He’s throws in the mid 90s and has some wicked stuff with good control. But he has to rely heavily on changing speeds because everything he throws is just a little flat. He’s got a very effective fastball and a Hoffman-esque changeup, but his third pitch, a curve, leaves a lot to be desired. We don’t really have a better option yet, so he’s our guy for now.

Relievers

Middle Relief: Tadaaki Maeda
2033 Stats: 66 G, 94.0 IP, 2.68 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 101 K, 1.0 WAR
Maeda has bounced back and forth between the pen and the starting rotation, but 2033 showed that coming in for relief is where Maeda feels most comfortable. The experts aren’t too high on him, but there is a lot to like about the 28 year old. He’s got good stuff with average movement and control. He throws a cutter in the low to mid 90s, he’s got a plus curve, and a superb changeup. He doesn’t have that wow factor, but he knows how to pitch and was our go to guy in the pen last season.

Middle Relief: Juan Diaz
2033 Stats: 16 G, 23.0 IP, 2.35 ERA, 0.57 WHIP, 26 K, 0.2 WAR
Diaz had a rough spring in 2033 and didn’t make the opening day roster. But he found his form in AAA, and he pitched very well in limited action once we called him up. He brings the heat with 96-98 MPH on his fastball, and he’s got a wicked curve that’ll lock up even the best hitters. We’re still waiting for him to put it all together, but there’s a lot to like about him.

Middle Relief: Edwin Harvey
2033 Stats: 20 SV, 41 G, 34.1 IP, 4.19 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 25 K, 0.2 WAR
A strong spring performance earned Harvey the role of closer last year, but he was unable to maintain his form once the regular season came around. He ended up getting injured, and consequently, has lost his job as the team’s closer. Still, he’s just 24 and is still good enough to be with the team. He throws in the mid to high 90s, he’s got good stuff with good movement on his pitches, and he’s got average control. He has two solid pitches, and if he reaches his potential, they could be a devastating duo.

Setup: Cristo Gutierrez
2033 Stats: N/A
Gutierrez is a guy we’ve been waiting on for a few years now, and he finally seems ready for the big show. He’s another 24 year old arm in our pen, he throws in the mid 90s, and he’s got wicked stuff with three pitches. We’re very excited to see what this kid can bring to the table once the regular season gets underway.

Setup: Kevin Lee
2033 Stats: 91 G, 83.1 IP, 3.02 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 88 K, 1.2 WAR
Lee has probably been our best and most consistent reliever since he entered the league in 2027. At age 32, he’s the veteran of the pen and he inspires the younger guys with his work ethic and leadership skills. He throws in the high 90s with fantastic stuff, good movement, and great control on all of his pitches.

Closer: David Gonzalez
2033 Stats: 21 SV, 37 G, 40.1 IP, 1.79 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 38 K, 0.6 WAR
When Harvey went down with an injury, it was Gonzalez who stepped up and assumed the role of closer – and he did not disappoint. He’s another young pitcher that we had been waiting for since we drafted him (4th overall in 2029). He’s got nasty, nasty stuff that’s headlined by a 97-99 MPH cutter. He also has a top notch slider that he’s not afraid to go to in any count. Good movement on his pitches and decent control. This will be his first full season with the club, and we are looking forward to it.

[Sundance]

Minor League System Rank: 7th
Top Overall Prospect – OF Tony Rocha (Boston)

LHP Vic Rheaume – Age: 24 – Organization Rank: 1 – MLB Rank: 6
2033 Stats: (AAA) 12-2, 3.29 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 113 K, 2.2 WAR
OSA projects him to be a back end starter, but I could see him mid-rotation or better. Decent stuff, good movement, and projects to have good control. He hits 97-99 MPH on his fastball, he’s got a very good curveball and an average splitter that should get better. The only thing holding him back at this point is his control. As soon as he gets that sorted out, he should be in contention for a call up.

OF Luis Cortez – Age: 18 – Organization Rank: 2 – MLB Rank: 30
2033 Stats: (A) .295/.333/.419, 2 HR, 5 doubles, 14 RBI, 0.6 WAR
Cortez projects to be a solid, yet unspectacular pro. He makes good contact with average power. He expands the zone too often, but he always seems to get a piece of the ball, so he’s a tough out. Plus speed with great instincts on the base paths. Solid glove with a canon for an arm.

LHP Antonio Garcia – Age: 21 – Organization Rank: 3 – MLB Rank: 31
2033 Stats: (SA) 5-4, 3.20 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 63 K, 1.6 WAR
OSA projects him to be a backend starter, and I agree. He gets incredible movement on all of his pitches, but doesn’t always know where the ball will end up once it leaves his hand. He throws an ever improving sinker in the mid 90s with a changeup and a splitter. Batters have an extremely difficult time hitting anything in the air off of this guy.

SS Artie Hall – Age: 22 – Organization Rank: 4 – MLB Rank: 60
2033 Stats: (A) .262/.324/.489, 23 HR, 31 doubles, 63 RBI, 14 SB, 3.8 WAR
Should have a long career. Good contact hitter that lives in the gaps. He’s got enough power to punish pitchers when they make a mistake. Plus speed and great instincts. Great glove and can play multiple positions in the infield. He’s a natural leader and makes the players around him better.

RHP Romaric Jouve – Age: 24 – Organization Rank: 5 – MLB Rank: 105
2033 Stats: (AAA) 2-7, 4.00 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 70 K, 1.7 WAR
Most experts agree – Jouve has reached his potential. But that’s not necessarily the greatest news for us. There’s a lot to like about this kid. He throws in the mid 90s, he gets good movement on his pitches, he can paint the corners, and he has three solid pitches. But he struggles to put hitters away and pitches to contact. He’ll need a very solid defense behind him in order for him to be productive. 5th starter material.

1B Ron Lambright – Age: 21 – Organization Rank: 6 – MLB Rank: 107
2033 Stats: (A) .298/.358/.488, 7 HR, 11 doubles, 20 RBI, 1.5 WAR
Ichiro-esque in the sense that he expands the zone, but somehow finds a way to get a hit out of it. He’s got good gap power, and enough homerun power to hurt pitchers when they make a mistake. He’s slow and not a very good runner, so expect coaches to be conservative with him on the base paths. He’s also a defensive liability, so his bat is the only thing that will get him to the next level.

LHP Jared Best – Age: 21 – Organization Rank: 7 – MLB Rank: 108
2033 Stats: N/A
Throws in the mid 90s with three big league ready pitches and a fourth that’s improving. He’s got good control, but his pitches come in a little flat and he has trouble striking out batters. He’s a flyball pitcher, and with his lack of effective stuff, it’s easy to see a number of those flyballs turning into homeruns. He’s a backend starter at best.

1B Antonio Sanchez – Age: 20 – Organization Rank: 8 – MLB Rank: 120
2033 Stats: (SA) .235/.306/.439, 13 HR, 20 doubles, 39 RBI, 0.1 WAR
Sanchez is a guy I see moving up the rankings as he gets older. He projects to make good contact with good power, and while he doesn’t have the greatest plate discipline, he’s not going to kill you at the plate either. He’ll need to hit if he wants to play in the big leagues because he’s even slower than Lambright and an even bigger defensive liability.

C Dan Martin – Age: 24 – Organization Rank: 9 – MLB Rank: 133
2033 Stats: (AAA) .267/.328/.472, 19 HR, 14 doubles, 54 RBI, 2.3 WAR
Martin is MLB ready. He’s average across the board, but he strikes out all too often. On our roster, he’s backup material, but I could see him as a starter for one of the bottom half teams. He’ll probably be called up to backup Rodriguez at some point this season.

RHP Jin-Oong Kang – Age: 26 – Organization Rank: 10 – MLB Rank: 174
2033 Stats: N/A
He throws in the mid to high 90s with three big league ready pitches and a changeup that he’d be better off forgetting. He’s got average control, but below average stuff and movement on his pitches. I can’t see him any higher than a 4th or 5th starter.

[Sundance]

Opening Day lineups for 2034