“Padres-Mid Season Report Card”

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They’ve reached the halfway mark in the Padres baseball season.

Some may view this team as fighting to hold on, others view it as being in a pennant race.

A mid-season report card on the roster:
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AJ PRELLER….Ownership has let him do everything he wants in terms of paying for draft picks, signing international free agents, trading for hefty contract, and paying other teams to take away bad contracts.  A 161M-payroll has positioned this team for a true pennant race run.  But it has come at a cost.  The GM has dealt away 27-prospects in the last two years, the farm system is barren right now, and there are the pitching health concerns.  Grade (B)

JAYCE TINGLER…A manager is only as good as the players given to him, and this manager has gotten the team to a point where everybody believes in them.  Only gripe, does not hold his players to any public accountability, and despite having all those smart people (analytics) in the front office, he has never mastered a way to configure a consistent batting order to play to the strengths of his high paid stars..Grade (B)

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YU DARVISH…Everything an ace is supposed to be, durable, competitive, emotionally focused…an All Star candidate and the leader of the staff.  Grade (A)

BLAKE SNELL…For 13M a year, a disappointment.  Only 8-quality starts in 15-outings and more recently, too many hits-walks-on base runners for innings pitched.  A far cry from the Cy Young Award winner who was (21-4) a couple of years back.  They need for him to be trustworthy every start.  He’s pretty defiant about criticism but the media is not the one with a (5.29-ERA)…Grade (C)

JOE MUSGROVE…Superb acquistion, showing what a maturing pitcher can be if you score runs for him.  Warrior mentality and may push himself into the #2-slot in that rotation…Tremendously trustworthy.  Grade (A)

CHRIS PADDACK…Going thru ups and downs, but arrow seems to have been pointing up with guidance from the coaching staff.  Still has not mastered all three key pitches but has stayed healthy which is a key.  Growing him may take time.  Grade (B)

DINELSON LAMET…They have tried everything to protect him from reinjurying his once surgically repaired elbow and he is out again.  The forearm-elbow issues keep coming back and you wonder if this will continue on until he blows it out again.  The wicked slider he lived off of last year is the root cause of all this and there’s seems no solution.  Grade (C)

RYAN WEATHERS…The only young prospect not to get hurt and they will need to be careful as they try to build his strength and arm durability…has no fear on the mound…Mature beyond his years with good upside.  Grade (B)

ADRIAN MOREJON…Won’t pitch till mid 2022, recovering from elbow surgery…has had 5-different arm issues in his four years coming thru the system.  He showed flashes but who knows how he comes back.  Not his fault, but this has been a bad investment.  Grade (D)

MARK MELONCAN…Doing what he did lots of other places, build up saves.  Only issue will be durability and if he can maintain  this level for the second half of he season.  Grade (A)

DREW POMERANZ…He had health issues in Milwaukee, in Boston and in his first tour of duty with the Padres and , and yet they gave him a 3-year deal, hoping he could hold up  He has not and now he is a risk.  A gamble that does not seem to be working out.  Grade (D)

CRAIG STAMMEN…What a steal, what a workhorse, what a leader, what an acquisition.  Grade (A)

EMILIO PAGAN…Not afraid to take the ball, but does give up the long ball.  More good outings than bad ones, but what happens if he does this in postseason.  Grade (B)

TIM HILL…Strong workhorse but worry about overuse.  Great matchup pitcher out of the pen.  Grade (B)

AUSTIN ADAMS…Getting better at this stage of his career, though he can get wild at times living off his sliders but they trust him and use him alot..Grade (B)

KEONE KELA…He had health issues in Pittsburgh and he had health issues with the Padres, and now he is gone.  Grade (F)

NABIL CRISMATT…Scouting saw something in him and he has filled the role more times than not…can pitch alot.  Grade (C)

PIERCE JOHNSON…Ailing right now, some good, some bad.  Grade (C)

MIGUEL DIAZ…Can bring heat, but walks batters….young guy who is not afraid of the moment…looks like there will be good upside to him if they keep him healthy…Grade (C)

MATT STRAHM…Cursed by knee problems, has yet to pitch this year, but when healthy, an important component of the bullpen brigade..but not healthy with the ongoing knee issues…Was reliable piece of bullpen..Grade (C)

DAN ALTAVILLA…Hurt and yet to contribute this year…Not doing what they saw in Seattle.  Grade (D)

NOE RAMIREZ…Everyone has to have a 13th pitcher on the staff…Does have a rubber arm…Grade (C)

MACKENZIE GORE…A long ways away, back in extended spring training with blister problems, control issues, walks, home runs…Plenty of time to figure this out, but not ready at all…Grade (C)
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VICTOR CARATINI…Strong on defense, an occassion long ball, pretty trustworthy at the position, but not much better than Austin Hedges..Grade (C)

AUSTIN NOLA…Last year’s strong short season has been negated by bad luck…Everyone speaks volumes of positives, but not on the field much this year…Grade (C)

LUIS CAMPUSANO…Not ready as prime time player…Defense was shakey, did not hit at all, future infront of him…Grade (C)
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FERNANDO TATIS…Pick an adverb, an adjective, to describe the talent, the energy, the electricity.  He is the straw that stirs the drink…Amazing ability to bounce back from getting banged up…He carries the flag of the franchise.  Grade (A)

MANNY MACHADO…So gifted, the game seems to come so easy to him…Has worked hard to shed a bad reputation from Baltimore…..Still streaky at bat…so dynamic on defense…You would hope he would be more than (.250) hitter with some power for someone making (30M) a year…Tatis arrival has forced Machado to be a more complete player..Grade (B)

JAKE CRONENWORTH…Proves what happens when you have scouts everywhere….Saw fire, intangibles and diversity…What an acquistion who does most everything well….Overachiever…Grade (B)

ERIC HOSMER…..Alot of money (30M) for a singles hitter..Likes to play…very emotionally balanced but is really overpaid…Grade (C)

TOMMY PHAM….Psycho approach to playing the game but we are seeing a strong midseason of productivity, something we saw early on with the Cardinals, not so much with Tampa, and not until 4-weeks ago with the Friars…Will see if he can continue this atop the batting order…Grade (B)

TRENT GRISHAM..Nice acquisition whom the Brewers never gave much of a chance to flourish…Top of order guy with go get the ball glove…A fine acquisition…Grade (B)

WIL MYERS…Lots of money over the years for not very consistent production…Guess will never be the star we imagined from Kansas Cito to Tampa and now at Petco Park….(20M) a year for a .250-hitter…Never grew from that first season when he had Matt Kemp in the batting order and was an All Sgar…Grade (C)

JURICKSON PROFAR…Super utility guy had lousy seasons in Texas after a quick start, then had good season last year because Preller believed in him…Not done it this year…Grade (C)

JORGE MATEO…Speed and more speed but not much of a hitter and a fill in at best…Grade (D)

HA KIM…So strong on defense, so diverse, hitting a bit better and still promise to get better….Fills so many roles and seems to really enjoy the game….Having Darvish on the roster has likely helped with his acclimation to playing in the majors…Grade (B)

WEBSTER RIVAS…Workman like career minor leaguer, glad to be in the show finally…Grade (C)

BRIAN O’GRADY…Expected more since trade from Tampa, got less..stuck at El Paso..Grade (D)

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SUMMARY….Said they would go (93-69) and they have (47) wins so far as they turn the corner for the second half of the year.  ..The schedule has been brutal, 17-games in a row, 20-games in a row, 31-games in 33-days…They still have 2- 10-game road trips left on the schedule, plus a 6-ame junked the final weekend of the season against the Giants and Dodgers….There are still 2-trips to Chavez Ravine on the schedule….They have blasted the bad teams in baseball, but are just (21-23) against teams with winning records, so there is something they have to prove.

The injury totals to the pitching looms big…Could they be a buyer at the trade deadline but you have to pay to get, and how many more prospects can Preller afford to give up?

GRADES…..36-Players graded
(A)..5
(B)..10
(C)..15
(D)..5
(F)..1

(GPA) 2.3

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