By: @PadresConnect
Padres 1B/DH Luke Voit has struggled early on to find his offensive stride before landing on the IL.
If a person wanted to choose a song that accurately represents the Padres early season offense they could go with a few different options.
"Patiently Waiting" by 50 Cent is an option because the fans are patiently waiting for the bats to make their way to the ballpark from Spring Training.
Another solid option is "I Miss You" by Blink 182 since that is exactly what Padres fans whisper every night as the Bally Sports crew show Fernando Tatis Jr. in the dugout.
Lastly, a fitting choice could be "Changes" by 2Pac since that's what the hitters will need to make in order for the Padres to make as much noise as they want to this season.
Pitching was, a year ago, a sore spot for the team. Injuries and underperformance ran rampant and led to a mini overhaul this offseason with the addition of Sean Mannaea, the call up of Mackenzie Gore, and the signing of Nick Martinez.
However, in 2022, it has been the hitting that has plagued the Friars as they are currently ranked 21st in AVG, 16th in OPS, and 18th in Slugging pct. That is hardly what AJ Preller had in mind when trading for Luke Voit, calling up CJ Abrams, bringing in new hitting coach Michael Brdar, and bringing on veteran skipper Bob Melvin to hopefully get the most out of the Padres roster.
While at times it seems as if the outlook is bleak for the Padres offense, the friar faithful can take solace in the fact that not all is lost. There is a clear, and very realistic, path forward for the Padres offense to get the crust out of their eyes and awaken fear in the competition of the NL West.
#1 - The Return of Fernando Tatis Jr
The number one, indisputable, without a doubt, sure fire way for the Padres to get better on offense is for Fernando Tatis Jr to come back to the lineup. Unless the Padres have concocted a mystic potion that heals wrists overnight then they have to wait 1-2 months still for Fernando to come back. Last year, Tatis hit .282 with 42 homeruns and 97 RBIs. Insert that kind of production into the lineup and the San Diego offense is instantly more dangerous.
#2 - Established Hitters Must Reach/Get Close to their Career Averages
Here's a quick review of the batting averages for some of the key hitters in the Padres lineup: Trent Grisham (.130), Jake Cronenworth (.203), Wil Myers (.204), Austin Nola (.220), and Luke Voit (.143).
It's understandable if Padres fans want to close their eyes reading that last paragraph because it's as rough as your awkward middle school years but the facts still remain.
However, as a sliver of positivity, these averages are far below each one of those players career numbers. If the track record of each player prevails, it's only a matter of time before these numbers more accurately reflect the quality of hitter these Padres have proven to be over the course of their careers.
#3 - Unexpected Contributors Continue to Hit Stride
Since signing with San Diego, Eric Hosmer has been a mixed bag in terms of performance. Much has been made of his offense, defense, and advanced metrics. As no stranger to trade rumors, there was a lot of talk about Hos not being on this team come opening day.
However, as fate would have it, Hosmer is still in a Padres uniform and thank the baseball Gods he is. As of the writing of this article, Hosmer is leading the team with a .379 average and tied for the team lead with 22 hits.
To expect Hosmer to hit .379 over the course of 162 games is to hope the Chargers come back to San Diego (it's not happening, friends). However, if Hosmer can hit anything near that for the year the Padres will take that 100/100 times.
Additionally, Jurickson Profar has started the season hot on both sides of the ball. Playing stellar defense (5 outfield assists and 0 errors in 17 starts) while leading the team in home runs (4) is not something the Padres had on their bingo card but will take regardless.
Unexpected contributors such as Profar and Hosmer have lessened the burden in the absence of Tatis Jr and have helped pace the offense along with mainstay Manny Machado.
San Diego is, undoubtedly, looking to get more out of their offense early on this year. But the season is long. There is a clear path forward for the Padres bats to instill confidence in the fanbase and fear in their opponents.
The Padres are kicking off a road trip on 4/26 where they play 4 teams with an exact .500 record or worse and will thus undoubtedly look to make up ground in an already stacked NL West.
Thank you for reading! Padres Connect exists for the purpose of providing insight, sparking conversation, and discussing the team we all love without having to pay to subscribe. We believe Padres baseball talk should be accessible to everyone and serve as a supplement to following the game we know and love. If there's a topic you'd like us to dive into please shoot us a DM @padresconnect on Twitter or send us an email to padresconnect@gmail.com.
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