San Diego Padres - The Covid-19 Years (2020-2029)

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2020

Decade

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Titles:

Top Padres Players of the Twenty Twenties

2020 - WC Beat St. Louis; NLDS Lost to LA

2022 - WC beat Mets; NLDS beat LA; NLCS Lost to Philly

Pitchers:

2024 - WC beat Atlanta; NLDS Lost to LA

Yu Darvish (8.55) - 26

Joe Musgrove (10.58) - 23

Ballpark:

Blake Snell (9.44) - 19

Petco Park

Dylan Cease (4.2) - 12

Josh Hader (1.43) - 12

Team Name:

Mark Melancon (2.12) - 12

Padres

Michael King (4.1) - 11

Robert Suarez (3.43) - 11

Owner:

Michael Wacha (2,4) - 8

Consortium led by Ronald Fowler and Peter Seidler

Zach Davies (1.64) - 8

Chris Paddack (-0.44) - 8

General Managers:

Taylor Rogers (-0.17) - 7

AJ Preller

Nick Martinez (2.56) - 5

Sean Manea (-0.83) - 5

Managers:

Jayce Tingler (2020-2021)

Catchers:

Bob Melvin (2022-2023)

Austin Nola (2.73) - 4

Mike Schildt (2024-2025)

Luis Campusano (-0.24) - 3

Gary Sanchez (2.5) - 3

Hall of Famers:

None

First Basemen:

Jake Cronenworth (13.54) - 23

Rookie of the Year:

Eric Hosmer (3.21) - 13

None

Second Basemen:

MVP

Xander Bogaerts (5.6) - 15

None

Luis Arraez (1) - 6

No Hitters:

ShortStop:

2021 - Joe Musgrove (Texas)

Ha-Seong Kim (15.51) - 30

Cy Young:

Third Base:

2023 - Blake Snell

Manny Machado (21.12) - 45

2024 - Dylan Cease

Outfield:

Notable Events:

Fernando Tatis (17.5) - 41

Trent Grisham (10.38) - 29

2020 - After nine years of losing seasons, most well below .500, San Diego

Jurickson Profar (8.52) - 18

turns it around in the Covid shortened '20 season seeing their record move

Jackson Merrill (4.4) - 13

to a posh 37-23 mark (which extrapolates to 100-62 in a full schedule).

Juan Soto (7.41) - 11

The difference was that San Diego started to spend. In 2019, they surprised

Will Myers (3.88) - 10

everybody signing high priced star 3B Manny Machado away from the Dodgers.

In 2019, superstar twenty year old SS Fernando Tatis, who had been stolen

Notable Events:

from the White Sox three years earlier, came up as a rookie and went

22-53-.317 with 16 stolen bases. In 2020, the Padres added pitchers Mike

2024 - After making it to the ALCS in '22 and bringing in a bunch of high

Clevinger, 29, from Cleveland and Zach Davies. 27, from Milwaukee.

priced free agents for '23, expectations were high, championship high.

Instead the Padres laid an egg and have abandoned the high priced

□ The owner of the Padres is a consortium led by Ronald Fowler and Peter Seidler

star route. Losing revenue on their TV contract and their high spending

who bought the club in '12. The consortium looked like the typical shallow

owner Peter Seidler made the decision to pull back on spending a

pockets ownership San Diego has traditionally had until '19 when they

foregone conclusion. San Diego traded away their best hitter, young

started spending. Unclear what prompted ownership to reverse course and

slugger Juan Soto to the Yankees for a couple of quality pitching prospects.

let go of the purse strings, but it was great news for San Diego fans.

They let go in free agency stud closer Josh Hader (33 saves). Starter

Michael Wacha (14-4), starter Blake Snell (14-9) and Seth Lugo (8-7).

□ AJ Preller was brought on as GM in '14. After floundering for a number of years,

The two youngsters from the Yankees, Michael King (4-8) and Randy

he has been at the forefront of the San Diego turnaround in '20. It has helped

Vasquez (2-3) plus veteran Dylan Cease (7-9), acquired from the White Sox,

him, big time, that the Padres purse strings were loosened considerably

have some pretty big shoes to fill. Robert Suarez who had a 4.33 ERA

over the last couple of years.

last year will attempt to replace Josh Hader. Good luck with that.

On offense, the Padres will struggle to retain last year's mediocrity now

□ Jayce Tingler was hired as manager in '20. He's a new age type of

that Soto is gone. They have three studs in 3B Machado, OF Tatis and

manage and young at 38 years old. He speaks fluent Spanish.

SS Bogaerts, who should all do better than last year. However, after them,

He has a lot of experience managing Latin players in the Dominican Winter

the offensive talent drops off a cliff.

and Summer leagues. Unfortunately for Jayce, he lasted only two seasons

San Diego has a group of quality minor league prospects, but they are

as he was the one who had to fall on his sword after the 79-83 '21 season.

not major league ready: C Ethan Salas; SS Jackson Merrill; OF Samuel

Veteran Bob Melvin, a traditional sort, took Tingler's place.

Zavala; P Dylan Lesko and P Robby Snelling

The outlook is non-contention for San Diego.

2021 - The bumpy ride begins. Despite spending big on their pitching staff,

bringing in Yu Darvish, 34, from Texas, Blake Snell, 27, from Tampa,

2025 - The Padres looked like they were trending downward in '24, but

Joe Musgrove, 28, from the Pirates and closer Mark Melancon, 36, from

instead gained thirteen games in the standings in '24 and made it to the

the Braves, the staff actually goes from giving up 4 runs per game in '20

playoffs losing to the champion Dodgers.

to 4.5 runs per game in '21 and the team falls under .500. This was a huge

Funny thing, altho' the Padres lost a bunch of significant players, they ended

surprise and it cost manager Jayce Tingler his head.

up with almost identical run totals to 2023. They overachieved on their run

differentials slightly in '24 after horrifically underachieving on them in 2023.

2022 - The Padres double down on their spending. They add LHP Sean

Manaea, 30, from the A's before the start of the season and then score a couple

2025 Pitching:

of blockbusters landing twenty three year old super superstar Juan Soto, 23, from

This would have been a pretty decent rotation for '25 if Joe Musgrove

Washington and stud closer Josh Hader, 28, from Milwaukee at the trade

hadn't gotten hurt. Instead, it's just sort of OK.

deadline. San Diego yo-yo's up to an 89-73 mark and the arrow is

Newcomers Dylan Cease, R-29, and Michael King, R-30, slotted in very

definitely pointing up. The pitching staff knocks the half a run a game it added

nicely at the top of the Padres rotation going a combined 27-20 3.25.

in '21 back down to four runs per game given up.

Matt Waldron, 28, was promoted from within and somewhat surprisingly

held his own going 7-11 4.91 and Randy Vazquez, 26, the other guy obtained

2023 - The Padres make another splash in the off season signing star SS

from the Yankees in the Juan Soto trade also managed to stay afloat at

Xander Bogaerts, 30, and RHP Michael Wacha, 31, both from the Red Sox

4-7 4.87. Ancient Yu Darvish, 38, was still effective at 7-3 3.31. A big blow

and they add 3B Matt Carpenter, 37, from the Cards. They have an all star

to the Padres was ace Joe Musgrove, 32, 6-5 3.38 going down and

semi circular lineup and a high priced talented pitching rotation and a stud closer.

undergoing Tommy John surgery. He will be unavailable in 2025.

Expectations are very high for the Padres to contend with perennial hundred

The Padres signed Nick Pivetta, 32, FA from Boston, to a four year $55 million

game winners, the Dodgers, for supremacy in the NL West.

deal to fill Musgrove's spot in the rotation. He was 6-12 4.14 last year.

2023 - The Padres lay an egg going 82-80. They were expected, with the

2025 HItting:

roster they had, to win around a hundred. Very disappointing for San Diego.

When healthy and playing up to their potential the Padres have something

The Padres run totals indicated a 92-70 record while not what was expected

of a murderers row in the middle of their lineup.

would have made their season palatable as they would at least have made

3B Manny Machado, 32, 29 105 .275 is a stud. OF Fernando Tatis, 26, has

the playoffs. Usually when a team underachieves this badly, it is because

fallen off a cliff since coming back from his PED extension at 21 49 .276.

their closer was a disaster, blowing one close game after another. That wasn't

The Padres need him to return to his former studliness.

the case here. Closer Josh Hader was brilliant with 33 saves on a 1.28 ERA.

Jackson Merrill, 22, is the next stud at 24 90 .292, numbers that would

The pitching staff overall ranked second in the National League and gave up

normally have gotten him Rookie of the Year. As it is, you have to feel there

a hundred runs under the league average. The starters went 54-33. The culprit

will definitely be awards in his future. Luis Arraez, 28, is a flat out hitter.

was the bullpen depth beyond the excellent starters and closer. They had a

He hit .318 last year and has three batting titles under his belt.

combined 28-47 record and blew one game after the other in the middle innings.

SS Xander Bogaerts, 32, battled with shoulder problems last year and

The Padres also supposedly had a circular all star lineup, but managed to score

had a sub par 11 44 .264 stat line. He is much better than that.

only four runs over the league norm. Juan Soto pulled his weight with a .930 OPS.

1B Jake Cronenworth, 31, 17 81 .231 is a decent bat that helps solidify

But nobody else was over .800. Stars 3B Machado, SS Bogaerts, OF Tatis and

the lineup a bit. Losing OF Jurickson Profar to free agency hurts.

C Sanchez all had decent years, but not star quality seaons.