Padres Spring Training Report – Apr. 2, 2015

In their final game of the 2015 Cactus League season the Padres emerged victorious over the Brewers 6-5.  In what basically amounted to a minor league game by the fourth inning there were still some nice MLB performances to note including…

• Tyson Ross – 3 scoreless innings of 2-hit work. Looked sharp and ready for his start on Tuesday agains the Dodgers.
• Yonder Alonso – Another solid day at the dish with 2 hits including a triple and 2 runs scored. Also a great scoop to finish a double play on a ridiculously tough short throw hop with english. Hope others outside the organization are starting to appreciate what he brings with his aggressive style of defense.
• Matt Kemp – 2 hits as well with an RBI and run scored.  Was consistently good all spring.
• Will Middlebrooks – 2 doubles today, one driven opposite field and the other pulled. No reason to doubt that his wrists and hands are healthy this year and he is poised to do some long ball damage at the plate this season.
• Derek Norris – Continued his hot finish to the spring with a single and double today, extending his hit streak to 7 games, while hitting a cool .578 (11/19) over that stretch run.

Two more roster moves today.  Jose Valverde requested and was given his release. It became apparent that he was not going to break camp with the big league club, and he preferred to seek an MLB opportunity elsewhere.  Not easy to find those gigs at this time of the year.  I went through it myself in the spring of ’97 and found myself pitching in the Mexican summer league for the Diablos Rojos before returning to the states later in the year and hooking up with the Padres organization. In any case, he’s been told that if he does not find an MLB opportunity somewhere he can come back and pitch for El Paso.  The other move was LHP Chris Rearick being reassigned to the minor league camp.  He had an excellent spring though, and is on the radar screen should the Pads need a lefty out of the ‘pen.

So what are the take aways from spring?

1. The moves Preller made are legit, and there is a different presence and attitude both on the field and in the clubhouse that this is a team that the rest of baseball will have to reckon with.
2. The players who were injury questions are all looking good.  Myers (wrists), and Middlebrooks (wrists) showed no signs whatsoever that they were not 100% healthy.  Alonso (forearm tendon) looks great. Quentin (knees) looked as good as we’ve seen him since joining the Pads playing the outfield, first base, and hitting with some bend in his knees in his stance again. Gyorko (plantar fasciitis last year) seems fine.  All systems go for these players.
3. Minimal major injuries to key players. The only exception was Tim Federowicz (knee), which is significant as he figured to be an important defensive piece to rest Norris, and possibly play late in the games with leads.  Hopefully he can return for the second half.
4. Core of rotation is set up as expected.  Shields, Ross, Cashner, and Kennedy will do the heavy lifting and likely Morrow will get the first chance to establish himself as the 5th man.
5. Bullpen even deeper than last year.  Not easy to say considering last year’s ‘pen was 60-1 in games the Friars were leading after the 6th.  But with the addition of Kelley and Maurer, this pen is stacked with dependable righties. Still remains to be seen whether they go with a lefty (likely Garces), or a long man (Despaigne) for the 7th spot.
6. The position battles went well with all candidates playing strong to the finish.  Middlebrooks takes the 3B job, but Solarte played excellent all spring as well securing a utility role off the bench. Myers was not unseated by Maybin for the starting CF job, but both players had good springs, and Cam played healthy and hard throughout. Both Amarista and Barmes played well all spring at SS, and are prepared to platoon.  It all went well, and the winners were as suspected.
7. Bench appears to be all set with Solarte, Nieves, Venable, and Barmes/Amarista taking the first four spots as the roster is currently constructed.  The last spot between Maybin and Quentin is still to be decided, and may hinge on whether AJP can work another trade in the last couple of days before the opener. If he does make a move it could also affect other spots than just this 5th outfielder situation.
8. The attitudes and camaraderie have appeared to be excellent from day one.  All the new faces have seemed to meld together quickly, with a good vibe and lots of interaction amongst the players.  Hopefully the gelling process is happening more quickly than some understandably feared with such an extensive roster overhaul.

All in all it was an extremely successful spring in every way, and awhile there are still some decisions to be made the guys seem ready to get the season going.

Before the fellas get it on against the Dodgers in the opener, however, the will be some more fun with the exhibition game against the afore mentioned Diablos Rojos of Mexico city, and FanFest both taking place this Saturday.  The game will be on the Mighty 1090, and not only do I hope you join us for the broadcast, but also hope I get to see you at the ballpark.

This will be my last Spring Report for this season.  Thank you so much for taking the time to read these along the way.  I hope you had as much fun reviewing them as I had putting them together, and that they were helpful in keeping you up to speed on a daily basis with what was going on in camp.

All that is left to say is that I look forward to seeing you at the ballpark, and BRING ON OPENING DAY!

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