The 2012 season was a sub-par season for the San Diego Padres. The team finished 4th in the NL west with a 76-86 record. The Padres were never in contention the whole season, but they battled with teams to have a slightly below .500 record. A bright spot for the team came at third base with the rise of Chase Headley, who had a monster season, being an All-Star and winning a gold glove. In 2013 this Padres team looks to obtain a record over .500. The team has some young unknown talent, that if performs well can help this team have a winning record.
Padres Hitting
The Padres lineup contains a potential league MVP Chase Headley. Last season Headley won a gold glove at third base, he also made the all star game, and he had 31 Home Runs and 115 RBI. If Headley can keep this up, and the young padres hitters can get on base this team can be better then people expect in 2013. The Padres are hoping that young talented Cameron Maybin can fully develop into the player he was suppose to be, when he was listed as a top prospect a couple years back. They are also hoping Everth Cabrera can raise his OBP because last season he had 44 SB. Finally the team is hoping that Carlos Quentin can return to all star form from a couple years back. If these 4 important players in the Padres lineup perform, and improve their numbers from last season the Padres can be a surprise in the NL this season.
Padres Project Lineup
1. Everth Cabrera SS
2. Will Venable RF
3. Chase Headley 3B
4. Yonder Alonso 1B
5. Carlos Quentin LF
6. Cameron Maybin CF
7. Nick Hundley C
8. Logan Forsythe 2B
9. Pitcher
Padres Pitching
The Padres pitching staff includes ace Edinson Volquez. Volquez had an offseason last year having a 4.14 ERA. In order for the Padres to win this needs to change. Edinson a strikeout pitcher has potential to be a top ace in the league because he has nasty pitches. Other pitchers in the rotation include Clayton Richard, Jason Marquis, Eric Stults, and Andrew Cashner. The Padres are hoping Eric Stults can pitch as well as he did last season. In 2012 he was 8-3 with a 2.92 ERA. They also need Andrew Cashner to have a big season as a number 5 pitcher if they have any chance of winning this divison.
Padres Starting Rotation
1. Edinson Volquez
2. Clayton Richard
3. Jason Marquis
4. Eric Stults
5. Andrew Cashner
The Padres bullpen has star closer Huston Street who in the 2012 season finished with 23 saves and a 1.85 ERA. If the Padres have a lead in the 9th inning it will be hard to beat them in the 2013 season thanks to Streets closing abilities. Besides Street the bullpen is very suspect. Other relief pitchers include set up man Luke Gregerson, Brad Brach, Joe Thatcher, and Anthony Bass. All of these guys except Luke Gregerson. Gregerson is a perfect set up man for closer Street. In 2012 Gregerson had 9 saves and a 2.39 ERA. The key for the Padres to win is to get the game into the 8th and 9th inning with a lead and it will be difficult to beat this team in 2013, thanks to the back end of the pen.
Padres season Schedule Break Down
The San Diego Padres 2013 schedule includes many games vs the NL West opponents as usual. This means the Padres will play multiple games vs the World Series champion San Francisco Giants, along with the much improved Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies, and Arizona Diamondbacks. The San Diego Padres true rival has been the Los Angeles Dodgers since both teams play in a very close vicinity to each other. For interleague play the Padres take on the AL East which includes the Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue jays, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, and Boston Red Sox. The other interleague team they face is the Seattle Mariners.
Padres Key Additions
OF Travis Buck
RHP Wilfredo Boscan
RHP Tyson Ross
Key Departures
IF Andy Parrino
LHP Andrew Werner
Prediction
The Padres don’t have enough in the 2013 season to compete with the World Champion San Francisco Giants and the star filled Los Angeles Dodgers. This Padres team is a middle of the pact team and has a good chance of being a .500 baseball team, if the young players hit, and injury plague doesn’t bite them.
San Diego Padres Season Schedule 2013
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