So far San Diego’s fielding has been absolutely horrendous. The Padres are #1 in errors committed . They are making them at the astounding rate of 1.14 per game. There are no real silver linings here except that maybe there will be a regression to normal at some point. Also, Will Venable and Cameron Maybin are absolute vacuums in the outfield. So for every error these two have given up, I estimate there is at least one hit they have taken away. Sometimes they make it look so easy that no one notices how amazing their range really is.
The Padres pitching is strong, although some of this is due to the PETCO Park effect. They are currently #10 in ERA with a collective 3.42. They are #14 in WHIP with a collective 1.28. I would expect their ERA to drop further due to the PETCO Park effect. Somewhat worrying however are their road splits. They currently are ranked 26th on the road with a WHIP of 1.55.On a more positive note, three of their 5 starting pitchers have less than 2 seasons in the major leagues. So far, all three have shown the ability to get major league hitters out and have shown flashes of brilliance.
In spite of the Padres 7 and 14 start, they are still a team with a lot of potential both this year and in the future. They are very young with a lot of developing talent and one of the strongest minor league systems in baseball. Young teams like the Padres can sometimes surprise and go on great runs. Although I would not expect them to sustain anything, I do expect them to offer fans an exciting period or two during the season. Also, assuming the probable becomes reality and they are out of the race at the trading deadline; they have some great trade chips to help them build a serious contender next year. If Carlos Quentin is healthy, he will bring back some nice ballplayers. Chase Headley should also fetch a pretty price as should Edinson Volquez.
Edited by Robert Plant, 28 April 2012 - 02:18 PM.
