Fantasy Forces:
1B-Ryan Klesko (31)- After lumbering around in right field at the start of last year, Klesko gets to settle back into his old stomping
grounds at first. He hit .300 in a full season for the first time in his career while continuing to improve against lefties, the demon
that kept him in a platoon role in Atlanta. He is one of the league's best fastball hitters and is getter better at hitting to all
fields although most of his power comes from pulling the ball. With Nevin back in the cleanup spot, there is no reason to expect a let
down in 2003.
LF-Phil Nevin (32)- Aiming to duplicate his monstrous '01 season, Nevin was sizzling until a broken humerous punched him out until
the break. When he returned he was an effective hitter but struggled to drive the ball, weakened by the injury. Strangely, he
became more willing to go with the outside pitch rather than try to come around on it, something he was unwilling to do in the past.
While he is supposedly 100% heading into spring training, it may take a little time for him to regain his old power stroke.
Supporting Cast:
RF-Brian Buchanon (29)- Out of the shadow of Minnesota's onslaught of young outfielders, Buchanon got a brief chance to show his stuff
over the final two months of 2002 for the Padres. He responded with quality numbers across the board, giving glimpses of his minor
league production. With Bubba Trammell hitting just .213 versus righties, Buchanon will take over the heavy side of a platoon and
should be a steady producer.
C- Wiki Gonzalez (28)- After inheriting the starting job from the departed Ben Davis and getting a four-year contract to boot,
Gonzalez showed up to camp fat and out of shape, resulting in a miserablely unproductive year through injuries and backup duty.
Believed to have 20-homerun potential, Gonzalez boasted recently he was in the best shape of his life and has taken a new lease on his
baseball career. As insurance, the Padres acquired prospect Mike Rivera from Detroit, putting the pressure on the
holdover.
SP-Kevin Jarvis (33)- Jarvis was a full-time starter for the first time in his much-traveled eight year career in '01 but
lasted only seven starts last year before elbow surgery shut him down for the season. With a wide repetoire of average stuff, Jarvis
will be ready for spring training. Considering his age and talent level prior to the injury, it may be difficult to achieve the levels
he set in '01, mediocre as they were and he will soon be pushed aside by one of the many young arms coming up through the Padres lower
ranks.
CF-Mark Kotsay (27)- Having turned 27 in the offseason and going on his 7th season, Kotsay had his finest moment last year as
he reached career highs in hits and homeruns while hitting primarily second. There is concern, however, due to the 41 point loss in
average after the break in exchange for his added homerun output. Nonetheless, he will hit second once again and could have his best
season yet. If Vazquez can't hold down the leadoff spot, he will find himself moving up.
2B-Mark Loretta (31)- Though Loretta will open at second, he is versatile enough to fill in across the infield and may be reserved
for backup should Kahlil Greene win the shortstop job, pushing Vazquez to second. In the meantime, he is a steady hitter who knows how
to get on base and can be an effective leadoff hitter despite average speed. While Bochy seems committed to the youth movement,
Loretta will continue to rack up ABs.
SS- Ramon Vazquez (26)- Acquired in the Davis deal prior to '02, Vazquez enjoyed an up and down rookie season but was impressive in
nearly 300 ABs as a leadoff hitter, where he will settle this season. Although he strikes out a tad too much, he could develop the
double digit power to justify it and can become an effective basestealer as well. Patient at the plate, he is not done developing and
should have this season to groom his game even more. Greene's development will dictate Vazquez's future, which may be as a pivotman,
but he will find a spot somewhere.
RP-Jay Witasick (30)- Towers traded for Witasick to serve as set-up man but may have a much bigger role for him with Hoffman's
delayed arrival. Though he only has one career save and a dismal record in big game situations, the veteran lives off heat and held
opponents to a .138 average in the clutch. While it is not known when Hoffman will be back, Witasick could be an effective
fill-in. Brandon Villafuerte is sure to challenge for the job as well.
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Better Days Ahead:
SP-Brian Lawrence (26)- Lawrence carried the success of his rookie season into a full-time role and led the Padres in nearly every
pitching category. Using a variety of offspeed pitches and the highest groundball/flyball ratio in the majors, he racked up 210
innings but ran into trouble in the latter months as he became fatigued from the load; he should steer clear of the same fade this
season. Of more concern is the .324 average lefties posted against him as opposing managers stacked their lineups when facing
him. In '01, Larence held lefties to a .281 average, 43 points lower than last season, and you should expect him to get back that
number back down this year. It will help the control freak even more if he commits himself to throwing more balls early in the counts
but should see big growth in '02.
3B-Sean Burroughs (22)- Seated in the hot corner out of camp, Burroughs suffered a series of nagging injuries that sent him spiraling
to a dismal first two months. Recalled in September the highly touted rookie hit .377 the final month, revealing the hitters mentality
that made him the 9th overall pick in '98. Healthy and ready to go, Burroughs will once again open as the Padres third baseman.
Eventually he will be a yearly 20-HR hitter but a potential batting title may come sooner.
SP-Adam Eaton (25)- Once the stud of the Padres pitching prospects, Eaton underwent Tommy John surgery halfway through his sophomore
season and returned in time to toss in 6 late season starts in '02. With a great deal of success in his last three starts, he will go
into spring a year and a half off of the surgery, the normal time period before full recovery. Although he will need to rebuild his
arm strength early in the season, Eaton will get back to putting his name among the top young pitchers in the game.
OF-Xavier Nady (24)- Like Eaton, Nady returned from '01 Tommy John surgery, going back to Class A before jettisoning all the way to
Triple A after bashing 13 homeruns in 169 ABs. He continued to dump balls beyond the fence, totaling 23 in less thant 500 ABs on
his return. While he needs to develop his pitch selection and become more patient at the plate, he will challenge for playing time
with Buchanon and Trammell. A versatile fielder who can play the corners in both the infield and outfield, Nady is likely to start at
Triple A though before a second half callup.
SP-Jake Peavy (21)- With members of the Padres' rotation making continuous trips to the infirmary, Peavy was thrown in much quicker
than the club preferred. He didn't disappoint though as he shut down righties to the tune of a .223 average. Compared to Greg
Maddux in many circles, he has a better fastball but less control but eventually could develop into a top-of-the-rotation pitcher.
Another year of minor league seasoning would have been beneficial in '02 but now that he is here he will stay and be a key component in the
Padres youthful dynamic rotation.
SP-Oliver Perez (21)- As with Peavy, the Padres had planned on letting Perez get another year of seasoning in leagues before mass
injuries derailed their plans. Also as with Peavy, Perez didn't disappoint, flashing sparks of brilliance including a 13-strikeout
stint versus the Rockies in Coors. With a mid-90s fastball and various tweaks in his delivery, the lanky southpaw can be very
difficult to hit and even tougher to run on. Just 160 lbs, the only question is whether he can hold up over the course of the
season. We will find out this year but if he's healthy he will be a quality starter.
RP-Brandon Villafuerte (27)- After failing in Detroit and Texas, Villafuerte found himself at Portland, where he lit it up for 10
saves and a 2.02 ERA in 47 games, earning himself a promotion to the bigs. He continued his hot hand at San Diego where he developed
into one of the top set-up guys in front of Hoffman. While he is guaranteed a late inning role this season, the concerns circling
around Hoffman may slide him into a shared-closer role with Witasick.
Risky Business:
CL-Trevor Hoffman (35)- Riding an 8-year streak of 30 or more saves, the future HOFer was as good as ever last year before undergoing
offseason shoulder surgery. His recovery has not gone smooth and he continues to experience discomfort which, according to Towers, if
it persists through February will require another surgery that could sideline him for the season. This leaves a huge hole in the
Padres bullpen as well as Hoffman's future. Though he had a similar procedure earlier in his career, he is 7 years older now. On
his side, his arsenal includes perhaps the best changeup in the majors, allowing him to use a fastball in the 80s effectively.
Past Their Prime:
RF-Bubba Trammell (31)- Trammells days were numbered when Buchanon came over from Minnesota. Already relegated to the lesser half
of a platoon, he is being shadowed by super prospect Xavier Nady, Baseball America's 39th rated prospect in all of baseball. A trade
is not out of the question and could garner the slugger more playing time, although it doesn't look as if he will ever come close to the
potential he flashed as a minor leaguer. |
