The San Diego Padres are 38-51, and currently sit in fourth place in the NL West. They are 18.5 games behind the division-leading San Francisco Giants, who hold one of the best records in baseball. It’s very evident that the Padres are sitting in somewhat of a dormant state, after trading for big names like Justin Upton, Craig Kimbrel, and Matt Kemp. Trading for superstars got them nowhere, and now they are once again in rebuild mode. They have a few young assets, but overall, they are one of the worst teams in baseball.
Padres 2016 Midseason Review
Biggest Surprise
Melvin Upton Jr. No doubt. You could definitely put up an argument for Pomeranz to be named the “Biggest Surprise”, but since the Padres are paying so much for a guy that the Atlanta Braves just wanted to get off their payroll, San Diego fans have to be happy with the production Melvin has provided. He definitely isn’t worth his contract, but at least he’s not the total bum he was in Atlanta.
Upton Jr. is hitting .262 with a surprising sixteen home runs and forty-four RBI. He also is near the top of the leader boards in walk-off hits this season. Again, shocker. This guy was terrible in Atlanta. Looks like he’s finally getting it together.
Biggest Disappointment
Dear Wil Myers, Drew Pomeranz (until today), and Melvin Upton Jr.: sit down. The rest of the Padres standing are collectively the biggest disappointment. Aside from those three players, and the All-Star Game (which was fantastic), the rest of the San Diego Padres have been horrible. Even Ron Fowler, the Padres Executive Chairman, lit into the team earlier this year, calling them “miserable failures” on the Mighty 1090 AM radio show. If that doesn’t tell you how bad things are in San Diego, nothing will.
Midseason Team MVP
The MVP for the first half of the season is undoubtedly Wil Myers. The starting DH in this years All-Star Game had a stellar first half, and is expected to carry that success into the second half. He sported a .286 batting average, belted nineteen homers, and drove in sixty runs. Quite an impressive start to the year for the twenty-five year old.
The Padres have only won thirty-eight games this year; if not for Myers, they may be a sub-thirty-win team. So big ups to William Myers, as he’s held this San Diego team together in what is quickly turning into another rough season.
Despite today’s trade, honorable mention goes to Drew Pomeranz. For a kid that was fighting for a spot in the rotation in spring training, he more than held his own. He was named to the National League All-Star team this year, and for good reason. He has battled to a winning record in the first half and has a 2.47 ERA, with 115 strikeouts. After the trade of James Shields to the Chicago White Sox, Pomeranz essentially became the ace of this staff. However now, they’ll be looking for a new “ace”, as Pomeranz was traded today to the Boston Red Sox, for minor league prospect Anderson Espinoza, who was the fourteenth overall prospect in the Red Sox organization.
What to Watch for in the Second Half
Assuming the Padres don’t completely tank and sell Myers, or any other semi-productive player at the deadline, watch for Wil Myers to have another spectacular half and continue leading this team. Times are definitely tough in San Diego, and it could get worse before it gets any better. That is, if it ever gets better.
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