{"id":44718,"date":"2021-03-18T17:05:36","date_gmt":"2021-03-18T21:05:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=44718"},"modified":"2021-03-18T17:05:36","modified_gmt":"2021-03-18T21:05:36","slug":"battle-padres-bench","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2021\/03\/18\/battle-padres-bench\/","title":{"rendered":"Battle for the San Diego Padres Bench"},"content":{"rendered":"

Opening Day is still two weeks away, but the battle for the remaining spots on the San Diego Padres bench is in full swing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Each MLB team is required to roster 26 players on its Active List and no more than 40 players on its Reserve List beginning on Opening Day. Of course, there are handful of Padres who are locked in at their positions. There is also a need to carry extra pitching because of the increased workload of 162 games this season as opposed to 60 in 2020.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The starting rotation and the rest of the pitching staff is expected to fill roughly 14 roster spots come April 1. The rest of spring training is make it or break it for several hopefuls who are on the verge of seeing the big leagues.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are a few players who are neck and neck for the last Padres bench spots.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jorge Mateo<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Among those presenting a strong case for his big league shot is Jorge Mateo. In 14 games and 30+ plate appearances, Mateo has posted a .355 average, .462 OBP, and a whopping .978 OPS. He\u2019s played all over the outfield, including second-base.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mateo\u2019s most important asset is his 80-grade speed. In his first two seasons in the minors, he swiped 49 bags. Although he\u2019s been caught stealing twice this spring, he\u2019s one of the fastest Friars (second behind Fernando Tatis Jr.). Mateo could be a massive threat on the bases, especially as a pinch-runner in scoring position during late-game situations.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve noticed the ball getting in play more,\u201d said San Diego’s manager Jayce Tingler. \u201cThe more times the ball is in play, he\u2019s got a chance to showcase his speed when he\u2019s doing that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The speedy switch-hitter is out of minor league options and will have to make the Opening Day roster or be placed on waivers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Brian O\u2019Grady<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Despite his slow start this spring, Brian O\u2019Grady finally got the breakthrough performance he\u2019d been hoping for. In Monday\u2019s contest versus the Milwaukee Brewers<\/a>, O\u2019Grady went 2-for-3 with two home runs and four RBI. Prior to that game, he\u2019d only had four hits in 22 at-bats.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

O\u2019Grady is another jack-of-all-trades player. He can play nearly anywhere on the diamond, primarily first base and center field. His versatility is the main reason A.J. Preller inked him late in the off-season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since he was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds<\/a> in 2014, O\u2019Grady has played in 584 minor league games but only 30 games in the big leagues. Those numbers could climb if he carries Monday\u2019s success into the latter half of Spring Training.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cWe love the versatility,\u201d Tingler said. \u201cHe definitely has some juice in his bat and we think there are some things we can do to help him around the strike zone a little bit and become a completely dangerous hitter all around.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tucupita Marcano<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A third player attempting to leverage his impressive Cactus League campaign into a Padres bench spot is Tucupita Marcano.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Marcano is among the leaders of offensive production for San Diego this spring. His .435 batting average, .500 OBP, and 1.239 OPS sit just behind Tatis and Wil Myers. He\u2019s hit two doubles and a triple with four RBI. The 21-year-old is a contact-first, gap-to-gap slugger that can hit to all fields. He could serve as a powerful force in the middle of the Padres\u2019 lineup.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Marcano also has the ability to play nearly every position aside from pitcher and catcher. This puts him in the conversation with Ha-Seong Kim and Jurickson Profar, both utility-men who are assured spots but have yet to make a splash this spring.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Both Marcano and CJ Abrams, the Padres\u2019 No. 2 prospect, were not among the 25 players sent to minor league camp<\/a> yesterday morning. It\u2019s highly doubtful that these young stars break into the big leagues just yet, but they could be called upon at some point in the regular season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Main Photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>