3 up and 3 down at Padres camp
Feb 28, 2023; Scottsdale, Arizona, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder David Dahl (27) hits a three run homerun against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning at Scottsdale Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
The Padres are less than two weeks away from breaking camp. Which players have helped or hurt their stock this spring?
Disclaimer-this is not considering the stars of the team that are not at any risk of losing their spots, even with subpar spring numbers. Absolutely no one should be worrying about Xander Bogaerts‘ .188 average right now.
Three up
It almost feels like Dahl is a sure thing to start the season on the Opening Day roster at this point. The Padres will need an extra outfielder to fill in while they bide time until Fernando Tatis Jr. can be reinstated on April 20.
Dahl was brought in as a lefty outfield bat with some pop. The 2019 All-Star has done nothing but hit since arriving in Peoria. He is batting .311 (14-for-45) with four extra-base hits. He adds a .793 OPS. The only concerning thing at this point is his 13 strikeouts to one walk so far. However, the competition is light to win an outfield spot, and Dahl looks safe at this point. One curveball is that he is not on the 40-man roster as of now.
The Padres desperately need more starting pitching depth. No teams win a World Series without some unsung heroes stepping up in the pitching staff. In exchange for Eric Hosmer, Groome was the prospect San Diego got from Boston. Now, he could turn into an option at the back end of a six-man rotation.
In 10 2/3 spring innings, he is yet to allow an earned run. Opponents are batting .167 against him this spring. At this point, he is making a strong case to be included in a rotation that may begin the season without Joe Musgrove, who is still working his way back from a broken toe.
Lopes will be hard-pressed to make the big league team, but that isn’t stopping him from making a huge impact on the field in Peoria. In fact, he leads the squad with 16 hits during Spring Training, which includes three doubles and a homer. He does have some major league experience, having played in 94 career games between the Mariners and Brewers.
He makes solid contact and rarely gets fooled. He has taken full advantage of several mainstays leaving for the World Baseball Classic, batting .444 with a 1.087 OPS.
Three down
The floor is all Campusano’s to make the big league club as the alternate catcher to Austin Nola. He has been a heralded prospect for several years and is teetering in the post-hype realm. He has not done himself any favors so far this spring. Aside from two towering home runs, he hasn’t gotten it done with the bat.
In 10 games, he is batting .211 with a .286 on-base percentage. He isn’t displaying much patience at the plate, with just two walks. He posted a 2% walk rate in 16 big league games last year. His bat was a touted part of his game throughout the minors. He is yet to show it consistently at the big league level (with a criminally small sample size, mind you).
Either way, it’s likely Campusano starts the season with the big league club out of sheer need. But he hasn’t instilled a ton of confidence thus far with his bat.
Dixon is on the 40-man roster and might have pushed for a depth spot in the infield. It has not been a strong spring at the plate, however. He is just 6-for-38 (.158) with 16 strikeouts in 18 games.
It’s looking more likely that Dixon will begin the season in El Paso.
Honeywell is undoubtedly in the prospect post-hype section of his career. He was once a blue-chip young arm for the Rays. Now, mostly due to a handful of injuries, he is battling for his big-league career. Unfortunately, it has not materialized with the Padres in camp. He has allowed the most earned runs out of any pitcher in camp, with 13. That leads to a 7.80 ERA in 15 innings.
He has allowed at least three runs in two straight outings. He is out of minor league options, so if the Padres opt to leave him off the big league roster, he may not make it to a Padres minor league team roster. The potential is tantalizing, but the results just have not been there so far this spring.
Native of Escondido, CA. Lived in San Diego area for 20 years. Padres fan since childhood (mid-90s). I have been writing since 2014. I currently live near Seattle, WA and am married to a Seattle sports girl. I wore #19 on my high school baseball team for Tony Gwynn. I am a stats and sports history nerd. I attended BYU on the Idaho campus. I also love Star Wars.
What about Taylor Kohlwey? He is hitting almost 400 this spring. The Padres need to give him a chance and let him make the team. He is a very good player.