5 Things to Watch For as the Padres Season Winds Down
Credit: USA Today Sports
The Padres have just two weeks left in their 2017 season. As always, it went very fast.
The team sits at 67-83 currently, which is much better than some predicted. The Padres are also eliminated from playoff contention.
That should come as a shock to no one. This does not make the Padres unwatchable, however.
I will be the first to admit it; When this season started, I was pretty disinterested in this team. It took me until May to buy MLB.tv and really buy in to what San Diego is doing and where they are headed. I am fully on board now. This season has displayed progression from some young players, and other players have just broken out unexpectedly.
Here are five reasons why you should tune into the final two weeks of Padres baseball.
Impending September Call-Ups Now That El Paso’s Season Has Ended
The El Paso Chihuahuas’ playoff run ended Sunday after Memphis won the PCL Championship. This means the Padres’ Triple-A roster is now available to be called up for the remainder of the season. Not everyone will be called up, since the roster currently sits at 29, with 11 spots available.
The likely call-ups will be Hunter Renfroe (who played his first 111 games this season with the big club) and hopefully, eventually, Franchy Cordero (.228, 3 HR, 2 DRS in outfield in 30 games in San Diego). They are both part of the 40-man roster. Other possible candidates for a promotion eventually are Ryan Schimpf (14 HR, .158 avg in 53 games for the Padres), Jose Rondon (.282 average in El Paso), and Kyle Lloyd (7.02 ERA in 12 starts for El Paso).
For those hoping to see Cal Quantrill, Fernando Tatis, or Luis Urias- cool your jets. It ain’t happening. None of those guys are on the 40-man roster, like all of the names above are. Plus, the Padres do not want to rush these players. Maybe in a year we can have this conversation. For now, let’s focus on how much Renfroe has improved after being sent down for over a month.
10 of Their Final 13 Games are Against N.L. West Playoff Teams
The Padres final home stand started Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. They then host the Rockies before heading north to face the Dodgers. The team ends the season with the lowly Giants. Against the top three teams in the N.L. West, the Friars are 17-30. They have played the Dodgers well recently. They also won a series in Arizona earlier this month.
It is always interesting to see how the Padres do against playoff teams. Each year, this will be a measuring stick to see how far the Padres have progressed. Against all the teams in current playoff spots, the Friars are 25-38. They have somewhat held their own against these teams despite a major talent gap.
Plus, it could be fun to play “spoiler” for a team like the Rockies, who still are not guaranteed a playoff spot.
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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.