Padres News: Wil Myers Return Much-Anticipated
With all the trades and acquisitions the San Diego Padres made this past off-season, the arrival of former A.L. rookie of the year Wil Myers proved to be one of the largest. His presence in the top of the order propelled the Padres to a great start in April and early May. However Myers hurt his wrist in Arizona on Mother’s Day and the team never seemed to really regroup from his loss.
Myers was playing out of position on the field and in the lineup too for that matter. He is not a center fielder, but made a valiant effort to play the position. His range was just not there and it was to be expected. He just did not have the experience at the position. Not a fault of Myers, as most knew he wouldn’t handle the position particularly well, but in fact it is a credit to him for putting in the effort and trying to do what was best for the team.
As for batting in the lead-off position. Myers is a free swinger and all though he does have speed, he should not be used as a frequent base stealing threat. His bat would fit rather nicely in the middle of the order (#3, #4, #5 hole) as Myers would have an ample opportunity to drive in runs and make things happen offensively for the team. Padres fans would much rather have Wil Myers up at bat with the game on the line. In his early career, he has shown a great propensity to be clutch. Players that perform at that level should be in the middle of the lineup with table setters in front of them.
The Padres team is a work in progress. You have to believe that the team is capable of magical things, but it definitely does need some work. The lack of balance and defensive inabilities are demoralizing to the team. General manager A.J. Preller is surely trying to address these issues, and Padres fans commend him for not getting too antsy and making a bad trade. All though a trade would have been nice before the July 31st deadline, only he knows what kind of offers were made to the team.
Some Padres fans are already proclaiming that Preller made bad trades. The fact is, no matter what the deals look like now, nobody knows the outcome of all the prospects moved for Matt Kemp, Craig Kimbrel, Justin Upton and Derek Norris. In order to make this franchise relevant, changes had to be made and they were. The future of this franchise is exciting to those who have really followed this team for years. The groundwork is being laid for a new era of Padres baseball and most fans now realize they just need to be patient. This franchise has been in disorder for much of the last 10 years, a new beginning will take time. It will easily take five to seven years to begin to accurately proclaim a winner of this off-seasons trades.
With the return of Wil Myers the team will get a sneak peek at the 2016 team. With Justin Upton presently in a Padres uniform, Myers will most likely play first base. What that means to Yonder Alonso‘s playing time remains to be seen. Alonso has played a few innings at third base, but that is hardly a long-term answer. Myers will be in the lineup as long as he can play. He is the future of this team and the Padres will surely want to see what he is capable of doing while healthy.
Myers has been working out and taking swings off a tee in recent days. The big test came when Myers took some swings using his regular 34 inch/32 1/2 ounce game bat. Early reports are positive, but the team will take their time with the 24-year-old Myers. After proving that he is pain free with his swing, he will likely get a 3-10 day rehab assignment in the Minor Leagues. His timing will need to get on track as he has been out for over three months. The Padres fans are excited to see Myers once again out there in game action. He quickly became a crowd favorite.
James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.
Why wouldn’t this bonespur issue be a chronic thing for Myers? Bonespurs grow back in relatively short order (as little as three months). Could Myers be experiencing a regrowth in his wrist that is sabotaging his return from the DL? He’s tried twice to come off the DL through batting practice/hitting off a tee already and he’s reported pain right away. This is not looking good to me.