Wil Myers Is Still the Face of the Padres
Credit: Getty Images/ Dennis poroy
Wil Myers certainly did not have the season most expected him to have. He would be the first to tell you that. In a recent article from MLB.com’s Nathan Ruiz, Myers said:
“All in all, this year’s been a little bit of a disappointment for me, not to be able to put up better numbers more consistently…”
Don’t worry, Padres fans. He knows he has to be better. It’s not just because the Padres signed him to a 6-year/$83 million deal before the season. It is simply for the fact that in the perhaps not-so-distant future, he will need to be a key weapon in a lineup that is in contention for the playoffs.
I truly believe Wil Myers will be in the lineup for the next good Padre team. Whether that is in left field or first base is yet to be seen (or even DH if that somehow happens in the near future).
It was the tale of two seasons (or three?) for Myers in 2017. He started out as hot as any player in the major leagues with a seven-homer, .310-average April. He proceeded to hit .214 in May, .247 in June and hit below the “Mendoza” line in July and August. However, in September, he seems back to his old tricks as he is hitting .316 with five home runs in 22 games so far this month.
On the sabermetric side of things, Myers current has a 111 wRC+, which is certainly respectable. His 171 wRC+ this month thus far would be his second-highest monthly total of his career, next to only June 2016. He certainly has been productive down the stretch. Now, a great month does not atone entirely for a four-month-long slump. Who knows where the Padres would be if he hadn’t struggled so badly? Last season he posted a 3.2 WAR. This year, he is at 2.2, and that is with his recent surge. Perhaps the Friars would be at least a few wins better with a consistent Myers.
In any case, Myers has reminded us this month that he is the alpha dog in this clubhouse. While players like Manuel Margot and Yangervis Solarte certainly stepped up and perhaps made a push for the title of “face of the franchise,” Myers is still the man.
With roughly a week left in the season, Myers sits one homer shy of 30. He would be the first Padre 30-home run hitter since Chase Headley’s insane 2012 (31 HR, 115 RBI, 145 wRC+). With his lengthy contract and recent resurgence, I took a look, just for fun, at where he sits on the Padres all-time home run list. Nate Colbert‘s record of 163 needs to go. Someone needs to break that. Myers is at 65 home runs, which is tied for 20th best on the Padres list. With five seasons left on his contract, Myers would need to average just 20 home runs each season. Certainly doable with his talent.
Myers is one of the only certain things on the 2018 San Diego roster. He will be in that lineup every day.
For now, Myers is still the face of the San Diego Padres, and perhaps, all of San Diego sports.
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.