by Timothy Moreland

Created on: February 22, 2007   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

San Diego Padres

Rotation

1. Jake Peavy: Disappointing 2006 season. Best pitcher in the NL. Will be the 2007 Cy Young.
2. Chris Young: Has tremendous stuff. Home run ball may sting him a bit. Expect ERA in the high 3.00s.
3. Greg Maddux: Control as good as ever. One of the best #3 starters around.
4. David Wells: ERA around 4.00 as he continues into his mid-40s. Pinpoint control.

5. Clay Hensley: Hittable. Keeps the ball in the park.

Closer: Trevor Hoffman: Step down in dominance last season. Great control. Approaching 40-years-old.

Lineup

C Josh Bard: Average glove work. No power. Not a bad OBP.
1B Adrian Gonzalez: Could have a slightly more potent bat at first. Superb fielder.
2B Marcus Giles: Glove has turned into a positive. Power has declined since 2003.
3B Kevin Kouzmanoff: Powerful bat. Huge upside. Defense is a plus.
SS Khalil Greene: Overrated defensively. Still has potential in his bat. Good power for a SS.
LF Termel Sledge: Deserves to be in the starting lineup.
CF Mike Cameron: In his mid-30's. Still very fast.
RF Brian Giles: Will bounce back from "down" year. Best offensive player in the division outside of Bonds. Terrible defense.

Conclusion: The lineup contains a bunch of average bats without any holes. The Padres will field an extremely well-balanced lineup. Their success is likely dependent on either a bounce back from Brian Giles or on Kouzmanoff and Gonzalez meeting their potential. Russell Branyan, Todd Walker, and Jose Cruz Jr. are all starting-quality players that will come off the bench. Besides Brian Giles, they are solid defensively. The rotation is solid from top to bottom. Peavy should compete for the Cy Young with Brandon Webb while the Padres duke it out with the DBacks for the division title. Hoffman is still one of the better closers in the league. Scott Linebrink and Cla Meredith are two of the top setup guys in the NL.

Projection: 90-72 1st in the NL West

Learn more about this author, Timothy Moreland.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.