PADRES SET PLANS FOR ENGAGING FANS IN ABSENTIA

The Padres will feature approximately 200 cardboard cutouts picturing various people at their home games this year, all placed in the Lexus Home Plate Club seats and varying from series to series.

That is among the plans the team has to create atmosphere and engage fans during the 2020 season, during which it is almost certain that government coronavirus restrictions will prevent the public from attending games at Petco Park.

“Even though our loyal and supportive fans cannot join us inside Petco Park, we will have a number of opportunities over the course of the season for them to engage with us in special and unique ways,” Padres President of Business Operations Erick Greupner said. “We look forward to sharing more details in the days and weeks to come.”

While Greupner said the team was not prepared to release specifics, the cutouts, positioned in the seats that get the most screen time during television broadcasts, will follow themes that honor different groups and causes. Greupner said there will also be a few “lighthearted” themes.

For most games, the rest of the seats at Petco Park will be virtually covered with what on broadcasts will appear to be tarps featuring sponsor logos, similar to what has long appeared over the batters’ eye beyond center field.

Additionally, in partnership with USAA, the team will place 300 cutouts of Marines in the upper-deck seats in right field where Marine recruits usually sit for Sunday games. Fans can also enter at Petco stores to have a picture of themselves with their pet placed in the Barkyard in Gallagher Square and have that cutout featured on select Fox Sports San Diego telecasts.

Greupner said the team has a plan, which it will announce soon, regarding how it will distribute the foul balls and home runs collected during games. There will also be a contest, in coordination with Anheuserbusch, surrounding home run balls.

The Padres also will make an effort to engage residents in the buildings that surround Gallagher Square.

kevin.acee@sduniontribune.com