San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
PROJECTING FRIARS’ OPENING-DAY ROSTER
Who will club rely on until Tatis Jr. returns after first 20 games?
When Fernando Tatis Jr. returns …
Expect to hear variations of that phrase throughout spring training, because the most anticipated season in Padres history will begin with a giant hole in the lineup. That’s not to say anyone knows what the 24-year-old superstar will be after losing an entire year to two wrist procedures, a shoulder surgery and that 80-game performance-enhancing drug suspension, but his expected return on April 20 — assuming no setbacks — will reinforce a lineup expected to contend for the Padres’ first NL West title since 2006.
Until then, we’re left to ponder what the openingday roster will look like without him.
Here’s a first pass at that exercise ahead of Monday’s first reporting date for pitchers and catchers participating in the World Baseball Classic:
Catchers (2): Luis Campusano, Austin Nola
What to know: Nola caught every inning in the playoffs, but the front office cut Jorge Alfaro in November, essentially clearing a path for Campusano, only 24 and long the catcher of the future, to finally grab a larger share of playing time. The organization also signed former National Pedro Severino to a minor league deal, but he looks to be more of an insurance policy/organizational depth as it’s unlikely the team carries three catchers, especially if the end goal is to wedge Campusano’s dangerous bat into the lineup more often. Carrying three catchers would defeat that purpose.
Infielders (6): Xander Bogaerts, Matt Carpenter, Jake Cronenworth, Brandon Dixon, Ha-seong Kim, Manny Machado
• What to know: Even if Cronenworth is light on power for a traditional first baseman, this infield alignment — Machado at third, Bogaerts at short, Kim at second and Cronenworth at first — is likely the best in franchise history and one of the game’s best. Plus, the versatility of Carpenter, Cronenworth and Kim will allow Padres manager Bob Melvin plenty of opportunities to spell his regulars. The 31year-old Dixon is the real unknown in this group, but his career revival saw the journeyman slug .823 while grabbing innings at third, first, left and right field last year in the high minors. The free-spending Padres need all the cheap production they can find.
Outfielders (4): Jose Azocar, Adam Engel, Trent Grisham, Juan Soto
• What to know: This group will look a lot deeper once Tatis is back. Until then, it’s Grisham in center, Soto likely in left (he’d prefer to concentrate on one spot) and Engel and Azocar competing for at-bats in right. Carpenter and Dixon also can play corner outfield spots, giving Melvin plenty of match-up options as he negotiates the first 20 games without Tatis.
Designated hitter (1): Nelson Cruz
• What to know: Cruz, 42, hasn’t played in the outfield since 2018. Because he’s right-handed, he’ll likely be on the short side of a DH platoon — especially after Tatis returns — but the Padres won’t be in any hurry to take away at-bats if Cruz’s offseason eye procedure proves he’s closer to the hitter he was in 2021 (.832 OPS) than last year (.651 OPS).
Starting pitchers (5): Yu Darvish, Seth Lugo, Nick Martinez, Joe Musgrove, Blake Snell
• What to know: Martinez and Lugo have starting and relieving incentives in their contract, and both will begin the season in the rotation. The Padres would love to again employ a six-man rotation — hello, Adrian Morejon, Jay Groome, Ryan Weathers or Julio Teheran — but they may have to work toward that endeavor. Carrying just seven relievers isn’t all that feasible until most of the rotation is regularly turning in six innings a start. Darvish and Musgrove are good bets to work into that groove quickly, but Snell has long struggled to regularly pitch deep into games. Martinez and Lugo spent most of 2022 in the bullpen, meaning the Padres are likely to be extra sure they’re not overtaxing the bullpen at the start of the year.
Relievers (8): Nabil Crismatt, Luis Garcia, Josh Hader, Tim Hill, Adrian Morejon, Drew Pomeranz, Robert Suarez, Steven Wilson
• What to know: Pomeranz is the wild-card in this group as he missed all of 2022 while trying to recover from the flexor tendon surgery that ended his season in August. If healthy, he joins Suarez and Garcia as elite set-up options, all of whom have experience closing games if Hader requires a day off. If not, perhaps that’s the opportunity that hard-throwing Rule 5 lefty Jose Lopez needs to make the opening-day roster. Meantime, the length that Crismatt and Morejon can provide will be especially critical in the early weeks as the starters stretch out, although the latter certainly headlines the arms that could get a look as a sixth starter.
jeff.sanders@sduniontribune.com