Wil Myers is the Padres’ safety net at first base.
PEORIA, Ariz.
Trading Wil Myers would eliminate what could be something of a safety net at first base.
Eric Hosmer hit .276 with a .781 OPS (on-base-plusslugging percentage) against right-handers in 2019 but just .231 with a .600 OPS against lefties. The lefthanded hitter’s career splits are .291 and .820 against righties, .251 and .663 against lefties. Since joining the Padres before the 2018 season, five of his 40 home runs have come against lefties.
Myers generally wallops left-handers, with an extrabase hit every 11.6 at-bats in 2019 and every 10.3 at-bats over his career. Even in a 2019 season pockmarked by severe slumps, he hit .233 with an .877 OPS against lefties versus his .241 and .705 against righties. For his career, Myers has hit .245 and .779 against lefties versus .252 and .757 against righthanders.
New manager Jayce Tingler said before camp that Myers would get time at first base but that it didn’t have anything to do with Hosmer’s production.
The hope is Hosmer hits well enough against lefties — something he has done relatively well in some seasons — to allow him to effectively play his usual 157 or so games. But General Manager A.J. Preller on Tuesday seemed to at least indicate there could be a more direct correlation between Hosmer’s effectiveness against left-handers and his playing time. Myers owns a .798 OPS while in the lineup at first, and his 1,406 plate appearances as a first baseman are his most at any position. He will primarily work in right field during spring but will get reps at first base and likely play there at least once a week.
“As spring training goes and we get a better sense for how our outfield is shaping up, we’ll start to look at exactly where he’s playing,” Preller said of Myers. “… First base against lefthanders, that’s a question a lot of people have asked. Eric has worked very hard. We’ll see where he’s at versus all pitching. That’s Plan A, and we’ll adjust off that.”
Should Hosmer and Myers end up in a platoon, it could be viewed as the most expensive in the majors. Both are due $20 million in base salary in 2020.
No mas
Myers, who views it as his responsibility as one of the team’s highest-paid players to answer questions virtually whenever asked, on Wednesday morning drew a line.
The continued trade speculation is no longer a topic he’ll entertain publicly.
“This will be probably the last time I talk about that stuff,” Myers said. “As long as I’m in Peoria here, I’m not going to talk about another team. I’m here, happy to be here, and that’s kind of it.”
It was learned Tuesday that the Padres have resumed trade talks with the Boston Red Sox regarding a deal that could result in the Red Sox and Padres splitting the $61 million remaining on Myers’ contract.
Diaz on mend again
One of the more intriguing — and almost forgotten — relievers in camp is a right-hander who hardly pitched last season.
Miguel Diaz, recovering from July surgery to reconstruct multiple ligaments in his right knee, is throwing but not working full speed in the bullpen.
It appears unlikely the 25-year-old will be ready for the start of the season, but he could be pitching in minor league games shortly thereafter.
“The rehab has gone well,” Preller said. “… The exact time frame, we want to be cautious. He’s got a lot of season in front of him. We’ll know more in the next couple weeks.”
Diaz’s mid-90s fastball and frenzied slider helped him strike out 30 batters in 182⁄3 innings in 2018. He pitched in the Arizona Fall League that year and entered spring training with the mandate to refine command issues that have seen him walk 38 batters in 662⁄3 career innings. His camp was cut short by a torn meniscus in his right knee.
He debuted in Double-a in May, pitched in five games for the Padres in June and was throwing well in Triple-a when he tore the ligaments in his knee running out a ground ball.
Notable
Cal Quantrill, who is battling for a roster spot as a starter or “swing” reliever, will start and is slated to pitch two innings in Saturday’s exhibition opener against the Seattle Mariners. Tingler said Michel Baez would also pitch but declined to specify others.
• Mackenzie Gore threw 20-plus pitches in live batting practice without allowing more than a ground ball. His final pitch to Manny Machado, who had emerged from the indoor batting cage where his group was hitting to face Gore, appeared to be a curveball at the knees that would have been a called strike.
• Right-hander Chase Johnson, a Fallbrook High alum, has been sidelined with a balky hamstring. Tingler said that is the only “significant” injury incurred in camp.