PADRES STRONG AROUND DIAMOND
Tatis, Machado and Hosmer anchor ‘D’ and team’s offense
Pitchers and catchers will report to the Padres’ spring training complex in Peoria, Ariz., by Feb. 17, the official start — fingers crossed — of the 2021 season. In advance of the Cactus League action, we’re taking a deep dive into each corner of the Padres’ 40-man roster.
Today, their infielders:
2020 recap
The Padres officially set down their current path when they opted to eat more of James Shields’ contract to access a teenaged Fernando Tatis Jr. in that June 2016 trade. Tatis was still at least a year away in 2018 when the Padres added first baseman Eric Hosmer via the richest contract in franchise history ($144 million) and Tatis was ahead of schedule the next year when Manny Machado doubled that payday ($300 million) to join the young protégé on the infield.
All three investments yielded massive returns in 2020 as Machado and Tatis finished third and fourth, respectively, in NL MVP voting and Hosmer reinvented his offensive profile in turning in his best season to date in a Padres uniform. Despite two injured list stints due to a stomach issue and a broken finger, Hosmer set career highs (albeit in a shortened season) in slugging (.517), isolated power (.231) and f lyball rate (34.2 percent). He also provided one of the biggest hits of the season when his home run Aug. 20 gave the Padres a record four consecutive games with grand slams. Tatis was named the player of the month (1.055 OPS) in August over Machado (.982 OPS), who was still honored with backto-back player of the week nods.
Not to be forgotten, second baseman Jake Cronenworth emerged as the NL
Rookie of the Month for August after hitting .356/.411/.624 to overtake Jurickson Profar as the fourth starter on the infield. Cronenworth cooled considerably in September (.543 OPS), but hit .389/.542/.667 over six playoff games and finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting. The infield group also included Profar — who hit .329/.372/.497 over his last 45 games — bouncing in from the outfield on occasion, Mitch Moreland (.609 OPS with San Diego) arriving via trade to serve as the DH and a first base fill-in after Hosmer’s second trip to the injured list and Greg Garcia spending his most productive time as a pinch-hitter (.333/.400/.333).
Current picture
Even with perhaps the best
left side of the infield in the game, the Padres used the offseason to add even more depth to the infield group via a fouryear, $28 million deal with Korean superstar Ha-Seong Kim. He’s expected to compete for second base at-bats with Cronenworth, who can play all four infield spots and perhaps even head out to the outfield on occasion. Kim also could see time in the outfield, although the need for that was greatly reduced when Profar returned on a three-year, $21 million deal.
While neither Moreland nor Garcia returned — Moreland remains a free agent while Garcia signed a minor league deal with the Tigers — the Padres’ infield is set up better than ever heading into 2021. That’s especially true if Hosmer can continue to build on the swing changes that elevated his production last season. After all, Machado is in the
prime of his career and thriving with the lineup help that abandoned the Padres down the stretch in 2019. And Tatis has 39 homers, 98 RBIs and 27 steals and a .301/.374/.582 batting line through the first 143 games of his career. Imagine what that could look like over an uninterrupted season, because the Padres sure are while trying to sign their 22year-old phenom to a longterm extension, perhaps before the start of this season.
On the farm
For all of General Manager A.J. Preller’s wheeling and dealing over the last year, the Padres enter the 2021 season with their top position player prospect — shortstop CJ Abrams — still in the system. Ranked No. 11 in Baseball America’s top 100, Abrams was the Arizona League MVP coming out of the 2019 draft. He’d only played two games above
rookie ball, but the Padres thought enough of his raw ability — elite speed, bat-to-ball skills and up-the-middle range — to include him in their summer player pool. And Abrams, who turned 20 in October, impressed while working with significantly older players.
Tucupita Marcano, 21, a $320,000 signee out of Venezuela in July 2016, also spent all summer working out in the Padres’ player pool and was added to the 40-man roster this winter to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. His contact skills and plus speed have pushed him to No. 8 in Baseball America’s top-30 Padres prospects, although a lack of power could limit his ceiling to a utility role. Other top-30 Padres prospects who profile as utility infielders include Jorge Mateo (15), Ivan Castillo (25), Eguy Rosario (28) and Esteury Ruiz (30).
Maybe the lack of competitiveness in the Super Bowl was a good sign for the NFL.
After a year in which the challenges of playing a full and barely interrupted season provided more than enough drama, Tom Brady and Tampa Bay’s rout of the reigning champion Chiefs brought some ho-hum. The league would like nothing better than a return to normalcy in 2021— as much as that ever will be possible again.
“It’s too early to know what the 2021 season will look like, but the NFL will do its part to help our communities return to normal,” Commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in a letter to fans. “We look forward to seeing you back at the games next fall, but in the meantime, thank you and stay safe.”
Some topics to consider as the league moves toward the opening of its ’21 business year in March with free agency:
Protocol carryovers
Goodell and Dr. Allen Sills, the league’s chief medical officer, have indicated several of the COVID-19 protocols could remain even beyond the pandemic. Remote meetings and Zoom interviews, for example.
There’s also the question of getting players vaccinated.
Last month, the NFL and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a scientific paper regarding what was learned during the 2020 season.
“The learnings we describe in our paper talk about things like the types of exposures associated with a very high risk of transmission of the virus. Those exposures can occur anywhere,” Sills explained. “They’re not specific to football.
“And along the way, we learned how we can evolve our protocols to put in the maximum amount of safety for everyone involved, whatever that group environment may be,” he added. “Those are important lessons that we learned through our NFL experience, but can broadly inform the rest of society.”
The NFL Players Association is pushing for significantly reduced offseason programs, training camps and, as
in 2020, no preseason games. As long as the coronavirus is a major issue, all of the NFL’s protocols and minimized workouts will remain in place.
Rockin’ in Cleveland
The draft in late April is scheduled for the shores of Lake Erie at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It’s doubtful any full-scale events will happen there, though the league remains hopeful it won’t have to eliminate on-site presentations entirely, as it did in 2020 for Las Vegas.
Bringing up the question of whether the NFL can get any satisfaction for the Cleveland draft?
Salary cap
Where will it land? Speculation has placed it at between $175 million and $185 million as the numbers crunching continues.
Wisely, the union and league negotiated a minimum cap for 2021, using future caps to make up for much of the shortfall
from lost revenues this past season.
“I hate to talk more about the pandemic but I think the lingering impact of the pandemic on the National Football League,” Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said, “is the salary cap will have a big impact not only on the Chiefs but all 32 NFL franchises.
“I hope that by the time we get to the season we’re talking about largely full stadiums, but there’s no guarantees on that.”
17th game
With all of the financial negatives associated with the pandemic — nobody should be doing a GoFundMe for an NFL owner — it’s difficult to believe the league would put off the approved expansion of the schedule by one game. Any additional revenue streams before new media rights deals kick in would seem as logical as picking Brady to win a Super Bowl.
“It was a provision that was negotiated into the CBA with
the players a year or so ago,” Hunt said. “I think it could happen as early as 2021; the league has not made an announcement on that but I know it’s something they are thinking about and working on.”
Adding one more regularseason contest, which would be an interconference matchup based on the previous year’s standings, could have offered the NFL an opportunity to truly expand its international presence. Every 17th game could have been played at a neutral site, particularly in the United Kingdom.
The coronavirus has put an end to such an idea, meaning the conferences will alternate hosting the extra game.
Going to 17 games could present quite a scenario next February should the Super Bowl be pushed back one week to accommodate the expanded schedule: The Beijing Olympics would be in full swing on game day.
“Air Coryell” thrilled San Diegans with aerial artistry.
“Martyball” was different.
This was a show of explosive power, like waves crashing ashore after a winter storm.
Having grown into NFL bullies under Marty Schottenheimer, a former AFL linebacker, the 2006 Chargers pounded out NFL-best totals of 32 rushing touchdowns and 61 sacks. They were first with a 14-2 record.
Power denoted not only the style under Schottenheimer, who died Tuesday at 77 after a lengthy bout with Alzheimer’s disease, but also the staple play of an offense that ran the ball on 51.2 percent of its snaps.
“Power 40” and “Power 50” runs defined the offense.
They featured a pulling guard (either Kris Dielman or Mike Goff ) slamming into a linebacker, as two frontside blockers charged into one lineman.
Also on the attack was fullback Lorenzo Neal, in the midst of earning his first of two All-Pro berths. Next came running back LaDainian Tomlinson, quick, fast, agile but also — at 221 pounds — larger than he appeared. He had the football. If he needed a breather, Michael Turner was a willing, larger sledgehammer.
Schottenheimer ate it up.
“Marty loved to run the football and our teams were built to be physical, tough and smart, all characteristics that embodied who he was, where he was from (Pittsburgh area), what he believed in, and how he believed you win in the NFL, something he did at every stop,” said 2006 Chargers offensive coordinator Cam Cameron.
The apex for “Martyball” came when Cameron called “power” on 24 consecutive plays. Naturally, the bludgeoning came at Oakland.
“Marty,” said Dielman, “hated the Raiders.”
Philip Rivers was the quarterback. He’d replaced Drew Brees that year.
By then, Schottenheimer had grounded him in “Martyball.”
In the huddle, if Rivers said “Marty” it meant Dielman and left tackle Marcus McNeil would try to drive one lineman into the seats, while Goff pulled toward them, right to left.
“Steel” denoted a run to the right. As Goff and right tackle Shane Olivea doubleteamed a lineman, Dielman careened down the line before wheeling upfield.
“It didn’t matter whether it was Marty or Steel,” said Dielman. “We just wanted to hit somebody in the mouth. And that’s what Marty wanted.”
Schottenheimer and his aides transformed Dielman from an undrafted defensive
lineman into a sturdy guard who earned four Pro Bowl berths.
By 2006 Schottenheimer was coaching his fifth San Diego team. “Martyball” was the Chargers’ identity.
“Everybody bought into Marty’s plan,” Dielman said. “We were all in. Our success
was because all bought into what Marty was preaching.”
Schottenheimer’s glare, even behind eyeglasses, could be intense.
“Anyone who worked for Marty will attest, you’ve never had your ass chewed until Marty Schottenheimer did it,” said Mike McCarthy, who coached under Schottenheimer with the Chiefs before leading the 2010 Packers to the Lombardi Trophy. “I’ve still got the scars to prove it — and for that I am forever thankful.”
On the other hand, Schottenheimer became tearful during several talks to Chargers players.
“He was amazing,” Dielman said. “He was very emotional. Very heartstrong. Hard core. Oldschool. Smash-mouth. And, he had a sensitive side. He’d cry a little, here and there. That was good. It’s nice to see that in some people, and he meant it.”
The ’06 team’s journey, which began with a 27-0 rout of the opponent Schottenheimer most detested — the Raiders — ended with a devastating, 24-21 loss to the Patriots in San Diego’s playoff opener.
It wasn’t Schottenheimer’s finest game. For example: His gamble on fourth-and-11. The game was scoreless in the first quarter. The ball was at New England’s 30. Rivers got sacked, and the Patriots drove for a 3-0 lead.
Of course, the game is remembered for Marlon McCree’s fumble. The Chargers were up 21-13 when that happened. Six minutes to play. “Power” had been a success. Tomlinson would finish with 123 rushing yards. (He gained another 58 yards on a pass.) The defense, coached by Wade Phillips, picked off Tom Brady three times. It wasn’t enough. The Patriots turned the fumble into eight points. Then they made other big plays.
It was an awful way for any team to go out, and as it turned out, it was Schottenheimer’s final game. Dean Spanos, siding with General Manager A.J. Smith, fired the coach a month later. The decision jolted many Chargers players.
“I don’t blame Marty for us losing that game to New England,” Dielman said Tuesday. “He isn’t the one out there making the plays. He would get you in the right schemes. He’d tell you what to do and how to do it. You catch that interception, you go down — that game’s over.”
“Martyball” had run its course. What if the ’06 Chargers had won that game? They would’ve faced the Colts. While their slick passing game would’ve been a test, “Martyball” may have flattened their run defense. The Colts had allowed the most yards per carry in the NFL. Beating the Patriots, for a second time, sent the Colts to Miami for the Super Bowl. The QB matchup was Peyton Manning versus Rex Grossman. In rain-dampened conditions ideal for “Martyball,” the Colts beat the Bears on the stage Schottenheimer never could reach.
Longtime Foothills Christian High boys basketball coach Brad Leaf has retired.
“It’s just time,” said Leaf, 60. “Honestly, I’ve been thinking about this since last season. With all the uncertainty surrounding this season, it was time to let someone else run the program.”
That person will be Charles Gilbert, Leaf ’s varsity assistant the last two seasons.
Leaf retires with a 395-151 record in 18 seasons as a head coach, three at Steele Canyon and the last 15 at Foothills Christian. The 395 wins place him 15th all time in San Diego.
The first two of his nine CIF San Diego Section championships came at Steele Canyon — Division III in 2004 and Division II in 2005.
His Foothills Christian teams won Division V championships in 2007, ’08, ’09, ’10 and ’12; the ’15 team captured the Division II title and the next year the Knights won the Open Division crown. That team upset Santa Ana Mater Dei in the Southern California playoffs before losing to 33-0 Chino Hills and the Ball brothers — Lonzo, LaMelo and LiAngelo.
Leaf ’s sons — Troy and TJ — are the top two career scorers in San Diego Section history. Troy, a guard, finished his career with 3,318 points. TJ, a 6-foot-10 forward, scored 3,022. Troy was CIF Player of the Year in 2010, TJ in 2015 and
’16.
Brad Leaf has sent dozens of players to college basketball with TJ and Jaylen Hands playing professionally.
Brad was a three-time allconference player at Evansville and was the school’s first All-American. He was drafted in the seventh round by the Indiana Pacers in 1982 and played 17 years professionally in the Israel Premier League and the EuroLeague.
“It has been a great run, but it was just time to step away,” Leaf said.
Leaf, who owns a construction business, plans to buy a home in Florida so he can be closer to Troy and TJ, who live in the St. Petersburg
area. Brad Leaf and his wife will continue to maintain a home in San Diego.
Conway to Bishop’s
Longtime La Jolla High Athletic Director Paula Conway is leaving the Vikings to take the same position a mile away at Bishop’s.
She starts her new job July 1.
“La Jolla has been too good to me to leave them in the lurch, so I won’t move over to Bishop’s until the end of the school year,” Conway said. “Bishop’s is a great school, and this is a great opportunity, a great place to work.”
Conway takes over from former CIF San Diego Section
Commissioner Jerry Schniepp, who has been the interim AD. Schniepp replaced Joel Allen, who is now the head football coach at Point Loma.
Conway was named 2015 CSADA Rookie Athletic Director of the Year and led the Vikings to 28 City Conference and 17 CIF field hockey championships.
Before coming to La Jolla, Conway coached field hockey at Georgetown, Kent State and Boston College, where she earned her master’s degree in leadership and administration. She also served as Olympic development director managing Olympic pipeline athlete development for
USA Field Hockey.
Conway graduated from Providence College with a bachelor’s in education. A Division I All-American field hockey standout, she was named Big East Player of the Year her senior year. She was the school’s Athlete of the Year that year and was a three-time Big East Conference first-team player.
“I love coaching and I love field hockey, but it’s too hard to be an athletic director and coach,” Conway said. “So I’ll try to be the best AD I can be.”
Volleyball approved
A proposal that originated in the San Diego Section to make girls beach volleyball a CIF sport was approved by the State CIF Federated Council.
Girls beach volleyball will become a state-approved sport in the 2021-22 school year.
Beach volleyball has been a club-level sport in San Diego since 2013 and was presented at the Federated Council by Scott Giusti of the San Diego Section.
Baseball updates
• Shortstop Kyle Holder (University City/USD) was acquired by the Cincinnati Reds in a trade with Philadelphia. The Phillies claimed Holder in December’s Rule 5 Draft. He was chosen by the New York Yankees in the first round of the 2015 draft.
• Outfielder Wynton Bernard (Rancho Bernardo) has agreed to a Triple-A contract with the Colorado Rockies.