San Diego special:
San Diego surprises early on by being in NL West Division race
A dazzling free agent and a 20-yearold rookie have generated perhaps the most excitement around the Padres since a World Series run more than two decades ago.
SAN DIEGO – Bernie Wilson has covered the San Diego Padres for the Associated Press since 1991. He knows the franchise as well as anyone.
“Arguably, this is the most relevant the Padres have been since they last made the playoffs in 2006,” Wilson said. “And it’s probably the most excited the fans have been since they loaded up in 1998 and made it to the World Series, which then helped them pass the ballot measure to get Petco Park built.”
An unmistakable buzz started building when the Padres signed Manny Machado to a 10year, $300 million deal in February. It’s carried over into the regular season, with attendance already up by more than 2,500 a game entering the week compared to last year. San Diego also jumped out to a 16-12 start.
“It’s definitely different here,” said outfielder Wil Myers, who is in his fifth season in San Diego. “Obviously, when the front office goes out and spends money and goes out and gets players it’s a lot more fun. We definitely have new excitement here. The fans are on board and it’s going to be an exciting year for us.”
The addition of Machado by the usually frugal Padres heightened expectations for a club coming off a 96-loss season.
The Padres surprised again just before the season when they awarded the starting shortstop job to 20-year-old Fernando Tatis Jr., who never played above the Class AA level. Tatis, namesake of the former major leaguer, flourished before a hamstring injury April 28 potentially set him back.
“He’s probably the most talented guy I’ve seen, especially at that age,” Myers said. “He’s going to be a good one. He’s fun to watch. It’s fun coming to the field everyday watching him play.”
Tatis had a 12-game hitting streak snapped April 26 against the Washington Nationals, but he remained tied for the club lead in home runs (six) and led in stolen bases (six). He also was second in RBI (13) to Eric Hosmer after the Padres won two out of three games in Washington at the end of April.
San Diego also took a chance on its young arms, particularly rookies Chris Paddack, 23, and Nick Margevicius, 22, who helped the Padres rank among the top 10 clubs in the majors in ERA, strikeouts, wins and opponents’ lowest batting average.
The bullpen hasn’t been shabby either, with 32-year-old closer Kirby Yates leading the majors with 13 saves in 13 opportunities entering the week.
Although their offense has struggled, the Padres have played well enough to stay on the heels of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the top spot in the division.
“We’ve got something very special here,” said Machado, who was hitting .242 with four home runs and 12 RBI in 27 games. “It’s just a matter of continuing to play good baseball. The city’s pumped up; we’re pumped up.
“We’re getting to know each other better, but we’re grinding through things.
“Everyone’s pumped about it and guys in the clubhouse are too. The fans are coming out here and excited to see us play baseball. It’s fun to see and great to be a part of.”
Myers said Machado already has played a huge role.
“Awesome. He’s great. He’s been everything we thought he would be,” said Myers, who was batting .258 with five home runs and 11 RBI entering the week. “I’ve played against him for years. Great teammate, great guy, a lot fun to play with and also so very talented.”
The talent is obvious, Padres manager Andy Green said, but more consistency offensively from Machado would be nice.
“He’s been solid. I love watching him playing third base and I love the way he interacts with Tatis over there,” Green said. “Love his approach every day (and how) he goes about working. I think he’s hit fine, and I think he’s been solid, but I think he would be the first to tell you ‘I’ve got another gear in there.’ When you’re not clicking and you’re still performing well and you’re still sitting on .380 or .385 on-base percentage or whatever the heck it is, that’s really impressive actually.
“He’s done enough to be a very, very productive offensive player for us and an unbelievable defensive player.”
Asked recently about Machado being the face of the franchise, Green wasn’t having it.
“He doesn’t really care about that; he cares about winning baseball games,” Green said. “He’s not waking up every day thinking of being a face of a franchise. He’s waking up every day trying to figure out how to win baseball games. That stuff takes care of itself.”
Machado also is helping Tatis’ development.
“I’ve been learning a lot from him on a daily basis,” said Tatis, who calls Machado his idol. “He’s taught me a lot, every situation of the game. Every time I ask a question, he always has a good answer. It’s been better than I imagined. The relationship we have, the way we talk, it’s great.”
Winning, though, is what counts most. Although the Padres will be pressed to challenge the favored Dodgers, they believe they’re up to the task. The two teams meet May 3-5 in a three-game series at Petco Park.
“We just have to keep grinding and playing our best every day,” said Machado, who spent the second half of last season with the Dodgers and contributed to their World Series run. “If we do that, we can compete with anyone.”