The Padres got their man in third basemen Manny Machado for 10 years and $300 million. He is the new face of the franchise. Machado has Hall of Fame ability and can do it both offensively and defensively. I will look forward to seeing him perform on a regular basis. Padres owners Peter Seidler and Ron Fowler stepped up to the plate in a huge way, making this commitment to one of the great stars of the game. I give the Padres a lot of credit as they have stuck to their plan of building the farm system, and just about everyone that follows the minor leagues agrees the Padres have the the top farm system in the game. I think we would all agree that with the signing of Machado, the expectations have been raised for the 2019 season.
The game of baseball continues to change in several different ways in all areas. The one thing that will never change is you need starting pitching. The Padres do not have enough to make a significant jump in the standings this year, unless they acquire a veteran or two. With that being said, I am excited to see the improvement of sophomore left handers Joey Lucchesi and Eric Lauer, and there is plenty of help on the way with right hander Chris Paddack, who was the talk of baseball last season coming off Tommy John surgery. Then there is left hander Logan Allen, who was the Texas League Pitcher of the Year, and Anderson Espinoza, who continues to recover from Tommy John surgery after missing all of last season. Right handed pitcher Dinelson Lamet, who came on to the scene for the Padres in 2017, should be ready by midseason after missing all of the 2018 campaign with Tommy John surgery. At times he showed front end of the rotation stuff. There are plenty of other arms on the way.
If the men on the mound improve and grow throughout the season, the Padres could move up in the standings. How high? Only time will tell!
- Coach Kentera
