San Diego Padres Predictions | 2013 Season Betting Preview – Cappers Picks Blog

2013 MLB Team Preview: San Diego Padres

San Diego was picked to finish dead last in the NL last season, but a surprising start that lasted all the way to All-Star break renewed hopes that this team could possibly still return to the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

The rally did not last and while they exceeded expectations with 76 wins, it remains to be seen which direction this team heads in this year. Odds from Bovada

Bovada’s Odds to Win

NL West +1500
National League: 40/1
World Series: 75/1

Key Additions

San Diego went out and signed veteran right-hander Freddy Garcia to add some much needed depth to the bottom of the starting rotation, but one of its biggest offseason moves was to resign free-agent pitcher Jason Marquis to at least maintain the level of depth it already had.

Projected Starting Line-Up

1. SS Everth Cabrera
2. 2B Logan Forsythe
3. 3B Chase Headley
4. LF Carlos Quentin
5. 1B Yonder Alonso
6. RF Will Venable
7. CF Cameron Maybin
8. C Nick Hundley

The Padres have never been known as a power ball club, but they do have some decent bats in Chase Headley and Carlos Quentin. Overall, the team hit .247 last season placing them in the bottom tier of the NL and it ended-up ranked 10^th in the league in total runs scored. [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]

San Diego’s pitching is not nearly good enough to carry this team, so they will need a better effort from a couple of other players not named Headley or Quentin to avoid another 84-loss season.

Projected Starting Rotation

LHP Clayton Richard
RHP Edinson Volquez
RHP Jason Marquis
LHP Eric Stults
RHP Freddy Garcia
RHP Andrew Cashner is expected to remain on the disabled list to start the regular season with no definite time table for his possible return to the starting rotation.
RHP’s Casey Kelly and Anthony Bass could still possibly work their way into the starting rotation if Stults or Garcia struggle out of the gate.

This unit as a whole fell off as well during the second half of the season to end up ranked 10^th in the NL with a team ERA of 4.01.

Closer

RHP Huston Street

Street is a more than capable closer that should especially benefit from the new configuration of Petco Park. However he still lacks the set-up support from a strong left-handed late inning reliever in the bullpen to complement the right-handed pitchers the Padres already have.

2013 San Diego Padres Prediction:

The star power on this team is far and few between, but the Padres do have a stud in Headley and some solid arms in Richard and Volquez.

If Cashner does not miss a beat once he does get back into the starting rotation and the bats get off to a hot start like they did last season, San Diego might be able to stick around in NL West race a bit longer than it did last season.

No matter how well this team ends up playing, at best it is still battling it out with Arizona for third in the division.