Padres 2019 Season Preview
Ready to check out our 2019 San Diego Padres predictions? The Padres are going to surprise a lot of people this year. Not that this is one of the best or more talented teams in baseball, but because they play in the NL West.
MLB Padres Predictions & Handicapping Insight
You can basically write in the Dodgers to win the NL West. After that, though, it’s up for grabs. The Diamondbacks are going to take a significant step back losing A.J. Pollock and Paul Goldschmidt.
The Colorado Rockies should still be competitive, but their starting pitching was really good last year. In Colorado, pitching is very much a fluid thing. They could come back down to Earth and all of a sudden lose a bunch of games they were winning last year.
The San Francisco Giants are old and are in a major need for a rebuild. And that leaves the San Diego Padres who have been building up a lot of young talent over the last number of years while they’ve been the doormat of the division. The time is now for them to compete this year.
2019 MLB Team Previews – San Diego Padres
- Padres National League Central Odds +1000
- Padres National League Odds +2500
- Padres World Series Odds +1100
Key Additions:
- Manny Machado
- Ian Kinsler
Obviously, the big signing came recently with Manny Machado getting a mega deal to man the hot corner in San Diego. With that signing, the Padres went from a fun little 150/1 World Series long shot to a disgusting 40/1.
If you wanted to take a shot at the Padres, I’d roll with the division. The Padres are double digit chances to win the division and that isn’t the worst value. Again, the Dodgers will probably win it, but at 10-11 to 1, I’d throw a couple of bucks at that given how weak the division is.
Key Losses:
- Christian Villanueva
- Cody Spangenberg
The Padres really didn’t lose anybody of note.
2019 San Diego Padres Predictions: Projected Lineup:
- 2B Ian Kinsler
- 3B Manny Machado
- 1B Eric Hosmer
- LF Wil Myers
- RF Hunter Renfroe
- CF Manuel Margot
- C Austin Hedges
- SS Luis Urias
This is a lineup that is not bad. The addition of Manny Machado definitely lengths it a little bit, but it still needs work. There are still way too many strikeouts on this team to be a serious contender.
The key will be those young guys stepping up. Margot will have to finally show that promise he was once touted to have; Renfroe will have to show enough on the defensive end to get consistent playing time.
Hosmer will have to bounce back in a big way as he was awful last year.
2019 San Diego Padres Predictions: Projected Rotation:
- Joey Lucchesi
- Robbie Erlin
- Bryan Mitchell
- Eric Lauer
- Luis Perdomo
The Padres have a bunch of young arms that have the potential to be good, but 2019 won’t be it. There will be plenty of growing pains and the hope for the Padres is that in a couple of years the fruits of their labor will pay off.
2019 San Diego Padres Predictions: Projected Closer:
- Kirby Yates
Kirby Yates pitched well last year. So, he’s expected to be the closer this year.
2019 San Diego Padres Predictions:
After doing previews of the Mets and Reds; those teams are better. But, they play in such tough divisions that they may, potentially, end up with less wins than the Padres. Sometimes it’s the luck of the draw on who you play.
The Padres play in a very vulnerable division and they should be able to get some wins against the Giants, Diamondbacks, and even the Rockies. Those wins should pile up and they could potentially linger around the postseason hunt.
Again, this isn’t a serious playoff contender, but given their competition they may find themselves lurking around even when the season heats up in the dog days of summer.
What do you think of our 2019 San Diego Padres predictions? Comments are welcome below.
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Machado will be hitting third, behind Hosmer, not ahead of him. Otherwise, good lineup – until Tatis jr. shows up.
The problem with the rotation is that 40% of it has already been ruled out. Perdomo, if he makes the team, will be a one inning guy in the bullpen. Mitchell has just been told he’ll be the long man if he makes the team, and with no options, he has to make the team or get waivered. He might just start games for Baltimore! That would move Erlin back to swingman.
Seriously, though Nix and Kennedy are injured and won’t make the team, Chris Paddack and Logan Allen are still options, though Paddack is on the 40-man. Another lefty, Matt Strahm, is more likely to get a rotation spot then either of them, and don’t rule out righty Robert Stock and his 100 mph fastball.
The danger of predictions with a team like the Padres is the lack of a track record in the majors. A.J. Preller has resisted picking up a veteran pitcher unless he’s an ace at a cheap, short term price.
He has several untested high upside starters he needs to see this year, because he has Dinelson Lamet and Richards coming back from TJ surgery next year, along with 2-3 more prospects ready next year, and 2-3 more the year after that, etc. There’s just not enough innings to give all those prospects unless it’s a Kluber, or Bauer, and Preller HATES giving up talent even for that quality.