Padres 2020 Season Preview
Ready to check out our 2020 San Diego Padres predictions? San Diego was a tease last season. They have some high end talent but they still need to fill in before any significant winning begins. I am not sure they have all the pieces just yet but a little bit of growth could be observed.
MLB Padres Predictions & Handicapping Insight
This was supposed to be a season where the Padres turned the corner a little bit. They have two stars in Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. Both arrived last year and should be more comfortable this season.
In the National League West it is kind of the Dodgers and then a big gap before everybody else. This team could surprise some folks this season just by beating up the other guys.
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This is definitely a wait and see kind of team. I am not bullish enough about them to suggest jumping on early. There is some value though.
2020 MLB Team Previews – San Diego Padres
- San Diego Padres 2020 National League West Odds: +1100
- Padres 2020 National League Odds: +2200
- Padres 2020 World Series Odds: +5000
Key Additions:
- Tommy Pham, OF
- Jurickson Profar, 2B
- Zach Davies, SP
Pham was a late bloomer with St. Louis but now he is bouncing around a bit. He produces but I can’t imagine that he is not going to get to another level now. Especially not with San Diego. Jurickson Profar has never lived up to his uber prospect status but he has hit 20 homers the last two season and can play the middle infield.
Davies was acquired in a trade with Milwaukee. He is not elite in terms of stuff but he was a big winner for the Brew Crew over the last couple of seasons.
Key Losses:
- Ian Kinsler
- Craig Stammen
- Robbie Erlin
Kinsler was past his prime but a solid clubhouse guy. The others provided some to the pitching staff but the Padres are looking to their replacements.
2020 San Diego Padres Predictions: Projected Lineup:
- Fernando Tatis, SS
- Tommy Pham, OF
- Manny Machado, 3B
- Eric Hosmer, 1B
- Trent Grisham, OF
- Jurickson Profar, 2B
- Franciso Mejia, C
- Frenchy Cordero, OF
It certainly seems like the sky is the limit for Tatis and Machado is a proven performer but the rest of the lineup is full of question marks. Eric Hosmer has a nice season a year ago but he is what he is at this point. Everyone below him in the lineup has a combo of low floor high ceiling.
They need at least a couple of these guys to pop.
2020 San Diego Predictions: Projected Rotation:
- Chris Paddack
- Garrett Richards
- Zach Davies
- Joey Lucchesi
- Dinelson Lamet
Paddack looked great last season. Now he has to prove he can do it working deeper into the games and being available throughout a season
Richards and Davies are two veterans the Padres help to get a lot from. Richards has had high levels of success in the past but missed significant time with injuries throughout his career. Davies has “lesser” stuff but has proven he can win. He knows how to pitch.
Lucchesi looks great one start and terrible the next. This will be his third season so some consistency could emerge. Lamet has a high ceiling too and looked sharp in what spring action we did see.
He lost his second season due to arm trouble and could pop. For a fifth starter, there is a lot there.
2020 San Diego Padres Predictions: Projected Closer:
- Kirby Yates
Yates might have been the best reliever in baseball last season. He led the NL in saves and had one of the quietest dominant seasons in recent history. He also gets a nice bridge with Drew Pomeranz arriving.
The lefty has been dominant in short relief for his career and this duo could help lock down a lot of wins. If the starting pitching is pretty good.
2020 San Diego Padres Predictions: 79 Wins and third in the NL West (Bet Now at any of our reviewed MLB Sportsbooks!)
San Diego has been looking to next year for a really long time. I think they will actually see some progress this season. They just won’t compete this season.
The best-case scenario sees Tatis not suffering a sophomore slump while Machado gets back to the production levels we saw in the American League. Mejia is supposed to be a middle of the order bat and if he shows that this lineup might be long enough.
On the mound, they need a healthy season from Richards. If they can get that I think he will produce. He is too old now to “emerge” but every time he has been healthy to take the ball regularly he has been pretty reliable.
The Padres are bringing the “brown” back and I think it will bring some deserved optimism for this group. On the high side, I can see 85 wins but probably more mid to high 70s is more realistic. I think we will see more winning when they are supposed to.
I am looking to back this team a fair bit. I think they can be pretty good but at the same time, I am not expecting the market to be very bullish on them. That makes them a pretty good value.
What do you think of our 2020 San Diego Padres predictions? Comments are welcome below.
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