The Padres were at it again today as they landed two more big bats in Wil Myers from Tampa Bay and Justin Upton from Atlanta. They also netted Will Middlebrooks via the Red Sox. The worst offense from the 2014 is suddenly looking fairly impressive.
Justin Upton, headed into the last year of his contract, is going to be placed right into the heart of San Diego’s offense. He’s hit at least 15 home runs since 2008, which would have been tied for the team lead last year. Upton has massive power and Petco takes a lot of home runs away from players, but I’m not sure it will effect J-Up very much. He’s been very durable over his career as he’s played at least 149 games in each of the past four seasons.
Nobody ever said 2013 rookie of the year Wil Myers was a natural in the outfield. He’s not. And with almost no doubt, he will struggle in Petco’s giant right-field. That being said, Wil Myers can sure swing the bat. His splits during his rookie campaign were quite impressive – .293 / .354 / .478 / .831 – but last year, was anything but impressive. His 2014 season was derailed by injuries and very sub-par. With Kemp and Upton in the same lineup, he’ll likely be getting a lot more pitchers to hit.
Will Middlebrooks has been up and down from Major Leagues to the Minors for three years now. His rookie campaign was quite impressive but since then he’s been on a downward spiral hitting .227 and .191 in the past two years respectively. A new start in the less pressure city of San Diego could be exactly what the 26 year old needs.
Christmas came a bit earlier for Padres fans then expected, I’m sure of it. The Padres unloaded a lot of their farm system to add some pop in that lineup. They’ve done just that and more.
Punting With the Bases Loaded 