2012 San Diego Padres Predictions
The San Diego Padres were almost the story of the 2010 season. A disappointing collapse, however, kept them from winning the NL West, which opened the door for San Francisco and the rest is history.
The Padres came back down to earth in 2011. After winning 90 games and finishing second in the division the previous year, they went just 71-91 and ended up in last place.
Projected Pitching
Starting rotation: Tim Stauffer (R) – Stauffer appears to be on the verge of a breakout season after going 9-12 with a 3.73 ERA in his first full season as a starter. The Padres need to find a way to get hit a little more run support in 2012.
Edinson Volquez (R) – Pitcher-friendly Petco Park will give Volquez an opportunity to bounce back from a disastrous 2011, during which he went 5-7 with a 5.71 ERA in 20 starts.
Cory Luebke (L) – Luebke has earned a spot in the rotation after posting a 3.48 ERA in 16 starts last season.
Clayton Richard (L) – Richard will be looking to bounce back after a shoulder injury limited him to just 18 starts in 2011. San Diego is hoping he has another season in him like 2010 when he finished 14-9 with a 3.75 ERA.
Dustin Moseley (R) – Moseley went just 3-10 in an injury-shortened season, but his win-loss record isn’t indicative of how well he pitched. The 29-year-old boasted an impressive 3.30 ERA.
Closer: Huston Street (R) – Unable to re-sign Heath Bell, the Padres decided to make a play for Street, who converted 29 of 33 save chances for Colorado last season.
Projected Lineup
Nick Hundley (Catcher) – The Padres desperately need Hundley healthy this season. His production was solid last year when he batted .288 with nine homers and 29 RBI in only 281 at-bats.
Yonder Alonso (First Base) – Jesus Guzman could be the first baseman on Opening Day, but I expect Alonso to be the everyday guy before long. He batted .330 with five homers and 15 RBI in 45 games last season with the Reds and projects as a powerful cleanup hitter.
Orlando Hudson (Second Base) – The Padres are hoping Hudson’s 2011 campaign was an aberration. The .277 career hitter batted a career-worst .246 last year.
Chase Headley (Third Base) – Headley batted a career-best .289 last season but saw his power numbers drop due to missed time with a broken finger. He has been a 10 home run-60 RBI guy for the Padres.
Jason Bartlett (Shortstop) – Pitcher-friendly Petco didn’t treat Bartlett well as he batted just .245 with two home runs and 40 RBI.
Carlos Quentin (Left Field) – The Padres are counting on Quentin to be a major run producer. The outfielder hit 24 round trippers and totaled 77 RBI in just 118 games for the White Sox in 2011 and has blasted at least 21 homers each of the past four seasons.
Cameron Maybin (Center Field) – Maybin started to show his potential last season, using his speed as an asset in the field and on the base paths. He had 40 steals and led the team with 82 runs.
Will Venable (Right Field) – Venable is known as a streaky hitter but seemed to be on a bad streak all last season. He ended up batting .246 with nine homers and 44 RBI.
Prediction – 5th Place NL West: It’s unlikely the Padres will surprise in 2012 the way they did in 2010. They have finished no better than fourth and have won no more than 75 games three of the past four seasons. The Padres are listed at +2500 to win the NL West.
