San Diego Padres-Position Battles

Carlos Quentin was acquired from the Chicago White Sox following the 2011 season. Quentin was coming off of a season in which he made the American League All-Star team. As has always been the case with Quentin, durability has been a major issue. In his three seasons with his hometown Padres he has failed to play more than 86 games in a season. Take out his lackluster 2014 season and his number put up through all the injury woes were pretty respectable. If Quentin can stay healthy, a big if, he would be another power bat at the Padres disposal that could be plugged in for spot starts and as a pinch hitter late in games.

Now in what might be the most important position battle of Spring Training will be the competition for the 5th spot in the starting rotation. Brandon Morrow, Odrismaer Despaigne, Matthew Wisler, and Robbie Erlin will all compete for that elusive final spot in the rotation.

Brandon Morrow had back-to-back injury plagued seasons in Toronto. When healthy, Morrow has the ability to be one of the best pitchers in baseball with his power fastball and nasty split-finger. He put together his best season in 2011 when he went 11-11 with a 4.72 ERA and 203 strikeouts in 179.1 innings. Pitching in a ballpark like Petco would play to Morrow’s strengths as a pitcher. Should he be able to stay healthy during Spring Training and win the 5th starter spot he would improve what is already one of the best pitching staffs in the National League.

Not many Padres fans knew what to expect from the Cuban import Odrisamer Despaigne after he was called up following a rash of injuries to the starting rotation. He was a pleasant surprise and one of the lone bright-spots in an otherwise dismal season. Wins and losses don’t tell the whole story when it comes to Despaigne. He features a variety of arm angles that make things difficult for opposing batters. In his 16 starts a season ago he had 9 of the quality variety including one where he took a no-hit bid deep into a game against the New York Mets. Adding Despaigne to the rotation would provide the Padres with a crafty guy who just understands how to pitch.

Matthew Wisler was one of the young prospects the Padres were reluctant to trade this winter, and for good reason. Wisler is only 22 and has shot up the Padres minor league ranks dominating at each stop. His poise on the mound is beyond his years for a pitcher his age. He’s a strikeout guy and has racked up at least 100 strikeouts each season in the Minor Leagues. While being a great strikeout pitcher, Wisler also has great command of his pitches and doesn’t yield a lot of walks to opposing batters. With Wisler being so young, so more work in the minors might be needed to make sure he’s ready to pitch in the majors.

Robbie Erlin came into the 2014 season as the Padres 5th starter. Erlin had pitched 11 games the previous season at the Major League level, starting 9 of them. Elbow discomfort derailed Erlin’s 2014 season as he only appeared in 13 games. Erlin has a nice pitch mix with a fastball that runs 88-90 and a great curve ball as well as a solid change-up that keeps batters off-balance. Inserting Erlin in to the rotation would keep the Padres from employing a strictly right-handed rotation. Erlin is an interesting option that could really turn heads with a strong spring.

Who are your picks to win the position battles during Spring Training? Also what are you most looking forward to now that Spring Training is finally here?

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