Un-Crowding the Padres Outfield

(Photo via @Padres)

Will Venable
Like Quentin, Venable is entering the final year of his contract, though he will make about half ($4.25 million) of what Quentin earns. Venable, also 32, has been with the Padres since he was drafted in 2005 out of Princeton University, where he also played basketball.

He broke out in 2013 with 22 doubles, 22 home runs, and 22 stolen bases across 515 PAs, hitting .268/.312/.484. He’s shown an interesting mix of power (well, for Petco Park) and speed, with 75 career home runs, and 119 career stolen bases. In 2014, he regressed, though, hitting just .224/.288/.325 in 448 PAs.

A left-handed hitter (the only lefty among these six outfielders), Venable came up as a platoon player against right-handed pitchers. After injuries forced him into the everyday lineup by 2013, he hit against lefties too, and earned a contract extension and a starting job. However, after the regression in 2014, and the new outfielders in camp who were acquired not to sit on the bench, Venable may not get the consistent at-bats he needs.

Keep Venable. Venable has more value than Quentin (and for half the money!), but $4.25 million is a lot to be paying a fourth or fifth outfielder. He is the lone left-handed bat of the bunch, though, and he will be valuable falling back into a platoon role because of that. His versatility, too, is of note: in his career, he’s logged more than 3,500 innings in right field, over 1,700 innings in center and 311 innings in left.

Aside from an expensive contract for a bench guy, Venable is a valuable and dependable option with no significant injury history, decent speed and decent power. If one of the newcomers does miss significant time, Venable should step in without missing too much production at the plate or in the field.