The last time the San Diego Padres won the National League West championship was in 2006. Coach Bruce Bochy (now Texas Rangers) even raised the district championship. And he was fired at the end of the season due to the responsibility of losing the Division Series for two years in a row. Immediately in 2007, the SF Giants recruited him and opened a golden era by winning the World Series three times.
SD has advanced to the postseason only twice since 2006. It is 2020 and 2022, which were scheduled for 60 games due to the corona virus pandemic. All are wild cards. Last year, veteran coach Bob Melvin drove the momentum of the wild card in his first year in office and achieved a splendid feat of advancing to the championship for the first time in 24 years since 1998.
The goal for the 2023 season is to win the NL West Division. The common point of experts is that it is possible to win the district championship by upgrading the confidence and power of advancing to the championship last season.
Since SD’s last championship in 2006, the West Division has been virtually monopolized by the Los Angeles Dodgers. During this period, the Dodgers won 11 times, and the SF Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks won twice each. Founded in 1993 in Denver, Colorado at 1600m above sea level, the Rockies have never won a district title. All five postseason advances are wild cards.
This year’s NL West is a three-way match between the Padres, Dodgers and Giants. The Diamondbacks and Rockies have not been significantly strengthened. The Dodgers have been quiet in the offseason with the aim of catching Shohei Ohtani, who will become a free agent after the 2023 season, but it is a good power to advance to fall 먹튀검증 baseball.
It’s the first time since 2006 that the Padres are outmatched and more likely to win ahead of the season. Looking at the Padres’ offseason player movement, left-hander Sean Maneia (SF Giants), right-hander Mike Clevinger (Chicago White Sox), catcher Jorge Alfaro (FA), first baseman Josh Bell (Cleveland Guardians), and outfielder Will Myers (Cincinnati) Reds), infielder Brandon Drury (LA Angels), and outfielder Urickson Profar (FA) left the team.
Shortstop Zander Bogaerts, first baseman and DH Matt Carpenter (left), DH Nelson Cruz (right), outfielder Adam Ingel, and bullpen pitchers Brent Honeywell Jr., Seth Lugo and Sean Poppen filled the gap. The starting rotation consists of Darvish Yu, Joe Musgrove, Blake Snell, and Nick Martinez. Former New York Mets bullpen Seth Lugo is being talked about as a fifth starter. Lugo pitched as a starter until the third year of his debut. The bullpen is back to normal with the return of Josh Hader, and the bullpen is strong with the signing of set-up man Roberto Suarez, who sprays 100 miles (160 km).
The expected lineup for the start of the 2023 season is No. 1 second baseman Ha-seong Kim, No. 2 right fielder Juan Soto, No. 3 third baseman Manny Machado, No. 4 shortstop Xander Bogarts, No. 5 first baseman Jake Cronence, No. 6 designated hitter Nelson Cruz, No. 7 left fielder. Matt Carpenter, 8th catcher Austin Nola, 9th center fielder Crent Grisham.
Ha-seong Kim participated in 150 games in the 2022 season and recorded 582 at-bats. In Padres last season, only three at-bats higher than Kim Ha-seong were Cronenworth (684), Profar (658), and Machado (644). This is a testament to the high level of team contribution. Last year’s on-base percentage was 0.325. That’s higher than the MLB average of 0.312. He recorded double-digit home runs (11) and stolen bases (12), making him a passable top hitter. However, he said that he felt the psychological burden of being the top hitter to get on base. As a 7th hitter, 38 games are the most by batting order. As a top hitter, he appeared in 17 games. The top hitter’s on-base percentage is 0.346, and it is the highest at 0.424 when he was 8th.
The point to watch in the 2023 season is whether the Padres’ recapture of the NL West Championship in 17 years will become a reality.