Forsythe Hurt, Which Padres Backup Infielders Step Up?

Last weekend, Utility Infielder Logan Forsythe broke the sesamoid bone in his left foot. While not season-ending, it should side-line Forsythe anywhere from two to eight weeks. The bad news however is that Forsythe sustained the same injury in college and missed two to three months according to Padres.com Beat Writer Corey Brock. In the event that Forsythe is unable to participate this Spring, or even misses regular season play, the race for playing time as a backup in the Padres’ Infield should heat up in the next couple of weeks. So today I thought I would discuss each of the candidates that are in the running for the top Utility Infield position.

Everth Cabrera

Will this be the season that Everth Cabrera finally turns the corner? I know that I am rooting for him to revert back to his 2009 form and beyond (.255 BA, 25 SB’s, 8 3B’s, and 31 RBI’s in 438 Plate Appearances.) After a nice Rookie season in 2009, Cabrera’s playing time at the Major League level diminished in 2010, and was almost non-existent in 2011 due Nevertheless, Cabrera should be the first option to become the Padres top Utility guy this upcoming season with Forsythe going down.

A speedster that can either lead-off or bat at the bottom of the order, Cabrera should be called upon to fill in all over the infield this upcoming season. A Second Baseman and Shortstop by trade, Cabrera will also be getting work at Third Base this Spring and could inevitably nail down the #1 backup spot because of his versatility. Cabrera however should be wary of another competitor who saw some action at numerous positions last season with the Padres.

Andy Parrino

Andy Parrino could also benefit from Forsyte’s absence, and might even nail down a roster spot with some adequate play over the next month. And like Cabrera and Forsythe (would have), I’m sure that Parrino will be getting work at Second, Short, and Third this Spring.

Last season Parrino played all over the diamond (2B, SS, 3B, RF, LF), so his versatility in terms of his Defense should be highly valued coming off of the bench. In fact, he had a 1.000 fielding percentage in 127 innings of work in the field combined.

Parrino however struggled at the plate during his rookie season and only hit .182 in 55 Plate Appearances. Sure it’s not enough of a sample to know what Parrino is capable of, but time in the field could be determined by how well a guy is hitting off the bench.

Final Thoughts:

It’s a shame that Forsythe had to go down with an injury. It would have been interesting to see how everything shook out this Spring between the three players vying for backup time. But hey, I guess it’s always a good thing to have three backups that have the capability to play Second, Short, and Third, and San Diego should be glad that even though Forsythe has gone down, the depth behind him is still capable of filling in and producing some results when called upon.