Although it is definitely good news to know that Maybin might be on the road to recovery, I still have one very important question to ask:

 

How much playing time will he receive in the Padres’ “crowded outfield” once he eventually comes off of the disabled list?

 

Maybin is on the disabled list. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

If he does recover from his right wrist issue relatively soon, Maybin will definitely have his work cut out for him.  In fact, the center fielder will probably have to leap-frog a multitude of players on San Diego’s depth chart if he wants to get back into the mix for some playing time when he returns.

For instance, the always consistent Chris Denorfia has been his “quietly productive-self” through the first month of the regular season.  Over his first 28 games, Denorfia has been quite the stable “table-setter” for the Friars.

So far, Denorfia has hit .302 (29 for 96), has posted a .374 on-base percentage, and is tied for the team lead in runs scored (16).  “Deno” has also clubbed eight doubles and two home runs in addition to the 10 he has knocked in to boot.  San Diego’s versatile outfielder has definitely proved once again that he is worthy of a starting gig in the outfield, and his ability to play all three positions should make him a lynch-pin in the Friars’ every-day lineup.

While Denorfia’s success comes as little surprise to many, Kyle Blanks’ recent productivity has been downright solid and shocking.  After Blanks missed 230+ regular season games from 2010-2012, the power-hitting outfielder has taken advantage of his extended chances to shine over the first month of the 2013 regular season.  Used as a platoon-player against left-handed pitching, Kyle has enjoyed a successful start in his most recent return.

Overall, Blanks has hit .293 (12 for 41), smacked two doubles, hit one home run, knocked in five runs, and has even managed to score another five on his own.  When healthy, Kyle is a viable power-threat in San Diego’s lineup and he can play either of the corner outfield positions as well.  As long as Blanks can stay off of the disabled list, he will definitely be an important part of the Friars’ success this year.

Although veterans Carlos Quentin (.183 batting average, two home runs, nine rbi’s) and Will Venable (.216 batting average, three home runs, 10 rbi’s) have struggled somewhat to begin their 2013 campaigns, they will also be in the hunt for playing time with Denorfia and Blanks through the summer.  The left-handed Venable definitely hits right-handed pitching much better than Maybin, and Quentin is a far bigger power threat than the center fielder is as well.

Venable definitely had an impressive series against the Diamondbacks over the weekend, and he is always an option at a corner outfield spot whenever the Friars face a right-handed starter.  While Quentin’s knee has been gimpy, his plate-discipline and power still should earn him at-bats if he is able to play in left field.

Final Thoughts

In addition to Denorfia, Blanks, Quentin, and Venable, I certainly will not discount Alexi Amarista and Jesus Guzman as potential competition for Maybin when he returns either.  The versatile Amarista can help out at all three outfield spots in addition to second base, while Guzman can chip in and help in left field and right field.

I certainly hope that Maybin is able to not only realize his potential upon his return, but that he can also live up to the big extension (five-years $25 million) he signed last spring.

Unfortunately for Cameron, his time on the bench coupled with his competition’s recent success will not make things easy for him once he eventually returns from the disabled list.  San Diego’s outfield could be a bit too crowded come the summertime, and Maybin might be forced to “grab some pine” behind Denorfia, Blanks, Quentin, and Venable.

Stats Courtesy of: Baseball Reference and ESPN

Apr 29, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Chris Denorfia (right) celebrates with shortstop Everth Cabrera (left) after both scoring runs against the Chicago Cubs during the fifth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Padres lose the first road game at Wrigely Field against the Chicago Cubs 5 – 3, and it is just my luck that I’m writing on a loss again.  But despite the downturn, overall for the last week, I’ve seen many incremental improvements from the Padres, and with my rose-tinted glasses I’m happy again.  Well at least as much as possible.

The Padres strikeout 14 times, and leave 10 runners on base against the Cubs.  Also, Padres only hit 1-10 with RISP, which points a bit to execution issues, but also to bad luck.  Clayton Richard goes 5 2/3 innings, and gives up 5 earned runs.  They say hindsight is 20-20, but I wonder if it would have been better off to pull him after 5.  Clayton came up to hit in the 6 inning after the Cubs pulled their starter, former Notre Dame wide receiver and Brady Quinn compatriot Jeff Samardzija - it would have been good timing.  Instead Clayton scuffles a bit in the 6th and is pulled after giving up the tie and an RBI hit Cody Ransom.  If you recall, Cody filled in for Chase Headley as the Padres opening day starter at 3B.  He had an excellent game, going 2-4 with 2 RBI and HR, and also gets a barehanded defensive play against the Padres.  It is strange how players seem to excel against former teams, but that’s the way baseball works.

Regardless the Padres battled, and continued to put pressure on the Cubs and their bullpen throughout the rest of the game, loading the bases with less than 2 outs in the 7th, and putting another 2 runners on base in the 8th, but no break through.  Credit the Cubs bullpen as well as they battled their way out for a win.  The Padres kept themselves in a position to come back, and that’s a positive - just no break through.

Some of the positives I saw for the Padres, include the pitch selection and patience by Carlos Quentin.  Although he struck out 3 times, he also drew 2 walks, and also led the Padres in terms of pitches seen with 25 for the game, wearing out the opposing pitchers.  Everth Cabrera also performed well, going 3-4 with a walk and scoring 2 runs, including a heads up play taking home on a wild pitch in first.  Overall, I’ve been very satisfied with Everth’s play so far, and he’s establishing himself as a reliable top of the order place setter.  His speed gives him some pop on paper, as he can stretch borderline doubles.  His OBP has been > 0.350, and he’s great at taking pitches and being a pest.  I’ve watched him make regular random use of the bunt as an offensive weapon in his repertoire, keeping infielders off guard and uncomfortable.

Currently, the Padres are sitting at 9-16, and on the outside looking in.  So far, I feel better about the hitters than the pitchers.  I feel better about the bullpen than the starters.  Chris Denorfia?  Awesome, he’s been performing like he could be an everyday hitter.  Will Venable?  His overall slash line is curently 202/280/353.  Against LHP, he’s at 182/250/364 and against RHP, he’s 222/300/370.  In a tiny sample set, right handed hitter Kyle Blanks is hitting 455/500/727 against LHP.  I would like to see Dino shift to everyday CF, and Blanks/Venable platoon in RF while Maybin is recovering.

Another platoon that could help when Logan Forsythe comes back is at 2B.  I’m still sold on Jedd Gyorko and I’m sure he’s going through a growth process, but at the same time, a player can still grow in space and Jedd does seem to struggle a bit, especially in big situations.  Strangely, as right handed hitter, he’s shown early struggles with lefties.  His splits show that against RHP, he’s at 270/319/333, but against LHP, there’s a sizeable drop off at 182/308/273.  As rookie, there appears to be a large amount of variability in his numbers regarding splits, including home and away, which could be a sign of constant adjustments and growth and change.  Although Buddy Black has been using the term “small sample size” to explain the bad early results - in statistics, 100 data points is a pretty solid set to establish a pattern for normally distributed data.  See Central Limit Theorem.  Logan Forsythe’s 2012 splits were 384/465/545 against LHP, and 222/284/319 against RHP.  Teaming Logan and Jedd at 2B will allow them to get good match-ups initially and help both of them grow and the team.

Apr 29, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Yonder Alonso (left) reacts after being called out on strikes with the bases loaded by home plate umpire Mark Carlson during the seventh inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

The Padres were finally getting things going, winners of four straight games and coming off a three-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants.

With the Rockies coming back to the pack in the division, the Padres found themselves just 5.5 games out of first place starting a four game set at Wrigley Field versus the lowly Cubs.

But things that have plagued the Padres all year long once again came back to bite them in this one. The Padres are ranked in the bottom third in all of MLB is runners left-on-base per game, and Monday night was no exception. They left 11 guys on the base paths and had a plethora of opportunities to drive in either game tying or go-ahead runs. They also struck out 14 times.

After a rare two out, two-run single in the 5th inning by Yonder Alonso to tie the game at three, the Padres found themselves down 5-3 in the top of the 7th inning. With the bases loaded and only one out, Alonso proceeded to strike out, followed up by a weak groundout by Jedd Gyorko. Gyorko had an outstanding spring, but has yet to find his groove during the first month of the season.

Then, in the 8th inning, the Padres had the tying run on second base after a quick 2-out rally. However, Chris Denorfia grounded out measly to the pitcher Kevin Gregg.

Another story line in this game was Cody Ransom. Released by the Padres just a couple weeks ago, Ransom seemed to take it personally, as he homered in the 2nd inning and had a big 2-out RBI single to put the Cubs ahead for good in the 6th inning. He also made a great play at third to save a run with 2 outs in the 7th inning on Gyorko’s slow grounder.

The Padres were gaining some momentum heading into May, but if they hope to stay competitive in the NL West, they can’t be losing series to teams like the Cubs. Luckily, they have three more cracks at Chicago this week and hopefully they can grab three of four.