Will this finally be the year for the San Diego Padres?
If you’re from the city of San Diego, then you definitely have heard of the Padres or you’re a fan. The Padres are one of the five teams that hasn’t won the World Series. They have been to the playoffs four times in the past six years, yet each year they fall short after such high hopes breaking their fans’ hearts. I think this could be their year to finally win the long awaited World Series.
Last year’s National League Wild Card loss to the Chicago Cubs was very heartbreaking and gut wrenching. Throughout the regular season, the Padres had given us such high hopes and absolutely put up no fight in the first round of the playoffs and broke our hearts due to the offensive disappearing when we needed it the most. I think this year will be different for the Padres.
The Padres have hired a new head coach and a new hitting coach. The former hitting coach, Victor Rodriguez, was slowing the team down because of his hitting tactics which are contact based. This is an old-school way of playing in a modern game of baseball. The Padres new hitting coach, Steven Souza Jr., has tactics that involve modern baseball ideologies such as power hitting, homerun consistency and batting aggression. This coaching change should bring a more aggressive offense to the Padres and their strong batting lineup.
New team player, Sung Mun Song, signed as a free agent and Ramon Laureano to a team option, adds more power bats to a lineup already known for being power hitters. They will connect great with the new power based hitting coach. The chemistry of power hitting will make the offense alive and feared again.
The pitching side of the Padres has been great with the bullpen being one of the best in the league. The starting pitching is a slight problem but with Micheal King renewing his contract and signings of minor league pitching prospects in which the General Manager AJ Preller can trade them for big name stars (which is a known strategy he does a lot).
I certainly think the San Diego Padres chances at winning the World Series in the upcoming season is great.
