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Predicting the Padres' opening-day roster
UT San Diego
Lin
2
Luis Sardinas familiar with playing all over the field
UT San Diego
Lin
5
Spangenberg goes 3-for-4 with home run
MLB.com
Haft/Perkins
8
Non-roster invitee Aybar likely to land SS job
MLB.com
Perkins
9
Catcher-reliever Bethancourt proving himself
MLB.com
Perkins
10
Infielder Sardinas in mix for utility role
MLB.com
Perkins
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Predicting the Padres' opening-day roster
BY: DENNIS LIN
San Diego Union Tribune
March 25, 2017
Opening day is just over a week away, and while spring has provided some answers, plenty of
questions remain concerning the rebuilding Padres.
For instance: Will the team carry three or, gasp, four catchers? Will all three Rule 5 draftees break
camp with San Diego? How will service time influence roster composition?
Below is a stab at predicting the Padres’ opening-day, 25-man roster. A couple caveats apply.
One, this could turn out to be a wild stab. And two, opening day, especially for a team with so
many youngsters and unknowns, is merely one small box on the baseball calendar.
Starting pitchers (5)
Jhoulys Chacin
Clayton Richard
Jered Weaver
Trevor Cahill
Luis Perdomo
Two spots are open, the race consisting of Cahill, Perdomo and Jarred Cosart.
Manager Andy Green has downplayed Perdomo’s mostly successful spring — possibly a
precursor to the 23-year-old beginning the season in Triple-A El Paso’s rotation.
No one can deny that, setting aside service-time concerns, Perdomo deserves to be in the starting
five. If he isn’t, Cosart, several months removed from arthroscopic surgery, would provide some
upside as part of a largely veteran group.
If he is, Cahill or Cosart would open as a long man in the bullpen, ready to step into the rotation
at a moment’s notice.
Christian Friedrich, diagnosed with a lat strain, will open the season on the disabled list.
Relievers (7)
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Brad Hand
Ryan Buchter
Brandon Maurer
Craig Stammen
Jose Torres
Miguel Diaz
Jarred Cosart
Locks since the spring began, Hand, Buchter and Maurer will comprise the back of the bullpen.
Stammen, a non-roster invitee, didn’t pitch in the majors last season, but has shown health, and
potential value, throughout the spring. He’s capable of pitching more than an inning at a time.
Similarly, Torres has performed too well not to warrant serious consideration. The same goes for
prospect Phil Maton, but he isn’t yet on the 40-man roster.
Since returning from a blister problem, Diaz, the No. 1 pick in December’s Rule 5 draft, has done
nothing to lessen the Padres’ interest. Like Perdomo last year, he could develop into a long-term
asset.
Carter Capps, 12 months after Tommy John surgery, isn’t quite ready to make his big-league
return. He figures to be an impact arm at some point this year.
Catchers (3)
Austin Hedges
Luis Torrens
Christian Bethancourt
After shedding 31 pounds, non-roster backstop Hector Sanchez has impressed, but carrying four
catchers would represent the ultimate juggling act.
The guess here: Sanchez starts the season with El Paso, an insurance policy in the event that
Torrens, another Rule 5 selection, founders.
While Torrens hasn’t played above A-ball, the Padres like his defensive potential. Carrying more
than one other catcher would relieve some of the pressure.
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Ideally, Bethancourt will continue progressing on the mound, serving as an eighth reliever, an
occasional catcher and a fifth outfielder.
Infielders (6)
Wil Myers
Yangervis Solarte
Erick Aybar
Ryan Schimpf
Cory Spangenberg
Allen Cordoba
Luis Sardinas, who’s had a rough spring at the plate, is no longer in the running to start at
shortstop, leaving Aybar as the clear favorite.
Sardinas could be a utility player on this roster, but he’s out of minor league options and has
limited time to make a positive impression.
Cordoba, meanwhile, has spent all spring bouncing around the field. He’s especially raw — he
spent last season in rookie-ball — but we’ll predict that the Padres do indeed open with all three
Rule 5 picks on the roster.
Solarte, last year’s starting third baseman, is moving across the diamond to second. Schimpf and
Spangenberg likely will split time at third. The exact breakdown remains to be determined.
Outfielders (4)
Travis Jankowski
Manuel Margot
Hunter Renfroe
Jabari Blash
The discovery of a disc protrusion in Alex Dickerson’s back has created opportunity for Blash.
The Padres like the intangibles of Collin Cowgill, another non-roster outfielder, but the veteran is
behind after missing time due to rib-cage tightness.
Margot need only spend a few weeks in Triple-A for the Padres to gain an additional year of club
control. They could take care of that right off the bat, or they could wait until Dickerson returns.
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Spangenberg and Cordoba, if he’s rostered, would provide a bit of outfield depth.
Luis Sardinas familiar with playing all over the field
BY: DENNIS LIN
San Diego Union Tribune
March 25, 2017
A utility player for much of his big-league career, Luis Sardinas is accustomed to playing all over
the field, which is what he’ll have to do over the final days of spring training.
In a Friday morning conversation, Padres manager Andy Green told Sardinas that, rather than
continue competing with non-roster invitee Erick Aybar for the starting shortstop job, he would
begin receiving looks at other positions.
The process started immediately. Friday afternoon, Sardinas entered the Padres’ Cactus League
game against the Rangers as a defensive replacement and manned left field for three innings.
In Saturday’s 8-7 loss to the Giants, he entered late in the game at third base.
According to Green, the change in plans does not eliminate any chance of Sardinas eventually
returning to his primary position. After an encouraging finish to last season, Sardinas is hitting
just .179 this spring.
“I just think it’s honesty,” Green said. “Just evaluating what we’ve seen so far in camp. I think his
effort’s been good. I think his desire’s very strong. Offensively, it hasn’t been a productive
camp.”
The Padres, Green said, have identified two areas of growth for Sardinas: plate discipline and
ranging to his left on ground balls.
“Those were brought up to him well before yesterday,” Green said. “We’d like to see some
growth in those areas. And at some point in time, he might be our everyday shortstop. This in no
way precludes him from that in the long run. It’s just being honest and upfront about our need to
move him around the field at this point in time and look at him in a different capacity.”
With the exception of catcher, Sardinas has at least a small amount of experience at every infield
position. When he was in Seattle’s camp last spring, he shagged fly balls at all three outfield
spots.
“At the end of the day, you just have to stay focused and you have to keep working despite any
changes,” Sardinas said through an interpreter. “(Green and I) had that conversation, and it was
all fine. I think this week will kind of shed light on what that role is, but it doesn’t really change
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my faith or hope that my work will display itself throughout the rest of spring training and I’ll be
able to understand where I am on opening day.”
Sardinas, 23, is out of minor league options, and if he does not make the opening-day roster, there
is no guarantee he will remain with the organization.
Aybar, who signed a minor league deal in early February, hit his first Cactus League home run
Saturday and is batting .277. With Sardinas now exploring a utility role, the 33-year-old appears
to be the Padres’ opening-day shortstop.
“I don’t think we’re ready for that declaration — he’s not on the roster at this point in time,”
Green said. “But I think a well-reasoned individual looking at camp could come to that
conclusion. Erick’s done a lot things we really like in camp so far.”
Richard goes six
Padres left-hander Clayton Richard yielded five runs, three earned, over six innings in Saturday’s
defeat.
“I was able to get ahead of most of the guys,” said Richard, who induced 13 groundouts. “I feel
like I’m right where I need to be at this point of spring, so I’m excited about that.”
In his longest spring start, Richard allowed eight hits and three walks, striking out two. On a day
the ball was flying, two of the hits were home runs.
“For the most part,” Green said, “he kept the ball on the ground until that sixth inning, and then
got tired a little bit. But overall, I thought it was a very productive spring training outing.”
Third baseman Cory Spangenberg (.349) went 3-for-4 with his first spring home run.
“He’s probably had our most consistent at-bats in the last week-and-a-half,” Green said. “I
thought he really defended the field well at third base today.”
Right fielder Hunter Renfroe (.302) went 2-for-3 with a double. Infielder Jamie Romak (.280)
went 1-for-4 with a home run.
Cowgill returns
After missing more than two weeks of Cactus League games, Collin Cowgill was back in the
lineup Saturday, starting in left. The non-roster outfielder had been limited for much of camp by
left rib-cage tightness.
“It’s been frustrating,” Cowgill said before going 1-for-3 with a single and a run scored. “When I
first started to feel it, I was playing through it a little bit. And after a while, I was afraid that I was
going to hurt something seriously.
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“Still not real sure what was going on. Had some ribs out of place, causing some muscles in my
(abdominal) wall and my back to be a little sore and tighten up on me. Trainers and I have been
working really hard to get all that out of there, so finally feeling good, good enough to play.”
Cowgill, who has played parts of six seasons in the majors, is competing to be the Padres’ fourth
outfielder. The 30-year-old is a capable defender at all three outfield positions, though his recent
injury has kept him from making a case.
“He’s been out of the mix for a while, but we like some of the intangibles he brings to the park
and we like who he is as a person and how he competes,” Green said. “Job clearly not his by any
stretch, but he’s going to get some opportunity in this last week.”
Green is well-acquainted with Cowgill, a fellow native of Lexington, Ky. Cowgill, who is nine
years younger, watched Green play high-school baseball and then collegiately at the University of
Kentucky, where Cowgill would also star. While Green was still playing professionally, the two
worked out together during the offseasons.
“Just a special guy, special to me, and kind of a mentor, big-brother figure,” Cowgill said. “…But
I know he’s not going to do me any favors. He’s got to put a winning team together, and
hopefully I’m in that mix.”
Extremely ambidextrous
Cowgill is versatile in more ways than his ability to play multiple positions.
The ambidextrous outfielder bats right and throws left.
That’s just the beginning of it.
“I play pool left-handed,” Cowgill said. “If I was going to punch you, I’d punch you righthanded. When I dribble (a basketball), I dribble right-handed. If I was going to dunk, I’d dunk
right-handed. But I’d do a left-handed layup. I’m right-footed, shoot darts left-handed. Shoot
basketball left-handed. … I golf right-handed. Anything swinging, right-handed. Bowl, righthanded. Write right-handed. Eat right-handed.”
For the record, Cowgill has hops.
“Yeah,” he said, smiling. “Five-foot-nine white guy. I can dunk.”
Notable
Reliever Carter Capps, returning from Tommy John surgery, made another appearance in a
backfield game Friday and is tentatively scheduled to pitch in Monday’s Cactus League game
against Seattle.
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Catcher Luis Torrens defeated reliever Ryan Buchter in a ping-pong match Saturday, setting up
the final of the Padres’ 32-man tournament. Torrens, the heavy favorite, will face infielder
Yangervis Solarte.
Spangenberg goes 3-for-4 with home run
BY: CHRIS HAFT & OWEN PERKINS
MLB.com
March 25, 2017
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- After Padres reliever Carlos Fisher loaded the bases in the ninth, first
baseman Jae-gyun Hwang hit a walk-off single to give the Giants an 8-7 victory over the Padres
in a Cactus League game Saturday at Scottsdale Stadium.
San Francisco set up Hwang's game-winner without hitting a ball out of the infield. Justin
Ruggiano walked, Rando Moreno reached first base on a sacrifice bunt attempt and Austin Slater
was hit by a pitch. Hwang blooped his hit into right-center field, giving the Giants their fifth
victory in their last six Cactus League games.
The Giants' rally complemented a strong effort by their bullpen, which shut out San Diego for the
final six innings.
"Now's the time you're hoping to tighten things up," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.
Competing for a spot in San Diego's lineup, third baseman Cory Spangenberg rapped three hits,
including a second-inning home run. San Diego scored all of its runs in the opening three innings.
Spangenberg's first-inning bunt single set up Hunter Renfroe's two-run double off Giants starter
Chris Stratton, who was summoned from Minor League camp for this game. Stratton yielded
seven runs and nine hits in three innings.
"He's probably had our most consistent at-bats in the last week and a half," Padres manager Andy
Green said of Spangenberg's two-pronged approach. "He's hit the ball hard. The bunt game's good
to see. He really defended the field well at third base today. He was outstanding over there."
Erick Aybar and Jamie Romak added homers for the Padres in the third inning.
Buster Posey delivered his first spring homer -- not including the pair he hit for Team USA in the
World Baseball Classic -- to open the Giants' scoring in the second inning off Padres starter
Clayton Richard, who gave up five runs (three earned) on eight hits in six innings.
"I felt like I was pretty sharp up until that sixth inning," Richard said. "I let a couple pitches go,
and they took advantage. They're good enough hitters that if you don't execute a pitch, they're
going to take advantage. The at-bat to Crawford and to Hundley, I felt as if I didn't do as well as I
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should have. You have to give them credit for being able to take advantage of that. I was able to
lock it back in for the last few outs."
Nick Hundley's first of two doubles and a Padres fielding misplay led to a pair of Giants runs in
the fifth inning. They added two runs in the sixth on Posey's bloop single and Brandon Crawford's
homer, and one in the seventh on Joe Panik's RBI triple. Gorkys Hernandez's RBI double in the
eighth tied the game at 7.
Giants Up Next: Left-hander Ty Blach, competing with Matt Cain for the fifth rotation spot, is
scheduled to start Sunday's 1:05 p.m. PT encounter with the White Sox at the Glendale Baseball
Complex. Blach has compiled a 5.02 ERA but has struck out 11 while walking just one. Watch
live on MLB.TV.
Padres Up Next: The Padres play a pair of split squad games Sunday, with a 1:10 p.m. PT tilt
hosting the Rockies, and a 1:05 p.m. road game with the Cubs. Right-hander Jarred Cosart starts
against the Rockies. He's given up three runs in 6 2/3 innings this spring, walking two and
striking out six. Trevor Cahill faces the defending World Series champs in his sixth spring start.
He's allowed 10 runs (seven earned) on nine hits and seven walks while striking out 13.
Non-roster invitee Aybar likely to land SS job
BY: OWEN PERKINS
MLB.com
March 25, 2017
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Though manager Andy Green is still a formal declaration away from
making it official, the Padres have their double-play combination all but set for Opening Day.
Before Saturday's 8-7 loss to the Giants, Green acknowledged the likelihood of non-roster invitee
Erick Aybar landing the shortstop job and pairing with Yangervis Solarte at second.
"A well-reasoned individual looking at camp could come to that conclusion," Green said of Aybar
winning the shortstop battle. "Erick's done a lot of things we really like in camp so far. I enjoy the
type of person he is, the way his mind works, the way he's hit the ball around the yard."
Aybar's big league career spans 11 seasons with the Angels (2006-15), Braves ('16) and Tigers
('16). He is a career .273 hitter and hit his first spring homer Saturday, finishing the day hitting
.277 in 17 Cactus League games, including 16 starts at short.
"He's a guy we'd love to see up his plate discipline a little bit," Green said. "He's got a track
record of about a decade in the game of being what he is from that perspective, but still there's
this belief that you can move the needle in certain areas, if you make it a focal point."
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His likely double-play partner at second is Solarte, who has been the Padres primary third
baseman since a July 2014 trade brought him over from the Yankees in his rookie campaign.
"Soly's the kind of guy that's going to be able to play at second or third," Green said. "If I'm
handicapping it, I see him as a second baseman."
Solarte's Cactus League action was limited by his play for Team Venezuela in the World Baseball
Classic. He's made seven starts at third and four at second through Saturday, when he and Aybar
were at second and short, respectively. Cory Spangenberg and Ryan Schimpf have been
competing for the remaining infield job, with Spangenberg getting nine starts at third and five at
second, while Schimpf has three starts at third and two at second.
Spangenberg started at third base and went 3-for-4 with a home run Saturday.
"I see [Schimpf and Spangenberg] playing better at third than second, not that they can't play
second," Green said. "Considerations I make are wear and tear on Soly's body at second base. ...
At the end of the day, his pivot's probably the quickest we've got on the team and those guys look
very comfortable at third base. Those are positive things for us as a club."
Green is in no rush to ink in his Opening Day lineup and is content to take the final decision to
the end of camp, but until he sees a reason to change, he's putting Solarte and Aybar in the lineup
as his double-play tandem.
"Let's leave it this way for a few days and if we like it, we'll probably stay with it," Green said.
Catcher-reliever Bethancourt proving himself
BY: OWEN PERKINS
MLB.com
March 25, 2017
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- One of the Padres' most interesting roster questions comes in three parts,
involving the bullpen, the backup catcher and the bench. The answer could come in one package.
Right-hander Christian Bethancourt took a step closer to securing a spot on the Padres' roster as a
catcher-turned-reliever. He pitched the eighth inning against the Giants Saturday, allowing one
run to tie the game on one hit and a walk in a game the Giants went on to win 8-7.
"I thought he was solid," manager Andy Green said. "He still runs into those stretches -- and
everybody does -- where he just kind of gets scattershot for a while, and then he seems to be able
to bring it back in and find the zone. Those lapses where he loses command have to become less
and less if he's going to be productive in the bullpen at the big league level. But overall, pretty
pleased with his development and how he's throwing the baseball."
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Bethancout, 25, has played parts of four big league seasons with the Braves and last year with the
Padres, playing the vast majority of his time behind the dish (114 games) with 12 games in the
outfield, one at second, and two times on the mound. He actually caught, pitched, played second,
and played left in one game last year for the Padres. He's a career .223 hitter with eight homers
and 46 RBIs in 153 games.
"He is a relief pitcher who can also pinch-hit and catch, and play left field," Green said. "A ton of
versatility. Frees up a lot of pinch-hit decisions. Frees up a lot of matchup decisions."
The run he allowed was just his second in seven Cactus League outings, spanning 7 1/3 innings.
He's allowed four hits and four walks while striking out two.
Friar's Final Four
Before starting as catcher Saturday and going 0-for-3, Luis Torrens defeated Ryan Buchter
handily to advance to the finals of the Padres' spring ping-pong tournament. He'll face Yangervis
Solarte in the final.
"It's almost like cheat mode trying to enable Ryan Buchter to compete with Luis Torrens, because
he's so ridiculously good," Green recapped. "The net was bent down Torrens' way so Buchter's
ball would climb over. Probably let him have an illegal serve or two to steal a point, and it still
wasn't a contest.
Torrens, 20, hasn't played higher than Class A yet, but he's competing for a spot on the roster as a
backup catcher. To hear Green tell it, he can always fall back on his table tennis.
"He's playing chess and everybody else is playing checkers," Green said of Torrens. "He's clearly
the most talented ping-pong player in the clubhouse. The most talented guy doesn't always win
though."
Infielder Sardinas in mix for utility roleBY: AJ CASSAVELL
BY: OWEN PERKINS
MLB.com
March 25, 2017
PEORIA, Ariz. -- Late in the 2016 season, Luis Sardinas looked like the Padres' shortstop of the
future. He came over from Seattle in an Aug. 14 trade, and after an Aug. 22 callup, he hit .287
(31-for-108) and started 33 of San Diego's remaining 38 games, including 32 at shortstop.
On Friday, manager Andy Green had a conversation with Sardinas to let the 23-year-old know
that he would "start bouncing all over the field" for the remainder of Spring Training. The
message was that Sardinas is out of the shortstop competition, with Erick Aybar emerging as the
likely Opening Day starter. Sardinas is now battling for a utility role.
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"It's, honestly, evaluating what we've seen so far in camp," Green said before Saturday's game
against the Giants. "His effort's been good. His desire's very strong. Offensively, it hasn't been a
productive camp."
Sardinas, who was a utility man with Seattle before closing the season as San Diego's everyday
shortstop, seemed to take the news in stride.
"I don't think it changes too much," Sardinas said through team interpreter David Longley. "The
most important part is your work, right? At the end of the day, you just have to stay focused and
keep working despite any changes. Obviously, we had that conversation, and it was all fine. This
week will shed light on exactly what that role is, but it doesn't really change my faith or my hope
that my work and everything will display itself throughout the rest of Spring Training and be able
to understand where I am on Opening Day."
Green has no question about Sardinas' defensive strength at short, second or third, but as he
weighs his final roster spots, versatility is clearly a priority commodity in a potential Major
Leaguer's skill set. Sardinas has played one big league game in left field and three Cactus League
games in center this past year -- all with Seattle.
"It's definitely different," Sardinas said of the chance to get time in the outfield. "At the same
time, you're able to see the trajectory of the ball, you have a little more time, and it's good to be
able to have a little more flexibility in the field."
Sardinas has struggled at the plate this spring, hitting .184 (7-for-38) with two RBIs in 17 games
entering play Saturday. In 2016, Sardinas hit .302 (19-for-63) against lefties and .214 (25-for117) against righties in his combined time with Seattle and San Diego.
"One area of growth that you want to see with him is plate discipline," Green said. "The ability to
stay within the strike zone. The ability to swing at pitches you can do damage on. The ability not
to get outside the zone and put balls in play weakly.
"And then breaking to his left on ground balls. Looking at routes. We talked about his first step
and the angle he takes to ground balls."
With 145 big league games under his belt over the past three years, Sardinas may be beyond the
point where the Padres weigh the value of him continuing to play every day in the Minors as
opposed to taking a bench role in the Majors. But although he's fighting for a spot on the Opening
Day roster, Sardinas remains a fixture in the Friars' future.
"At some point in time, he might be our everyday shortstop," Green said. "This in no way
precludes him from that in the long run. It's just being honest and upfront about our need to move
him around the field and look at him in a different capacity."
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