It’s time for another installation of our Silver Linings series, where we look at the positive takeaways that can be drawn from otherwise underwhelming seasons. In this edition, we’ll head out to the National League West. As the Dodgers and Rockies sprint towards a photo finish, here are the reasons for optimism for the three clubs that have been left behind:
[Previous “Silver Linings” Posts: AL Central, NL Central, NL East, AL East]
Diamondbacks: Bullpen Pieces
Following an unceremonious exit in the 2017 NLDS at the hands of the rival Dodgers, the Diamondbacks hoped 2018 would be the year they’d break through to win a division title. Indeed, a blistering start to the season saw Arizona jump out to a 21-8 record, and the Snakes appeared poised to dethrone the Dodgers as division champions. Unfortunately, the D-Backs allowed the rest of the division to catch up over a stretch in May during which the team lost 13 of 14 games. The team now sits at a mediocre 80-78 and has lost 8 of its last 10 games, forcing an early exit from the heated race for the NL West crown.
Despite the disappointment, there’s obviously talent on hand. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy to identify silver linings that portend significant hope for the future. True, the rotation was generally a bright spot, but perhaps not in a manner that’s particularly exciting for the future. Zack Greinke and breakout star Patrick Corbin have anchored the staff, but the former is a highly-paid veteran who’ll be entering his age-35 season and the latter is destined for free agency. Surprising production from the resurgent Clay Buchholz helped quite a bit, but he finished with injury and is also heading back to the open market. The team received contributions from Robbie Ray and Zack Godley, though neither was as effective as might have been hoped.
If there’s something to carry out of the 2018 campaign, though, perhaps it’s to be found on the other side of the pitching staff. The Diamondbacks’ bullpen was the source of a number of bright spots for the club in 2018. After several lackluster seasons spent pitching in Baltimore, left-hander T.J. McFarland has enjoyed a career year in Arizona, posting a 2.00 ERA in 72 innings. Yoshihisa Hirano, who signed as a free agent after 11 seasons in Japan, proved to be a reliable option out of the bullpen, and Archie Bradley pitched well in 70 games, though not at the same level as he established in 2017. In 48 2/3 innings, Andrew Chafin has yet to concede a home run while striking out more than a batter per inning. And Silvino Bracho arguably pitched well enough in his 28 appearances that he’s deserving of a steady MLB job going forward.
That relief corps could represent an affordable, reliable unit that allows the organization to invest its resources to address other areas. Make no mistake, there are needs. Center fielder A.J. Pollock will join Corbin in heading onto the open market. The payroll pressures from Greinke’s contracts will not abate. While perennial MVP candidate Paul Goldschmidt will return, 2019 is the last year of his current contract. The Diamondbacks’ window for contention appears to be closing quickly, and 2018 looks like a missed opportunity.
Giants: Rotation Finds
Coming off a last-place finish in 2017, the Giants set their sights on a bounce-back campaign in 2018. The team acquired a pair of pricey veterans, Andrew McCutchen and Evan Longoria, in hopes that the experienced newcomers would ignite the team. However, the Giants’ offense has fallen flat, and an unlucky streak of injuries has left the club mired in mediocrity. Having scored the second-fewest runs in the National League, the Giants’ offense has been a disaster. The team has posted an overall slash line of .241/.302/.371. Longoria is clearly not his former self, and McCutchen was jettisoned in August after the team fell out of contention. Injuries to regulars Buster Posey, Brandon Belt, Hunter Pence, and others have sapped the Giants of their firepower.
Meanwhile, a veteran rotation has fallen apart. Highly paid rotation cogs Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija suffered significant injuries. Staff pillar Madison Bumgarner made it back to the mound and produced good results, but showed reduced velocity and peripherals. Derek Holland turned in a nice bounceback campaign, but he’s a free agent.
In this situation, it’s not hard to spot the brightest glimmer of hope. Rookie Dereck Rodriguez has been a revelation in the Giants’ starting rotation. Since debuting with the big league club in late May, Rodriguez has made 18 starts, posting an impressive 2.50 ERA. His presence in the rotation has mitigated the damage caused by the absence of Samardzija and Cueto, who have combined to make just 19 starts this season. Rodriguez has perhaps also made it easy to overlook rookie left-hander Andrew Suarez, who has also emerged as a serviceable rotation piece. Whether there’s more in the tank is open to debate, but Suarez still looks to be a nice asset after pitching to a 4.22 ERA across 28 starts.
If there’s a case to be made that the Giants can remain competitive while rebuilding, it begins with the idea that they’ll have multiple effective and affordable rotation pieces on hand for the coming seasons. And perhaps there’s reason at least to hope for better health and a return to form from some veteran players. It helps, too, that the organization received some strong performances from relievers who remain under control — Will Smith, Reyes Moronta, Tony Watson, Sam Dyson, and even a rejuvenated Mark Melancon — though some could also be trade fodder this winter. In truth, the club’s near-term course remains to be seen, in no small part because there’ll be a new regime at the controls.
Padres: Incremental Gains
While the Padres hardly sniffed the postseason in 2018, it was not a year without progress in San Diego. Though another losing season marks the 12th consecutive season the Friars will vacation in October, greener pastures appear to be on the horizon in San Diego.
Perhaps that’s scant consolation for fans who had hoped for a more dramatic leap in 2018. After all, the rebuild has been in the works for some time and it’s still unclear precisely which players will make up the anticipated core of the future. Still, it’s hard to ignore the sheer volume of talent — or its proximity to the MLB level.
Even with a number of players succeeding after making the leap to the big leagues in 2018, the biggest splashes may be yet to come. Boasting one of baseball’s premier minor-league systems, the Padres expect to receive an influx of talented players that will help to build the club into a postseason threat in coming seasons. With reinforcements waiting in the wings, the early returns look promising for the Padres.
There was no shortage of impressive rookies in San Diego this season. Pitchers Joey Lucchesi and Eric Lauer showed promise in their debut seasons, and look to have built foundations that will set the pair up for success in 2019 and beyond. Jose Castillo and Robert Stock are among the first-time big leaguers who have impressed in an intriguing bullpen unit that includes several other youngsters as well as hurlers who’ve thrived despite arriving as castaways (Craig Stammen, Kirby Yates, Matt Strahm). Before his season ended prematurely, Franchy Cordero, who features an intriguing combination of power and speed, injected excitement into the Padres offense, homering 7 times in 40 games. Outfielder Franmil Reyes has increasingly impressed at the plate after looking lost when he debuted in May.
Top prospect Luis Urias also received a call-up late in the season. Though his season was cut short due to injury, the 21-year-old infielder projects to hit for high average and play solid infield defense as he matures, a welcome addition to any club. The Padres also brought in the game’s top catching prospect, Francisco Mejia, in a deal that sent Brad Hand to Cleveland. Just 22 years of age, Mejia figures into the team’s future plans at a premium position, potentially functioning alongside Austin Hedges to form an impressive duo behind the dish (if the team can find a way to get Mejia’s bat in the lineup at other positions as well). Pitcher Dinelson Lamet, who flashed tantalizing potential as a rookie in 2017 but missed all of this season with a torn UCL, will offer a boon to the pitching staff in 2019.
Combine these major-league contributors with what may be the game’s deepest prospect pool, and the Padres believe they have a blueprint to contend in the near future. The farm is ripe with pitchers who could debut in the coming years, even if it’s not yet clear which will fully emerge. If there’s a truly exciting presence on the horizon, though, it’s shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., who is one of the top prospects in baseball. Though he missed time with a thumb injury, he cemented his status as the organization’s most exciting talent by posting a .286/.355/.507 slash and banging 16 long balls in 394 Double-A plate appearances.
As their farmhands graduate to the Majors, the Padres hope to build a young core that has the potential to turn this organization into an annual contender. For now, that’s still a vision rather than a reality; the club’s broad collection of interesting players has yet to coalesce. But the waves of talent are now coming ashore. Perhaps 2019 will be the year that the patience begins to pay off?
Always next year
It gets old, doesn’t it? But every year there’s a bunch of fans who buy into it, hook, line, and sinker. It’s like they have no memory, or maybe they take some morbid pleasure in constantly losing?
I’m still the Padres’ biggest fan (IMO), but I hung up the rose colored glasses a long time ago. Nowadays I have no problem criticizing questionable team decisions and refreshing the memories of the die-hard apologists. My attitude now is based in reality: I’ll believe it when I See it.
Until then, all prospects are suspects, and the only place winning counts is in the big leagues.
“Awaiting moderation” for what????
“All prospects are suspects.” Well said. I feel the same way about the highly touted prospects in the White Sox system. People talk about them as if they’re already in the Hall of Fame. And those who have played for the big league club have yet to turn in consistently impressive performances. These young players are faced with unrealistic expectations, making it all the more difficult to succeed at the major league schedule. As you said, “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
Padres have almost no really good players at major league or minor league level. I compared all Padres player with all teams and found no player that any of the teams would want .
Yeah. With all the hype, you would think the Padres system is loaded with guys like Juan Soto, Miguel Andujar, Gleybar Torres, Kris Bryant, Vlad Guerrero, Bregman, Correa, and others of that level.
A quick look at what those guys did in the minors, and it’s easy to conclude that our prospects may not be as good as some people wish they were.
Reality check.
Seems like every 4-5 years terms such as “Greener Pastures” are used to describe the Padres organization, but they always seem to be starting over.
And some people seem to take morbid pleasure in that fact.
People always rubberneck at train wrecks.
I was referring to some of our own fans. Sadly.
Same ridiculous and predictable evaluations, observations and prognostications for the Padres each and every year. Meanwhile, 12 straight years and no post-season.
It’s a pathetic organization from top to bottom and there’s zero indication any of that will change any time soon.
There was a padre fan on here who claimed they were a .500 team this year because they signed Hosmer
I nominate Hosmer’s contract as the worst signing in MLB for 2018.
Because of Hosmer? No way.
Unfortunately, our fan base is no different than any other teams’ fans in many ways: we have our fair share of shallow thinkers. But they mean well.
“Urias…the 21-year-old infielder projects to hit for high average and play solid infield defense as he matures, a welcome addition to any club.”
Well he looked way out of his league this year.
The best thing to happen to us all season was a AL DH who swings at everything and ran into a few homers.
He batted 48 times…maybe a larger sample size before making a declaration like that. The Padres have a decent core of hitters; the pitching is bad outside of the bullpen but there are a lot of good arms there. I’m cautiously optimistic about the Padres going forward; I could see them contending for a wild card in 2020.
I like it…I’m really optimistic about even next year
Anthony Rizzo also looked outmatched his lone season with the Padres.
With Preller at the helm the Padres are a joke. I am still shocked by that Hosmer signing. Not only was it terrible even then it moved Myers out of position. They did not need a first baseman let alone the overrated Hosmer.
could have gotten Gonzo for a lot less and got at least the same production.. Do small things on 1 year deals.
“The rebuild has been in the works for some time and it’s still unclear precisely which players will make up the anticipated core of the future”
Wow the Padres still have no clue?? Time to clean house!
Kennedy, Lauer, Nix, Lucchesi, Lamet, Allen, Quantril, Mitchell (given his last couple outings to end the year) thats 8 pitchers for 5 spots all near or MLB ready. Not to mention Paddack Gore Patino Baez working their up the minors and Rea Erlin could compete too. Thats 10 guys for 5 spots next year.
Mcgrath, Keel, Wieck, Strahm, Castillo, possibly Torres, the padres have a plethora of lefty options for the pen.
Cordero, Renfroe, Margot, Reyes, possibly Mejia, possibly Myers thats 6 guys for 3 spots assuming jankowski is a 4th OF.
Plus this years draft I expect Preller to target more advanced prospects instead of potential upside prospects like he has in years past.
But I mean package excess pieces like Reyes Nix Wieck and get a 3B.
Just maybe you should let them actually get some big league dirt in their cleats before you declare them All-Stars?
Otherwise, all you’re really doing is using more words than necessary to make the same tired “wait til next year” statement. It’s not even a rational rebuttal.
Where did they say those guys are all all stars lol.
They just listed depth the padres have and not enough spots for everyone.
Reading comprehension is important kids.
Yes, it is. So is context, which happens to be a big part of reading comprehension. You can’t make a definitive case for future success based on unknowns and speculation. Context.
Minor league depth is nice, but there is no guarantee it will translate to Major League success. Having more players than spots means very little; it’s the performance that counts.
This article refers to Matt Strahm as a “castaway” when he arrived in San Diego from Kansas City. That is not an accurate description of the transaction. The Royals were very high on Strahm and knew he had a lot of value when he was traded to the Padres. He was also enormously popular with the fans as a low round grinder made good.. I am glad he has continued to find success on the West Coast.
If I remember correctly Strahm was included in that larger trade to incite the Padres into assuming a larger share of the financial commitments moving around. The Royals were, as always, working with very tight purse strings. Looking back at the deal now with a bit of hind sight it is clear San Diego got the better end.
That’s what I thought too
TBH the giants are both in better and worse shape than silver linings.describes. If a decent GM comes in and you can move bum and maybe dyson or smith for some returns along with one of panik or belt, hopefully the new GM avoids say a kershaw and a harper sweepstakes ,the club looks completely different and you get a year or 2 away from some interesting guys that although not touted have some serious upside coming up the ranks. The giants lack depth of talent but not talent in the system, if a couple of trades can provide the depth, the outlook isn’t so grim. The fear of course is that someone comes in and does the opposite – goes after the biggest contracts and then trades away the farm in the offseason.
The Giants could be years away from another World Series, or not. A new GM who can be discreet when handing out yearly $16 million contracts would be a good start. Sabean knew how to find obscure but valuable talent and money was never the main object. Belts contract through the end of the decade is a slap in the face and how it got done is beyond me. But a more thought out and balanced approach is needed. They will spend the money but when so much is going to guys on the DL there’s no way we can win. Let’s hope cooler heads prevail, I still think we should consider bringing in the fences.
The fact that a new regime is coming into the Giants’ front office tells me that they’ll have a mandate to “shake things up”, as Baer has said several times, but it remains to be seen if that will happen depending on who actually does come in. As bad as their payroll and farm system challenges are, it is possible for someone to reposition the club over the next two seasons into a more flexible and competitive situation. It would involve moving certain pieces in the offseason for other teams’ Top-20 top prospects (Bumgarner, Smith), waiting until the deadline next year to hope that other pieces come back healthy enough to be moved for more prospects (Shark and Belt), and then using some of those prospects to package with salary-eating to move Longoria next season and Cueto during the 2020 season. It’ll be hard on the fans and it won’t be pretty, but Posey and Crawford will still be there as transitional figures to the next iteration of a competitive Giants team, hopefully helped along by a new front office that can make trades for hitters.
The shakeup tells me that the Giants is an organization that does not tolerate losing. And they fix it ASAP.
If only my Padres had that attitude and culture!
The DIamondbacks’ bullpen is a silver lining? Have y’all been watching the same game I’ve been watching?
Whoever wrote that probably looked at bbref, saw WAR, and started writing. While the bullpen was very much a factor in the early success, it’s almost entirely the cause of the collapse. Over-use is thrown around a lot as an excuse and the lack offense sure added some high-leverage innings to those arms, but I agree, there is absolutely no way to call the bullpen a “silver lining”.
Pence, Posey and Belt getting injured is as normal as daylight. The Giants should have scrapped the plan and started rebuilding rather than acquire Longoria and McCutchen.
I applaud San Diego in snagging Meija. I think that ended what remained of the debate of who has the best farm in baseball and I’m a Braves fan. No team ever perminantly retains the best farm in baseball and one day someone will usurp the Padres. But for now, they have depth AND talent in baseballs thinnest position. Having that much wealth at catcher alone is a big deal.
Regarding the Padres, there’s a lot of good young chips in the pipeline. But it’s so, so hard to look past that awful Hosmer signing. It was a bad move the moment he signed, and it looks even worse now. Horrendous, backwards logic, that has created a financial anchor for years.