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The San Diego Padres entered the 2023 MLB season with World Series hopes. They added Xander Bogaerts in the offseason and inked Manny Machado to an extension and Jake Cronenworth. Fernando Tatis Jr. returned from an 80-game PED suspension, and the Padres are also shifting their focus to a Juan Soto extension.
However, the Padres began the season with a 9-11 record heading into Thursday's game against the Atlanta Braves, the first MLB game for Tatis since 2021. He was injured and suspended, and everybody had been waiting for him to return.
Yes, the Padres have gotten off to a rough start, but here are three overreactions to the sluggish beginning of the season.
Juan Soto's Offensive Struggles
The Padres offense and lineup are among the best in the MLB, especially with Tatis returning. However, as of April 20, they ranked 28th in batting average, 21st in on-base percentage, and 24th in runs in a stunning development. Juan Soto has a .194 average through 20 games with four home runs and nine RBIs, which is shockingly low considering his caliber.
Look, it happens. All athletes go through slumps, and the contract situation floating over Soto's head likely has some bearing on this. Nonetheless, Soto is one of the best hitters in baseball and should have no problem bouncing back. When he does, watch out.
Blake Snell's Slow Start
The Padres rotation includes Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, Blake Snell, and Michel Wacha, most notably. However, one big talking point has been yet another slow start for Blake Snell. Through four starts, he has an 0-3 record with an ERA of 6.00. He has gone fewer than five innings in two of those starts and has yet to throw six innings.
This isn't new. Last year Snell had a 5.22 ERA in the first half of the year before dominating down the stretch when it mattered most.
Not sure why people are surprised by Blake Snell's inconsistencies. Last year he had a 5.22 ERA in the first half and a 2.19 ERA down the stretch.
He's the definition of inconsistent.
But when he's on he's a top rotation arm.
— Mickey Koke (@mickeykoke) April 13, 2023
Snell will bounce back, and this Padres rotation will be hard to top when he does.
Padres' Surprising Offensive Struggles
We already talked about Juan Soto's slow start to the year, but the Padres offense has been disappointing. The Padres are 7th in home runs on the year with 23, but the rest of their main offensive categories rank toward the bottom of the MLB.
The lower half of the lineup includes guys like Austin Nola, Jose Azocar, Rougned Odor, and Brandon Dixon, among others. The Padres have had three games with one run and three games this season where the offense has been shut out.
With a lineup that has Bogaerts, Machado, Soto, Cronenworth, and Grisham at the top, that is inexcusable.
However, it happens. Teams have slow starts, teams go through slumps, and this happens to be a team-wide slump for San Diego. On the flip side, having Fernando Tatis Jr. back is terrific news, and the first six of the order should be some version of Tatis, Machado, Soto, Cronenworth, Grisham, and Bogaerts.
We all know AJ Preller won't sit around and wait too long, and if the struggles continue, it wouldn't be surprising to see another slugger make his way to San Diego. This lineup is too good to be struggling, and it's only a matter of time before it returns. Who knows, maybe the highly-anticipated return of Tatis will kick things back into high gear.
