PEORIA, Ariz. — Jake Cronenworth has batted fifth in the Padres lineup in 50 regular-season games, or 13.7 percent of his career. He is due for a significant increase. This season, if things go according to plan, he will spend the majority of his time in the No. 5 spot.
That is where Cronenworth found himself this weekend and where he could reside, almost exclusively, after Fernando Tatis Jr. returns from suspension on April 20. On Saturday, manager Bob Melvin debuted a lineup featuring baseball’s most heralded quartet of teammates.
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Tatis, who was eased into Cactus League action coming off a pair of surgeries, occupied the leadoff role. He was followed, in order, by Juan Soto, Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts — three fellow stars now back in camp after brief runs in the World Baseball Classic. Behind them was an infielder who should receive frequent opportunities to bat runs in.
“It’s like when Tati comes back, you can’t put Tati on to let Juan hit,” Cronenworth said. “You can’t put Juan on with Manny (batting) and two guys on. And same thing with Xander. You just go down the line. I think the lineup will just hopefully create a lot of pressure, and I think when we’re rolling at the right time it will be fun to see.”
This is what the Padres envisioned in December when they signed Xander Bogaerts for 11 years and $280 million. They already had a rare trio of talents in Machado, Soto and Tatis. But Soto underwhelmed after last summer’s trade from Washington. Tatis missed the entire season because of injury and a positive PED test. Machado, who finished second in National League MVP voting, carried the team for long stretches. Owner Peter Seidler and president of baseball operations A.J. Preller responded by taking the plunge, with Bogaerts, on another nine-figure contract.
After a disjointed start to the spring, Saturday marked the first full glimpse of San Diego’s dream offense. It enlivened a game that members of the coaching staff play among themselves, taking turns picking which hitter they think is likeliest to homer.
“You can’t go wrong with this lineup today,” Melvin said before a Cactus League game against Milwaukee. “Obviously, nothing’s guaranteed, but it’s exciting to run all these guys out there.
“We like the depth of it. We got guys that can hit for power, we got guys that can walk, get on base, make pitchers work. You know, there are a lot of different things we can do offensively, not just slug and hit homers.”
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As an offense, the Padres have demonstrated uncommon patience in recent seasons. Their power production, however, lagged in 2022 without Tatis, who led the National League in home runs the previous season. The hope is that the shortage will be addressed by the return of Tatis, the arrival of Bogaerts and a full season of Soto.
El Niño.#PadresST pic.twitter.com/lxCfyuZR97
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) March 18, 2023
Tatis on Friday clubbed his first Cactus League home run of the spring, flashing the kind of swing that could help him overcome a long layoff. Bogaerts, a five-time Silver Slugger and typically a slow starter, has been encouraged by his own recent swings. Soto, who batted .242/.401/.452 last season, is seeking to reassert himself as maybe the best hitter in baseball.
“Right now,” Soto said this week, “I’m feeling like (it’s) 2020 spring training.”
Regular-season numbers will confirm whether he keeps feeling that way. In the meantime, Soto and his teammates might benefit from the vaguer, somewhat unmeasurable dynamic known as lineup protection. The numbers, for decades, have suggested that stacking above-average hitters together does not necessarily translate to better results for each individual. Still, many players contend there is at least some effect, even if it is largely behavioral.
“I mean, you can just see it,” Cronenworth said. “Obviously, Juan has a million walks in D.C., and he comes here and he’s hitting in front of Manny and they don’t want to put anybody on to pitch to Manny.
“I think the biggest thing is we have a bunch of really good players hitting wherever in the lineup, back-to-back-to-back, five guys in a row, six guys in a row. With our lineup, nine guys in a row. I think if we operate as a unit and everybody kind of goes out and does their job and has their best at-bat, it seems like everybody’s affecting everybody.”
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Cronenworth himself could present an interesting case study. Last season, he made his second consecutive All-Star team and fought nagging injuries while hitting .239 with a .722 on-base plus slugging percentage and 88 RBIs. Now Bogaerts’ signing will push Cronenworth, primarily, to first base, where more offense is welcome.
Cronenworth should at least get plenty of run-creating opportunities. The composition of the Padres’ projected offense bodes well. With the bases empty, Cronenworth’s career OPS is .752. With runners on, he has produced a .797 OPS.
“A guy that doesn’t get talked about a ton with the first four (in the lineup) is Croney,” Melvin said. “I think Croney is going to have a big year this year.”
Melvin has circled Cronenworth’s lefty bat as his preference for the No. 5 spot, especially after Tatis comes off the restricted list. Soto and Machado are expected to bat second and third, respectively. Tatis and Bogaerts are right-handed hitters who are open to batting either leadoff or cleanup.
“I’m probably going to talk to all these guys as a group, too, before we head into the season about where are we most comfortable,” Melvin said. “But can you really go too wrong with all this?”
If Cronenworth performs, it will further augment the lineup ahead of such hitters as Matt Carpenter, Nelson Cruz and Trent Grisham — all threats to go deep. Ha-Seong Kim, who hit three home runs in the WBC, is seeking to unlock more of his pull-side power.
“Back in a little older-school baseball, I think there was definitely lineup protection,” said Padres lefty Ryan Weathers, whose father, David, played 19 seasons in the majors. “I think now it’s like every hitter steps in the box and has some pop.”
Saturday afternoon at Peoria Stadium brought a number of examples and, as Melvin noted, no guarantees. During the first turn through the Padres’ order, Tatis grounded out, Soto struck out, Machado flied out and Bogaerts struck out. The Brewers scored five runs before the Padres collected a hit.
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Then, in the bottom of the third, Luis Campusano homered off Brewers starter Bryse Wilson. Tatis followed with a single. In the bottom of the fourth, Machado homered and Bogaerts singled. Campusano struck again, in the fifth, with a leadoff double. Tatis drove him in with a single. Machado doubled off the wall in center field, just missing a second home run. Two batters later, Cronenworth sent a go-ahead home run onto the right-field berm.
PSA: We've now entered the Crone Zone 🌀#PadresST pic.twitter.com/ETbMY78pWI
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) March 18, 2023
Soon after that, the top five hitters in the Padres lineup exited a sold-out ballpark to loud cheers. Their work, in an exhibition, was done. With seven runs across three innings, they had supplied exactly what the fans came to see. “No lead is too much,” Machado said. (The Padres eventually won, 11-6.)
It was only a glimpse, a portion of a spring game. Tatis is still a month away from being eligible to play in the regular season. Soto, Machado and Bogaerts are readjusting to the pitch clock and the other rules that were missing in the WBC.
Saturday also provided an early gauge of what this offense can be. Not all of it is measurable.
“Our lineup, there’s good hitters one through nine,” Weathers said, “so there really is no lineup protection.”
Briefly
• Right-hander Nick Martinez has left Team USA because he was not guaranteed another start in the WBC. Martinez threw 2 2/3 innings Sunday in a loss to Team Mexico. He was headed back to Padres camp on Saturday.
• The Padres may not settle on an Opening Day starter until the final few days of camp. Yu Darvish is still with Team Japan in the WBC, and has not pitched much this spring. Melvin said “it would probably be tough” for Martinez to be built up in time. Citing the team’s preference for caution, Melvin said Joe Musgrove (fractured left big toe) will not pitch during at least the first turn through the regular-season rotation. Musgrove is scheduled to undergo a biomechanical screening in San Diego this weekend.
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• With Bogaerts back in camp, the Padres reassigned top shortstop prospect Jackson Merrill to minor-league camp Saturday morning. Merrill, who thoroughly impressed in his first big-league spring training, will continue to be visible this month; he replaced Bogaerts in the afternoon’s Cactus League game. “Man, he is fantastic with everything he does,” Melvin said. Merrill, who turns 20 next month, could open this season with Double-A San Antonio.
• Padres officials have not ruled out the possibility that 16-year-old catching prospect Ethan Salas could start his season with Low-A Lake Elsinore (instead of waiting to debut in the summer in the Arizona Complex League). Salas, who played in a Cactus League game last Saturday, has wowed the organization with his talent and maturity.
(Top photo of Fernando Tatis Jr.: Joe Camporeale / USA Today)
