Team on the Rise

Being based on the east coast, whose teams train in Florida, I sometimes overlook the teams from other parts of the country who get ready in Arizona.

The San Diego Padres are a fine example. General manager AJ Preller has concentrated on developing talent in his farm system. Buy his splashy move, signing free agent Manny Machado, signaled that the club may be close to contending.

Why no one should consider Grapefruit or Cactus League games a guarantee of future performance, the Padres are offering some good signs -- starting with best record of any team training in Arizona. While Machado has started slowly, another new acquisition, Ian Kinsler, has look revitalized. Top prospect Fernando Tatis, Junior is hitting over. 300. And a young Padre veteran, the center fielder Manuel Margot, has also been grounds for optimism.

The NL West has two "haves" in the Dodgers and Rockies, and a pair of "have nots" in the Giants and D'backs. Preller's moves will be judged by whether his club finishes closer to L.A. or San Francisco.

We'll know if these good signs translate into wins and losses that count 10 days from now.

(My image of Margot is a from a July 2018 Mets/Padres game at Citi Field.)


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