Previously, The infield.

Left field

The San Diego Padres acquired Ryan Ludwick at the trade deadline last season to help bolster their chances of reaching the playoffs. Ludwick responded by accumulating –1 WAR in 59 games played. Check out Ludwick’s performance last year with St. Louis and San Diego.

Team	PA	BA	OBP	SLG	BABIP	ISO	K%	BB%
Cards	314	.281	.343	.484	.325	.203	22.8	7.6
Padres	239	.211	.301	.330	.257	.120	27.3	10

Well, his walk rate went up. Ludwick’s play certainly hurt the Padres down the stretch and was almost embarrassingly bad for an accomplished player. Whether it was Petco or switching teams mid-season or just a prolonged slump, Ludwick bombed in his first effort as Padre.

The good news is that Ludwick is still a pretty good hitter with an established track record, and evaluating someone based on a third of a season can make one look like a fool. While Ludwick probably isn’t the guy who slugged 37 homers in 2008 (he hit a near Pujols-esque .299/.375/.591), he probably is much closer to the player who has hit .272/.343/.487 since 2007 than the version that was on display with the Pads last year.

With Adrian Gonzalez in Boston, Ludwick inherits the the title of second highest paid Padre ($6.8 million, behind Heath Bell) and middle of the order offensive threat. If the Padres are to compete in the NL West, Ludwick will have to come to life and provide the much needed spark the Padres were looking for last year.

Ryan Ludwick projection: 540 PA, .255/.335/.430

Center field

In the off-season, Jed Hoyer made perhaps his shrewdest move to date, dealing relievers Ryan Webb and Edward Mujica for center field enigma Cameron Maybin. We’ve discussed the Maybin deal at length here at Friar Forecast (elsewhere, too) and we’re big fans of the move.

Maybin, of course, is not without his warts. He has hit just .246/.313/.380 in about a season’s worth of Major League time. Last year with Florida in 322 plate appearances, he hit .234/.302/.361, striking out 92 times. His career strikeout rate is a staggering 32 percent, far too high for someone who has not yet displayed great power or patience.

Still, the key word is potential with Maybin, who has always been a favorite in the scouting world. He’ll be just 24 years old in April and under Padres control through 2015.

If Maybin can conquer his strikeout issues (not as easy task), he has a chance to develop into a star in center field. Even if he doesn’t develop as planned, Maybin should provide solid glove-work and enough offense to be a solid contributor for San Diego.

Cameron Maybin projection: 600 PAs, .255/.315/.390

Right field

Very quietly Will Venable has been a productive Padre, hitting .252/.325/.418 (106 OPS+) in his early San Diego career.

Venable doesn’t really do anything that stands out, though. He hits for a decent amount of power, has solid patience, and is a good base stealer. He’s also an excellent defender in right, rating above average in both UZR (+17 runs) and DRS (+15) for his career.

He strikes out a bunch (30 percent) and thus hits for a relatively low average, which doesn’t do a lot to promote his value amongst many in the media and baseball world. In the middle of his prime, Venable should be poised to put together another very nice year, though don’t expect to notice it.

Will Venable projection: 500 PAs, .255/.330/.430

Bench

Chris Denorfia is a nice backup outfielder, having spent significant time at all three positions. He’s played center field most frequently though he is probably better suited in a corner. Either way, he can handle any spot in a pinch.

He’s also a pretty good hitter, owner of a 104 career OPS+. Denorfia should see plenty of action spotting all three outfield positions in 2011.

Aaron Cunningham, who came over from Oakland last off-season, should also see his share of playing time this year. Cunningham debuted nicely with San Diego last year, hitting .288/.331/.417 in just 147 PAs, spending time in both corner spots.

Eric Patterson is also an option in the outfield, having spent time in left and center (bat not included).

Over the next few weeks, we’ll preview the 2011 San Diego Padres, starting with the infield and progressing to the men who catch fly balls and finishing with the pitching staff.

Catcher

In 2010, Yorvit Torrealba’s batting average dropped by twenty points, yet his rWAR jumped from .4 to 2.8. You see, Torrealba switched from one of the leagues most hitter-friendly environments (Colorado) to its least, making his slight drop in raw OPS (.732 to .721) look very sweet for the Padres.

Torrealba used his breakout campaign to ink a two year, $6.25 million deal with Texas, leaving the catching duties to Nick Hundley. Hundley was solid last year as well, hitting .249/.308/.418 in just over 300 plate appearances, a slight improvement on his 2009 numbers.

Hundley has no problem showing just what kind of hitter he is. He strikes out often, walks occasionally, and has moderate power when he puts the ball in play. At the catcher spot, for little money, you can live with that.

Backup duties will likely go to Rob Johnson, with the recent retirement of Gregg Zaun. That’s a pretty big offensive drop, as Johnson simply hasn’t shown that he can hit Major League pitching (.200/.282/.281, 534 PAs). Hopefully Hundley stays healthy.

Nick Hundley projection: 410 PAs, .255/.315/./430

First base

Brad Hawpe is an accomplished hitter, and he may as well just forget about replacing Adrian Gonzalez. That’s too much pressure on one’s shoulders, and it’s not like the Padres traded A-Gone because Hawpe became available.

Hawpe has an impressive career line of .279/.373/.490, though he’s spent almost his entire career in Colorado. His career splits:

	BA	OBP	SLG
Home	.285	.377	.509
Away	.273	.369	.470

Aided by Coors Field? No doubt. But Hawpe’s offensive output certainly hasn’t been solely a product of thin air. If he can adjust to Petco and perhaps more importantly, playing first base, Hawpe could easily be one of the surprise players on the 2011 Padres. He’s played just 72 innings at first in his Major League career.

Jorge Cantu will likely see time at first, coming off a poor season with Florida and Texas. Cantu’s had plenty of productive years in the past, though, putting up a career .274/.320/.446 line. Cantu also has considerably more experience at first, with over 1500 innings played there (though he isn’t a plus defender anywhere on the diamond).

Brad Hawpe projection: 450 PAs, .260/.355/.445
Jorge Cantu projection: 150 PAs, .255/.310/.400

Second base

Orlando Hudson will continue his tour of the National League West, picked up by the Padres on a very reasonable two year, $11.5 million deal ($8M option).

Hudson’s coming off his worst offensive season since 2005, hitting .268/.338/.372 with the Minnesota Twins. However, from 2006 through 2009 Hudson was above average offensively. Hudson has been up and down by the advanced metrics in the field, but he probably rates somewhere just North of average at this point in his career.

David Eckstein will be missed, not so much because of his production but because he really is a fun guy to watch. Eckstein wasn’t terrible in his time in San Diego, but as he enters his late thirties it’s probably a good time to move on.

Eric Patterson came over from Boston in the Adrian deal and will see some time at second. Patterson hasn’t done much with the bat in the majors (.224/.299/.353, 471 PAs). but he’s a versatile enough guy who can play in the infield and outfield. Kevin Frandsen should also see time at second.

Orlando Hudson projection: 550 PAs, .275/.340/.385

Shortstop

The Padres picked up SS Jason Bartlett and a PTBNL from the Tampa Bay Rays for Adam Russell, Cesar Ramos, Brandon Gomes, and Cole Figueroa. The Padres promptly signed Bartlett to a two year, $11 million deal (with vesting option).

Bartlett is a serviceable enough player, who has surrounded one breakout campaign (he hit .320/.389/.490 in 2009) with middling performance. Bartlett won’t have to match his 2009 performance to offer a solid upgrade, as Padres shortstops hit just .244/.306/.360 last season.

The acquisition of Bartlett allows Everth Cabrera to receive some much needed seasoning in the minor leagues. Cabrera could return to the majors and get playing time at short and/or second if things go well for him.

Jason Bartlett projection: 510 PAs, .265/.325/.370

Third base

Chase Headley has not quite lived up to lofty expectations, as he’s actually declined offensively in each of his first three seasons. Last year, he hit just .264/.327/.375, though his performance actually looked solid thanks to a big turnaround in the field.

It’ll take time to see how much of that fielding value was real, though. Most likely, Headley’s bat is going to decide whether he becomes a true cornerstone third basemen or just another guy in the revolving door.

Entering his age-27 season, Headley should be primed for a breakout campaign, and if he can keep up the glove-work Headley could be the Padres most valuable position player in 2011.

Jorge Cantu will likely spot Headley at third.

Chase Headley projection: 620 PAs, .280/.350/.440

Next up, the outfield.