We move on in our season preview series to the San Diego Padres. The Padres went from 90 wins in 2010 to just 71 wins in 2011, the product of losing Adrian Gonzalez no doubt. However, the team, with its new general manager and a bunch of fresh faces, looks to turn things around.
2011 San Diego Padres Season Recap
What could go wrong, did go wrong for the Padres in 2011. Chris Humphreys-US PRESSWIRE
The Padres of 2011 were bad. They couldn’t hit, they couldn’t get on base, and they surely couldn’t score. They ranked toward the bottom of the league in almost every offensive category. Plans to replace Adrian Gonzalez with a platoon of Brad Hawpe and Jorge Cantu at first were a complete flop. Hawpe hit .231/.301/.344. Cantu hit .194/.232/.285. The team as a whole scored just 593 runs, good enough for second to last. They collected the fewest hits, home runs, and had the lowest slugging percentage of any National League team.
The pitching staff continued to excel thanks to the park effects of playing in Petco, but they weren’t as good as years past. They finished third in the National League with an ERA of 3.42, but thanks to an inept offense, their efforts were often wasted.
The bright spots included Cameron Maybin and Chase Headley. Maybin managed 4.7 WAR while breaking out with San Diego. His success earned him his recent $25 million contract extension. Maybin hit .264/.323/.393 while stealing 40 bases and playing stellar defense in center field. Headley, on the other hand, adjusted his approach and found himself hitting better at Petco. In all Headley’s triple-slash was .289/.374/.399, good for 2.9 WAR.
Topics: Anthony Rizzo, Cameron Maybin, Carlos Quentin, Chase Headley, Edinson Volquez, Heath Bell, Huston Street, John Baker, Josh Byrnes, Mat Latos, San Diego Padres, Wade LeBlanc, Yonder Alonso
Justin was dealt a debilitating blow at a young age when he was introduced to the San Diego Padres. He has grown to love (read: obsess over) the sport of baseball as a whole, but has never been able to shake the painful and self-deprecating title of Padres fan.
Justin holds a BS in Business Administration, works as a claims adjuster by day, and loves writing. He is married to a wonderful woman who has learned to love the Padres and his incessant baseball-related stories. He has an one year old son who will either hate baseball or be the greatest player who ever lived. Definitely one of those two.
You can follow Justin on Twitter @the5_5hole or email him at 
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