San Diego Padres should keep Jake Cronenworth in the lineup

The San Diego Padres need to find a way to keep Jake Cronenworth in the starting lineup.

It’s been quite the start to the 2020 season for the San Diego Padres. From the emergence of Trent Grisham to Dinelson Lamet showing why he belongs near the top of a starting rotation, and the lights out pitching from Drew Pomeranz out of the bullpen, the Padres have seen a number of pleasant surprises pop up early on.

The recent play of rookie two-way player Jake Cronenworth is one of the more underrated surprises of the early season in San Diego.

Back in December, the Padres sent outfielder Hunter Renfroe, prospect Xavier Edwards, and infielder Esteban Quiroz to the Tampa Bay Rays for outfielder Tommy Pham and Cronenworth, a former Michigan Wolverine and infielder who also pitched in the Rays minor league system last season.

The early returns on that deal sway heavily in favor of the San Diego Padres.

Cronenworth, 26, played in his first major league game on July 26th, going 1-1 with an RBI double. He hasn’t slowed down since his call-up.

Through seven games, Cronenworth is hitting .318 with one home run, two doubles, and two triples, posting a 1.075 OPS. He had quite the night on Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers, including his first career home run and numerous big defensive plays at first base.

Cronenworth has been at first base while regular first baseman Eric Hosmer is on the 10-day Injured List due to a stomach ailment. He’s filled in pretty well, as you can see below. This wasn’t the only notable play he made, but it was certainly the most spectacular.

When Hosmer returns in the coming days, Cronenworth’s time at first base is certainly over, but he shouldn’t be removed from the starting lineup.

With the 2020 season already 20% of the way done (for most teams), every single win matters and in a division with the LA Dodgers, a World Series favorite, and the streaking Colorado Rockies, the San Diego Padres need to ride the hot hand as long as they can.

Where should Cronenworth be moved to? With Jurickson Profar yet to break through, second base is the logical position.

Through 11 games, Profar is hitting .081 with a .244 OBP. Combine that with virtually zero offensive production from Austin Hedges and Francisco Mejia at the catching position and the Padres have multiple places in the lineup where some offensive juice can be injected.

Until he cools off, Cronenworth can provide that much-needed offense. As a bonus, the 26-year-old has successfully limited his strikeouts since becoming a professional and has routinely posted double-digit walk rates.

He may not have any standout tools, but Jake Cronenworth can do a lot things well and in this shortened, weird 2020 season, maybe he can be a positive spark as the San Diego Padres make a playoff run.