San Diego Padres add two bats to reshape their lineup

Every year, something unexpected happens for the San Diego Padres.

Last season, the San Diego Padres were a good team on paper. But they suffered a few key injuries to the lineup and did not have the required bench depth to adequately replace those missing. Suddenly, the bats went silent as the thoughts of playing October baseball drifted away.

At the start of the abbreviated spring training, many broached the topic of how the Padres needed to upgrade the quality of the batting order. It did not take too long for Friars general manager A.J. Preller to shake things up. He added not one but two bats to the lineup. And the moves have brought some excitement to Petco Park.

The time is now for San Diego Padres rookie phenom C.J. Abrams

It is a simple formula for Major League Baseball’s top prospects to make their on-field debut. First, the youngster must have talent, then have that clear path paved to the majors.

The Friar Faithful’s enthusiasm received an unexpected jolt with the announcement of Fernando Tatis Jr. sustaining a fractured wrist. Team doctors projected the injury would keep him out of the lineup for three months. The talk was the Padres would insert Ha-Seong Kim at short in Tatis Jr.’s absence. But those plans were thrown out the window after the spring C.J. Abrams had in Peoria.

The 21-year-old batted .355 with three home runs and three stolen bases in 34 spring training at-bats. Quickly, he showed the ability to make contact and take the outside pitch to the opposite field with power. What was more surprising was Abrams flashing some leather in the field. It gave the Friars confidence that he would become an adequate replacement.

In today’s baseball, every observer is obsessed with launch angles and whether a hitter can lift the ball over the wall consistently. It is refreshing to see a player like Abrams coming through the ranks. All of the tools are there, and now he must put them together.

Abrams will be fun to watch this summer.

Luke Voit can fill a void in the middle of the San Diego Padres lineup

The big move of the spring was the acquisition of Luke Voit from the New York Yankees. He brings much-needed power to the middle of the Padres lineup. His presence helps to make the batting order more complete.

Voit is a seasoned veteran who has a winning pedigree from his time with the St. Louis Cardinals and Yankees. That type of experience is valuable in the postseason.

A myriad of lower-body injuries hampered his ability to play as it limited him to 68 games last season. Voit hit 11 home runs in 213 at-bats in 2021, which was a far cry from a league-leading 22 home runs in the same amount of at-bats during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

But becoming the full-time DH will eliminate the threat of being injured while playing the field. Now, Voit has an opportunity to become an elite run-producer once again.

The Padres improved their lineup by selecting Abrams to the major league roster and acquiring Voit in a trade. However, the Friar Faithful knows Preller all too well. His makeover of the team’s roster is far from complete. The odds are high that Preller will do some tweaking at the trade deadline.