San Diego Padres: Can Jurickson Profar keep producing despite poor average?

The first month of the 2022 MLB season has been put into the record books. The San Diego Padres bats (.220 team batting average) have not been hot, but the hitters have been (.263) productive with runners in scoring position. One of the Padres better run-producers has been Jurickson Profar, who had five home runs and 15 RBI in April. But the jury is out if Profar can keep producing at this level while possessing a poor batting average.

Jurickson Profar’s batting average is horrible, but his production for the San Diego Padres is outstanding

Many of the Friar Faithful will never be able to get past Profar’s current batting average (.163) for the season. They will never hail him as the savior of the San Diego Padres lineup, which is starving for a left-handed hitting run-producer. But one of the early season storylines has been the standout at-bats of Profar. He has given the Padres’ offense the lone weapon that neutralizes quality pitching: home runs.

Profar has taken full advantage of the opportunity to become the Friars everyday left fielder thanks to an uptick in production. He is not consistently hitting the ball with regularity, but Profar has shown newfound power that fueled a .457 slugging percentage for April.

He finished the first month of the season by hitting five of San Diego’s 21 home runs. Profar had nine extra-base hits, homered once in every 14 at-bats and created close to 11 percent of the Padres runs scored in April.

Jurickson Profar of the San Diego Padres is more disciplined at the plate

His production should not come as a total surprise. The veteran has been successful in adapting his approach in the batter’s box to the situation at hand. Profar’s batting average might not be ideal, but he hits the ball with authority with runners in scoring positions. That is a recipe for having a breakout offensive campaign.

However, continued success is dependent upon plate discipline. In 87 plate appearances, Profar has walked 17 times and struck out in 21 at-bats. Trouble begins when Profar falls into bad habits at the plate.

Usually, he will assist a starter by swinging at pitches outside the strike zone. It becomes a problem when Profar is striking out at a higher rate than his career average. To stay productive, he must stay balanced, stay disciplined, and hit the ball hard on pitches in his hot zone. If not, then Profar is susceptible to long, extended batting slumps.

Padres Must Keep Profar Fresh to be Effective

Profar is the complete opposite of a free-swinging, strikeout-prone hitter as he adds value to a lineup with speed along with extra-base hit power. Profar is a smart base runner who can steal a run with his legs. He came San Diego and achieved success using these skills in the super-sub role with the Friars. Profar batted .278 coming off the bench in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

Fatigue will play a factor in Profar remaining in the starting lineup. Padres manager Bob Melvin will have to be creative in scheduling periodical day offs to keep Profar fresh all season long. If his production wanes, it may force the Friars to look elsewhere for a left-handed hitting outfielder.

However, Profar must continue to be a key run-producer in the Friars lineup or that decision will come sooner than later.