Padres pitchers and catchers report to Peoria, AZ on Thursday. The greatest off-season in San Diego sports history (it never gets old writing that) has given manager Bud Black a bounty of talent to work with.
So, the pressure is certainly on. Since taking over in 2007, Black has taken the Padres to the brink of the post-season twice, but never reached the playoffs. Now, he's never had a roster even remotely close to this one to work with, so the 2010 National League Manager Of The Year is facing arguably more pressure now than he ever has before.
Here's the Padres Opening Night starting lineup from 2014 against the Dodgers at Petco Park:
P - Andrew Cashner
C - Rene Rivera
1B - Yonder Alonso
2B - Jedd Gyorko
3B - Chase Headley
SS - Everth Cabrera
LF - Tommy Medica
CF - Will Venable
RF - Chris Denorfia
Now, here's a look at the Padres projected Opening Day starting lineup for 2015 against the Dodgers in Los Angeles:
P - James Shields
C - Derek Norris
1B - Yonder Alonso (although with Clayton Kershaw on the mound, Tommy Medica coould get the nod here as a right-handed hitter)
2B - Jedd Gyorko
3B - Will Middlebrooks
SS - Alexi Amarista
LF - Justin Upton
CF - Wil Myers
RF - Matt Kemp
That kind of turnover for the better simply does not happen in a three month span in professional sports.
This year, we cannot write off a slow start to a lack of depth and a dearth of talent (well, unless injuries wipe out his entire starting outfield). It's on the manager to bring all these new pieces together, one of the questions I asked him as he prepared for the most exciting trip to Peoria in Padres history.
