PADRES ’91 A SEASON OF TRANSITION : PREVIEWING ’91 : Padre Experiment Removes Burden of Expectations

If the Padres accomplished nothing else during their era of transition, they’ve made sure those nasty prognosticators won’t pick them to win the National League West this season.

No sir, there will be no one picking them to finish first this season. Or second. Or third. Considering the Atlanta Braves’ apparent improvements in the off-season, the Padres might have problems finishing fourth.

“Every year it seems like we’ve had that pressure of winning the division,” Padre right fielder Tony Gwynn said. “I’m glad it’s not on our shoulders this season. Let someone else have that pressure.

“I don’t think we’ll be that bad, I really don’t. I think we’re going to be all right. To me, it reminds me of ’84. No one picked us to do anything that year either and look what happened.”

That was the season the Padres decided to experiment and throw a bunch of kids into the outfield--Carmelo Martinez in left, Kevin McReynolds in center and Gwynn in right. They moved their leadoff hitter, Alan Wiggins, from the outfield to second base. And with the death of Ray Kroc, they had new ownership.

Sound familiar?

The Padres won the National League pennant that year, the only championship in their 22-year history.

And this year?

“Who knows?” Padre Manager Greg Riddoch said. “I have absolutely no idea how we’ll do.

“And to tell you the truth, I don’t know if that’s good or bad.”

By position, here is a look at the Padres:

FIRST BASE

* Fred McGriff.

The good news : He is one of baseball’s most complete power hitters. Not only did he average 35 homers and 87 RBIs the past three seasons and bat .300 last season, his fielding percentage was the third among American League first basemen, and his .400 on-base percentage was second in the league. Now, he says, he wants to add stolen bases to his repertoire. Joe McIlvaine, Padre general manager, said the team will miss Jack Clark’s bat, but McGriff is expected to erase all memories of the Ripper.

The bad news: He has yet to hit a homer in 65 spring-training at-bats, and coaches cringe at the pressure he’s putting on himself. His biggest flaw is his ability to succeed in pressure situations. He has a career batting average of .294 with the bases empty, but .256 with runners on. McGriff batted only .239 with runners in scoring position last season and .208 with two outs and runners in scoring position.

SECOND BASE

* Bip Roberts.

The good news: He might not have a natural position, but scouts rave about his versatility, saying he’s the game’s best all-purpose player. Last season, only three players batted .300 or better with at least 40 extra-base hits and 40 stolen bases. Two of them (Rickey Henderson and Barry Bonds) won MVP awards. The other was Roberts. The Padres’ leadoff spot, thanks to Roberts, led the league with 119 runs and ranked second with a .311 average. He has a career .280 batting average at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, .283 on other grass fields and .338 on artificial turf, including a major league-leading .401 last year.

The bad news: With the emergence of left fielder Jerald Clark and the arrival of third baseman Jim Presley, Roberts will play primarily at second base. The last time he played solely at second base in the big leagues was 1986. And his inexperience at the position worries the Padres. Although his range appears adequate, scouts say he has trouble going to his right and he has looked shaky turning the double play.

SHORTSTOP

* Tony Fernandez.

The good news: The Padres have found the consummate shortstop. You want defense? Fernandez is the best-fielding shortstop in history, with one error every 51.2 chances. You want offense? Fernandez has a career .289 average and produces in the clutch. He batted higher than .300 in late-inning pressure situations in five of the past six seasons. Except for 1989, he has never hit lower than .324 with two outs and runners in scoring position.

The bad news: You’d never tell by his demeanor in spring training, but Fernandez was considered moody, aloof and a loner in Toronto. The Blue Jays were willing to let him go because of a prospect named Eddie Zosky? Something doesn’t make sense here. The biggest criticism of his ability, scouts say, is that his arm doesn’t have the same strength it once did.

THIRD BASE

* Jim Presley.

The good news: The Padres found a third baseman with power, and it’s not Mike Pagliarulo. Presley, who will bat behind Benito Santiago, has averaged 20.6 homers and 75 RBIs over the past 6 1/2 seasons in the big leagues. Although he had the luxury of playing in two of the best hitters’ parks in baseball--Seattle and Atlanta--he has been equally productive on the road. He has hit 68 homers in home games, and 66 on the road.

The bad news: There’s no DH in the National League. Presley attracted little interest in the free-agent market until the Padres finally relented on a one-year, non-guaranteed contract. The reason is his defense. He had the lowest fielding percentage (.930, one error every 14 chances) of any regular third baseman in the NL, and he has limited range. In addition, his batting average with runners in scoring position dropped each of the past four seasons to .213 last year, and he finished last year with a streak of 29 consecutive hitless at-bats in late-inning pressure situations. The Padres also worry about his two consecutive second-half collapses. He hit .185 in the second half of 1989, last year had only two homers and 17 RBIs the last two months of the season.

RIGHT FIELD

* Tony Gwynn.

The good news: Jack Clark’s gone, and so are the rest of Gwynn’s detractors. Gwynn, who couldn’t play a game last season without wondering what everyone was thinking about him, appears to be back, hitting .420 this spring. If there’s a favorite to win the batting title, it’s Gwynn, whose .309 average last year equaled his career low. Gwynn, winner of four batting titles, again seems adamant about wanting to drive the ball. He drove in a career-high 72 runs in 141 games last season. He sees no reason why he can’t raise that total to at least 85. Gwynn’s .329 career average is second behind Wade Boggs among active players and 12th in National League history. He struck out only once every 27.3 plate appearances last year, best in the major leagues. Gwynn’s streak of seven consecutive seasons of 500 or more at-bats and 40 or fewer strikeouts is the longest since Nellie Fox’s 13-year streak ended in 1963.

The bad news: Although Gwynn has won four Gold Gloves in the past five years, the coaching staff privately says he’s not getting to balls that he used to. He still has a fine arm, and he’ll catch almost everything that comes his way. Scouts say his speed has diminished, perhaps accounting for his drop from 40 stolen bases to 17 last year. Gwynn contends that it simply was a lack of opportunity, and that it’ll change this season.

CENTER FIELD

* Shawn Abner.

The good news: The Padres still have confidence in Abner, the No. 1 draft pick in the nation in 1984 who will open this season as the starter. He’s a pitcher’s best friend with his defensive skills and his willingness to crash into walls to catch balls. He has worked all winter with Padre hitting coach Merv Rettenmund, shortening his stroke and trying to gain consistency with each at-bat. It appears he’ll never be the player scouts once forecast, but the Padres can’t see why he won’t be able to hit at least .270 and drive in 60 runs.

The bad news: Since Cito Gaston left in 1974, the Padres have been searching for a consistent center fielder. Abner has a .218 career average and six homers and 41 RBIs in 416 career at-bats, so it’s little wonder Gaston still remains fond in Padre fans’ hearts. Abner’s outfield fundamentals, scouts say, also are lax. The Padres kept Thomas Howard as insurance.

LEFT FIELD

* Jerald Clark.

The good news: He has only played five months in the big leagues, and when the Padres attempted to trade him last year, there was no interest. But the Padres this season rave about his improved stroke and power--they believe he’ll hit at least 25 homers with 85 RBIs. His spring hardly diluted their enthusiasm. He has three home runs, and though his batting average is around .225, balls have jumped off his bat. Who knows? Maybe the final week of the 1990 season, when he hit .400 with three homers and seven RBIs, wasn’t a fluke after all.

The bad news: Clark still has a long, sweeping swing, and scouts say pitchers will be able to take advantage by pounding him inside. On defense, he has trouble judging line drives and fly balls and is considered a liability in the field. The Padres hope he’ll improve with experience.

CATCHER

* Benito Santiago.

The good news: The Padres think so much of Santiago’s bat that they’ll bat him fifth this season, protecting Fred McGriff in the lineup. Even though he has averaged only 53.6 RBIs the past three seasons, he has hit well in the clutch. He batted .342 in 120 at-bats in the seventh inning or later last season and batted .403 in late-inning pressure situations, compared to .241 in all other at-bats. His defense is nonpareil. Few baserunners even attempt to run on him.

The bad news: Santiago still hasn’t matched the offensive numbers of his rookie season, when he hit .300 with 53 extra-base hits, 18 homers and 79 RBIs. The Padres’ biggest fear is the way he crowds the plate, lending himself to being hit like last season when Giant reliever Jeff Brantley broke his left forearm.

BENCH

* Outfielders Thomas Howard, Darrin Jackson and Greg Gross; infielders Paul Faries, Marty Barrett and Garry Templeton; and catcher Tom Lampkin.

The good news: The Padres remain intrigued by Howard. With the exception of Gwynn, he probably has more raw ability than any outfielder. Jackson is a valuable asset off the bench, and scouts say he’s the best defensive outfielder on the team. Faries is the most versatile of the bench players, being able to play second, third and shortstop. Gross, Barrett and Templeton all are valuable because of their experience, although the Padres won’t hesitate to release any of them if they can find better replacements. Lampkin becomes the new Mark Parent. Defensively, the Padres believe they lose little with him. Offensively, they don’t know if they could survive with him on an every day basis.

The bad news: Gross is the only player who has experience coming off the bench, and he didn’t even play last season. Barrett was relegated to the bench last season by the Boston Red Sox and hit only .226 with 13 RBIs. The worst news? There’s no one in this bunch, if needed, who can come close to replacing McGriff, Gwynn, Roberts, Santiago or Fernandez, particularly offensively.

STARTING PITCHERS

* Ed Whitson, Bruce Hurst, Andy Benes, Greg Harris and Eric Nolte.

The good news: The top four starters are capable of winning at least 15 games each. Whitson is the only pitcher in history to make at least 30 starts a year and lower his ERA in four consecutive seasons. Whitson averaged 7.15 innings a start last season, the highest in the NL. The Padres want to see the real Bruce Hurst. Will it be the one who was 5-7 with a 4.33 ERA before the All-Star break? Or the guy who was 6-1 with a 0.89 ERA in his past 13 starts? Benes had the distinction last season of having a lower ERA (2.20) in 10 no-decisions than his 10 victories (2.36). He is a career 5-0 against Philadelphia, 11-14 against everyone else. Harris, making his debut as a starter this year, gives right-handers fits. They hit only .156 off him, the fifth-lowest average allowed by a NL pitcher in the past 16 years. Nolte is an immensely talented left-hander, scouts say, but it’s a question of whether he’ll allow his ability to take over.

The bad news: Have you caught their act in spring training? Nolte (1-0, 0.82 ERA) has performed the best, but look at the rest: Hurst (2-1, 3.68), Benes (0-0, 4.76), Whitson (1-1, 5.29) and Harris (1-2, 6.17). Maybe it’s simply an albatross of a spring training, but the Padres privately are concerned that it will carry over into the season. If the starters falter, there’s not a chance this team will finish even .500.

LATE RELIEVERS

* Craig Lefferts and Larry Andersen.

The good news: The bullpen of a year ago blew 17 of 35 opportunities, and no lead was ever safe. Lefferts’ strength is his performance in clutch situations. He has yielded a .208 batting average with men on base in his career and .174 with two outs and runners in scoring position. Andersen, defying his age (38), has become one of finest relievers in the league. His nasty slider helped limit the NL’s top 10 hitters to a .120 batting average without an extra-base hit last season. He also faced 175 batters in late-inning pressure situations without allowing a homer.

The bad news: The Padres are concerned that Lefferts will not be fully healthy at the start after battling a groin injury and bronchitis during the spring. Lefferts, strangely enough, has allowed a higher batting average in night games than day games in each of his eight seasons in the majors. The Padres may also may want to keep him out of games in the month of May. He has a career 1-15 record in May and 38-29 in all other months. The biggest concern with Andersen is that he never has been a stopper. He has fewer saves, 34, in fact, than any pitcher in history with at least 500 relief appearances.

MIDDLE RELIEVERS

* Wes Gardner, Rich Rodriguez and Mike Maddux.

The good news: Gardner can be effective when healthy, but he has suffered injuries each of the past five seasons. Maddux, who was released in the middle of a game while pitching for the Dodgers, is the biggest surprise to make the club. He was sitting home in Las Vegas, met Joe McIlvaine at a baseball banquet in late February, was invited to the minor-league camp and, four weeks later, finds himself on the big-league roster because of his performance (2-0, 1.50 ERA). Rodriguez, whom McIlvaine gave up on two years ago while with the Mets, was a pleasant surprise for the Padres last season, limiting left-handed hitters to a .231 batting average in 32 games.

The bad news: Each of the relievers are unproven. Gardner was unwanted by the Red Sox. Maddux was unwanted by baseball. And Rodriguez has three months of big-league experience. You blame McIlvaine and Riddoch for being terrified?

OPENING DAY LINEUP

1. Bip Roberts: 2B

2. Tony Fernandez: SS

3. Tony Gwynn: RF

4. Fred McGriff: 1B

5. Benito Santiago: C

6. Jim Presley: 3B

7. Jerald Clark: LF

8. Shawn Abner: CF

9. Ed Whitson: P

PADRES 1990 STATISTICS

BATTERS AVG OBA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB Roberts .309 .375 556 104 172 36 3 9 44 55 65 46 Gwynn .309 .357 573 79 177 29 10 4 72 44 23 17 Alomar .287 .340 586 80 168 27 5 6 60 48 72 24 Williams .286 .362 42 5 12 3 0 3 4 5 6 0 Howard .273 .273 44 4 12 2 0 0 0 0 11 0 Santiago .270 .323 344 42 93 8 5 11 53 27 55 5 Cora .270 .311 100 12 27 3 0 0 2 6 9 8 Je. Clark .267 .299 101 12 27 4 1 5 11 5 24 0 Ja. Clark .266 .441 334 59 89 12 1 25 62 104 91 4 Jackson .257 .286 113 10 29 3 0 3 9 5 24 3 Pagliarulo .254 .322 398 29 101 23 2 7 38 39 66 1 Templeton .248 .280 505 45 125 25 3 9 59 24 59 1 Abner .245 .286 184 17 45 9 0 1 15 9 28 2 Lynn .240 .315 196 18 47 3 1 6 23 22 44 2 Carter .232 .290 634 79 147 27 1 24 115 48 93 22 Lampkin .222 .269 63 4 14 0 1 1 4 4 9 0 Parent .222 .283 189 13 42 11 0 3 16 16 29 1 Stephenson .209 .319 182 26 38 9 1 4 19 30 43 2 Faries .189 .279 37 4 7 1 0 0 2 4 7 0 Reynolds .067 .125 15 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 6 0 Nelson .000 .000 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 Team .257 .320 5554 673 1429 243 35 123 628 509 902 138 Totals

BATTERS CS E Roberts 12 13 Gwynn 8 5 Alomar 7 19 Williams 1 3 Howard 1 1 Santiago 5 12 Cora 3 11 Je. Clark 0 1 Ja. Clark 3 6 Jackson 0 1 Pagliarulo 3 13 Templeton 4 26 Abner 3 1 Lynn 0 0 Carter 6 11 Lampkin 1 3 Parent 0 3 Stephenson 1 1 Faries 1 2 Reynolds 0 0 Nelson 0 0 Team 59 141 Totals

PITCHERS W L ERA G GS SV IP H R ER HR BB Harris 8 8 2.30 73 0 9 117.1 92 35 30 6 49 Lefferts 7 5 2.52 56 0 23 78.2 68 26 22 10 22 Whitson 14 9 2.60 32 32 0 228.2 215 73 66 13 47 Rodriguez 1 1 2.83 32 0 1 47.2 52 17 15 2 16 Hurst 11 9 3.14 33 33 0 223.2 188 85 78 21 63 Benes 10 11 3.60 32 31 0 192.1 177 87 77 18 69 Clements 0 0 4.15 9 0 0 13.0 20 9 6 1 7 Hammaker 4 9 4.36 34 7 0 86.2 85 44 42 8 27 Schiraldi 3 8 4.41 42 8 1 104.0 105 59 51 11 60 Rasmussen 11 15 4.51 32 32 0 187.2 217 110 94 28 62 Lilliquist 5 11 5.31 28 18 0 122.0 136 74 72 16 42 Dunne 0 3 5.65 10 6 0 28.2 28 21 18 4 17 Show 6 8 5.76 39 12 1 106.1 131 74 68 16 41 Davis 0 1 5.79 6 0 0 9.1 9 7 6 1 4 Valdez 0 1 11.12 3 0 0 5.2 11 7 7 4 2 Team 75 87 3.68 162 162 35 1461.2 1437 673 597 147 507 Totals

PITCHERS SO Harris 97 Lefferts 60 Whitson 127 Rodriguez 22 Hurst 162 Benes 140 Clements 6 Hammaker 44 Schiraldi 74 Rasmussen 86 Lilliquist 63 Dunne 15 Show 55 Davis 7 Valdez 3 Team 928 Totals

PADRE ROSTER (FINAL MOVES PENDING)

No Pitchers (12) B-T Ht. Wt. Born 27 Anderson, Larry R-R 6-3 205 5/06/53 40 Benes, Andy R-R 6-6 238 8/20/67 39 Gardner, Wes R-R 6-4 205 4/29/61 14 Hammaker, Atlee S-L 6-2 204 1/24/58 46 Harris, Greg R-R 6-2 187 12/01/63 47 Hurst, Bruce L-L 6-3 219 3/24/58 11 Lefferts, Craig L-L 6-1 209 9/29/57 26 Lilliquist, Derek L-L 6-0 214 2/20/66 37 Nolte Eric L-L 6-3 200 4/28/64 43 Rasmussen, Dennis L-L 6-7 233 4/18/59 42 Rodriguez, Rich R-L 5-11 200 3/01/63 31 Whitson, Ed R-R 6-3 202 5/19/55

Pitchers (12) 1990 Club W-L ERA G CG SV IP H Anderson, Larry Houston 5-2 1.95 50 0 6 73.2 61 Boston 0-0 1.23 15 0 1 22.0 18 Benes, Andy PADRES 10-11 3.60 32 2 0 192.1 177 Gardner, Wes Boston 3-7 4.89 34 0 0 77.1 77 Hammaker, Atlee San Francisco 4-5 4.28 25 1 0 67.1 69 PADRES 0-4 4.66 9 0 0 19.1 16 Harris, Greg PADRES 8-8 2.30 73 0 9 117.1 92 Hurst, Bruce PADRES 11-9 3.14 33 9 0 223.2 188 Lefferts, Craig PADRES 7-5 2.53 56 23 78.2 68 Lilliquist, Derek Atlanta 2-8 6.28 12 0 0 61.2 75 Richmond 4-0 2.57 5 1 0 35.0 31 PADRES 3-3 4.33 16 1 0 60.1 61 Nolte Eric Las Vegas 2-11 8.58 33 1 0 122.2 187 Rasmussen, Dennis PADRES 11-15 4.51 32 3 0 187.2 217 Rodriguez, Rich Las Vegas 3-4 3.51 27 0 8 59.0 50 PADRES 1-1 2.83 32 0 1 47.2 52 Whitson, Ed PADRES 14-9 2.60 32 6 0 228.2 215

MLExp Pitchers (12) ER BB SO Yrs.Days Anderson, Larry 16 24 68 10.059 3 3 25 Benes, Andy 77 69 140 1.054 Gardner, Wes 42 35 58 5.105 Hammaker, Atlee 32 21 28 9.056 10 6 16 Harris, Greg 30 49 97 2.015 Hurst, Bruce 78 63 162 9.123 Lefferts, Craig 22 22 60 8.000 Lilliquist, Derek 43 19 34 1.154 10 11 24 29 23 29 Nolte Eric 117 49 79 0.147 Rasmussen, Dennis 94 62 86 6.124 Rodriguez, Rich 23 22 46 0.097 15 16 22 Whitson, Ed 66 47 127 12.159

No Catchers (3) B-T Ht. Wt. Born 58 Dorsett, Brian R-R 6-3 220 4/09/61 25 Lampkin, Tom L-R 5-11 183 3/04/64 9 Santiago, Benito R-R 6-1 182 3/09/65

Catchers (3) 1990 Club Avg. G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI Dorsett, Brian Columbus .272 114 415 44 113 28 1 14 67 New York (AL) .143 14 35 2 5 2 0 0 0 Lampkin, Tom Colo. Spgs .221 69 199 32 44 7 5 1 18 Las Vegas .500 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 PADRES .222 26 63 4 14 0 1 1 4 Santiago, Benito PADRES .270 100 344 42 93 8 5 11 53

MLExp Catchers (3) SB Yrs.Days Dorsett, Brian 1 0.034 0 Lampkin, Tom 7 0.101 0 0 Santiago, Benito 5 4.022

No Infielders (6) B-T Ht. Wt. Born 53 Faries, Paul R-R 5-10 165 2/20/65 8 Fernandez, Tony S-R 6-2 175 6/30/62 17 McGriff, Fred L-L 6-3 215 10/31/63 18 Presley, Jim R-R 6-1 200 10/23/61 10 Roberts, Bip S-R 5-7 160 10/27/63 1 Templeton, Garry S-R 6-0 209 3/24/56

Infielders (6) 1990 Club Avg. G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI Faries, Paul Las Vegas .311 137 553 109 172 29 3 5 64 PADRES .189 14 37 4 7 1 0 0 2 Fernandez, Tony Toronto .276 161 635 84 175 27 17 4 66 McGriff, Fred Toronto .300 153 557 91 167 21 1 35 88 Presley, Jim Atlanta .242 140 541 59 131 34 1 35 72 Roberts, Bip PADRES .309 149 556 104 172 36 3 4 44 Templeton, Garry PADRES .248 144 505 45 125 25 3 9 59

MLExp Infielders (6) SB Yrs.Days Faries, Paul 47 0.031 0 Fernandez, Tony 26 6.164 McGriff, Fred 5 4.009 Presley, Jim 1 6.099 Roberts, Bip 46 3.014 Templeton, Garry 1 14.057

No Outfielders (7) B-T Ht. Wt. Born 28 Abner, Shawn R-R 6-1 194 6/17/66 24 Clark, Jerald R-R 6-4 202 8/10/63 30 Gross, Greg L-L 5-11 180 8/01/52 19 Gwynn, Tony L-L 5-11 210 5/09/60 33 Howard, Thomas S-R 6-2 198 12/11/64 4 Jackson, Darrin R-R 6-0 186 8/22/63 2 Vatcher, Jim R-R 5-9 165 5/27/66

Outfielders (7) 1990 Club Avg. G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI Abner, Shawn PADRES .245 91 184 17 45 9 0 1 15 Clark, Jerald Las Vegas .304 40 161 30 49 7 4 12 32 PADRES .267 53 101 12 27 4 1 5 11 Gross, Greg DNP Gwynn, Tony PADRES .309 141 573 79 177 29 10 4 72 Howard, Thomas Las Vegas .328 89 341 58 112 26 8 5 51 PADRES .273 20 44 4 12 2 0 0 0 Jackson, Darrin Las Vegas .276 29 98 14 27 4 0 5 15 PADRES .257 58 113 10 29 3 0 3 9 Vatcher, Jim Scranton .254 55 181 30 46 12 4 5 22 Philadelphia .261 36 46 5 12 1 0 1 4 Atlanta .259 21 27 2 7 1 1 0 3

MLExp Outfielders (7) SB Yrs.Days Abner, Shawn 2 2.022 Clark, Jerald 2 1.012 0 Gross, Greg 16.1 Gwynn, Tony 17 8.077 Howard, Thomas 27 0.031 0 Jackson, Darrin 3 2.165 3 Vatcher, Jim 1 0.120 0 0