San Diego Padres
The Mets could very easily be in this spot, but the San Diego Padres, despite winning two out of three before the break from the Mets, has the top spot as the argument could be made that their roster on paper is the best in the league. However, as we all know, paper doesn’t win anything.
There have been times this season where San Diego has got very good pitching performances and their offense has gone silent. There have also been times where their offense has erupted and their pitching struggled. They have not been able to consistently put it together until recently. In the final week for the break, they swept the Los Angeles Angels, then won two of three over New York.
Xander Bogaerts and Michael Wacha were signed as free agents from the Boston Red Sox, Fernando Tatis, Jr. returned from his suspension in April and made a position switch to the outfield because of the Bogaerts addition. Jake Cronenworth also moved a position switch to first base and could that move have affected him? Gary Sanchez has been one of the better pickups during the season and has solidified the catching and added some offensive pop.
Pitching is going to be the key to the Padres making a second-half move and getting into the playoffs. With the payroll, big-name players, and the expectations placed on them to begin the season, anything short of just getting into the playoffs at this point will be considered a failure.
It certainly has been a struggle for some teams in the first half, but the good thing about a 162-game season is that there is time to quickly turn things around and erase the memory of their first-half struggles. These teams will have that chance beginning Friday night.
