MLB Writer Has Three Padres in His MLB Award Predictions
The main word that has been associated with your San Diego Padres as of late has clearly been championship. That is the goal on everybody's mind within the organization and Peter Seidler would not be okay with giving out contracts adding up to almost $1 billion if he wasn't trying to rule the MLB world.
However, the Friars certainly have to ensure that everything goes right in order to reach the promised land. I have all eyes on Fernando Tatis Jr. to be the x-factor this season and if he is able to adjust to his new position, Petco Park will be a scary place for any team to step foot into.
The Athletic's Jim Bowden compiled some predictions for the 2023 season and he believes that El Niño will shock many doubters in his return. He has chosen Tatis as his Comeback Player of the Year.
"Tatis is my early favorite to win a Comeback Player of the Year Award because of everything he’s trying to overcome, including three surgeries and an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. He fractured his wrist in a motorcycle accident during the 2021 offseason; tested positive for Clostebol, a banned substance, last August; and underwent two wrist surgeries and a shoulder surgery in the past year."
(Via The Athletic)
No matter what, people around the MLB will look to call him washed at first sight of any struggle. They already did so and everybody with the Padres' coaching staff was patient as they knew he would regain form, most notably Bob Melvin.
Speaking of Melvin, he is currently Bowden's favorite to bring him Manager of the Year. A lot of people take a look at the star-studded roster of San Diego and think that Melvin doesn't have much of a job to do.
However, his job requires just as much effort as any other manager in the league if not more. Having so much talent on a squad means that certain players will have to sacrifice their wants at times for overall success. It is Melvin who will oversee that.
"Melvin has won this award in both leagues — once with the Diamondbacksand twice with the A’s. He’s primed for his fourth win and first with the Padres. He has the team to do it, but will face challenges with the back of the rotation and bullpen and bench depth."
(Via The Athletic)
Finally, Bowden selects A.J. Preller as his first choice for Executive of the Year. I mentioned Seidler earlier but Preller has played just as big of a role putting together this Padres group.
"After all the wheeling and dealing Preller has done in his career, he’s in line to win his first Executive of the Year Award this year. Yes, he’s benefited simply from playing checkbook baseball, but he’s acted decisively. Preller has not been afraid to trade for superstars (Soto, Tatis, Hader, etc) and sign expensive free agents (Machado, Bogaerts). The Padres made it to the NLCS last year; now they’re ready for the World Series, and Preller is ready for the hardware."
(Via The Athletic)
Beyond these three extremely special awards, I also see a mix of other awards poised to be handed to our Friars. Golden Gloves, Silver Sluggers, and All-Star appearances all should be goals for our players and I would love to see Juan Soto in the race for MVP as the season winds down.
