Padres News: Bob Melvin Excited To Have Full Team As WBC Winds Down

Season opener getting closer and more players back in camp !

Padres' team manager Bob Melvin has been nothing but supportive towards the ten members of his squad that wanted to take part in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Being around the sport of baseball for so long, he understands that each of their respective countries want them to compete under their name and bring a title back to them.

Taking part in the WBC has always been looked at with mixed reviews depending on who you ask. Certain people will commend the fact that playing in high-intensity games prepares guys for what they will have to do come the regular season while others fear that they are putting too much load on their bodies right before official games start for the MLB. 

Melvin placed full trust into his Friars and even granted star Juan Soto no restrictions in the tournament despite his calf strain.

However, there is less than a week left in the WBC and as countries get knocked out, a slew of San Diego's own re-joins the franchise for the end of Spring Training. 

Melvin joined '97.3 The Fan' following two Padres matches on Thursday and revealed that the players coming back from the WBC serve as motivation for everybody else.

Padres manager Bob Melvin talks about the Padres’ offense, Trent Grisham’s performance, and Michael Wacha’s outing after the team’s 7-1 win against the Rockies in Scottsdale: pic.twitter.com/O4cFZGsOSR

— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) March 16, 2023

"It's just nice to get more and more of what looks like the San Diego Padres out there," said Melvin. And I think that inspires the guys too, you know. With less than two weeks now, we're getting guys back and there's kind of a finish line to this right now. "

Numerous opportunities have presented themselves in the absence of some key Friars players these past weeks. We have had the pleasure to watch 16-year-old Ethan Salas suit up for the franchise, Jay Groome show his improvements, and Tim Lopes fight for a roster spot just to name a few

There will be a lot of noise surrounding the Friars at the beginning of the season and that is before Fernando Tatis Jr. is even able to re-join them. It was nice to see some of our guys perform in the WBC but once it is over, they know they must lock back in with San Diego.