Padres News: Friars President Expects a Huge Second Half of The Season

The team needs to pick things up quickly!

To say that the start to the year for the Padres has been a disappointment wouldn't be doing it justice. They have been one of, if not, the most disappointing team across baseball this season with the New York Mets rivaling them depending on the day. San Diego came into the season with title hopes and were a trendy pick by many to win it all after their strong offseason. But so far, fate has had other ideas for this team. 

The pressure that was put on the Padres has clearly been too much for them to handle. Their offense is wildly inconsistent and their pitching is a wild card each day. 

They currently sit in fourth place within the NL West and have a big gap between them and the top teams in the National League. But there is hope as there is still time to make up ground.

Padres President AJ Preller sees optimism in the fact that the season isn't just 82 games. 

AJ Preller says the season isn't just 82 games, it's 162 for a reason, they'll do everything they can to reach the playoffs when asked about the team's underperforming stars. He understands the 1st half was a struggle but they invested in these players bc they believe in them.

— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) June 30, 2023

Preller is the mastermind behind putting this "super" team together. On paper, the Padres have one of the best rosters across the sport but it just hasn't translated to on-field success. It's been one of the season's biggest mysteries and has many around the game dumbfounded as to what has gone wrong. 

Having a lineup of star players such as Juan Soto, Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Xander Bogaerts should allow this team to be one of the top offensive units in baseball. But the opposite has happened, as they are indeed very middle of the pack.

AJ Preller tells @BenAndWoods that he believes in this group and they're asking all the important questions on a daily basis. They expect things to change going forward and eventually play in October.

— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) June 30, 2023

As the All-Star break approaches, the Padres can't wait any longer to start getting things going. They have dug themselves into a massive hole and the longer they wait to try and climb out, the bigger of a letdown this season will be. 

If San Diego can't come back and reach the playoffs, this season could go down as one of the biggest failures in recent memory. They had everything going their way entering the season and just haven't lived up to the hype. 

But the beauty of baseball is that there is normally a game still left. So as long as they are mathematically alive, the Padres will live to fight another day.