The Big Problem Costing Padres Wins that Few are Talking About

This makes it very tough to win games.

The San Diego Padres are not quite at their peak offensive level yet and that is okay. Any other season, we probably would have seen more production out of everybody but especially their stars. 2023 is a season that will be remembered as a reset of sorts for the MLB. The pitch clock and shift ban have ensured that this is the case and both Manny Machado and Juan Soto have been honest that it's going to take time for them to get into rhythm due to this.

However, there is another rule change taking place that is directly playing a role into the Padres dropping games this season and it is the bigger bases. They have noticeably increased in size making it easier for opposing players to reach and even steal the,

Padres insider and personality Borna Nazari revealed that San Diego has noticeably been the worst team in the league thus far into 2023 when it comes to stopping opposing teams from stealing bases.

The #Padres lead MLB in stolen bases allowed (16) and have caught just 1 runner stealing.

— Borna Nazari (@thehogwatch) April 13, 2023

"The

#Padres

lead MLB in stolen bases allowed (16) and have caught just 1 runner stealing."

(Via Borna Nazari)

A ton of batters are reaching bases whenever they step up to the plate and the Friars have blown numerous leads because of this. Many people are pointing fingers towards the bullpen but this stat is very important as it shows that San Diego is allowing way too many advancements that lead to scoring.

This is where the struggles of Austin Nola come into play. He's been noticeably struggling at-bat and hasn't had a successful trip to the plate in a couple of games. Team manager Bob Melvin believes that his nose injury that he sustained back in Spring Training is playing a role in this but all of these stolen bases have been partially due to late reaction time from Nola.

It continues to beg the question of whether Luis Campusano should take the rein of the catcher position from him earlier than expected. The Padres have been much better with him in the lineup and this stat is just a poor reflection of Nola's play.