Padres May Deploy 5-Man Infield at Different Times This Season

Jason Fray | Apr 3, 2024

With the advent and adoption of analytics in baseball, teams are seeking any edge possible to give themselves the best chance at winning. This axiom naturally applies to the San Diego Padres. There’s a case to be made that the NL West is the deepest division in the National League.

The Padres may have traded away Juan Soto – though trading for Dylan Cease gives them one of the better starting pitching rotations in the NL. The Giants and Diamondbacks were heavily active during the offseason. San Francisco added the likes of Blake Snell, Matt Chapman, Jorge Soler and Jung Hoo Lee.

Not to be outdone, Arizona signed Joc Pederson, Eduardo Rodriguez and Jordan Montgomery. The Dodgers essentially built an All-Star team by bringing on Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Teoscar Hernandez.

The Rockies didn’t do much and are going to be hanging out in the cellar for the foreseeable future. The Padres will likely be fighting for a wild card spot alongside the Giants and Diamondbacks (barring a complete collapse from the heavily favored Dodgers).

When trying to gain a proverbial edge, this could include utilizing some unconventional infield alignments. According to Kevin Acee of The San Diego Tribune, San Diego might use a five-man infield depending on the situation at hand.

This includes when the opposition is bunting, among other scenarios. In this instance, infielder-turned-center fielder Jackson Merrill would come into the infield. Moving over to play essentially in right-center field would be Gold Glover Fernando Tatis.

Outfield coach Dave Macias spoke about Tatis and his prowess in the outfield.

“We just want to be able to maximize his abilities. We didn’t get too cute last year, just because we knew we had two guys on the right side of the outfield that really covered a lot of ground. But now that we’ve seen him play a full year and seen what he can do now, you start thinking about the scenarios.”

This could be the best-case scenario for Tatis. As the report indicates, Tatis had at one time wanted to play center field. Seeing as if he’s both a plus-athlete and one of the most gifted outfielders in the league, having him play in this situational role makes all the sense in the world. Few can do it, but Tatis certainly fits the bill here with his immense skill set