Gavin Sheets Must Continue Evolving On Defense To Make Padres' First Base Gamble Worthwhile

[Randy Holt]

The 2025 San Diego Padres saw six different players log time at first base. If Craig Stammen and Gavin Sheets have their way, that number will come down quite a bit in 2026. 

Last year's iteration of the Padres rode out Luis Arráez for 117 games, Ryan O'Hearn for 27 games, and each of Sheets and Jake Cronenworth for a baker's dozen. Yuli Gurriel got four games worth of time, while Connor Joe appeared once in his brief time with the organization early in the year. Of those names, only Sheets and Cronenworth remain in the mix now. Comprehensively, the results were not terrific.

The Padres' 1.6 fWAR at the cold corner ranked 15th in the league. Their cumulative wRC+ was 109, which sat 14th. Where issues arose was on the power side. A position that traditionally favors a power profile checked in at just 23rd on the Padres' end of things, as they finished the year with a .138 isolated power figure. Things were even worse on the defensive side, where the team's -6 Outs Above Average finished in 24th. The combination of uneven performance and various departures, both during and after the season, led to questions about the shape the position could take ahead of 2026.

Without a designated hitter and in need of some extra depth in the outfield corners, there was an immediate assumption that Gavin Sheets would fill the former role primarily and fill in at either corner or at first base on occasion. Cronenworth, meanwhile, was expected to take back over at the keystone and perhaps move a bit in either direction upon the arrival of Sung Mun Song in San Diego. Either way, the position lacked someone of a visibly full-time vintage. 

This weekend's Fan Fest in San Diego appeared to put some of those questions to bed with new manager Craig Stammen asserting that Sheets would get the first run at serving such a role. After a career rebirth in San Diego last year and another two seasons before he hits free agency, is it possible that Sheets might actually offer some stability at first base? 

The profile is certainly there, at least. Sheets turned in above-average offensive production for the first time since he was a rookie, with a 111 wRC+ that was aided by some of the more sustained power output the team had last year. His .177 ISO was also his highest since he posted a gaudy .256 figure back in 2021. Both the strikeout (19.6 percent) and walk (8.1 percent) rates were steady, and a career-low chase rate indicated that there was some refinement occurring in his approach. From an offensive skill set, Sheets certainly has the chops to hang at the position. The primary question will come with the glove. 

A quality defensive first baseman improves the entirety of the infield defense. The Padres have posted -14 OAA at first base over the last three years, which ranks 21st over that span. In an ideal world, the regular first sacker is someone who can make life easier for the likes of Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, and Cronenworth. It remains to be seen, though, if a player with fewer than 800 innings across five seasons can be the one to do it. 

Much of Sheets' work at first came in 2023 and 2024 with the Chicago White Sox. In the former campaign, he posted -2 OAA in about 140 innings before following it up with another -2 in roughly 360 frames the following year. Last season, however, he was actually above average, with 1 OAA in 99 innings. Perhaps there's something in his positioning — which moved a touch deeper and at a narrower angle — that was able to provide a bump in the defensive performance.

Should that defensive growth continue to manifest into 2026, the Padres find themselves in a much more stable position than they might've been otherwise. It seems necessary more now than ever, too. With no visible trade options and defensive quality lacking in what remains on the free-agent market, there's a good deal of pressure for this to work. The offensive should play, at least. It's just a matter of the defense continuing to follow suit.

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[Stuart Shaffer]

Putting Gavin Sheets at 1B isn't much of a gamble.  He'll be a little above average defensively and, hopefully, a little above average offensively.  The only time the Padres gambled on 1B was when Mr. Preller, for no good reason, bizarrely bought out Eric Hosmer's average career at an All-Star price.