Luis Rengifo Has Been A Sparkplug for Padres' Second Half Success

[Cade Lalim]

It’s no secret that the San Diego Padres have been on an absolute heater in the second half of the season, and Luis Rengifo has contributed to that success in every way he’s been able to. The Friars have played to a 20-11 (.645) record thus far since the All-Star break ,and a 22-12 (.647) record since Rengifo debuted with the team back on July 10.

Rengifo tested out the waters of free agency for the first time over the winter after spending his first seven major-league seasons with the Los Angeles Angels. It took a while, but the Milwaukee Brewers finally inked him to a contract on February 16 as spring training was just getting underway. He didn’t crack the Opening Day lineup for the Brewers, but he did split time with David Hamilton, who put up a great showing during the exhibition window.

Rengifo's tenure in Milwaukee did not go as planned, as he only lasted 57 games before being designated for assignment on June 16. He was not good offensively across 209 plate appearances, posting a .205 batting average and .534 OPS along with nine doubles and 19 runs driven in. He saw a majority of his playing time at third base while also logging a few games at each second base and first base. His defense performance didn’t help him out at all as he posted a .958 fielding percentage at third base to go along with five errors.

Luis Rengifo’s Incredible Season Turnaround with the Padres

Due to Rengifo’s lackluster performance in Milwaukee, he was not claimed off of waivers by another club and the Brewers were unable to find a trade partner for him. As a result, he was released on June 23 but he found a new home just a week later on June 29 when he signed a minor-league contract with the Padres.

Over 116 plate appearances, he’s raised his entire slash line hitting for a .313 average, getting on base at a 40.9% clip, and slugging for a .455 mark -- equivalent to a .863 OPS. Rengifo’s plate discipline has also been solid, walking at a 12.1% rate while only striking out 16.4% of the time. His power has clearly been more evident, as he’s already mashed four home runs with the Padres along with two doubles.

Rengifo is doing this while enduring a major position change for the first time in his career. For a good chunk of his time with the Angels, Rengifo served as primarily a second baseman while also seeing frequent action at third base. He did see brief time in the outfield in Anaheim, but that was on an infrequent basis.

Left field had been a position of need for the Padres after Ramon Laureano hit the 60-day injured list on June 5. Even when Laureano was healthy, he wasn’t making ends meet, posting just a .203/.286/.374 slash line to go along with seven home runs and 21 runs driven in. Gavin Sheets also saw some time in left field but he serves best as a designated hitter given his limitations in the outfield.

When Rengifo showed up to San Diego, he immediately took to the position. While his defense in left hasn’t been amazing, it’s been serviceable thus far. Over 127 defensive innings in left field, he's submitted nearly league-average metrics, including -1 marks in Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average. That'll play, especially when he's working alongside sterling defenders in Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. So long as his offense doesn't disintegrate, the Friars will be thrilled to keep playing him on an everyday basis.

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