Grading Every Padres Player From 2026: Position Players

[Steve Drumwright]

When I think about grades, I shudder. My own report cards were not good. Yet here I am, handing out my own grades following the 2026 San Diego Padres season.

First up are the position players, to be followed by the starting pitchers and relievers. The hitters overcame a rough start in May and June to turn into one of the most dangerous offenses in MLB over the final two months of the regular season.

A mix of expectations and production, with a dose of sentimentality for a good story, went into these grades. Getting a C means you were average (what was expected). You get an A if you were phenomenal and an F if... well, you know.

Number of regular-season plate appearances in parentheses.

Fernando Tatis Jr. (704 PA): A-

The superstar right fielder, after jockeying around in the top couple spots in the lineup to begin the season, then famously didn't hit a homer in the Padres' first 55 games. After that, he was phenomenal, particularly at the end of the regular season. He finished with 25 homers and a .289/.358/.470 slash line to be named one of the 10 finalists for the NL's Hank Aaron Award. Tatis had a career-high 38 steals, but was also caught an NL-worst 13 times. He is likely to get down-ballot NL MVP votes. Leading off the first playoff game with a homer and then going deep again in Game 4 of the NL Division Series were electric moments, just like that two-homer, homer-robbing game against the New York Mets.

Manny Machado (677 PA): C

The Friars' unofficial captain certainly had mixed results. The power was there, hitting 30 homers and driving in 91, but the rest of it was not. His slash line was .217/.303/.407, producing a .711 OPS that was 28 points lower than his previous career worst and gave him an OPS+ of under 100 (97) for the first time since his debut season of 2012 (98). His average was at .166 on June 8 and finally got above .200 on July 12, peaking at .226 on Sept. 8. The power still made him a presence that pitchers had to be wary of, but he also grounded into an NL-worst 22 double plays.

Jackson Merrill (664 PA): B

The 23-year-old center fielder was one of the best players in MLB following the All-Star break, with the seventh-most hits (77, one less than Tatis) for a .304/.339/.569 line. He also had the fourth-most RBIs in the second half with 49. But that performance was needed to pull his final slash line up to .254/.303/.440; his average was at .198 on June 8. He had a career-high 26 homers and three RBIs shy of the 90 he had as a rookie in 2024. He bounced back nicely after a sophomore slump in 2025 and a rough first half.

Xander Bogaerts (606 PA): C-

This was the shortstop's worst offensive season of his 14 MLB years. He had a .231/.332/.344 slash line and a 90 OPS+, the lowest mark since his first two MLB seasons (2013-14). His average was the worst of his career. But his 13 homers and 57 RBIs were the second-most of his four years with the Padres. Defensive metrics don't really like Bogaerts that much, but it never felt like he was a detriment. He just turned 34 on Oct. 1.

Ty France (500 PA): A+

Considering the first baseman signed a minor-league contract at the beginning of spring training and it felt like he was on the verge of being released before an injury created a roster spot, what the former San Diego State star did this season was incredible. To wit, there was a little chatter of him winning a batting title. He had a .295/.363/.502 line with a career-high 21 homers and 72 RBIs, his third-most, allowing him to post a career-best 139 OPS+. And that's all while playing Gold Glove-caliber defense. He has earned a good contract next season after arguably being the team's MVP. Will it be with the Padres?

Jake Cronenworth (425 PA): D

The second baseman missed nearly two months with a concussion that didn't show symptoms immediately, affecting his play for another three weeks. He had a .225/.308/.321 slash line this year for a career-worst 77 OPS+, 12 points below than his previous low. He also hit just seven homers in 109 games, his fewest since his 54-game rookie season of 2020. Cronenworth, who has his share of highlights but has never been a metrics darling, is capable enough to play shortstop and first base. His contract ($12.3 million a year through 2030) means he is going to be run out there daily, but the production isn't matching his paycheck.

Gavin Sheets (419 PA): C-

A nasty injury to his left foot affected the slugging first baseman and occasional left fielder's offense in the second half. After some clutch homers in April, the left-handed hitter had an OPS of just .579 in the second half, including a .181 average with only three homers and eight RBIs. France's emergence hid Sheets' flaws.

Freddy Fermin (265 PA): C

The Padres had hoped they were getting a little bit of the offense they saw the catcher produce with the Kansas City Royals when they acquired him at the 2025 trade deadline (.268/.314/.383). But that never came to fruition. He has played tremendous defense, but also was sidelined twice with head injuries, one being a concussion. Fermin may very well be the odd man out in the Padres' catching situation for 2027 after generating a slash line of .203/.274/.315.

Miguel Andujar (254 PA): C+

When healthy, the designated hitter provided some of what the Padres were expecting. He was a doubles machine, although he didn't mash lefties as he had in the past (.262/.301/.445 vs. righties, .253/.309/.373 vs. lefties this year; .292/.329/.461 vs. lefties in his career). He missed a brief period in June with a hamstring injury, then the rest of the regular season after fracturing his right wrist July 20. He made only four token postseason plate appearances.

Luis Campusano (248 PA): B-

One of the fun stories of the season was the catcher's progress behind the plate after finally getting regular playing time at the major-league level after being banished to Triple-A in 2025. He had a .265/.363/.433 slash line with eight homers and 30 RBIs, helping to not make the catching position an offensive black hole. A fractured left toe in early May cost him nearly two months, though.

Ramon Laureano (206 PA): D

Before going down with a right hip injury for the rest of the regular season at the beginning of June, the left fielder had been struggling (.203/.286/.374), although he did have seven homers. Speculation had been that he may have been available for the NL Championship Series had the Padres advanced.

Samad Taylor (175 PA): B+

The outfielder-second baseman was another of those great stories from this season. He came up from Triple-A El Paso and was certainly a spark plug when he replaced Nick Castellanos on the roster on June 3. Taylor's combination of speed and defense as well as his overall energy allowed him to become a key part of the offense until he went down with an injury a month later. He more than doubled his MLB career of plate appearances entering this year (83) and probably earned an MLB job with the Padres or elsewhere in 2027.

Sung-Mun Song (154 PA): D+

It was a disjointed start to his MLB career. The former Korea Baseball Organization star (45 homers, 46 steals combined in 2024-25) sustained an oblique injury in the offseason, then again during spring training, leading him to begin the season on a rehab assignment at Triple-A El Paso. While showing excellent defensive skill and positional versatility, he never got untracked offensively and had a .191/.291/.244 slash line.

Luis Rengifo (145 PA): B

Picked up off the scrap heap after a terrible start to his season with the Milwaukee Brewers, he took over as the left fielder when Taylor went down in early July, then proceeded to hit in eight straight games. He was a different version of Taylor, showing a little more pop. A fateful start at second base, his third of the season, resulted in a season-ending knee injury that will keep him out through the first half of 2027. 

Nick Castellanos (122 PA): F

The Padres were hoping to catch lightning in a bottle by picking up Castellanos for the league minimum after being released from his $20 million contract by the Philadelphia Phillies. That lightning never materialized and he didn't play with anyone else in 2026. He was cut loose by the Padres on June 3.

Jase Bowen (103 PA): C-

The speedy outfielder came up to replace Laureano and made his MLB debut. While speed and defense were his forte, the bat never showed up (.146/.188/.250). Still, he made a handful of highlight-worthy catches.

Dustin Harris (100 PA): B+

Another keen pickup, this one during the season. The outfielder was released by the Chicago White Sox (twice) and the Houston Astros before latching on with the Padres on a minor-league deal on July 8. The Friars released him, too, but only for a day in early August, then he was called up less than three weeks later and followed the production trend of Taylor and Rengifo in left field.

Rodolfo Duran (91 PA): B+

Having made his pro debut at age 17 in the Philadelphia Phillies' organization, the catcher was called up to make his MLB debut in May as a 28-year-old when Campusano was injured. There wasn't much there offensively, but pitchers raved over his defense and game-calling. He remains on the 40-man roster as valuable catching depth.

Austin Hays (61 PA): C+

Added in early August after he was released by the White Sox, the outfielder homered in his first game with the Padres, but that was one of the lone highlights even though he had a .316/.344/.456 slash line in 26 games. Hays disappeared in the postseason.

Bryce Johnson (49 PA): F

The toolsy center fielder was surprisingly released in June following a .178/.229/.222 start to his season. He was sent to Triple-A El Paso, but never got another chance with the Padres after a breakthrough 2025.

Will Wagner (45 PA): C-

The infielder, acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays at the 2025 trade deadline for catcher Brandon Valenzuela, had one stint with the Padres and slashed .257/.422/.286 in 16 games, mainly as a DH.

Ethan Salas (40 PA): B+

The 20-year-old (and Padres Mission No. 1 prospect) was called up to make his MLB debut when rosters expanded Sept. 1. The Padres slowly built up his playing time over the final month and he showed the promise (.256/.275/.462, two homers, five RBIs) that will make him the Friars' No. 1 catcher to begin 2027.

Nick Solak (10 PA): F

Frankly a surprising call-up from Triple-A El Paso when Andujar was injured in June with his hamstring injury. The 31-year-old was designated for assignment when Andujar came back and wound up back at El Paso.

Blake Hunt (3 PA): C

Just like his Triple-A catching mate Duran, Hunt came up to make his MLB debut when Fermin went down with a concussion. The nine-year minor-leaguer appeared in just two games and went 0-for-3 in his lone start. He was DFA'd and released late in the Triple-A season.

Gage Workman (3 PA): C

Acquired in the Casey Mize deal with the Detroit Tigers, the third baseman who can also play in the outfield saw action in just two games, with a double in three at-bats, after the trade before being sent down to Triple-A El Paso. The former Rule 5 pick still has minor-league options left.

Mason McCoy (0 PA): C

Came up for a weekend in September when France went on the paternity list, but didn't play.

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