Lack of depth may not be San Diego's biggest problem with their lineup. This lineup lacks a good leadoff hitter. Tadahito Iguchi is not a leadoff hitter. Scott Hairston is not a leadoff hitter. Neither is Greene. So what will the Padres do?
Well, with a gun to my head, I'd lead off with Hairston, a guy whose career OBP is .299. Why?
Because Greene will get on base less than Hairston and is too much of a power threat to hit that high in this weak Padres lineup.
Iguchi's OBP was .347 with the White Sox and Phillies, but that was primarily as a No. 2, 6, or 7 hitter. I've seen Iguchi play for the last three years and know that he would not have a whole lot of success as a leadoff hitter.
The reason why the Padres earned a D+ for their offseason grade was because they failed to significantly improve this lineup.
Edmonds and Iguchi both aren't terrible hitters, but Kevin Towers needed to go out and acquire a good leadoff hitter and another good power hitter if the Padres expect to support their pitching staff.
There's one ray of hope for the Padres, though. At least their pitchers are going to hit well.
Lineup grade: C-
Bench
The Padres have one of the thinnest benches in the game.
Chase Headley might be their best bet in terms of a good bat off the bench, but Headley hit .330 in AA ball last year and could be one of San Diego's better offensive options in a few years. Letting him sit on the bench when he could be starting at AAA is a bad idea.
However, the rest of the Padres' bench shows just how much they may need Headley.
Oscar Robles and Luis Rodriguez are both good defensive options but couldn't hit the ball off a tee. Callix Crabbe, despite his awesome name, hasn't played an inning at the MLB level yet.
This bench likely will be another part of the weak Padres' offense this year.
Bench grade: F
I really feel sorry for Jake Peavy and Chris Young. They're going to have to scrap and fight for any sort of run support from this team.
If Prior and Wolf are healthy, this rotation will be one of the best in the game. However, without a potent offense, the Padres will struggle compete in the ultra-competitive NL West.
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