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The San Diego Padres had a decision to make when Chase Headley went down with a thumb injury late in spring training. San Diego decided to make rookie Jedd Gyorko their everyday third baseman until Headley’s return, and Gyorko has shown so far at least that he can handle the role. He became just the third rookie in San Diego history to get hits in each of the team’s first three games. Gyorko could find himself over at second base when Headley returns, but he appears to have secured himself a full-time job.
Gyorko went 1-for-4 in each of the three games on the road for the Padres as San Diego went 1-2. The Padres are going to need him to produce a little more than just one hit a game, but you have to be impressed by a rookie coming up with all the nerves getting a hit in his first three games. Gyorko hit 30 home runs last season at the minor league level while hitting .311, so the offensive production is there.
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You know that other MLB teams will make adjustments on Gyorko as he moves around the league, but if he can just focus on making the adjustments he needs to, he will become a player that has star potential. San Diego has several very talented players in their starting lineup already, and adding Gyorko just increases the chances that the Padres make a run at a division title sooner than later. The potential is there, and now we wait to see if Gyorko can keep producing like he did in his first three games.
Andy Schmidt is a columnist/writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter @ASchmidtSports, like his Facebook page or add him to your network on Google.
