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Going into 2015 MLB season, there was an extraordinary amount of buzz surrounding the San Diego Padres due to the headline-grabbing moves that were made under first-year GM A.J. Preller. However, San Diego went only 74-88, finishing in fourth place in the NL West. Heading into 2016, the Padres clearly have their work cut out for them if they hope to compete in a talented NL West, but if the following five players stay healthy, they could certainly make things interesting.
5. Jon Jay
Credit: Scott Kane-USA TODAY Sports5. Jon Jay
After a tremendous season in 2014, Jon Jay was limited to only 79 games with the St. Louis Cardinals last season. Jay, who was acquired in exchange for Jedd Gyorko over the offseason, won't give the Padres the power that Justin Upton did in 2015, but he can be a very productive player as long as he stays healthy.
4. Wil Myers
Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports4. Wil Myers
In his first season in San Diego, 2013 AL Rookie of the Year Wil Myers hit a decent .253/.336/.427 with eight homers and a 114 OPS+, but he was limited to only 60 games. Myers just turned 25 years old, and if he can stay healthy, he could still be a legitimate breakout candidate. Way back in 2012, he hit a combined 37 home runs across two levels of the Kansas City Royals' minor league system.
3. Matt Kemp
Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports3. Matt Kemp
After coming to San Diego in another one of Preller's bold moves, Matt Kemp had a good, but not great season last year, hitting .265/.312/.443 with 23 homers and a 111 OPS+. Now 31 years of age, the Padres are going to need Kemp to stay healthy and have another productive season. It is worth noting that Kemp had a particularly hard time staying on the field between 2012-13, playing in only a combined 179 contests for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
2. Andrew Cashner
Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports2. Andrew Cashner
After being limited to just 123.1 innings in 2014, Andrew Cashner was able to make a career-best 31 starts last season. While his 4.34 ERA was a bit unsightly, his FIP and xFIP looked better, checking in at 3.85 and 3.84 respectively. The Padres will need him to stay healthy again in 2016 and be a solid No. 2 or No. 3 starter.
1. Tyson Ross
Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports1. Tyson Ross
In 2015, for the second season in a row, Tyson Ross was outstanding. Through 33 starts and 196 innings, the right-hander posted a 3.26 ERA, a 1.31 WHIP and a 112 ERA+. However, since the beginning of the 2014 campaign, Ross has used his slider 41.4 percent of the time, according to Fangraphs. It will be very interesting to see if his high usage of that pitch could make him an injury risk going forward.
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