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Manuel Margot enters second full MLB season with high hopes
From now until Spring Training concludes, Fox Sports San Diego will preview each player at each position that is in big league camp.
Previous position previews:
Starting pitchers
Catchers
First base
Second base
Shortstop
Third base
Right field
Today we will look at the center field position, where CF Manny Margot, with his rookie season under his belt, looks to take another step forward.
Favorite to start: Manuel Margot
Manuel Margot was acquired by the Padres during the 2015-16 offseason as one of the headline players in the Craig Kimbrel trade. The Red Sox had originally signed Margot as an international free agent in July 2011.
Margot's first season in the Padres organization began in Triple-A El Paso, where the speedy outfielder stole 30 bases, scored 98 runs, and hit .304 with a .351 OBP. His individual performance was a big reason why El Paso won its first-ever Pacific Coast League title. Following the championship run with the Chihuahuas, he was called up in the final few weeks of the 2016 season and made his major league debut.
Heading into 2017, there were questions as to where Margot would start his season. Starting him in AAA would allow the organization to protect his service time and delay his free agency by a year. Adding to this question was an injury that Margot suffered early on in spring training. In a spring game against the Indians, Margot felt some left knee soreness which ultimately caused him to miss playing time.
He received only 22 official spring training at-bats, but the Padres felt he was ready and handed him starting CF duties out of camp.
After winning the starting job, Margot came out of the gates on fire. He hit two home runs in the first game of the season at Petco Park and three in the team's first nine games. Known in the minors as more of a speed/contact guy with little pop, the early display of slugging was surprising.
He cooled down shortly thereafter, though, and was put on the 10-day DL in late May with calf soreness. The injury caused him to miss a little more than a month of action.
Hitting mostly out of the leadoff spot, the D.R. native wound up slashing .263/.313/.409 in 126 games with 13 home runs and 39 RBIs. His 1.9 fWAR was second among Padres position players, only behind Jose Pirela. For the 22-year-old rookie, the season was successful. Although the Padres would probably have preferred he get on base a bit more, the power that Margot displayed was definitely a bright spot. Eno Sarris ran a piece on FanGraphs discussing Margot and his launch angle surge from the first to the second half of the 2017 season. The uptick, which was the highest in all of baseball, definitely was one of the explanations for his newfound power.
In 2018, the Padres are expecting another step forward from the second-year center fielder. Finally healthy and showing no signs of the two leg injuries that impacted a portion of his season a year ago, the expectation is that Margot's defense will be among the league's best. He is likely to open the season in the leadoff spot in the Padres' lineup, but is certainly going to have to improve on his .313 OBP he displayed a year ago to keep hold of that spot.
He is also going to have to utilize his elite speed more in 2018. Although he was graded as one of the league's fastest players in 2017, Margot stole only 17 bases and was caught seven times. His prior stolen base numbers in pro ball since 2014 were: 42 in 2014, 39 in 2015, 32 in 2016. Dustin Palmateer of the Athletic wrote a great column a few days ago on what he will need to do to become a more efficient basestealer.
Manuel Margot will be one of the more intriguing Padres to watch all season long.
Backup candidates:
Cordero seemed to be well on his way towards earning a roster spot out of spring before a groin injury sidelined him a week ago. Now, it seems plausible that he will head down to AAA to get everyday at-bats until a spot opens up on the big league club, whether that be due to performance or injury. The 23-year-old was called up and played center when Margot was sidelined in June last year and exhibited spurts of brilliance at times. However, he also struck out 44 times in 99 at-bats while drawing only six walks.
The shortstop-turned-outfielder is still raw at the plate, but there are signs that he is improving. Cordero won the MVP in the Dominican Winter League this past winter and is currently OPS'ing .947 in 64 spring training at bats.
Franchy Cordero may not start the year in the big leagues, but his all-around game will earn him another chance soon enough.
The left-handed hitting outfielder is coming off an injury-plagued 2017, but his speed and defense make him a viable backup at any outfield position, especially center field. He is still competing for a roster spot, but is helping his chances with some unprecedented power (three spring homers) and a .356 OBP.
Szczur began the spring with an injury, but he is still in contention for a roster spot. The 28-year-old has hit two home runs in 20 spring at-bats.
