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MLB • 1 year ago

5 Biggest San Diego Padres X-Factors Heading Into 2015 MLB Season

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5 Biggest San Diego Padres X-Factors Heading into 2015

Wil Myers — The San Diego Padres revamped their roster this offseason, bringing in a ton of new talent to compete in the brutal National League West. To keep their hopes alive long into the 2015 season, fans in San Diego need particular Padres, both new and old, to step up their game. These five players could mean the difference between a major letdown and a glorious postseason run for the Padres in 2015.

The San Diego Padres revamped their roster this offseason, bringing in a ton of new talent to compete in the brutal National League West. To keep their hopes alive long into the 2015 season, fans in San Diego need particular Padres, both new and old, to step up their game. These five players could mean the difference between a major letdown and a glorious postseason run for the Padres in 2015.

5. Ian Kennedy

5. Ian Kennedy

Ian Kennedy threw over 200 innings last season for the Padres, posted a 3.63 ERA and led the team in strikeouts. The year prior to last, he finished the season with a 4.91 ERA and 44 less strikeouts. Kennedy is now slotted as the No. 4 starter, and his effectiveness in this role in the rotation will greatly affect San Diego's chance to compete in 2015.

4. Joaquin Benoit

4. Joaquin Benoit

Benoit finished his 2014 season with a remarkable 1.49 ERA over 54.1 innings, and he also pitched well with the Detroit Tigers in 2013. What fans in Southern California fear is a repeat of his 2012 efforts, when he struggled in Detroit's bad bullpen and posted a 3.68 ERA. Good Joaquin is one of the best relievers in baseball, while bad Joaquin will have Padres fans cursing his name in no time.

3. Wil Myers

3. Wil Myers

Fans back in Tampa waited with bated breath for this highly-regarded young outfielder to break out, but it never happened for him in Florida. After turning countless heads in the KC farm system, Myers went deep 13 times and batted in 53 runs in only 88 games during his 2013 rookie campaign in Tampa. Since then, he has struggled to stay healthy or consistent, but the talent is clearly still there.

2. Jedd Gyorko

2. Jedd Gyorko

Jedd Gyorko never got comfortable last season, hitting just .210 and ending the year with a .612 OPS, but a 23 HR, .745 OPS rookie season has many fans of the Dads excited about what he can do in 2015. Not many teams boast a power-hitting second baseman with an OPS above .750, so Gyorko would be one of the Padres' most important and invaluable players if he can pull that off.

1. Matt Kemp

1. Matt Kemp

Staying healthy will be this skilled-but-aging outfielder’s biggest concern, as always. When Kemp stays healthy through most of a season and gets into a groove, he’s a star. When he struggles with injuries and never gets comfortable on the field, he’s a waste of talent. At least the Padres have a backup plan based on his history; Will Venable, Cameron Maybin and Carlos Quentin are all former starting MLB outfielders still on the roster.

Doug LaCerte is a writer for www.RantSports.com Follow him on Twitter @DLaC67, “like” him on Facebook and add him to your network on Google.

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Doug LaCerte is a writer for RantSports. Like him on Facebook.

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