D'Arby Myers Must Prove Himself to San Diego Padres In 2016 Spring Training

As we approach the end of spring training, there are players in big league camps who are facing a must-produce time in their careers. There may not be a better example of that than the San Diego Padres‘ D’Arby Myers. He’s a corner outfielder with plus defense, but trouble hitting for power.

Myers came into camp with a history of being a level behind in production, and it has haunted his career to date. He has played in the minors for the Philadelphia Phillies, Oakland Athletics, and the Los Angeles Angels, never reaching the majors. This offseason things changed. He played winter ball in Mexico and now is ready for a chance to play in MLB.

In the Mexican Pacific Winter League Myers played 58 games, batting .343 with an OPS of .885. Both his average and OPS led his team. He also played center field and led his team in range factor per game. While this level of play isn’t as high as the majors, producing these numbers at any level is impressive.

The frustrating part for Myers must be his playing time. Last year he received ample playing time from the Angels in the outfield, but rarely got to hit. Myers finally got a plate appearance just this week. He got a hit and scored a run. With the weak outfield situation behind the top three in San Diego, Myers should be given a longer look the rest of spring training.

Since being drafted out of his Los Angeles high school, Myers has been working to make the majors. This is the fourth consecutive year that a major league team invited him to spring training. This spring he needs to prove to the San Diego Padres that his time is now.