San Diego Padres 2010 Preview, Predictions & Odds

With the MLB Baseball season just around the corner, we are providing season previews for all 30 teams to give you the baseball betting edge. Follow the best MLB Baseball Handicappers as they analyze their teams in this 2010 season preview. Use our comprehensive and insider info to bet successfully on the MLB in our recommend sportsbooks. View the rest of our 2010 MLB Season Previews here.

San Diego Padres 2009 MLB Record: 75-87
San Diego Padres 2009 MLB Home Record: 42-39
San Diego Padres 2009 MLB Away Record: 33-48

San Diego Padres 2010 Betting

San Diego Padres Odds to Win the National League: 100/1
San Diego Padres Odds to Win the World Series: 200/1

San Diego Padres 2010 Preview & Prediction

The Padres are still a few seasons away from being contenders for the NL West title, especially since they don’t seem to want to spend like one. They’d be ecstatic to hit the .500 mark this season after a strong finish during the last two months of 2009 allowed them to vault past Arizona and into fourth place. This team has had too much of a Triple-A look the last two seasons to start hanging with the big boys all of a sudden. CEO Jeff Moorad fired longtime general manager Kevin Towers and replaced him with Jed Hoyer, who now gets to see what it was like for Towers to attempt to build a competitive team with a limited payroll. The fact that the Padres chose to stand pat deep into the Hot Stove League season is all fans need to know about what to expect in 2010.

It speaks volumes that the only significant moves the Padres made from the end of the season to deep into the Hot Stove League were to change general managers, hire Dick Enberg as the television play-by-play voice and retain Correia. The Padres return largely intact, but there’s a ton of uncertainty about how good this team can be. San Diego is a big moral-victory kind of town, and the front office is hanging its hat on the strong finish during the last two months of2009 that merely netted a fourth-place finish. Fans are growing increasingly skeptical about the direction this team is heading.

San Diego Padres Manager: Bud Black (3 Seasons) Record: 227 – 260

San Diego Padres 2010 Projected Batting Order: CF Tony Gwynn Jr. (L), 2B David Eckstein (R), 1B Adrian Gonzalez (L), 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff (R), LF Chase Headley (S), RF Will Venable (L), C Nick Hundley (R), SS Everth Cabrera (S)

San Diego Padres 2010 Projected Rotation: RH Chris Young, RH Kevin Correia, LH Clayton Richard, RH Mat Latos, RH Tim Stauffer

San Diego Padres 2010 Projected Closer: RH Heath Bell

2010 San Diego Padres Rotation:

Gone is ace Jake Peavy and the $56 million he had remaining on his contract. That money is supposed to give the Padres flexibility, and they got four pitchers in return from the Chicago White Sox. Still, Peavy brought a competitiveness and a buzz that no one on this staff will be able to replicate. The Padres hope 6′ 10″ righty Chris Young can stay healthy after being slowed the last two seasons by everything from an Albert Pujols line drive to the face in 2008 that cost him two months on the disabled list to a strained right shoulder that cost him more than half of last season. Kevin Correia was the only starter to survive from Opening Day through the entire season, making 33 starts and going 12-11 with a 3.91 ERA. Lefty Clayton Richard showed promise after coming over in the Peavy trade, as did rookie Mat Latos after being promoted from Double-A San Antonio. Latos was inconsistent, though, and the Padres will look for him to develop mentally as well as physically. Tim Stauffer, who has yet to stick around for more than 15 appearances in parts of four big league seasons, could round out the starting five.

2009-2010 San Diego Padres Bullpen:

Heath Bell replaced Trevor Hoffman as the closer and responded with a National League-leading 42 saves in 48 opportunities. Becoming arbitration-eligible made him trade bait, though, so who knows how long he’ll be around. In his last season as GM, Towers did a great job patching together a bullpen during spring training and then keeping it going during the season. That means getting from the starter to Bell is going to have to be accomplished by little known players such as Mike Adams, Luke Gregerson, Joe Thatcher, Edward Mujica and Sean Gallagher. Although Adams missed much of the season while recovering from shoulder surgery, he did post a 0.73 ERA in 37 appearances.

2010 San Diego Padres Middle Infield:

Second baseman David Eckstein and shortstop Everth Cabrera provide quite the contrast. Eckstein is 35 and has won World Series rings with the Angels in 2002 and the Cardinals in 2006. Cabrera was an unknown rookie who came up as a Rule 5 draftee from Colorado and acted like he belonged from the very start. Cabrera was sidelined for two months after breaking a bone in his right hand on April 19 but started every game after being reinstated on June 19. He reached safely in 85 of 103 games, and his incredible speed resulted in 25 stolen bases, which tied for ninth in the NL and was second among NL rookies. Eckstein was his usual solid self and earned a one-year contract extension.

2010 San Diego Padres Corners:

The Padres couldn’t be in better shape with All-Star slugger Adrian Gonzalez at first base and Kevin Kouzmanoff at third base, but both are regularly mentioned in trade rumors. Gonzalez is under contract at a bargain rate and would no doubt bring a handful of prospects. There’s also a line of thinking that he might want out of his hometown due to the Padres’ bleak prospects of contending any time soon. Then again, the Padres need his bat, his glove and his stature as the team’s one true star. Gonzalez was named the team’s MVP for the third time in four seasons after setting career highs with 40 homers, 119 walks, a .407 on base percentage and .551 slugging percentage, while striking out only 109 times. Kouzmanoff set a National League record for fielding percentage by a third baseman at .990 and still didn’t win the Gold Glove. Some fans would like to see Kouz hit a little higher than his .255 average and hit more homers than his 18.

2010 San Diego Padres Outfield:

The Padres got considerably younger and faster with the addition of Tony Gwynn Jr. in center field and Will Venable in right field. Venable takes over for Brian Giles, who was hurt most of his final two seasons and ate up a good deal of the payroll at $9 million per year. Venable will give the Padres far more consistency in right. Gwynn has good range in spacious center field at PETCO Park. He’s fast on the base paths but needs to start hitting like his dad – if that’s possible. Chase Headley returns in left field, although he could move to third if the Padres trade Kouzmanoff. If that happens, Kyle Blanks would take over in left.

2010 San Diego Padres Catching:

Nick Hundley showed promise last season and could be the one who stops the revolving door at this position. He knows he has a lot of work to do, though, to keep the job. The Padres let backup Henry Blanco leave as a free agent, then added Dusty Ryan from Detroit in late December in a swap for a player to be named or cash. The 25-year-old Ryan has little experience behind the plate, making only 22 starts combined the last two seasons. It’s likely the Padres will bring in another catcher before spring training.

2010 San Diego Padres Bench:

.Heading into the season, manager Bud Black still wasn’t sure who he could turn to in 2010, because Hoyer had yet to address what easily is the team’s weak link. Blanks does give the Padres some flexibility. He came up through the organization as a first baseman but can also play left field. If the Padres do trade Gonzalez, they can plug Blanks in at first. Likewise, if the Pads move Kouzmanoff, Headley can slide in from left and Blanks can take his spot. Blanks struggled a bit at the plate before finishing with 10 homers in 148 at-bats, including a memorable inside-the-park shot against the Cubs on Aug. 10 – quite the feat for a guy who’s 6’6″, 285 pounds. Oscar Salazar also provides quite a bit of versatility; he started games at four different positions (left field, right field, first base and second base) for the Padres.

San Diego Padres 2010 Season Predictions

We predict that the San Diego Padres will finish 5th in the NL West Division .

San Diego Padres 5-Year Win Trend

2009: 4th NL West 75
2008: 5th NL West 63
2007: 3rd NL West 89
2006: T-1st NL West 88
2005: 1st NL West 82

Will the San Diego Padres will go all the way to the World Series? Or, will their season be lackluster? Either way, you can still enjoy San Diego Padres betting at our feature sportsbooks. San Diego Padres Betting is serious business; where you can make a ton of money placing informed, smart San Diego Padres bets. Check out these highly reliable, trustworthy, online sportsbooks.

Join Sportsbetting.com Today and Bet on the San Diego Padres and receive a 110% Sportsbook Bonus!