Countdown to Opening Day: #9 San Diego Padres

By Andrew Marcus

Sportswriter for Montgomery Media

Follow me on Twitter @amarcus515

To help pass the time between now and the start of the 2011 Major League Baseball season I am going to be examining a different team every day. Starting with the Pirates, working toward the Phillies. I will give you my projected starters, breakout and bust players, biggest spring training question and top prospect

PROJECTED LINEUP

SS Jason Bartlett

2B Orlando Hudson

3B Chase Headley

RF Ryan Ludwick

LF Wil Venable

1B Brad Hawpe

C Nick Hundley

CF Cameron Maybin

SP Mat Latos

PROJECTED ROTATION

Mat Latos

Clayton Richard

Aaron Harang

Tim Stauffer

Wade Leblanc

PROJECTED BULLPEN
Closer - Heath Bell
Set-up - Luke Gregersen

Top Prospect - Casey Kelly (RHP)

Breakout

Aaron Harang - It will not be a breakout, superstar type season for Harang, but he will break out of he three year slump. I can see him leading the Padres in wins, approaching 170 strikeouts and his ERA being respectable in Petco and the soft slugging N.L. West.

Bust

Mat Latos - I'm not saying he is going to be a complete flop, but I don't see him repeating his stellar 2010 campaign. I like his talent for the long-term, but I do not like the giant jump in innings, the offense going from bad to worse and the new label of staff ace he needs to burden. A down year in a good career for Latos.

Biggest Spring Training Question

Scoring runs - The Padres were at the bottom of pack in offense with Adrian Gonzalez in the lineup and now he's gone. The San Diego front office did not really replace Gonzo with a legit run producer, so I just see things getting worse for this 90 win team. Are Bartlett, Hudson, and Maybin really going to single their way to 90 wins? Pass.

LAST YEAR'S RECORD: 90-72

Latos is the new face of the franchise with Gonzo gone

PROJECTED FINISH: 4th in the National League West

***THANKS FOR READING MY TEAM BY TEAM OUTLOOKS TO HELP PASS THE TIME
 

Check back tomorrow for the Texas Rangers