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3 Padres Players Who Need to Step Up in September

Less than 30 games remain for the San Diego Padres, who are in the middle of a tough stretch of 18 games in 18 days. The team recently split a four-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals and appear to be coming back down to Earth after a historic stretch coming out of the All-Star break. Regardless, the team is still in prime position to secure a Wild Card spot in the National League. To maximize their chances of success going forward, they need three key players to step up and turn things around in September.

Three Padres Players Who Need to Step Up in September

Cronenworth Must Reward Padres’ Faith in Him

Jake Cronenworth, 30, got off to a hot start in 2024 but has cooled down since then. He has also struggled mightily against left-handed pitching this year, as have the Padres collectively. Also, the two-time All-Star has yet to develop into a consistent power hitter since moving to first base last season, and the Padres would ideally like more slugging from that position. Cronenworth has slashed .245/.321/.399 with only 15 home runs this year.

Even so, he is fourth on the team in RBI (75) and has shown improvement this month. One recent example came on Tuesday night against St. Louis. Cronenworth drove in the go-ahead run late in the game, which eventually turned into a 7-5 victory for San Diego. But what was more impressive was that the hit came against a lefty reliever, John King. Padres manager Mike Shildt boldly decided to leave Cronenworth in the game instead of swapping him for Donovan Solano, a right-handed hitter, which paid off. Shildt would say after the game that he trusts Cronenworth in those moments and his ability to have “quality, tough” at-bats. 

The Padres will need many more of those types of at-bats from Cronenworth in September. The two-time All-Star needs to catch fire with his bat and rekindle the spark that led to his seven-year, $80 million extension last year. Hopefully, Shildt’s confidence in Cronenworth continues to pay off during a crucial late-season stretch. 

The “X-Man” Has To Earn His Money

Xander Bogaerts showed flashes of a potential turnaround earlier this month but has seemingly regressed to the player Padres fans have come to know. Despite collecting hits at an impressive rate since returning from the injured list, most of those have been singles. He struggles to make hard contact, and his numbers this year have been anemic, to say the least. Bogaerts has hit .269/.311/.364 with only six homers and 29 RBI. In 25 games in August, he hasn’t fared much better, hitting .263/.317/.316 with a homer and nine RBI.

Bogaerts, 31, has one of the worst contracts in the league; the fanbase has already labeled him “Eric Hosmer 2.0″. While that reputation will be hard to shed, the former Boston Red Sox shortstop may still have some productivity left to offer, and it could give the Padres a bit of a boost heading toward a critical September stretch. Bogaerts appears to have finally settled in at second base and has made some Gold Glove-caliber plays in that position as of late. Perhaps that is the biggest reason he has not returned to shortstop in the absence of the injured Ha-Seong Kim.

Bogaerts’ defensive contributions are valuable, but he must step up with his bat. He does not have to put the team on his shoulders or even turn into a slugging machine—the team already has other players capable of filling those roles. Bogaerts needs to find his groove and achieve more consistency with his bat, and it could go a long way toward propelling the Padres to a postseason berth. His World Series experience and veteran leadership will certainly help, too.

Cease Needs to Provide More Consistency

Injuries to Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish pushed Cease to the top of the Padres rotation this year, and for the most part, he has delivered. The right-hander has anchored San Diego’s rotation for most of the season, and he will need to continue doing so. Cease, 28, ranks top five in the National League in several categories, including wins, strikeouts, batting average, and innings pitched. He is also second on the team in fWAR (3.9), trailing only rookie phenom Jackson Merrill in that category (4.0).

Yet, Cease has often struggled to find consistency for extended periods this season. He can put together a couple of impressive outings, then come out looking flat for the next start. That pattern has plagued his first season in San Diego, but it needs to stop in September if the Padres want to secure a postseason berth. Cease needs to live up to his “ace” label and deliver quality starts virtually every time he toes the rubber from here on out. He has pitched deep into games several times this season, and the Padres need him to help preserve the bullpen as October draws closer. The same can be said for the rest of the starters in the rotation, but Cease needs to lead the way, especially with uncertainty around Darvish and what he will look like once he returns.

 

Photo Credit: © Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Drew Arellano

Drew Arellano

Drew is a San Diego-based writer and screenwriter with a deep passion for baseball, football, and movies. He is also a lifelong Padres fan.

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