Second base is arguably the deepest position in the Padres system. They have four guys who hit well enough to each be considered for the long-term job. It’s merely a question of defense and/or development for each…

Everth Cabrera – 5’8” 160, Bats: B, Throws: R, Born: November 17, 1986   Signed as an international free agent by the Colorado Rockies and started in rookie ball in 2006. Acquired by the Padres as a Rule 5 player after completing his single A season for the Rockies.

Everth played reasonably good defense at shortstop in 2009 while hitting well enough (.255/.342/.361) to merit discussion in that year’s NL Rookie of the Year. He looked like he was the answer to the Padres long-term answer at that position. In 2010 however, he regressed offensively while missing time from injuries. And while he made mistakes defensively in 2009, people expected him to improve; to progress. He didn’t. There was much made of the fact that Everth came up as a second baseman and that he might be best-suited to go back to his old position. Because teams require more offense from second basemen in today’s game, Cabrera’s offensive profile (and ability to play SS – at least part-time) suggests “utility infielder” might be a better role for the speedster.

Stats:

MLB: .236/.318/.328 in 597 AB’s during the ’09 season with the Padres after acquiring him through the Rule 5 draft after the ’08 season.

MiLB: .286/.381/.384 in 1166 AB’s.  ‘06-‘08 with the Rockies organization. ’10-’11 between Portland and Tucson for the Padres.

Logan was drafted as a third baseman. But with the presence of Chase Headley and James Darnell, Logan’s sublime defensive abilities, and less-than traditional third baseman’s power allowed the Padres to shift Forsythe to 2B to get his high-on-base, high-average bat on the field. He hasn’t displayed elite glove-ability at the keystone but he is more than adequate there. The problem for Logan is going to be opportunity. Will the Padres give him enough defensive innings and at-bats to demonstrate that he can hold down the position? Or with the committed money going to Orlando Hudson (in ’12) will Forsythe be passed over and stall developmentally? Logan has played SS in a pinch and can play elite defense at 3B. Those skills may get Logan pigeon-holed into a utility role going into the 2012 season.

Stats:

MLB: .213/.281/.287 in 150 AB’s during the 2011 season.

MiLB: .286/.414/.412 in 1085 AB’s over three seasons.

Andy Parrino – 6’0” 180, Bats: B, Throws: R, Born: October 31, 1985  Drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 26^th round of the 2007 draft.

Andy is just a ballplayer…  he has never been considered a top prospect. He never put up “sexy” statistics. He has never been on a top prospect ranking list… But he just keeps playing. Defensively he can easily handle second base (as well as SS & 3B) but as teams look for more and more offense from their second basemen Parrino is seen as lacking. He’ll probably have an MLB career because he can reliably play multiple positions. He’s a classic utility infielder and has played all positions on the field, including pitcher. He has a good, accurate arm with quick feet and good defensive range.

Stats:

MLB: .182/.327/.205 in 44 AB’s with the 2011 Padres.

MiLB: .264/.368/.398 in 1700 AB’s over four seasons.

Vince Belnome – 5’11” 205, Bats: Left, Throws: Right, Born: March 11, 1988  Drafted in the 28^th round of the 2009 draft as a 2B.

Belnome has been profiled recently at other blogs and they did a great job demonstrating the Padres’ (and Vince’s) conundrum. Belnome can hit. He can hit for average, power,  and he can control the strike zone. Unfortunately at less than 6’0” and more than 200 lbs. he lacks the athletic physique teams desire for middle infielders. Additionally he has demonstrated that while he is reliable at 2B, his range is lacking. During his minor league career he has served time at 1B/3B as well but he lacks reliability and range for those positions as well. It should be noted that he was the best overall hitter for the championship San Antonio Missions last season. As a left-handed bat, Belnome could be a utility infielder/pinch-hitter/platoon player; his bat certainly profiles as MLB-caliber but with some issues versus left-handers that could be improved.

Stats:

MiLB: .301/.418/.500 in 1033 AB’s over three seasons.

Jonathan Galvez – 6’2” 175, Bats: Right, Throws: Right, Born: January 18, 1991   An International sign as a free agent in 2008 from the DR.

Originally a shortstop, Galvez converted full-time to 2B last year. He has more than enough athleticism to handle 2B and his bat profiles well there. He doesn’t have elite plate discipline but he is adequate in that department. He hits for average. He hits for some power (54 XBH in ’11). Galvez also shows some speed and base-stealing acumen (77/100 SB thru four seasons). Keep in mind, Galvez is the same age as Spangenberg and has hit for some power and at higher levels… Galvez is a legitimate long-term option at second who will hit line drives as well as some HR’s for his career. His defense includes a tendency towards errors in streaks but those are mostly throwing errors and should be correctable with more experience.

Stats:

MiLB: .279/.377/.437 in 1455 AB with 76 2B, 12 3B, 32 HR and 193 RBI.

Cory Spangenberg – 6’0” 185, Bats: Left, Throws: Right, Born: March 16, 1991  Drafted in the 1^st round (10^th) in the 2011 draft.

Cory is odds-on favorite to get the job long-term. Cory combines elite athleticism, elite plate discipline, plus contact-ability with some questions about his defensive abilities at second. He doesn’t have much power but he should keep pitchers honest with lots of doubles. As last year’s top pick for the Padres, Spangenberg has the inside track for the job.

Coming into ‘11’s draft, Spangenberg played SS for his JUCO team. However, he did so because the team lacked anyone else who could do the job. Playing SS poorly caused draft experts to question where his positional home would be. Most expected 3B but said (accurately) that he lacked the power for the position. Instead, he moved back to his original position that he played prior to SS. If he settles into 2B with effective defense the job will likely be his by 2014.

Stats:

MiLB: .316/.419/.418 in 275 AB’s after signing early and advancing quickly from the Eugene Emeralds to the Fort Wayne team. He was also 39/52 in SB.

Drew Cumberland – 5’10” 175, Bats: Left, Throws: Right, Born: January 13, 1989

Drew is the biggest enigma of the group. He played 15 games in 2010 and hasn’t played since due to inner ear issues that affected his balance (Bilateral Vestibulopathy). But even before then he missed at least 40% of every season (he’s never played in more than 77 games or made 340 plate appearances in a season). And most of the injuries that led to the missed action could not be attributed to the inner ear condition. When he did play, however, he played a lot like Spangenberg but with more power; he hit like the Padres hope Spangenberg will eventually hit. He also already reached Double-A. The reason why we classify him as an enigma is because after missing nearly two years of action we simply do not know if he’ll get “it” back… Will he be the speed/on-base/power threat that he was in 2009? Can he stay on the field for a whole season? Lastly, where will he play? Spangenberg will likely play in High-A Lake Elsinore and Galvez should have 2B in AA San Antonio where he is paired with Valdez at SS. He may see time in extended spring training before being assigned to a team, as the coaching staff will need to assess whether the year off has seriously affected his ability.

It should be noted that after his retirement last season, Drew served as a coach with the Fort Wayne minor leaguers and went unclaimed in this past Rule V draft.

Stats:

MiLB: .316/.380/.430 in 1020 AB’s over parts of four seasons.

Two new Padres infielders:

Justin Miller - 5’-9” 190, Bats: R, Throws: R, Born December 4, 1988. Drafted by the Padres in the 30^th round of the 2011 draft.

Miller played 35 games (130 AB) for the Ems after signing with a .308/ .409/ .400 line then went to the AZL for 17 games (54 AB) for a .337/ .429/ .451 line. He hit 14 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR for 34 RBI combined over the two leagues and had 16/23 SB while playing 2B/SS/RF/LF for those teams.

Casey McElroy – 5’-8” 180, Bats: L, Throws: R, Born December 28, 1989. Drafted in the 11^th round of the 2011 draft.

McElroy played 19 games for the Emeralds and was then invited to the AZL and played in 5 games. He is known for his good defense with not enough arm to play SS or 3B. He has some pop with 8 2B, 2 HR and 14 RBI over the two leagues.

Peter Friberg and I compared notes on similar topics we were exploring for a series on Friarhood and decided to share the authorship on the series. Going forward we will combine our efforts to cover all the positions, including pitching, in as comprehensive a fashion as we can.  We agree that the future is bright as the prospects discussed through this series begin to make their way into major league uniforms and change the look of this team for a long period in the future.

As you can see, the Padres have a lot of options at the keystone corner. Will Everth Cabrera regain the promise and reach the offensive upside he flashed in ’09? Does Belnome (the best power threat of the bunch) have enough defense to handle the job or does his offense make his defensive limitations acceptable? Does Galvez’ power lift him above Spangenberg and give him the inside track? Will Cumberland pick up where he left off and can he stay healthy? Or will Spangenberg, as expected, hurtle through the minors to a job that has seemingly already been awarded to him?