Can the Padres thrive in a 60-game season?

In a recent roundtable discussion among MLB insiders at ESPN, the group discussed a myriad of topics, including which teams are built well for this abbreviated season, which ones are not, and which players could sink or swim within this unorthodox structure of play.

When the insiders discussed which teams they think are built to succeed during the 60-game season, one of the 14 in the group gave their vote to the Padres.

Among those who received votes were the Rays (4) and Dodgers (3) while the Angels, A’s, Braves, Brewers, Rangers, and Reds also received a single vote.

When deciding what makes the above teams worthy of being picked, the Insiders decided to split the clubs in two different groups. The first being the “stable veteran contenders with a deep pitching staff” and the second being the “young, high-variance fringe contenders.” The Padres are considered to be in the second group.

Two players that help put the Padres among the young and high-variance contenders are their top-two prospects, pitchers Mackenzie Gore and Luis Patino. Both were mentioned in the discussion about players who could potentially thrive under the 2020 format.

“Young, upper-minors prospect pitchers will be the winners in terms of getting MLB service time they normally wouldn’t have received,” says Insider Kiley McDaniel. “MacKenzie Gore, Luis Patino, Michael Kopech and Nate Pearson are at the top of that list.”

When you combine Gore and Patino with other young stars like Fernando Tatis Jr. (21) and Chris Paddack (24), it’s easy to see why the Padres were up for consideration.

With a shortened season, everything is up in the air. All it takes is a team to get hot at the right moment to be able to make waves in 2020. There’s probably a strong chance that a team who isn’t in consideration to succeed this season who surprises and finds their way into the playoffs. An unconventional season will likely mean unconventional results. I don’t know about you, but I’m certainly here for it.