Is a Return to Form Possible for the 2026 Padres Second Baseman?
The 2026 Padres officially made their deadline decision this past week: go all in. As a result of that decision, the squad added some key arms to the rotation. However, the Padres' struggles go beyond strictly the rotation. Multiple key pieces to the previous playoff-performing teams have struggled this season. Despite a bullpen that remains an elite unit and a 31-year-old ace, the offense still has work to do. To promise playoff success, players such as two-time all-star Jake Cronenworth must step up, but is that all-star level second baseman still within the currently struggling Cronenworth?
Current Struggles
To this point in the season, the Padres’ veteran second baseman has been among the worst hitters in baseball at his position. Although the Michigan-born second baseman missed time with a concussion that no doubt contributed to his struggles, there has not been much improvement since his return. In 214 at-bats, the left-hander is hitting .220 with a brutal .290 slugging percentage. In 2026, the league average for slugging percentage is .401, a far cry from Cronenworth's number. Just one season ago, the 32-year-old was putting up great numbers for his position, posting an OPS of .744 in 135 games, resulting in 2.5 WAR. Before that, San Diego’s defensive standout was considered to be in the upper echelon of second basemen courtesy of back-to-back all-star selections in 2021 and 2022. The slug he demonstrated early in his career has vanished, with just nine total extra-base hits this season, three of which are home runs. Other aspects of his game have not counteracted the miserable performance in the batter's box. Cronenworth has been poor in the field as well, ranking in the 33rd percentile in fielding run value thanks to a seventh-percentile arm value.
Bright Future?
As of right now, Cronenworth's track record is the most positive thing moving forward. Despite not meeting the plate appearance threshold for percentile ranking, the 32-year-old middle infielder’s Baseball Savant displays a continued lack of powerful contact. That, coupled with extremely poor and declining defense, is a scary combination for future projection. The two-time all-star still displays a solid walk rate, but that, coupled with an inability to hit the ball, still does not truly move the needle. Cronenworth still has athletic ability, as evidenced by his 75th-percentile sprint speed, but it’s not on display when he plays defense, as evidenced by a brutal 18th-percentile range factor. Moving forward, the 32-year-old second baseman must be moved around in the lineup. The two spot is not a good place for him to reside; if the Padres want to maximize their struggling second baseman's value, it’s time to move him down in the lineup.
