Who Have Been the Best Second-Half Bats for the 2026 Padres?
The 2026 Padres are officially back in a playoff spot. After dominating the 74-win Brewers last night, the team vaulted itself back into the third National League Wildcard spot with some helpful losses by the Diamondbacks and Phillies. In their last ten, the Friars are 7-3 with key victories over squads such as the aforementioned Diamondbacks and Brewers. There are still question marks surrounding this team’s true postseason ability, namely in the back-end rotation. Still, the still-elite bullpen and suddenly surging offense make things easier to handle. Much of the first-half story surrounding San Diego was awful offense; now they have pushed themselves from dead last in team OPS to 24th with a .703 mark. In batting average, they have moved from last to 21st with a .238 clip, ahead of competing teams like the Yankees, White Sox, and Phillies. The bats have been hot, but a few have absolutely stolen the show.
Marginal Improvement
The first half of the season was not ideal for Manny Machado. The Padres legend had an average below .200 from the start of the year till July. Couple this with a .286 on-base percentage and mediocre defense, and you get a nightmare start to the year. The power was still there with 19 home runs in his first 92 games, but power could not carry him to an OPS above .700. Now, however, the 34-year-old is finding his footing. Although not absurd, in his last 25 games since the all-star break, Machado has hit .258 with a .750 OPS. His on-base percentage rests at .327 through this frame. These numbers are a result of the seven-time all-star hitting the ball much harder and much more in line with his career norms. He has raised his average exit velocity to the 78th percentile while also bringing his barrel rate to the 66th percentile. Beyond the improved offense is a return to form defensively, with a 79th percentile fielding run value. Improvement was needed for Machado, and his hard-hit numbers say that it will continue through the stretch.
Pure Action
Just two seasons ago, Jackson Merrill was the Padres' prized possession. After an incredible 4.5 WAR rookie season in a position he’d never played before that moment, Merrill became a star. Then injuries and sudden regression plagued him in 2025, only for the first half of 2026 to be abysmal. In his first 94 games, the former all-star had an OPS of just .619. His on-base percentage was an awful .274, and the slugging was brutal too, sitting at .345. He still played exceptional defense and ran the bases better than pretty much anyone, but the offense was entirely gone. Thus far through the first 25 games of the second half, Merrill has been one of the best players in baseball. He has smoked nine home runs in just 25 games, notably going yard three games in a row. His batting average sits at .347 while he holds an absurd 1.046 OPS thanks to the extra-base hits. Merrill is doing all of this at the plate while playing the best defense on the Padres, leading the team in fielding run value with eight. He has been a machine on the bases as well, swiping 23 bags and ranking in the 98th percentile of base running value. The 23-year-old’s Baseball Savant page reveals great things. The chase rate has slightly improved while the average exit velocity and overall quality of contact have greatly improved. His expected slugging percentage sits in the 83rd percentile, quite a jump from earlier in the year. Merrill is hitting the ball harder than ever, and it is being shown in his results; down the stretch, he will be one of the Padres' best assets.
Return of a Star
2026 was just not Fernando Tatis Jr’s year to start. The former shortstop had an awful start to the year in terms of power, failing to hit a home run until late May. It is now August, and those rumblings of a washed-up superstar have been entirely silenced. Through his first 96 games, Tatis had a solid .720 OPS while providing good defense at two positions. However, he had just five home runs on a 162-game pace; that's a nine-home-run season, not exactly amazing. In his last 25 games, the three-time all-star has seven. Combine that with an OPS of .991 thanks to a nearly .400 on-base percentage while slugging .600, and you have a return to form. Tatis has been smashing the baseball all year, but finally he has been pulling it and hitting it in the air. His barrel percentage has risen to the 73rd percentile while his average exit velocity remains elite at a 92nd percentile rate. Tatis is back, and it is an absolute sight to see; it won’t be long until his season OPS climbs back over .800, where it belongs.
