Who Is the 30-Year-Old DH Carrying the 2026 Padres Struggling Offense?
Collapse has defined the San Diego Padres' recent stretch of baseball. After starting the year at a torrid pace, competing with the top dog, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the squad has sputtered. In their last 10, they are 5-5; that record is significantly better than the previous one set in June. The skid has resulted in the Friars struggling to stay above .500. They currently sit at 40-37, on the outside looking in of the last National League Wild Card spot. There is, of course, still time to improve, but this sentiment is getting overused within the Padres fan base. The squad has been massively burdened by their superstar players suddenly losing their ability to perform at the plate. The bullpen is still an elite unit, but it's difficult to employ premier arms when no runs are scored. As of June 23rd, the Padres rank dead last in nearly every major team hitting stat. The most concerning is their .656 team OPS, good for dead-last behind the New York Mets .668 mark. Their division rival, the Dodgers, currently has a team OPS of .780, nearly 200 points of separation between the two teams that were competing for a division lead early in the year. Despite the absurdly disappointing offensive performance, some bats have been crucial.
Underperforming Top Prospect
Gavin Sheets has been massively valuable to the reeling 2026 Padres offense, but his journey to San Diego was far from linear. The 30-year-old slugger was originally a top prospect for the Chicago White Sox as an outfielder. He was advertised as a hulking left-handed bat with serious power potential, but his time on the South Side was less than ideal. From 2021-2024, Sheets was worth a brutal -2.9 WAR, thanks in large part to his inability to play the outfield at a big-league level. The left-hander ranked in the 18th percentile or worse in fielding run value every season he spent with the White Sox. The bat was not much better, with a peak OPS of .706 in 2022. The power never truly developed either, with a peak home run count of 15, the slugging left-handed bat simply did not come to fruition.
Fresh Start
In 2025, the San Diego Padres elected to take a flyer on a recently non-tendered Sheets. The former top prospect stole the hearts of the Friar faithful, earning his own ballpark chant en route to a solid first season in San Diego. Sheets posted career highs in nearly every hitting category, posting an OPS of .746 in 145 games. The power showed itself as well, with the 29-year-old swatting 19 home runs. The offensive output resulted in its first positive WAR season, registering 0.8 WAR. To start 2026, Sheets is on pace to surpass his numbers from a year prior. He currently sports a very respectable .763 OPS, a mark which leads the struggling Padres by a wide margin. The 30-year-old has also given the Padres some of their best power numbers, having 12 home runs in his 71 games played, second on the team. His success stems largely from 75th percentile bat speed and 75th percentile launch angle sweet spot percentage, both marks that tend to result in solid power outputs. The former White Sox has been wildly clutch as well, peaking with a huge walk-off home run in the Padres' torrid April stretch. Although the squad is struggling, cheap breakouts can always be valued. Sheets' career resurgence in San Diego is a prime example of a player finding a home within a second chance.
