[Sundance]

Fernando Tatis Jr. - SS - 22

Is there anyone else who could lead this list? Tatis is one of the faces of the league, and should be for years to come. What more could possibly be said about El Nino that hasn’t been said already? Power, speed, flair - Nando has everything you could want in a budding superstar.

Manny Machado - 3B - 28

Machado is a player that has all the tools to be a bonafide superstar in the league. At his best, he’s a gold glove defender, a silver slugger at the plate, and a surefire All-Star. And even at his worst, he’s more than serviceable and serves as a legitimate threat every time he steps into the box.

Eric Hosmer - 1B - 31

When the Padres’ front office decided that they wanted to put together a team that could contend, Hosmer was one of the first key acquisitions. Unfortunately, he hasn’t quite lived up to his price tag. Hosmer has found his transition to San Diego difficult and has yet to recapture the form he showed with the Royals. If there’s one thing that’s encouraging, it’s that Hosmer has seen improvements to his slash line every year that he’s been in San Diego. Now entering his fourth season with the team, it’s clear that Hosmer won’t ever be the player that he once was. Still, there’s enough talent there to be a big contributor to this lineup.

Yu Darvish - SP - 34

You’d be hard-pressed to find another pitcher with the repertoire of Darvish. Featuring one of the best sliders in the game, Darvish can also toss his plus fastball, plus curveball, plus splitter, plus cutter, and solid sinker in any count.

Blake Snell - SP - 28

Another high profile acquisition by the Padres, San Diego will be hoping that Snell recaptures his 2018 form, which saw him post a 21-5 record with a 1.8 ERA and sub-1.00 WHIP. Snell brings a plus, plus fastball, a devastating curveball, and solid slider and changeup options to the table. Entering his 6th season in the MLB, Snell brings some much needed experience to a very young starting rotation.

Drew Pomeranz - CL - 32

After being traded away in 2016, Pomeranz found his way back to San Diego for the 2020 season. Pomeranz brings an elite knuckle curve to the table with a plus fastball, plus changeup, and plus cutter. He has electric stuff with plus movement, although his control can let him down at times. The lefty closer is a bit of an anomaly, fairing slighting better against right handed hitters than against lefties. The Padres will be looking for him to anchor what should be a very good bullpen.

Dinelson Lamet - SP - 28

Lamet starts the 2021 season on the IL. He’s likely to miss the first month of the season after developing soreness in his elbow. Once he returns, Lamet should slot into the starting rotation. He has elite stuff that would make him a front-end starter on most teams. The biggest knock against Lamet is that he tends to struggle against lefties. Lineups that feature a heavy dose of left handed batters might see Lamet get skipped in the rotation.