The San Diego Padres have always secured themselves a good reputation in the baseball community. However, after a tough last season, with a new manager and players, fans are watching closely as the spring training starts. Spring Training is a series of pre-season games where teams from all across the country see how they’ll compete against each other. Currently, the Padres have played 8 out of 21 games. They have only won 4, but there is still a lot of time for them to improve that record. 

The Padres are part of the Cactus League, so they play teams such as the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and the Oakland Athletics. For spring training, the Padres are based at Peoria Stadium in Arizona. This time of the year is always a good time for the managers to see how their new teams shape up, who to cut, and who to add to their starting roster. Because of these cuts, Freshman Skye Owens comments, “The thing is, they traded a lot of new players. And when teams are together for a long time, they kind of understand each other, but since there’s new players on the team, they don’t really know how their teammates play. I think the playoffs might not go as well this year; they were lucky to make it this year, but I don’t know if they’re going to make it next year.” However, some students, like freshman William Griebe-Arzate, feel more hopeful, saying, “Last season, I was disappointed. Everyone thought the new players would be good but they weren’t. But I hope they make the playoffs and hopefully the coaches coach the new players well and we see them start to improve.” Either way, the San Diego Padres are in for an exciting season, and spring training is just the start.