Padres News: Luis Campusano's Playing Time Addressed by Manager Bob Melvin
Padres catcher Luis Campusano was a top-100 prospect in baseball three years in a row, dropping off mostly because he lost his rookie/prospect status during the 2022 season. Campusano has played in the big leagues in each of the last three seasons, but he has just 92 MLB plate appearances and has posted a paltry .510 OPS, well below the .841 minor-league OPS that put him on all the prospect lists.
Coming into 2023, though, Campusano finds himself in a new situation: There's only one catcher ahead of him on San Diego's depth chart. Last year, the Friars had Austin Nola and Jorge Alfaro. In 2021, it was Nola, Victor Caratini, and even Webster Rivas getting more playing time behind the plate than Campusano. But in 2023, it's just Nola and Campusano, which means there could be more playing time available for the 24-year-old from Cross Creek, Georgia.
How much playing time? Well, as manager Bob Melvin told the media from spring training camp in Peoria, that depends mostly on Campusano.
“It’s up to Luis. If ever there was a time for him, this is the time. He’ll get a good long look in spring training. Last year that wasn’t the case because we had three guys that we were looking at ahead of him. But as you look at it right now, it’s he and Austin. He’s gonna get a great opportunity to make some time for himself. Based on how he does is going to (determine) how much he plays during the season.”
Nola made a huge splash with the Mariners as a 29-year-old rookie in 2019, but his OPS+ since coming to the Padres in a 2020 trade is just 95. That's decent for a catcher, to be honest, but it definitely leaves the door open for a young guy like Campusano to come in and force the issue.
Campusano will likely begin the season as the backup, but as Melvin said, "If ever there was a time for him, this is the time."
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