Who Were The Top 6 Padres by WAR in 2023?
The 2023 season didn’t go the way that anyone in the San Diego Padres organization would have hoped, and they ended up missing the postseason after a strong offseason. But it wasn’t all bad for San Diego this season, as they saw some incredible performances from players throughout the season.
Their offense was inconsistent throughout most of the year, but things did pick up at the end. However, they couldn't dig themselves out of the hole they put themselves into.
But which players were the most valuable to the Padres this season?
We can look at the Wins Above Replacement (WAR) to see this. This statistic measures how effective a player was on the field over the course of a season. A positive WAR means that the player was above league average, while a negative shows a player that needs improvement.
1. Blake Snell, 6.0 WAR
Snell was the most productive member of the Friars for the entire season, and he put together a season for the ages. He finished the year with a record of 14-9, an ERA of 2.25 and a WHIP of 1.19. Snell also struck out 234 batters over 180 innings of work.
He is most likely going to win the National League Cy Young Award, but he isn't expected to return to the team next season. Snell will be a free agent, and many see him leaving for a massive payday that will be well deserved.
2. Ha-Seong Kim, 5.8 WAR
Kim put together a great year and it helped keep the Padres alive all season. He hit .260 with 17 home runs and 60 runs batted in. Kim was the most consistent member of this San Diego squad until he got hurt at the end of the season.
He did finish the year strong and will look to keep improving his game next year.
3. Juan Soto, 5.6 WAR
Soto was easily the most productive position player for this Padres team, even though he landed in the third spot on the list. He really picked things up down the stretch of the season, and that helped give the Padres a chance to make the postseason.
Soto finished the year hitting .275 with 35 home runs and 109 runs batted in. Nobody knows his future with the Padres, but if this was his last year in San Diego, it was a special one.
4. Fernando Tatis Jr., 5.5 WAR
Despite missing the first part of the season while he finished up a suspension, Tatis Jr. still found his way into the top five of this list. He put together a very solid year but did leave some things on the field. He wasn't as productive as he has been in previous years, but there is always room for improvement.
Tatis Jr. hit .257 with 25 home runs and 78 runs batted in for the year. He will look to really improve those numbers next year with a full season under his belt.
5. Xander Bogaerts, 4.4 WAR
Bogaerts got off to a very poor start to the season, likely with him trying to figure out how to fit into his new club. He signed a massive contract in the offseason to join San Diego, but he got better as the year went on. The veteran finished the 2023 campaign hitting .285 with 19 home runs and 58 runs batted in.
He finally figured out how to best help this club, and 2024 should be much better for him. They will need his bat to be consistent all season long if they want to get things back on the right track next year.
6. Manny Machado, 2.9 WAR
It was a somewhat down season for Machado as he battled through injury for the better part of the second half of the year. But he still put up solid numbers and did what he could to help this team succeed. Machado hit .258 with 30 home runs and 91 runs batted in over the course of the year.
He had surgery to repair his elbow injury, and hopefully, next year is much more productive for the veteran third baseman.
