Young Padres Infielder: Veterans Are Stepping Up in Leadership This Spring
Go down any area of the San Diego Padres' depth chart, and before long you'll find a young prospect with an opportunity to play a big role in 2024.
Infielder Graham Pauley falls squarely into this category. The 23-year-old parlayed a strong 2023 season that ended in Double-A — and eventually the Arizona Fall League — into a non-roster invitation to spring training.
Pauley has taken advantage of his opportunity so far. He's slashing .333/.440/.619 through 11 Cactus League games.
"Our older guys have been nothing but great," he told Sammy Levitt of 97.3 The Fan. "Teaching us the way to go through things, teaching us the itty bitty pieces of the game. I've been learning a lot of new positions, so talking to some of the top guys we have like Cronenworth and Machado over at first and third, learning the game there and how to go about my business there. It's been huge. It's been awesome."
The Padres' clubhouse culture came under intense scrutiny last year after the team won 82 games and missed the postseason altogether, falling well short of heightened expectations.
Yet so far, the clubhouse culture is exerting a positive influence on their number-11 prospect.
Pauley batted .321 with a .375 on-base percentage and .556 slugging percentage in 88 games at Double-A San Antonio last year. In his first exposure to the Arizona Fall League, he hit five home runs in 21 games with Peoria.
A left-handed hitter, Pauley boosted his longshot bid to make the Padres' Opening Day roster with a pair of walks and a pair of hits — one off left-handed pitcher Joe Mantiply — in the Padres' loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday.
Put Pauley on the short list of prospects to watch for the remainder of camp.
