Padres Slugger Gets Honest About Diminished Role: 'Obviously I Want To Be In There'

San Diego Padres left fielder Gavin Sheets (30) slides safely past St. Louis Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages (43) during the fourth inning at Busch Stadium on July 27. | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Gavin Sheets was the solution to, rather than the cause of, the main problems the San Diego Padres needed to address at the July 31 trade deadline. Nonetheless, the 29-year-old slugger has seen his playing time shrivel this month with the additions of Ryan O'Hearn and Ramon Laureano in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles.

Sheets' early-season production was not a fluke. After three so-so seasons with the Chicago White Sox, his first half counted among the biggest surprises of the first half of the Padres' season. The 29-year-old had a .775 OPS (.265/.324/.451 slash line) before the All-Star break, behind only Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. on the team.

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Sheets' playing time followed suit. He ranked fifth on the Padres in plate appearances in Apil, May and June.

Since the trade deadline, however, Sheets has only eight plate appearances. Only reserve outfielder Bryce Johnson has fewer.

Sheets' 2-for-3 performance in the Padres' series opener in San Francisco included a double — just his second extra-base hit since the All-Star break.

“Obviously, I want to be in there,” Sheets told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “That’s just the way it is. I think that’s how everybody should be. Everybody should want to be in there every night. And getting back out there and getting an opportunity felt really good, and I was happy to contribute.”

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The underlying numbers suggest Sheets' dip in production could be a product of bad luck, if not opposing pitchers simply adapting their repertoires better than they did in the first half of the season.

Although this year has afforded Sheets more playing time than any previous season of his career, his bat speed has actually ticked up since April, according to Statcast. Still, Sheets has had more difficulty barreling the ball up since June.

A reduced role could benefit Sheets (and the Padres) in the long run by minimizing his exposure to left-handed pitchers. Like most left-handed swingers, Sheets has an easier time pulling the ball, drawing walks, and turning fly balls into home runs against righties. (Curiously, right-handed pitchers have an easier time striking out Sheets at Petco Park than lefties; the reverse is true on the road).

By not playing Sheets on an everyday basis, manager Mike Shildt can exploit these matchup quirks by using him in more favorable pitcher-hitter matchups down the stretch.

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