29-year old righty swinging Scott Hairston didn’t play at all in RF last season but that is where he will be penciled in to start in 2010. He played in 116 games for the Padres & A’s last season in which he was 114 of 430 (.265 avg, .763 OPS) with 50 runs scored, 17 homers, 64 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. Hairston is more than capable of being a solid defensive RF for the Padres while providing them with some thump in the lineup.

23-year old righty swinging Aaron Cunningham came over to the Padres along with Scott Hairston in a trade over the winter and he will compete with him for the starting job in RF. Cunningham played in 23 games for the A’s last season and he was 8 of 53 (.151 avg, .456 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 1 homer and 6 RBIs. He also played in 83 games in AAA-ball last season in which he was 101 of 334 (.302 avg, .851 OPS) with 62 runs scored, 11 homers, 48 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. Cunningham did not play well in the field either as he made 2 errors in 16 games in RF last season while showing poor range. Cunningham was one of the better prospects the A’s had so maybe he’ll find himself in 2010 with the Padres.

29-year old righty swinging Chris Denorfia is also at spring training trying to win a outfield job for the Padres in 2010. He played in 4 games for the A’s last season and he was 0 for 2 (.000 avg) with 1 run scored and 1 RBI. Denorfia also played in 107 games in AAA-ball last season in which he was 117 of 432 (.271 avg, .715 OPS) with 62 runs scored, 9 homers, 49 RBIs and 15 stolen bases.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RF IN 2010: C

27-year old lefty swinging Will Venable likely has a slight edge over fellow 27-year old lefty swinging Chris Gwynn for the starting job in CF heading into spring training. Venable played in 95 games for the Padres last season and he was 75 of 293 (.256 avg, .763 OPS) with 38 runs scored, 12 homers, 38 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. Venable played 16 error-free games in CF last season while showing below average range. Venable has a nice upside as a hitter as he can bring some thump to CF for the Padres.

Tony Gwynn Jr. is a legacy for the Padres as his daddy was the best player in team history. That can only carry you so far though. Gwynn played in 119 games for the Padres last season in which he was 106 of 393 (.270 avg, .693 OPS) with 59 runs scored, 2 homers, 21 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. Gwynn made 7 errors in 102 games in CF last season while showing outstanding range. He also has a decent throwing arm in CF as he had 4 assists last year. Still, the Padres would be better served with Gwynn coming off the bench in 2010.

29-year old righty swinging Scott Hairston is also a capable CF if the Padres need him to play there. He played in 51 games in CF last season making 2 errors while showing slightly below average range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CF IN 2010: C

23-year old righty swinging Kyle Blanks will be the starting LF for the Padres in 2010 and he gives the team some big time power. Blanks played in 54 games for the Padres last season in which he was 37 of 148 (.250 avg, .868 OPS) with 24 runs scored, 10 homers and 22 RBIs. He also played in 66 games in AAA-ball last season in which he was 66 of 233 (.283 avg, .878 OPS) with 35 runs scored, 12 homers and 38 RBIs. Blanks played in 18 games in LF last season for the Padres in which he didn’t make any errors while showing good range. Look for Blanks to pop 25-30 homers in 2010 for the Padres if he stays healthy all year long.

33-year old righty swinging Jerry Hairston will likely be Blanks’ top backup in 2010. He didn’t make any errors in 19 games in LF last season while showing outstanding range.

29-year old righty swinging Scott Hairston will probably start in RF for the Padres this season but he can handle LF. He played in 60 error-free games in LF last season while showing outstanding range. He also had 2 assists from LF as he has a good throwing arm.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE LF IN 2010: B

The Padres have signed 32-year old lefty swinging Eric Munson to a minor league deal. Munson played in only 1 game for the A’s last season and he was 0 for 1. Munson also played in 99 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 93 for 351 (.265 avg, .812 OPS) with 50 runs scored, 13 homers and 68 RBIs. Munson has played in 361 games in his major league career and he is 226 for 1,056 (.214 avg, .683 OPS) with 97 runs scored, 49 homers and 147 RBIs. Munson will more than likely start the year in AAA and get a call from the Padres if the need arises.

25-year old switch hitting Chase Headley is a natural 3B who learned how to play the outfield because the Padres had Kevin Kouzmanoff entrenched there. With Kouzmanoff off to the A’s in a trade, Headley will return to his natural position and the Padres hope that sparks his offense. Headley played in 156 games for the Padres last season and he was 143 for 543 (.262 avg, .734 OPS) with 62 runs scored, 12 homers, 64 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. The Padres are hoping for at least 80 runs scored, 15 homers and 80 RBIs out of Headley in 2010. Headley played in 28 games at 3B last season and he made 5 errors there while showing pathetic range. I believe that he will improve big time with a whole spring training to work on his defense at 3B.

33-year old righty swinging Jerry Hairston will be Headley’s primary backup at 3B this season. He played in 49 games at 3B for the Reds & Yankees last season and he showed slightly below average range. This is not his best position defensively.

31-year old righty swinging Oscar Salazar will likely play a little bit at 3B, 1B and the corner outfield in 2010. His main job is to be the Padres’ top pinch hitter off the bench. He played in 72 games for the Padres & Orioles last season and he was 29 for 108 (.269 avg, .802 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 3 homers and 19 RBIs. Salazar played in 5 error-free games at 3B last season while showing poor range there.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 3B IN 2010: C-