Scott Hairston appears in the lead for the starting job in left field for the Padres in 2008. The 27 year old righty swinging Scott Hairston played in 31 games for the Padres last season and he was 25 for 87 (.287 avg, .981 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 8 homers and 20 RBIs. Hairston has now played in 232 games in his major league career and he is 156 for 637 (.245 avg, .739 OPS) with 78 runs scored, 24 homers and 67 RBIs. It will be interesting to see how Hairston does if he gets the full time job because he was once considered a can’t miss prospect in the Diamondbacks organization.

The Padres have signed 30 year old, lefty swinging Jody Gerut to a 1-year contract. Gerut is a talented player who has had big problems staying healthy. He last played in the majors in 2005 with the Pirates and Indians. Gerut has now played in 320 games in his major league career and he is 298 for 1,131 (.263 avg, .768 OPS) with 153 runs scored, 34 homers, 140 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. If Gerut stays healthy he could platoon at one of the outfield corners with righty swinger Scott Hairston.