The San Diego Padres are going to have problems scoring runs again this season. With that in mind all of the pressure will fall on a pitching staff that did a good job last season. I would make a very small play on the over this season because of the Padres pitching.

37-year old lefty swinging Brian Giles is looking to start in RF this season, but he’s recovering from a serious knee injury. He played in 121 games for the Padres last season and he was 131 for 483 (.271 avg, .777 OPS) with 72 runs scored, 13 homers and 51 RBIs. He made 5 errors in 120 games in RF last season while showing below average range.

25-year old righty swinging Justin Huber could get some P.T. in RF for the Padres this season. He played in 8 games for the Royals last season and he was 1 for 10 (.100 avg, .200 OPS) with 2 runs scored. He also played in 84 games in AAA ball last season and he was 88 for 311 (.283 avg, .880 OPS) with 43 runs scored, 20 homers and 75 RBIs.

28-year old righty swinging Chip Ambres will be #3 in line for playing time on the Padres in RF. He was 1 for 3 (.333 avg) with 1 RBI for the Mets last season. He played in 120 games in AAA last season and he was 117 for 427 (.274 avg, .854 OPS) with 80 runs scored, 21 homers, 71 RBIs and 7 stolen bases.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: C-

The Padres have acquired IF/OF Justin Huber from the Royals for a player to be named later. He played in 8 games for the Royals last season and he was 1 for 10 (.100 avg, .200 OPS) with 2 runs scored. He has now played in 38 games in his major league career and he is 20 for 98 (.204 avg, .500 OPS) with 9 runs scored and 7 RBIs.

The Padres are banking on Jim Edmonds replacing Mike Cameron in CF. The 38-year old lefty swinger played in 117 games for the Cardinals last season and he was 92 for 365 (.252 avg, .728 OPS) with 39 runs scored, 12 homers and 53 RBIs. He made 5 errors in 103 games last season while showing off still above average range.

27-year old Paul McAnulty will likely be the backup in CF for the Padres this season. He played in 20 games for the Padres last season and he was 8 for 40 (.200 avg, .556 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 1 homer and 5 RBIs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: C

28-year old righty swinging Scott Hairston will likely get most of the playing time in LF for the Padres this season. He played in 107 games for the Padres & Diamondbacks last season and he was 64 for 263 (.243 avg, .765 OPS) with 37 runs scored, 11 homers and 36 RBIs. He made 3 errors in 77 games in LF last season while showing slightly below average range. The Diamondbacks might be sorry down the line that they traded Hairston to the Padres for pennies on the dollar.

30-year old lefty swinging Jody Gerut made the Padres final roster. He last played in the majors in 2005 due to injured knees. He has 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 and 140 RBIs. He could work his way into a platoon with Hairston.

24-year old switch hitting Chase Headley might eventually get to start in LF for the Padres. The converted 3B played in 8 games for the Padres last season and he was 4 for 18 (.222 avg, .611 OPS) with 1 run scored. He also played in 121 games in AA last season and he was 143 for 433 (.330 avg, 1.017 OPS) with 82 runs scored, 20 homers and 78 RBIs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: C-