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