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Expectations are high in San Diego, where the hometown Padres move into a brand new ballpark, and bring in a few new players to hopefully push them over the top in the tough NL West. Beginning in 2004, the Padres will move out of Qualcomm Stadium and into PETCO Park, a state-of-the-art baseball-only stadium. Bruce Bochy will lead the Padres for the 10th season, one of the longest consecutive tenures in baseball.
The Padres were able to acquire a star on each side of the field this winter. On offense, they went out and signed hometown hero and all-star outfielder Brian Giles from Pittsburgh. Giles will likely team up with Phil Nevin and Ryan Klesko, two players known for their long ball ability but who are coming off injury plagued seasons. Khalil Greene is an up-and-coming shortstop with all-star potential in the future, and Mark Loretta has become a steady contributor from his post at second base.
The San Diego Padres could easily possess the most explosive young staff in all the majors. The staff will be lead by free agent gem David “Boomer” Wells, acquired from the New York Yankees in the off-season. Ismael Valdez will also see starts throughout the season, but the other three spots in the rotation will go to true youngsters. Adam Eaton, Brian Lawrence, and Jake Peavy have an average age of just over 25, but don’t let their youth fool you. These three pitchers have already established themselves as legitimate starting pitchers on the major league level, and although they don’t have too much professional experience, it’s almost certain they’ll be around for many years to come. The closer for the Padres is Trevor Hoffman. Hoffman is coming off surgery to his right shoulder, but is widely regarded as a top level closer when healthy.
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