The San Diego Padres brought back veteran utility player Jurickson Profar on a one-year deal earlier this month. Profar is donning brown and gold again, and soon-to-be five-year infielder Jake Cronenworth couldn't be happier.
Cronenworth spoke to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Tribune and called Profar the 'glue guy' of the team.
“He’s kind of like the glue guy,” Cronenworth said. “He speaks four languages, so he can talk to everybody. He’s great. I mean, his personality, his attitude when he shows up to the field every day, his work ethic and just the way he plays the game. Everybody has seen it. He plays his ass off.”
Profar was a Padre from 2020-22 and played a crucial role in leading the team to their first National League Championship Series since 1998.
After that memorable 2022 season, Profar signed a deal with the Colorado Rockies. However, he was released by the team in late August and signed a minor league deal with the Padres in September.
It seems like Profar is back where he belongs. Friars' manager, Mike Shildt, is another member of the organization who knows the importance of Profar's return.
"It's hard to quantify, otherwise we would have this thing figured out in our game," Shildt said. "But having the experience of knowing how important clubhouses are, knowing how important positive guys that also can share truths with everybody around him, hold guys accountable in a good way -- Jurickson brings that."
Shildt, Cronenworth, and many more Padre fans are happy to have Profar back. He will bring versatility to the team, which they lacked before the signing.
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