Padres Manager Provides Update on Major Camp Battle

The San Diego Padres have a few big competitions going on in spring training.

The starting rotation needs a fifth starter, the bullpen seemingly has too many good relievers and the bench is likely looking for one final position player.

As of now, the bench is expected to feature Luis Campusano as the backup catcher, as well as one of Nick Castellanos or Miguel Andujar (the other of which will be in the starting lineup). Then there's Sung-Mun Song, who appears to have a good shot of breaking camp with the team considering his four-year major league contract. After that, there's a competition featuring a handful of players.

Jose Miranda, Bryce Johnson, Mason McCoy, Samad Taylor, Ty France and Will Wagner are among the many players competing for what could be that final spot.

Manager Craig Stammen recently provided some insight into what he's looking for to fill out his bench.

“There’s always a lot of different things that happen and different equations,” Stammen said. “I’ve always said you want somebody off the bench that’s going to scare an opposing pitcher if you want to pinch-hit him, and then you need guys that can do special things, be puzzle pieces, can play different positions, can steal a base, can be very strategic defensively, you know, improve our defense at the end of a game.

“We’ll weigh all those attributes and figure out who’s best for those spots.”

Miranda and Taylor — two non-roster invites — are making early strong impressions with their bats. Johnson was very solid for the Padres last year as a replacement outfielder, while France is a former All-Star.

The potential positional versatility of Song and Castellanos will also factor into the team's decision. If they're able to cover most of the field, the final position player could be the best bat remaining. However, if the Padres need some extra defensive help, say, in center field, Johnson could have a leg up.

For the next few weeks, Stammen will be mixing and matching his lineups to figure out who is the best option for the final bench spot. With Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts and Manny Machado all away for the World Baseball Classic, there will be plenty of opportunity to go around.

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