San Diego is off to a surprising strong start in its first full season sans Miguel Ortiz. The Hops have some new faces in the 2018 regular lineup, and in the pitching corps, so we take a look at the early additions and how they are faring.
Martinez (SF Bay Area-I had a screen printing business there in the 80's) native, Dwayne Sparks, has been taking most of the 1b presence with Ortiz traded. He is off to a very solid start, hitting .306 with 6 HR, .993 OPS, in his first 20 games.
Rookie Terrence Sepkiechler has already played all four infield positions while hitting close to .300 in his first taste of the big leagues. This is much more than expected from this fifth round draft choice in 2015.
Another first year player, Chris Morton, has logged 17 games at catcher, and three at 1b spelling Sparks. He is contributing both at the plate and afield.
Antonio Rojas, only 23, a defensive catcher, is off to his best offensive start with a .889 OPS.
Mike Land, also a rookie, is finding playing time in the infield and has looked solid afield, and not without a clue at the plate.
The outfield has two first-year players, Kyle Reader and Justin Davis, the latter acquired in the Ortiz deal. Both are smacking the ball at a .300+ clip with able defense.
The pitching staff has four regulars 25 or younger, starters Kanno, Mills and Sandoval, with Joe Barrett in the bullpen. In fact, only relievers Downs and Chase are over 30, while in the regular lineup, Caldwell and Sparks, just turned 31, are the two over 30.
The overall youth of the team is a major factor in their early success, and bodes well for the Hop future.
