Though the San Diego Padres have struggled thus far in the 2026 season, they have one thing most MLB teams do not: an elite all-around outfield.
The group is headlined by superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. in right field alongside 2024 NL Rookie of the Year runner-up Jackson Merrill in center. Ramón Laureano (who’s off to a hot start to the season) rounds out the trio in left field.
Those three combined to put up 153 extra-base hits, including 65 home runs, and a .271 batting average in 2025. The three have
an average wRC+ of 128 (28 points above league average). On the defensive side, they put up a combined +8 Outs Above Average (OAA) and +17 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS).
Across all MLB outfield groups, those defensive metrics tie them for eighth in OAA and fifth in DRS. The offense is even better, with rankings tying them at 12th for home runs, and second in wRC+ and batting average.
All that to say, the San Diego starting outfield for 2026 has the potential to be the best in all of baseball. But the depth behind them… not so much.
Castellanos’ outing reveals lack of reliable outfield depth
The Padres struggled early Tuesday night against the San Francisco Giants, in large part due to the difficult-to-watch defense of Nick Castellanos in left field.
It was an odd choice by skipper Craig Stammen to take Laureano out of the lineup altogether, given the hot start he’s had to the season (.357/.400/.643 slash line).
But putting Castellanos in left wasn’t the strangest choice. He had figured to be a depth option who could play both first base and the outfield corners given his time in right field with the Philadelphia Phillies. But the problem is he only ever played outfield because of his bat, he was never particularly strong with his glove.
That showed on Tuesday. Padres starter Germán Márquez surrendered a leadoff home run to Willy Adames in large part because Castellanos couldn’t track it down.
Márquez locked back in to get two outs before popping Matt Chapman out to left. Could Castellanos (or even Laureano) have made that play? Probably not. But the concerning thing isn’t that he didn’t make the play, it’s where he threw the ball.
After playing it on a hop Castellanos attempted to throw out Heliot Ramos at third base, but Ramos had easily already reached. The problem is that this allowed Chapman to advance to second base on a single.
Instead of runners on the corners, the Giants now had men on second and third, setting up a huge two-run single by San Francisco right fielder Jung Hoo Lee.
Later in the third inning, Márquez surrendered another long ball to left, giving Castellanos an opportunity to redeem himself.
He, unfortunately, did not.
Overplaying the ball, it went just over the fence, giving the Giants a 4-0 lead at the time.
Will lack of depth hurt all that much?
The problem goes back to the home runs. Neither (obviously) would have been easy plays to make, but it brings up a question of the Friars’ depth in the outfield behind their elite starting three.
It’s certainly a better group than last year’s (especially with Laureano starting in left instead of Jason Heyward or Tirso Ornelas), but it comes with question marks in the dugout.
If Castellanos can start to produce more offensively, those worries will be put to bed. But, until then, there’s a looming worry hanging over the otherwise sterling Padres outfield.
