Despite a bottom-tier offense and power outage from Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego’s dominant bullpen has anchored a surprising surge toward the top of the National League.
The beauty of baseball lies in its unpredictability. Now that we are two months into the 2026 campaign, there have been a lot of unpredictable scenarios across the league, one of which is the surprising season coming from the San Diego Padres.
The Padres entered the year under first-time manager Craig Stammen and without many offseason moves that would move the needle. With the looming conversations of the sale of the franchise during the offseason, there wasn’t much change for San Diego despite failing ot make it out of the Wild Card round last fall.
Statistically, San Diego hasn’t had the most inspiring first couple of months of the season, especially from the plate. Still ranking at or near the bottom in several major offensive statistics, the Padres shouldn’t be as good as they have been in 2026.
As of Tuesday morning, the Padres sit at a record of 31-22, good enough for second place in the National League. After a brief stint at the top of the division last week, the Los Angeles Dodgers have yet again claimed the top spot, but the Padres are just 2.5 games behind.
In The Athletic’s most recent power rankings, the Padres came in as the No. 7 team in baseball. It is the same position they were placed in their previous version of rankings.
Taking a closer look at the Padres’ start to 2026, it’s a bit confusing how they’ve managed to stay atop the National League Wild Card race.
They have the least amount of hits in baseball by a wide margin of 25, the second-lowest slugging percentage, and the second-lowest OPS. With stars like Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. still trying to find their swings, it’s a miracle that the Padres are in the position they are currently in.
Tatis Jr. is still waiting for his first home run of the season despite already logging nearly 200 at-bats. For a perennial MVP candidate such as Tatis Jr., his lack of home runs is certainly the most odd thing to come out of San Diego so far this season.
Still, the Padres are getting it done. The pitching staff is getting the job done despite injuries to key rotational pieces like Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove. Meanwhile, the bullpen is one of the best in baseball, with several options, namely Mason Miller, Bradgley Rodriguez, and Jason Adam, to lock down any lineup on any given night.
The Padres may not be the most dominant team in the league by any means, but they continue to fight each night and make up for their weakness by excelling in other areas. After the quiet offseason they had and under a new manager, a seventh-place ranking two months into the year is a great place for the Padres to be..
