San Diego Padres second baseman Jose Pirela went 3-for-4 with a solo homer in Mondays win against the San Francisco Giants. The long ball was his just his fourth of the season and first since July 7. The 28-year-old offered some fantasy appeal after stroking 10 homers and a .837 OPS last season but crashed in 2018 with a poor .252/.305/.342 slash in 141 games. Pirela has fallen out of favor with the Padres in the second half and with a young crop of infielders ascending in 2019, hes likely not guaranteed a roster spot. The platoon man will try to finish the season on a strong note and hope his positional versatility lands him a major league gig next season.
San Diego Padres infielder/outfielder Jose Pirela (rest) is out of the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Carlos Asuaje will bat second and play second base against righty Jake Arrieta. Asuaje is not worth owning in fantasy leagues, but is hitting .275/.350/.392 off right-handed pitching this season. He could be worth a look as a sleeper option in DFS, but Arrieta is not an easy pitcher to hit.
San Diego Padres second baseman Jose Pirela is still without a home run through 49 games this season. After cranking 10 long balls in 344 plate appearances in 2017, Pirela has gone 209 tries without a homer in 2018. He currently has the third-longest non-pitcher homerless streak in the majors. Pirela is hitting the ball hard but his fly ball ratio has sunk all the way to 20.5 percent, second-lowest in baseball. Expected to be an all-around lower-tier fantasy asset this offseason, Pirela's power drought has severely impaired his value. He leads the Padres in average (.266) and runs scored (28) but San Diego ranks bottom-five in most offensive categories. Pirela's second base eligibility buoys his relevance but unless he puts the ball in the air more, he's not an attractive buy-low candidate.
Manuel Margot, Jose Pirela, Christian Villanueva Out Friday
San Diego Padres outfielder Manuel Margot, second baseman Jose Pirela, and third baseman Christian Villanueva are absent from the Padres lineup Friday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Padres are stacking the batting order with lefties against right-handed starter Ivan Nova. Outfielder Travis Jankowski will slide to center field, second baseman Carlos Asuaje will man the keystone with infielder Corey Spangenberg handling third base. Rookie outfielder Franmil Reyes will get another start in right field. Expect Margot, Pirela and Villanueva back in the lineup Saturday.
San Diego Padres second baseman/outfielder Jose Pirela (rest) is not starting for the first time this season on Friday. The Padres have stacked their lineup with left-handed bats against Pirates starter Ivan Nova. This does not seem to be injury related, but hopefully a day off won't cool down Pirela's hot bat. He's a must-own player in deeper leagues and could be an option in some standard leagues.
San Diego Padres outfielder Jose Pirela went 2-for-4 with a run scored in Wednesday's game against the Colorado Rockies. For the series, Pirela hit .571 (8-for-14) with two doubles, three runs and two RBI. He lifted his average to .316 and OPS to .760 in the process. Most hitters enjoy Coors Field, but Pirela's strong start has supported last season's surprise emergence. He has an issue with strikeouts (13 K's, one walk), but appears very comfortable at the dish. Pirela has batted between first and cleanup in every game and could continue being a reliable, cheap source for average and counting stats in deep mixed and NL-only leagues. His value would appreciate significantly if he achieved second base eligibility.
San Diego Padres outfielder Jose Pirela went 3-for-5 with a double, run scored and RBI in Monday's win against the Colorado Rockies. Pirela got the scoring started in the second, coming home on a Manuel Margot single. He then recorded an RBI, driving a two-bagger to right field in the fifth to extend the lead. Pirela was a bright spot in Padres spring training but this performance takes his slash line to a modest .271/.300/.375 with zero home runs. Pirela has mostly batted cleanup but his fantasy relevance remains diminished as an outfielder. His value was in his prospective second base eligibility but with outfielder Wil Myers injured, Pirela's services at the keystone haven't been necessary.
Jose Pirela Finishes Spring Training as Padres Batting Average Leader
San Diego Padres outfielder Jose Pirela ended his spring with a .385 average highest on the Padres with three doubles, a triple and two home runs. He came into this spring looking to compete for a starting role, and he found it as he beat out Hunter Renfroe for the left field job. Last season over 83 games, Pirela hit .288 with 10 home runs and given a full season of work, he could provide 15 to 17 HRs with at least a .270 average. In the Padres exhibition game against Triple-A El Paso, Pirela was penciled into the cleanup spot in the lineup, and if he stays there this year, he could potentially reach 70 RBI. He'll be a must-own in NL-only leagues and is worth a spot in 12-team mixed leagues.
San Diego Padres manager Andy Green all but confirmed outfielder Jose Pirela's roster spot after Sunday's spring training loss to the San Francisco Giants. Getting the start at second base, Pirela went 2-for-3 with a homer and is now hitting .481 with a 1.448 OPS in 27 spring at-bats. Pirela, who Green quoted as "one of our absolute best hitters," will get the majority of starts in left field. His second base versatility could be a useful asset for both the Padres and fantasy owners if he stays hot. Pirela's emergence reduces outfielder Hunter Renfroe's usage to a platoon role to start the season. It appears Pirela will play regularly, and he provides sneaky value at his 390 ADP, especially if he gains second base eligibility.
San Diego Padres outfielder Jose Pirela is taking repetitions at second base in camp, and he's likely to see a lot of time there in spring training. Unless the Friars trade outfielder Hunter Renfroe before the season starts, Pirela's fantasy upside may be limited if he shares time with Renfroe in left field. However, if Pirela proves up to the task at the keystone this spring, he could find himself starting at second base, which would make him intriguing as a late-round sleeper pick in mixed leagues. Pirela was one of the Padres' best hitters in 2017, slashing .288/.347/.490 with 10 homers and 40 RBI in 312 at-bats.