Tommy Medica is trying to win a job with the Padres. (Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports)
The hottest hitter for the Padres this spring is not any of the bats acquired by general manager A.J. Preller last December.
The big gun is Tommy Medica, who is trying to make the Opening Day roster as a first baseman-outfielder and a right-handed pinch-hitter.
Medica, who turns 27 on April 9, homered for the second time in as many games Sunday against the Cubs in Mesa. That was Medica’s fourth homer of spring training.
Medica is hitting .556 this spring, going 15-for-27 with two doubles, the four homers, 11 RBIs and nine runs scored. He has a .586 on-base percentage with a 1.074 slugging percentage for an OPS of 1.660.
But that’s only half of Medica’s spring story.
Over the past two exhibition seasons, Medica is 37-for-95 for a .389 average with six doubles, a triple, seven homers, 19 RBIs and 21 runs scored. He has a .447 on-base percentage and a .695 slugging percentage for an OPS of 1.142.
“He’s had two good back-to-back Cactus Leagues,” Padres manager Bud Black said of Medica.
A promising catcher until he suffered a near-career-ending shoulder dislocation of his throwing arm while playing for Santa Clara University in 2009, Medica was a minor league designated hitter while rehabbing from his injury after being selected by the Padres in the 14th round of the 2010 draft.
“I’d love to return to catching one day, although I know it may never happen because of my throwing,” Medica said last year.
So he learned to play first base and has been working to improve his outfield skills.
“Tommy’s game is going to be in his versatility,” said Black. “Tommy comes as advertised as a hitter through our minor league system. We’ve seen flashes of Tommy hitting well in major leagues. But it’s been documented that Tommy can be a little streaky.
“He’s had a nice spring training run. Leading up to this, late January and early February he was in Southern California and was able to do some things outside and in the cage. He popped into San Diego, did a little work with us outside.”
Medica hit .246 with 12 homers and 37 RBIs in 309 at-bats for the Padres over parts of the last two seasons. He spent time at first due to injuries to Yonder Alonso. But Alonso is healthy and seems to have the inside track at first as one of the few left-handed bats on the club.
Among the competitors for the backup job at first are switch-hitting infielder Yangervis Solarte and Carlos Quentin, who made his first start in a varsity game on Saturday.
