Padres Injuries

The news that Padres P Chris Young is battling shoulder soreness again should surprise no one. His string of injuries over the past couple of seasons just aren't going to be cured in a matter of month or even a year. If Young ever makes it back for full-time mound work, it would be exceptional. Thank God the Padres have plenty of pitching depth.

Which leads me to something I was thinking about the other day. Now that Young is gone and the Friars have proven they can win without SS Everth Cabrera -- there's a shock -- who is it that they can most ill-afford to lose? Which position player is the linchpin who, if he goes down for a couple of months, will be the reason why the season suddenly falls apart?

My choice is not Adrian Gonzalez -- surprise, surprise. Losing the left-handed slugger would be difficult, certainly, but his production can be streaky. In his last 10 games, Gonzo is barely batting over .200 with 1 HR, 5 RBI and more strikeouts than hits. The Padres are 6-4 over that span, not gang-busters but they aren't falling apart without his production. They scored four runs or more in half those games. In games they scored 8 and 9 runs, the first baseman was 0-for-5 both times.

It says here that the player the Padres simply can't lose is 3B Chase Headley. I came to the conclusion a day before his walk-off RBI single in the ninth inning of Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Rockies. If he goes down, who will play third? Jerry Hairston Jr.? Please. He's a middle infielder/outfielder sub who is darn good at what he does, but I don't see him at the hot corner for more than a game or two. Oscar Salazar for two months?

There is no one else on the 40-man roster. The starting 3B at AAA Portland is Craig Stansberry, who is barely above the Mendoza line.

If Headley, with his clutch hitting and defense that's improving by the week, goes out for an extended period of time, the Padres tank in a flurry of 1-0, 2-1 losses.

Second on my list is C Nick Hundley. Mention his name before the season and you'd elicit a yawn. But someone is behind the plate calling all the shutouts the pitchers have been tossing, and Hundley is the guy. His hitting has been timely. Backup Yorvit Torrealba has been fine in his spot-starts, but Hundley and his battery-mates on the mound have something going.

Gonzalez ranks third of the position players they can't afford to lose. He is their power. However, what will happen if he goes down is that Kyle Blanks will move to first and that four-man OF rotation suddenly becomes Scott Hairston-Tony Gwynn-Will Venable every night. That might be do-able.

I like where the Padres are right now. They still need to hit more, no doubt. And they still haven't played the Dodgers, the Giants on the road or heavyweights like the Cardinals or Phillies. They get all in the next several weeks.