The Padres won\u2019t say this, but if you want to win the ring, you\u2019d better hit a lot of home runs.<\/p>\n
The past five World Series champions all have ranked in Major League Baseball\u2019s top four in home runs.<\/p>\n
With no one as yet having labeled these Padres the Gaslamp Bombers, it was encouraging Sunday that newcomer Ramon Laureano lofted an opposite-field home run in the 7-3 victory over the Cardinals<\/p>\n
Laureano, acquired Thursday from the Orioles, boasts many strengths.<\/p>\n
One is home run power \u2014 which the Padres needed going into the trade deadline, and particularly from a true left fielder.<\/p>\n
The Padres ranked 29th of 30 MLB teams in home runs and had received only seven home runs from their left fielders in the 111 games before Laureano, in his second start with them, whacked a reliever\u2019s fastball beyond the right-center field wall at Petco Park.<\/p>\n
Gavin Sheets hit five of the seven homers by Padres left-fielders before Sunday. Sheets, though, is less of left fielder than he is a first baseman or a designated hitter. Other Padres left-fielders had hit just two home runs in 227 at-bats.<\/p>\n
Enter Laureano, a natural outfielder with a good throwing arm and a well-rounded hitting style.<\/p>\n
Because he\u2019s improved at pulling the ball for power, complementing his inside-out approach, the righty is well-suited to Petco Park.<\/p>\n
The 5-foot-10, 203-pounder has pulled eight home runs. That\u2019s why his expected home runs at Petco Park exceeded by three his expected home run total at Baltimore\u2019s ballpark.<\/p>\n
With 16 home runs, Laureano has his most since hitting 24 homers for the Athletics six years ago. With an .886 OPS, he\u2019s having perhaps a career-best season.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust mechanically, I\u2019m cleaner,\u201d said the 31-year-old, who has slugged .535 in the nearly 300 at-bats. \u201cIt\u2019s matching with my approach that I\u2019ve had my whole career.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Ram\u00f3n](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SUT-L-padres-0704-032.jpg\")
Ram\u00f3n Laureano\u00a0#5 of San Diego Padres round the bases after hitting a solo home run in the eighth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Petco Park on Aug. 3, 2025 in San Diego, California. (K.C. Alfred \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
Laureano isn\u2019t the only former Oriole who should improve the Padres\u2019 home run rate. Left-handed first baseman Ryan O\u2019Hearn has 13 long balls.<\/p>\n
Home run ability was just one piece in the mosaic, manager Mike Shildt said, when Padres leaders sized up the team\u2019s needs going into the recent trade deadline.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re always looking for home run production to increase,\u201d he said,\u00a0 \u201cbut you\u2019re really just looking for winning players. It wasn\u2019t like I said, \u2018Man, home run production.\u2019 Winning players is where we pound the table.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hitters tend to be wary about talking about attempting to hit more home runs. Swings can grow too long as a result.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not trying to hit home runs,\u201d said Jake Cronenworth, who pulled a fastball some 400 feet for his ninth home run. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to win baseball games and put together quality at-bats.\u201d<\/p>\n
Forecast: Preller\u2019s additions of Laureano, O\u2019Hearn and catcher Freddy Fermin, who had two singles Sunday out of the No. 9 spot, will create more attrition of opponents and lead to better matchups, benefiting most Padres hitters.<\/p>\n
The team\u2019s whole home run rate will improve as a result. A power uptick from Jackson Merrill, who pulled a three-run triple Sunday of a first-pitch curveball and has been making solid contact for a while, seems probable.<\/p>\n
Notable<\/p>\n
Beyond Laureano\u2019s smooth show of power in a ballpark that doesn\u2019t play small to right field, two other things stood out Sunday.<\/p>\n
One, Dylan Cease bringing a 4.79 ERA into the game qualified as a stunning mystery.<\/p>\n