Jose Rondon

There is a glaring hole at shortstop in San Diego, one which Rondon could fill at some point in 2016, but he may be destined to be more of a utility type long-term with Javier Guerra looking like the future at the position for San Diego. While Rondon's defense is certainly adequate, there is very little pop in his bat, as evidenced by his .388 career slugging percentage in the minors. He has made up for it to a certain extent with an advanced eye at the plate for his age, but Rondon struggled against more advanced pitching after his move up to Double-A San Antonio in mid-June before an elbow injury ended his season. Tommy John surgery was ultimately deemed necessary, carrying with it a 3-to-4 month recovery timetable, but the Padres still felt Rondon was worthy of protection from the Rule 5 draft, so they added him to the 40-man roster in November. If he does earn a job eventually, Rondon will likely only be on the fringes of consideration in NL-only leagues.

There is some question regarding Rondon's long-term future, as he may be more of a utility player than a regular shortstop, although his defense at the position grades out well. Spending his entire 2014 season at High-A, Rondon hit .327/.362/.418 with no homers, 24 RBI and eight steals (in 14 attempts) at Inland Empire before putting together a .301/.371/.380 line (3-for-4 in stolen-base attempts) in 37 games at Lake Elsinore after being acquired by the Padres as part of the Huston Street deal in July. As he's advanced, Rondon has continued to show a steady hit tool despite a complete lack of power. He'll likely begin the season at Double-A and the trades of top shortstop prospects Trea Turner and Jace Peterson in the offseason could open a path to the majors.