More than three months have now passed since the San Diego Padres dropped three straight games to be eliminated from postseason play (on a dubious call at home plate when Michael Barrett appeared to prevent Matt Holiday from touching the dish), which undoubtedly was a tough way for a season that mystified many by being remotely successful to end. So I thought that just for fun I'd go back and review the season by harshly grading players who all play the game infinitely better than I do. We'll start with the everyday lineup and then follow that up with the pitchers in a separate article so that reading this literary gold doesn't become a snore-inducing chore… which quite frankly it might already be. So swallow a couple No Doze and let's have at it.

POSITION PLAYERS

Adrian Gonzalez (.282-30-100), First Baseman

San Diego's best hitter for most of the season, Gonzalez's final season totals only tell part of the story as he was incredibly streaky, hitting better than .300 in April and August but below .250 in June and July. He fits into the Padres' cost structure of not paying anyone under the age of 35 and should be their first baseman for the next three or four seasons. Grade: B+

Khalil Greene (.254-27-97), Shortstop

Greene finally broke a three-year streak of hitting exactly 15 home runs by going yard 27 times this season. Like Gonzalez, Greene was up and down with putrid performances in May and July before finishing the season strong. However, like many Padres he lacks plate discipline as evidenced by his 128 strikeouts against just 32 walks. His sub-.300 OBP was among the worst in the league and something that requires immediate improvement. Grade: B-

Mike Cameron (.242-21-78), Center Fie...

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