Jake Cronenworth is entering his seventh season with the San Diego Padres, and somehow, that fact still feels easy to overlook.
In a lineup built around star power, massive contracts, and constant speculation, Cronenworth exists in a quieter lane. No headlines. No drama. Just a glove that keeps showing up where the ball is hit, and a willingness to play wherever the team needs him next.
That willingness may be more important in 2026 than itâs been at any point in his Padres tenure.
Cronenworthâs defensive reputation has never been flashy, but it has been relentlessly dependable. A career .991 fielding percentage doesnât generate viral clipsâit generates trust. The kind of trust that allows a coaching staff to move pieces around the infield without feeling like theyâre gambling.
Thatâs the part people miss.
While range metrics often dominate conversations around middle infield defense, Cronenworthâs value shows up in the moments that donât trend. Balls hit directly at him are outs. Position changes donât lead to mistakes. The game doesnât speed up when heâs asked to do something different.
The Padres acquired him for exactly that reason. When he arrived in the Hunter Renfroe trade, versatility wasnât a footnoteâit was the selling point. Second base, first base, shortstop. He could handle all three without complaint, and more importantly, without a drop in execution.
Now, that same versatility is quietly becoming a pressure point.
San Diego would prefer to keep Cronenworth at second base. Stability matters. But roster uncertaintyâparticularly around first base and the clubâs ongoing search for another batâcould force his hand. Spring Training will ask him to prepare for multiple roles again, and once more, heâll say yes.
The question is whether that flexibility is being used as a strength⌠or as a solution to unresolved problems.
Offensively, Cronenworthâs value has always lived in the margins. Heâs not the centerpiece, but he lengthens the lineup. He moves runners. He makes productive outs. When heâs right, the bottom of the order doesnât feel like a dead zone.
His 2021 season still looms largeâa .266 average, 21 home runs, 71 RBIs, and an All-Star nod that felt earned rather than manufactured. That version of Cronenworth gave the Padres balance.
Last season complicated the picture. A fractured rib disrupted his rhythm, and the power numbers dipped. Extra-base hits became rarer. Consistency never quite returned. None of it was catastrophic, but none of it was ignorable either.
And thatâs where the Padresâ quiet bet comes into focus.
They donât need Cronenworth to be a star. They need him to be reliable againâat the plate, in the field, wherever heâs placed. Because if San Diego is serious about returning to the postseason, the margins will matter. Clean defense. Productive at-bats. Flexibility that doesnât come with chaos.
Cronenworth embodies all of that. But he also exposes a truth the team doesnât say out loud: versatility often gets praised most when clarity is missing elsewhere.
Heâll show up ready. He always does. First base, second baseâit wonât change his approach. But as the Padres shuffle pieces in search of the right mix, one question lingers quietly beneath the praise:
Is Jake Cronenworth the ultimate advantage⌠or the player San Diego leans on when tougher decisions remain unresolved?
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