5 San Diego Padres

Rain swept through Peoria, Ariz., on a cool March morning, delaying the Padres' workout. But the holdup would be brief, for there was sun on the horizon in every direction, making it seem as if the rain were falling only on the ball club.

That's a familiar feeling for San Diego. Spring training may be a time of renewed optimism for most teams, but not for the Padres—not after back-to-back disheartening camps. In February 2002 outfielder Mike Darr was killed in a one-car accident, only three weeks after lefthanded reliever Rob Ramsay had undergone surgery to remove a brain tumor. Ramsay, 29, who missed all of last season and is still undergoing chemotherapy, gave the team a lift by making two relief appearances this spring, but a dark cloud still hovers over the club. Though less tragic, the events of 2003 have been even more devastating to San Diego's season outlook.

Closer Trevor Hoffman, who averaged 42 saves over the last seven seasons, underwent surgery on Feb. 28 to repair his right shoulder; he won't return until the All-Star break, at the earliest. The Padres were still reeling from that blow when, seven days later, leftfielder Phil Nevin, the converted third baseman who averaged 32 home runs from 1999 through 2001, dislocated his left shoulder diving for a fly ball in an exhibition game; he is expected to miss the season. "When we put him [in leftfield], we figured it would be better for him," says manager Bruce Bochy, "because he wouldn't be doing the kind of diving he did at third base."

With owner John Moores claiming losses totaling $100 million since he bought the team in 1994, including $10 million last season, the Padres are reluctant to add to their $43 million payroll, one third of which is going to Hoffman ($9 million) and Nevin ($4.5 million). In Hoffman's place Bochy has turned to 27-year-old Brandon Villafuerte, who has one career save in 40 relief appearances.

Without Nevin, first baseman Ryan Klesko and centerfielder Mark Kotsay are the two most dangerous hitters in a lineup that was 14th in the NL in batting (.253) and runs (662). But they won't see many good pitches to hit unless leftfielder Rondell White, who was acquired from the Yankees on March 19 in a trade that sent outfielder Bubba Trammell and minor league pitcher Mark Phillips to New York, and third baseman Sean Burroughs rebound from disappointing seasons. After batting over .300 in each of the four previous seasons, White slumped to a career-low .240 in 2002. The Padres shifted Klesko and Nevin to new positions last year to make room in the lineup for the highly regarded Burroughs, but injuries and a 5-for-51 slump sent him back to Triple A. Though he hit .377 after being recalled last September, Burroughs showed a disturbing lack of power for a corner infielder. (He has homered only once in 192 big league at bats.) Still, the team has great expectations for him. "The kid's probably got one of the best knacks for taking the pitch deep into the zone, then putting it in play," says Klesko. "He's like Tony Gwynn that way."

The starting rotation features several promising arms, including 26-year-old sinkerballer Brian Lawrence, 25-year-old Adam Eaton and a pair of hard-throwing 21-year-olds, Oliver Perez and Jake Peavy. But even if the youngsters come through, much of their work could be undermined by a patchwork bullpen and a shaky defense. Kotsay covers a lot of ground in center, but the Padres are lacking at the corner outfield positions, which will be manned by the weak-armed White and rookie Xavier Nady, a former infielder who has struggled with shoulder problems.

"We've had some things go wrong for us physically, but we can still be competitive with the players we have," Bochy says. "I'm just as optimistic about our chances as I am every spring." Sounds as if hope springs eternal even for the Padres, but what they need is a lot of luck.