PEORIA, Ariz. — The door opened at 9:35 a.m. on Sunday, and Eric Hosmer bounded into the Padres clubhouse. A few minutes earlier, an attendant had slapped a sign on a wall near Hosmer’s locker. The poster displayed guidelines for how Padres could “earn your stripes.” Most of the tenets involved the concept of respect. The first, though, was more pointed.



“Earn your position on this team by your WORK,” the sign read.



Hosmer, San Diego’s $144 million first baseman, stowed his plastic water jug and removed his Supreme cap. As he changed into his uniform, bench coach Bobby Dickerson sidled over. “Morning, Hoz,” he said. The two men had scheduled an appointment for later that morning.



As an infield coach in Baltimore for most of the 2010s, Dickerson admired Hosmer’s agility and grace at first base. He also agreed with some rival evaluators: A four-time Gold Glover, Hosmer used his athleticism to...