Sizing up the Padres’ 40-man roster, from A to Z, heading into the 2017 season.

HUNTER RENFROE

Position: Outfielder

Outfielder Acquired: 1 st -round draft pick in 2013 (Mississippi State)

1 -round draft pick in 2013 (Mississippi State) 2017 Opening Day age: 25

25 Contract status: Will make $535,900 in 2017; won’t be arbitration-eligible until 2020 at the earliest

Will make $535,900 in 2017; won’t be arbitration-eligible until 2020 at the earliest Key stats (AAA): .306 avg., .336 OBP, .557 SLG, 30 HRs, 105 RBIs, 95 runs, 5 steals, 115 strikeouts (133 games, 563 plate appearances)

Stat to note

3.9 – The percentage of plate appearances in which Renfroe walked in 2016 at Triple-A El Paso, his lowest of any of his minor league stops.

Trending

Up – Renfroe’s return trip to Triple-A El Paso left the right-handed slugger with little to prove in the minors. He not only set career-highs in homers, RBIs, total bases (297), runs scored, batting average, slugging and OPS (.893) as the Pacific Coast League’s MVP, he led the Chihuahuas to a PCL title and was an All-Star Futures Game selection for the second time. Renfroe even cut down his strikeout rate down to a career-low 20.4 percent, although his sagging walk rate has some critics wondering if he could make adjustments at the major league level. ESPN’s Keith Law, for instance, recently said a failure to recognize breaking stuff, sans an adjustment, might mean he’s “more of a second-division regular, maybe more of a bench guy.” Of course, Renfroe’s debut suggests otherwise. He hit .371/.389/.800 with four homers and 14 RBIs in 11 games, including two homers and seven RBIs in one game (one of those blasts landed on top of the Western Metal Supply Co. building). While Law left Renfroe out of his top-100 prospects list this winter, the Padres right fielder of the further ranked 44th in Baseball America’s and 42nd at MLB.com’s lists.


2017 outlook

Selling off both Matt Kemp and Melvin Upton Jr. last summer cleared a path toward regular playing time for Renfroe, long regarded as the organization’s best power prospect. He didn’t disappoint in last year’s September call-up and should get every opportunity to win the everyday right field job this spring. His ability to play center field in a pinch will be especially beneficial as Padres manager Andy Green decides how to get playing time for the likes of second-year outfielders Alex Dickerson and Travis Jankowski and rookie Manuel Margot.

Padres right fielder Hunter Renfroe (71) hits an eighth inning grand slam home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park. (Jake Roth / USA Today Sports)

PADRES POWER RANKINGS

(Currently 40 players on 40-man roster)

Others

OF Jabari Blash (Designated for assignment Jan. 20)


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jeff.sanders@sduniontribune.com; Twitter: @sdutSanders