For the first time in franchise history, the Padres will go to the playoffs for the third straight season in 2026. San Diego’s offense was fantastic in the second half, led in large part by their star right fielder. Plus, a dynamic bullpen made it awfully difficult for clubs to mount comebacks.

A torrid run from Tatis Jr.

Remember when Fernando Tatis Jr. went two months without a home run at the start of the year? A lot has changed since then. Tatis Jr. hit 24 home runs in 101 games between June 1 and September 25, tied with Ben Rice for eighth in the Majors over the span.

There’s no denying that Tatis Jr. is the anchor of the Padres’ lineup. And for much of the first third of 2026, Tatis Jr. was actually making good contact. However, he wasn’t getting many breaks, either getting just under pitchers or other underlying problems.

Once June came, things opened up for the star outfielder.

Help in other places

You’d expect Manny Machado to play a big role in San Diego, and he did in 2026. Granted, Machado hit just .215 and posted a .302 on-base percentage. However, he slugged 29 home runs and 57 extra-base hits for San Diego in 2026.

The real stars for the Padres in 2026, though, turned out to be Jackson Merrill and Ty France.

Merrill exploded in the second half, which helped him turn in a 26-home-run season for the Padres. France, meanwhile, came on as a Minor League signing just months after he won an AL Gold Glove at first base. That moved proved to be a vital one, helping San Diego shore up a sore spot at first.

France hit 21 home runs, and as usual, also got on base a ton. He posted a .360 on-base percentage, tied with Tatis Jr. for the team lead.

Rotation did enough

The San Diego Padres sought to shore up weaknesses in the rotation back in August when Casey Mize and Robbie Ray came over via trades. Neither trade has been a hit to this point.

Mize, now on the IL, had multiple tough outings with the club. Ray, meanwhile, battled walks and struggled to go through five innings in starts.

The good news, though, is that Nick Pivetta is healthy and thriving. As for Michael King, the same can be said.

A lockdown bullpen

When the Padres start playoff baseball, San Diego is a unique position, simply because of that impressive bullpen that carried them all year long.

Mason Miller can blow hitters in a variety of different ways. Adrian Morejon, Bradgley Rodriguez, Jason Adam, and David Morgan are among just some of the others who help set things up for the high-octane closer.

What’s ahead?

Depending on how things go over the final few days, San Diego may very well host the NL Wild Card round, just like the club did two years ago when the Padres erupted against the Braves.

Should that be the case, the Padres are in prime position to potentially set up a meeting with the Milwaukee Brewers.

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