Keys to the Padres' success.(San Diego Padres baseball team)(Brief Article)

The Twins and the Phillies might be the biggest small-market success stories this season, but the Padres aren't far behind. Their payroll is by far the lowest in the N.L. West, but they're holding their own in the standings. When asked, Padres G.M. Kevin Towers offered four keys to his club's surprising record over the first two months.

1. Improved on-base percentage. The Padres are second in the majors in walks after finishing in the middle last season. The walks, Towers says, are a big mason the only N.L. team with more runs is the Rockies, and we know where they play. "In the winter, we talked about trying to get our hitters to be more disciplined at the plate and trading for players who would be more selective," he says.

2. Rickey Henderson. Signed in the last part of spring training, the 42-year-old future Hall of Famer began the season in Class AAA. After he was called up in mid-April, he gave the offense a boost, walking 22 times in 26 games in May.

3. The rotation. Woody Williams, Bobby Jones, Adam Eaton and Kevin Jarvis don't have a great record (16-18), but they've averaged more than six innings per start. "Our guys usually pitch into the sixth or seventh inning, and it's allowed our bullpen to establish roles for themselves," Towers says.

4. Incentive. Towers and manager Bruce Bochy took it somewhat personally when the Padres were ranked in the bottom five by most preseason guides--including 30th by one (not TSN, we had them 27th). "I think we're a much better club than people gave us credit," Towers says. "I'm not saying we should have been picked No. 1, but 30th is like a slap in the face. It's a shot at the front office, the manager and your personnel. It's like saying. `These guys have nobody who can play and nobody who knows what they're doing.' We said, `All right. We'll see if we're 30th.'"

 
TSN's Power Poll 
 
Rk.   Team               W-L 
 
 1. Seattle             42-12 
 2. Cleveland           34-18 
 3. ...