Cordero displays power, pop in bid for roster spot

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Everything Franchy Cordero has to offer was on full display with one swing in the bottom of the sixth inning Monday afternoon.
First, the power: Cordero stayed with an outside fastball, driving it to the deepest part of the ballpark, right-center field. The ball caromed off the top of the wall.
Then, the speed: Cordero turned on the jets the moment the ball kicked away, and there was never a doubt whether he'd be complete his inside-the-park home run bid. Sure enough, he slid safely over the plate well ahead of the relay throw.
"He flies, and he's got pop," said Padres manager Andy Green following the Padres' 10-4 win over the Angels. "Those are two huge tools he has."
It's still early, but Cordero could be playing his way toward a roster spot. In three games this spring, he's 3-for-8 with a pair of homers and a walk. During the offseason, Cordero earned MVP honors in the Dominican Winter League. He raked at Triple-A last year, too, batting .325 with 22 home runs.
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But he's yet to solve Major League pitching. Cordero, the Padres' No. 12 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, struck out 44 times in 99 big league plate appearances last season.
For now, the Padres must answer this: Is Cordero better served continuing his development at the Major League level -- where he could back up all three outfield spots while serving as a defensive replacement and pinch-runner? Or would regular Triple-A at-bats be more beneficial? They've got one month to solve that riddle.
New-look outfield?
Wil Myers made his first appearance in right field, with Hunter Renfroe moving to left for Monday's game against the Angels. Myers spent the past two seasons as a first baseman before the Eric Hosmer acquisition prompted his shift back to the outfield.
Myers looked rusty early, booting a ground-ball single that allowed an Angels runner to score. He also uncorked a solid throw to the plate that froze Angels first baseman Chris Carter at third. It one-hopped to catcher A.J. Ellis, though it tailed slightly up the third-base line.
Renfroe, meanwhile, made the routine plays look, well, routine. He also smashed a second-inning homer to straightaway center field, one of five Padres dingers on the day. Cordero, Christian Villanueva, Franmil Reyes and Dusty Coleman also went deep.

Camp battles
• Jordan Lyles is one of eight Padres starters competing for three places in the rotation. He made his spring debut Monday, allowing three hits and a walk over two innings. But he worked around that traffic to hold the Angels scoreless.
"Overall, it was a success," Lyles said. "Arm feels good, body feels good. Those were some stressful pitches for the first time out, but I'm not complaining. It went well."
• Fellow rotation candidate Colin Rea will make his first appearance of spring in a "B" game Thursday against Seattle. He hasn't pitched in a game setting since tearing his UCL with the Marlins in July 2016. Rea underwent Tommy John surgery later that year.
• Villanueva is eyeing a roster spot as a backup infielder this spring. He made an emphatic case Monday, smashing a tape-measure home run onto the left-field concourse at Peoria Stadium. Villanueva, who is out of options and sits squarely on the fence for a place on the roster, finished 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs.

Injury update
• Chase Headley took a ground ball off his throwing hand during Sunday's workout, sustaining a bruised middle finger in the process. The injury isn't considered serious, but Headley will be held out of game action for the next few days.
Up next
Hosmer is nearing his Padres debut. It could come as early as Tuesday against the Mariners at 12:10 p.m. PT. Hosmer, the most lucrative free-agent signing in franchise history, is being eased into action after arriving early last week. If he doesn't start on Tuesday, he'll likely do so Wednesday against the Dodgers.
Clayton Richard is poised to make his first appearance on the mound this spring. He'll throw two innings, followed by two innings apiece from lefty pitching prospects Eric Lauer and Joey Lucchesi.