PEORIA, Ariz. -- Earlier this spring, after a single by an unnamed Padre, first-base coach Skip Schumaker gave the player a hard thump on the ribs and told him, "Good job." Everyone on the Padres' bench knew what had gone unspoken.
"You just knew that slap was his way of saying, 'Hit the bag with the right foot,'" outfielder Travis Jankowski said. "He's very, very particular on doing the small stuff right. He expects you to do it right every single time."
The Padres are unquestionably a different team than they were last season.