One of the mysteries of the San Diego Padres’ training camp has been solved.
Manny Machado, the star third baseman of the team, had been referring to and calling infielder Jake Cronenworth “Jacob.”
Parents insider Annie Heilbrunn explained the situation.
“I’m about to blow your mind. Asked Jake Cronenworth about Manny calling him ‘Jacob’ all camp. Turns out the league decided to call him Jake when he was drafted. No one close to him calls him Jake, he said. It’s always been JACOB. High school, college, JACOB. #Parents,” she tweeted.
Wait what?
Should we call him Jacob Cronenworth now?
Well, the player went to his official Instagram account to “clarify” the scenario.
Posted by Jake Cronenworth on IG this morning. All is back to normal, friends. https://t.co/3B6i0tG6Ct pic.twitter.com/nLvyaPoxBw
—Annie Heilbrunn (@annieheilbrunn) March 3, 2023
So, to add up, he is Jacob for his close friends and family, and Jake for his fans.
At least that’s what he appears to want: keeping it simple in public with the shorter, much more well-known Jake.
It doesn’t matter if it is Jacob or Jake: he can definitely rake.
He has a career .770 OPS and has hit 38 home runs in the last two seasons.
Perhaps more importantly, he is a competent hitter and a very good, versatile fielder.
He is an underrated piece in the Padres’ puzzle, one that has put out consecutive 4.1-WAR seasons.
WAR means Wins Above Replacement and paints a picture about how much Cronenworth contributes in all facets of the game.
Everybody raves about Fernando Tatis Jr., Juan Soto, Manny Machado, and Xander Bogaerts, but Cronenworth is a rock-solid starting-caliber player ready to help the Padres achieve their goals.
They came close to reaching the World Series last year, and have a much stronger squad now.
NEXT:
The Padres Have Exponentially Improved Their Core
