Carlos Quentin has never been completely healthy his entire career.
Ever since being drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the 29th overall pick in 2003, Quentin has been plagued with constant injury.
This spring in San Diego Padres camp has been no exception.
Quentin has still not officially appeared in a spring training game, as the only two at-bats he had were not registered due to a rain-out against the Chicago White Sox on March 8.
Since then, he has been sidelined due to an aggravation in his surgically repaired knee.
According to a conversation Quentin had with Corey Brock of MLB.com:
"I'm doing all right, working through some stuff," Quentin said. "I feel like I'm getting closer. I'm looking forward to that."
Manager Bud Black still seems to be optimistic that Quentin will be able to go come opening day, but once again it makes you think just how long it will be until he gets injured again.
When he's healthy, Quentin puts up great numbers and is the perfect number-four hitter behind third baseman Chase Headley.
In his first year with the Padres in 2012, Quentin hit 16 home runs, 46 RBI, 44 runs scored and had a .261/.374/.504 slash line in a once-again injury-shortened season.
So does Quentin have what it takes to stay healthy over a full season for the Padres?
At this point in his career, I still think he is better suited to DH somewhere in the American League.
Sure he's a solid hitter and drives in runs, but he'll never be able to stay consistently healthy and will always be making trips to the DL.
And while I appreciate his production while he's healthy, I also wonder how some younger players in our system would produce if given the opportunity to play on a regular basis.
Mark my words, Triple-A Tucson outfielder Daniel Robertson will make an appearance with the team earlier in the season, and he will be the consistent bat in the lineup that the Padres desperately need.
Robertson has been nothing but consistent in his entire minor league career and has the perfect mix of bat, defense and speed that the Padres need in Petco Park.
Regardless of what the front office decides to do, it still seems blatantly clear to me that Quentin will not be in the lineup the entire season for the Padres, and the team should start exploring other opportunities much sooner than later.
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