Padres outfielder Will Venable named 2013 team MVP

The San Diego Padres today announced that outfielder Will Venable has been unanimously named the team's Most Valuable Player, as voted on by the San Diego chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Yesterday, the Padres announced that right-hander Andrew Cashner was named the Clyde McCullough Pitcher of the Year for 2013.

Venable, 31, set career highs in nearly every offensive category in 2013. Over a team-high 151 games, he hit .268 (129-for-481) with 22 doubles, eight triples, 22 home runs, 53 RBI, 64 runs scored, 22 stolen bases and a .484 slugging percentage. The outfielder set career highs in games played, games started (120), batting average, hits, home runs, RBI, runs scored, slugging percentage and OPS (.796), and tied his career high in triples. He became one of eight players in Padres team history to record 20-or-more home runs and stolen bases in 2013, and the first to do so since Mike Cameron in 2006 (22 home runs, 25 stolen bases).

The left-handed hitter had a tremendous second half of the season, batting .315 (74-for-235) with 11 home runs and a .549 slugging pct., sixth-best in the National League. He enjoyed his best month of the season in August, hitting .367 (40-for-109) with 17 extra-base hits, 15 RBI, 20 runs scored, six stolen bases, a .395 on-base percentage and .697 slugging percentage for a 1.092 OPS over 26 games. Venable began the month of August with a career-best 15-game hitting streak from August 2-18, the longest by a Padre in 2013. During the month, he was also named National League Player of the Week by Major League Baseball for the week of August 12-18, his first career weekly honor. 

Originally signed by the Padres as a seventh-round selection in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, Venable was named the Padres nominee for the Hank Aaron Award following the season. The 31-year-old agreed to terms with the Padres on a two-year contract extension through the 2015 season on September 3, 2013.