The San Diego Padres, as a group, were in the hunt at the All-Star break last year with a 45-45 record but fell off a cliff in the second half. That was in large part due to a couple of significant injuries and lackluster second halves from several players.
Regression is an unfortunate part of the game, and often it is a result of the league figuring how to get a player out or hit particular balls off pitchers. Often it’s just dumb luck. Last year, Manny Machado was a victim who experienced a bit of a letdown year.