Padres start FanFest early with surprise stops around San Diego

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres are hosting a sold-out FanFest at Petco Park on Saturday, with more than a dozen players in town for the festivities.

Those festivities, it turns out, got underway a day early.

The club held a surprise tour of the city on Friday, with groups of players heading to locations across San Diego to interact with fans (and to support a few of the team's charitable endeavors).

"The city of San Diego, they love the baseball players," said star outfielder Juan Soto, speaking from UCSD Medical Center in Hilcrest, one of four stops for his group. "They're here for us, they've been cheering for us, they've been right there for us. Giving them a little back, it just feels great to be here."

Soto, Jake Cronenworth, Tim Hill and catching prospect Ethan Salas were part of one group, which made stops at the medical center and an elementary school and a nearby Petco before walking the streets of downtown and engaging with fans.

Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts and Joe Musgrove were among the groups that made stops elsewhere on tours, which were not publicized before the Padres’ arrival.

"It's been pretty awesome," Cronenworth said. "We know we're the only team in town. To be able to go back into the community, see all the kids, see all the workers here at the hospital, we see how excited they are for us. We're excited for all that they do for this community, too."

Included among the Padres' stops on the tour were the Monarch School and the San Diego Rescue Mission a pair of nonprofits that the organization works closely with. Last October, the team voted to give a full playoff share to the charities, split evenly between the two.

Team officials hatched the idea to spend Friday out and about in the community, as it became clear the Padres' FanFest event on Saturday would be a sellout. If access to the players at Petco Park would need to be limited, why not bring the players directly into the community itself?

The response was overwhelming, as droves of students, medical workers and fans lined up at each stop for pictures and autographs with the players.

"It just shows how much support we have in this city and just how good a sports town San Diego is," Hill said. "It's pretty cool to see."

Soto, who arrived at the Trade Deadline last season, recalled the atmosphere at Petco Park during the playoffs. He figured that Friday was a small way of saying thanks for the support.

"Without them, we can't do anything ... " Soto said. "It's a huge part of it for us, to be out here and show them that we really care about them, and we're really excited to see them at the stadium."