I hope you’re good and comfortable. I’ve got three of these bad boys to crank out tonight.

Not since Steve Finley called Qualcomm Stadium home in the championship season of 1998 have the Padres had such a capable defender in center field. [Update: Vinay Kumar reminds me that Ruben Rivera, despite his numerous faults, was a spectacular defensive center fielder.] Mark Kotsay was well above average at the position, but Mike Cameron is operating on an entirely different level. He almost never gets a bad jump and covers a staggering amount of ground. His range helps takes pressure off the corner outfielders, increasing their effectiveness in the process.

On offense, Cameron doesn’t hit for a high average and he strikes out too much for some folks’ tastes, but he does draw walks and — despite showing very little power early in the season after recovering from a strained left oblique muscle incurred at the end of spring training — he is capable of hitting the ball a long way, to any part of the park. Cameron has hit 9 of his 10 home runs since June 1 and is batting .279/.374/.571 during that same stretch of 35 games.

Once on the basepaths, Cameron can be a disruptive force. In addition to stealing bases at a high percentage, Cameron is adept at taking the extra base and generally runs extremely well. I’ve heard more than one person note this year that he has his “normal fast” and then he has another gear that most guys don’t possess. It’s nothing I can quantify, but you’ll know it when you see it.

After watching center fielders who were overmatched by Petco Park’s vast expanses during its first two seasons of operation, it’s comforting to see Cameron and know that if the ball is hit in his general direction, it’s probably an out.

Grade: B+