The midway point through Spring Training brings a little more clarity to the roster competitions going on in camp for the San Diego Padres with almost three weeks to go. The scores of the games don’t matter; the games often include minor league players that will never see a major league roster. Even the performances by the veterans are not too important as it is the process that is the focus in spring.
Everyone is working on stuff. Hitters are refining approaches and tweaks to their mechanics. Pitchers are working on new pitches, grips, sequences and building stamina. Despite all of that, it is still possible to impress the coaching staff if you are a non-roster invitee or minor league prospect. There are many factors that go into making the final roster decisions at the end of camp and some of those decisions are made easy by performances.
Randy Vasquez
When camp opened in February, manager Craig Stammen sent a message to starter Randy Vasquez. You have to earn your spot on this staff; nothing is a given. It appears Vasquez took that challenge to heart and has been impressive. His fastball velocity is averaging 2.2 mph higher than last season, and he is using it a lot more. The whiff percentage has gone from 16% to 27.3% in his appearances so far. Last year, of his seven-pitch mix, he had a stuff+ rating of 100 or more for his cutter, sweeper, curveball and slider. This spring, his stuff+ is 100 or more for all of his pitches.
In the 4.2 innings pitched in his two starts, Vasquez has allowed one hit with five strikeouts and three walks and no runs allowed. The exhibition against Great Britain on March 4 featured the first start for Joe Musgrove in his return from Tommy John. Vasquez came on in the fourth inning and pitched four shutout innings, allowing one hit and three strikeouts with no walks. That is a drastic contrast to watching him in past seasons, where his nickname was “Strandy Vasquez” with his penchant for getting out of messes he created for himself.
The Padres staff has expressed excitement with his performance so far and Vasquez has no worries if he can keep this up.
Fifth rotation spot
Triston McKenzie will not be in the rotation. The velocity is impressive but the control and command are everywhere. No one can fix that in three weeks.
Marco Gonzales has improved from the start of camp, but his competition is pushing him to the back of the line due to his low velocity compared to the other starter options.
JP Sears has improved his velocity (up to 94 mph on his fastball) but the command of his pitches has not been consistent. If he is to compete, he must improve his location on all his pitches.
Germán Márquez has also improved as the number of starts have increased. His fastball in the mid-90s is used about half the time and he mixes in his knuckle curve, slider, sinker and changeup. Only his curve has a stuff+ of 100 or more and the rest are below average.
Walker Buehler has a seven-pitch mix with a fastball that currently hits 94 mph. His stuff+ is better on his secondary pitches and his only appearance for the Padres showed a starter that knows how to pitch. If he improves over the course of the rest of the games, it will be hard to imagine the other starters beating him.
The last starter spot will continue to be competitive until late in spring. An improvement in performance and execution could significantly affect the final decision. As things stand now, Buehler seems to be the frontrunner but that can change. There has been no clarity on what happens with the veterans who don’t make the roster. The opt-out rules and contract details aren’t totally clear, and those details could be part of the final decision.
First base and DH
The competition for the platoon partner for Gavin Sheets at first base and DH seems to have concluded with both Miguel Andujar and Nick Castellanos showing major league performances in spring games. Castellanos can play corner outfield and DH but spent his offseason working at first base. Despite learning a new position, Castellanos has looked comfortable and made some good plays. There have also been enough misplays to allow him to learn and get coaching and mentoring from those around him. Offensively, his 21 at-bats feature a home run, two doubles and six RBI with a .333 average and 1.011 OPS
Andujar, who can also play third base and left field, has had 21 at-bats with a double, two homers and three RBI. He is hitting .381 with a 1.233 OPS. Although spring stats mean very little, seeing them both make good contact and have good at-bats is encouraging for improving the production in the last half of the lineup.
Infield/Outfield depth
Sung-Mun Song looks good in infield drills, showing athleticism and excellent defense. He has played mostly third base so far this spring. He debuted at shortstop in the game on March 5, making a good play with quick reactions and a strong throw. He also hit a home run 430 feet with an exit velocity of 105 mph on a 95-mph fastball. Watching his hits so far this spring, hitting velocity hasn’t been an issue.
Unfortunately, he came out of that game with soreness in his right oblique. That is the same side he injured before camp began and is now day-to-day. Depending on his progress, there could be some competition for infield depth as infielder Ty France has impressed this spring. In his 24 at-bats, France has three doubles and five RBI while playing strong defense at first base. If the Padres test him at third base and second base in coming games, it could be a sign that he has a chance for the roster.
Coming into spring, most everyone figured Bryce Johnson had a lock on the fourth outfield job. He played well last year and is a defensive plus at all three outfield positions. It’s possible that may not be the case. Johnson has options remaining and there are multiple players in camp who have experience in the outfield. Castellanos and Andujar are infielders who have played the corner outfield spots. Gavin Sheets has also seen time. The real issue is the backup for Jackson Merrill in centerfield and only Ramon Laureano has been able to fill in. That isn’t a great fit, but Johnson could be called up in case of a longer-term issue.
It will be interesting to see if there is a true fourth outfielder on the roster when camp breaks.
Bullpen
The only clarity to come with this battle is that Bryan Hoeing appears to have a significant injury and may not be in the conversation at all. The team has been suspiciously quiet about details regarding his status. The only report is elbow soreness, and he is exploring second and third opinions on his options. None of that sounds good and it is possible surgery would be what is being debated.
The surprise has been the rise of Logan Gillaspie as an option for the long role. His velocity is also up from previous years and there looks to be more movement on his pitches as well. The 3.2 innings pitched so far have been over two games with one hit and six strikeouts. Nick Pivetta is backing off from his start on Sunday and Gillaspie will start in his place.
The final decision for the bullpen will probably come down to the last days of camp, unless there are further injuries. Fingers crossed that the performances will continue to make it hard on the Padres staff to make those final decisions.
Catcher
The start of his tenure as the new manager featured Craig Stammen naming Luis Campusano as his back-up catcher. He left no doubt he was counting on Campusano to win the job this spring. So far, Campusano has looked good behind the plate. He is noticeably more engaged with the pitchers, and his work seems a lot more focused. Although his throws were a bit off to start, his last couple have been on target and crisp.
Unfortunately, his offense hasn’t kicked in yet. It seems obvious that might lag behind if he is dedicating most of early camp to the pitchers and his defense. Watching for more offense as the games go on and we get closer to the regular season would relieve some anxiety among fans who have never seen a consistent Campusano in a Padres uniform.
If positive vibes and confidence from the manager have any effect, then Campusano should begin to bloom soon. If you buy into the theory that 80 percent of baseball is mental, then having confidence in a player and giving him all the opportunities should bring out the best in him. I continue to hope that Stammen supporting and encouraging Campusano will unlock the player we haven’t seen yet.
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