5 Things We Learned About the Padres in April
Credit: AP Photo
4. The rotation is a mess
If your name is Tyson Ross or Joey Lucchesi, you can keep scrolling. Other than that, the rotation has been in disarray. Not much was expected of Ross when they brought him in, but he has been the second-best starter in this rotation with a 3.64 ERA with a 3.08 FIP.
The Opening Day starter, Clayton Richard, has been hot and cold, but mostly cold. He has a 5.35 ERA and a 5.00 FIP. He has allowed at least four runs in three of his six starts.
Bryan Mitchell has been dreadful and could be on the hot seat, and deservedly so. He is the third-worst starting pitcher in the entire league for walk rate with seven walks per nine innings. He has a 6.07 ERA as well as a 6.42 FIP.
Luis Perdomo has already been demoted after four starts with an 8.36 ERA. Eric Lauer has not gotten off to a great start, but that is not entirely fair. He has been thrust into action after just three starts in Triple-A. He allowed six earned runs in his first start in Denver. It got better in his second start in San Francisco when he allowed three runs in the first inning, then settled down to pitch four scoreless frames after that.
We all knew the rotation would probably be the biggest weakness of this team and it looks like it just might be that.
5. The farm system is deeper than just Mackenzie Gore, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Luis Urias
The best part of being a Padres fan right now is admiring how loaded the minor league system is. However, it has not been a dream start for the top of the Padres’ system. As the number one prospect, Fernando Tatis Jr. has had a nightmare start. He can’t stop striking out like a frog can’t stop being wet. He has a 32% strikeout rate and a .185 average.
Mackenzie Gore got one start with Fort Wayne before getting shut down due to blisters. Luis Urias has been banged up and his average even dipped into the .230s. However, he has bounced back recently near .300.
Luckily, this vast pool of talent lava extends far beyond these three. Josh Naylor has a 195 wRC+ and has a higher walk rate than strikeout rate for Double-A San Antonio. In the same lineup, catcher Austin Allen has been even better with a 210 wRC+ and eight home runs in 22 games. Jeisson Rosario is killing it in Fort Wayne with a 161 wRC+ and a .308 average.
On the pitching side in Double-A, Cal Quantrill has a 3.16 ERA in five starts and Logan Allen has a 9.4 K/9 rate and a 3.14 ERA. Down in Lake Elsinore, Reggie Lawson has been stifling with a 1.35 ERA and a 10.8 K/9 rate.
There is a lot to like about this farm system and some people forget it is more than just the headline names. The true beauty of this stacked system is how deep it goes; it is not top-heavy.
Native of Escondido, CA. Lived in San Diego area for 20 years. Padres fan since childhood (mid-90s). I have been writing since 2014. I currently live near Seattle, WA and am married to a Seattle sports girl. I wore #19 on my high school baseball team for Tony Gwynn. I am a stats and sports history nerd. I attended BYU on the Idaho campus. I also love Star Wars.