Week one of the San Diego Padres’ Spring Training is officially in the books. Here are some of major storylines from the start of Cactus League 2021.
Core Rotation Starts Strong
If the Padres’ Spring Training campaign has taught us anything thus far, it’s that the starting rotation has the potential to live up to the hype as one of the best in baseball.
San Diego had four out of their five starting pitchers take the mound last week. Chris Paddack, Blake Snell, Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish each made their 2021 spring debuts, with Paddack and Snell each getting the nod for a second start. Dinelson Lamet, who is progressing towards full health after a season-ending bicep injury last year, is the only ace yet to pitch in a Cactus League game. These four arms have not allowed a run over 11 innings of work in their six combined starts.
Paddack and Musgrove looked particularly promising. They combined for six scoreless innings and allowed just two hits across three starts. Paddack’s fastball resembled that of his rookie self––controlled and in command. Musgrove seemed to have picked up right where he left 2020: sharp. Last season Musgrove had tremendous command over the strike zone, placing 10th in the majors in strikeout percentage. He threw two perfect innings in his spring debut––18 pitches in total––just three of them balls.
If these two stay consistent, they could boost the starting rotation in big ways.
In their first outings sporting the brown and gold, Snell and Darvish dominated. Snell pitched one inning in his spring debut, and two his second day on the bump. He struck out a couple, walked one and forced many ground balls. He worked quickly and competitively, and even showed some emotion on a few calls that did not go his way. Darvish threw an arsenal of pitches that struck out four through two innings. He worked in several different off-speed pitches and some 94-96 mph fastballs.
The early Spring Training success for these new Friars confirmed their offseason buildup.
Slam Diego, the Sequel
Spring has sprung and so have the San Diego grand slams. In the third Cactus League game, Fernando Tatis Jr. smacked a grand slam that traveled 441 feet over the left wall against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
FERNANDO TATIS GRAND SLAM!!!!!!! Absolute no doubter pic.twitter.com/MGiU1o0Npq
— Josh (@Notorious_L_I_B) March 2, 2021
With an exit velocity of 113 mph, it would have been Tatis’ hardest hit last year. The cherry on top was his signature bat flip, albeit more subtle this time around. Slam Diego is officially back for a sequel.
Young Prospects Impress
Almost as impressive as Tatis’ slam and the ace pitching staff have been the prospects. MacKenzie Gore, CJ Abrams, and Tucupita Marcano have all demonstrated why they are among the top young stars in the first week of Padres’ Spring Training.
Gore is San Diego’s top pitching prospect. He took the mound for the first time this spring last Thursday, eight days after his 22nd birthday.
In his first inning against the Texas Rangers, Gore tossed his lively fastball but hardly had any control over it. He threw 24 pitches, walked three and only recorded two outs before the inning was rolled over. The young southpaw settled in for the second inning, where he threw nine pitches and recorded his first strikeout. With the health status of Lamet still uncertain, it’s possible that Gore’s major league debut could come sooner rather than later.
The Padres’ top position prospects Abrams and Marcano have both played in nearly every game this spring.
Abrams is only 3-for-13 at the plate, but his few hits have made a big splash. He nabbed a single off last year’s NL Cy Young Award recipient Trevor Bauer and a couple other base hits for some RBI’s. After Tatis launched that grand slam, Abrams crushed a triple off the right centerfield wall. He reached third base standing up, with a sprint speed of 28.9 feet per second. This is just shy of the 30 ft/s elite standard. For context, Mike Trout––one of baseball’s best––averaged 28.9 ft/s in 2020.
The 20-year old’s speed doesn’t exist solely on the base path. He made some excellent plays in the middle infield, diving to his left and right to turn smooth double plays. Tatis is surely locked in at shortstop for the next decade, but Abrams could find some time at second base or center field if he cracks the major league roster. Marcano leads the Padres offensively this spring, with a .538 batting average and a 1.462 OPS, and is 7-for-13 at the plate with a home run.
Friar Fans are Fired Up
The most exciting news of spring ball has been the admittance of fans into Petco Park for Opening Day. According to California state guidelines, counties in the red tier with low COVID-19 case rates could welcome fans at reduced capacity beginning April 1st.
As long as San Diego’s case rates stay minimal and the county moves into the red tier, a few thousand Padre fans can expect to see the Friars in action in 2021.
Players Mentioned: Chris Paddack, Blake Snell, Joe Musgrove, Yu Darvish, Dinelson Lamet, Fernando Tatis Jr., MacKenzie Gore, CJ Abrams, Tucupita Marcano, Trevor Bauer, and Mike Trout
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
