With Opening Day mere weeks away, the San Diego Padres are hard at work ironing out the kinks in their roster. Every spring training is different, but for the Padres, the answers in front of them are much clearer than in years past.
That said, there are a few key takeaways that have made themselves evident since the team made their way to camp in February.
Randy Vazquez
By far one of the most substantial developments this Spring has been the emergence of Randy Vazquez. His starts this spring display significant promise and development. There were many reports this offseason of the work he’s been doing to improve his game, and everyone is now seeing the benefits of it.
In his first two starts this spring training, Vazquez pitched 4 2/3 innings of scoreless ball. Following that, he pitched in an exhibition game against Great Britain, going four innings, striking out three batters.
His velocity on everything is trending upwards. His placement is also much stronger, getting a lot of swing and miss and he hasn’t surrender any homers.
Vazquez’ most recent starts have gone a little longer, spanning 8 1/3 innings, and he hasn’t been lights out like he began. However, his development over the offseason is undeniable.
As far as the starting rotation is concerned, he has earned his place back in the five or six-man.
Joe Musgrove
It’s been three years since Joe Musgrove made over 20 starts in the regular season. An injury-ridden past few years significantly slowed down his potential output, and the results don’t inspire much optimism. Musgrove started the aforementioned exhibition game against Great Britain. When asked how his arm felt, Musgrove replied, “It feels like I had surgery.”
It’s a flippant reply and perhaps one rooted in frustration and a desire to improve. It’s part of the athlete’s genetic code to want to strive to stay in the game, and Musgrove is no exception.
Musgrove tossed two innings but threw 60 pitches and earned a single run. His movement was there, but there was a noticeable lack of command in everything. It would be unrealistic to assume Musgrove would suddenly return to prime form following his absence.
Musgrove is beginning the year on the IL. Which means that he will not be in contention for a starting rotation spot. The club likely doesn’t want to rush his recovery, aiming to ease him into things.
Nick Castellanos and Miguel Andujar
The Padres’ offensive struggles in 2025 couldn’t be understated. That said, somehow they managed to sneak by 90 wins while nobody was looking. It would seem that Nick Castellanos and, more so, Miguel Andujar are additions that are meant to remedy that. The Padres method of signing established veterans to fill offensive and defensive holes is nothing new. This year’s experiment seems to have paid off better than previous attempts.
Andujar is a player who’s never really been given a real shot at the majors. Despite being in the league since 2017, Andjuhar only has six years of service time at this level. This is due to many factors, mainly injuries.
After a pretty good year with the Athletics and Cincinnati Reds in 2025, Andujar is looking to change the narrative of his career. The Padres may be the answer.
So far in spring training, Andujar is batting .294 with a 1.009 OPS. In 41 plate appearances, he’s knocked in seven runs, homering three times. Indeed, spring training numbers don’t always reflect performance in the regular season. However, Andjuar still looks pretty good, even on paper.
This Spring, Castellanos has worked on adjusting to a position he’s never played before in his career, first base. As early as the first week, Castellanos was making plays at first that made it seem like he’d always been there. It’s something of a miracle given that he’s historically been known as a bad fielder. In any case, this change of scenery seems to have done wonders for the former member of the Philadelphia Phillies.
In spring training, Castellanos is batting .235 with a .792 OPS. He’s knocked in six runs, and of course, he’s gone deep to left field.
Tatis in the World Baseball Classic
Outside of the Cactus League, a completely different game is going on right now. Several Padres are in the process of representing their country in the World Baseball Classic. Notably, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado are playing for the Dominican Republic. Tatis Jr has not done so quietly.
In their game against Team Israel, Tatis Jr hit a grand slam, the first ever in WBC history. Many are wondering where this sudden surge of offensive power is coming from
As is annual tradition, Tatis is sporting a new stance that many attribute to his recent production. He’s also gotten a lot of hang time with his father, his namesake, and it’s clear his mentorship has been invaluable.
The Dominican Republic was eliminated by the United States on Sunday, and with that, Tatis and Machado are set to return to camp. Time will tell how well they’ll adjust to regular ball, but all signs look good.
The Starting Nine
The Padres’ new manager, Craig Stammen, has had some fun with the starting nine. There are hundreds upon thousands of ways the lineup could fall, but right now, Stammen seems to like Xander Bogaerts in the leadoff spot.
Between the usual leadoff candidates, Tatis, Jackson Merill and Machado, he gets on base a little bit more, except for Tatis, who seems to be an unlikely candidate for leadoff, given last year’s results. In contrast, Tatis has actually enjoyed some time in the cleanup spot, which he slots into nicely.
Say what you will about Mike Shildt‘s managerial tendencies. The Padres had two very successful seasons under his leadership, and it’s clear the team’s offensive struggles were not solely due to how the batting order was set up. That said, it was still extremely controversial.
Tatis batted leadoff the vast majority of the season, and many felt that hurt more than helped the team. The logic was that in the leadoff spot, he could get more at-bats and therefore produce more runs. However, given that the Padres had a poor offensive performance most of the year, this concept never really saw any merit.
The Padres open their season against the Detroit Tigers at Petco Park on March 26 in a rematch of the 1984 World Series. Outside of the rotation and starting nine, there are heaps of other things the team has to consider. The Padres are still in the middle of selling their franchise. However, answers to questions are coming faster than some may have expected. In any case, there’s still plenty of time before things get serious.
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