• Joe Musgrove will honor Jake Peavy by wearing No. 44.

Joe Musgrove couldn’t pass up the chance. He got his first foul ball at Qualcomm Stadium, sat in his family’s season seats beyond the rightfield wall at Petco Park, idolized a Cy Young Award winner named Jake Peavy.

So after wearing No. 59 in each of his first five big-league seasons, Musgrove has switched to No. 44 in his first season with the Padres.

“A little nod to Jake Peavy, who was my favorite pitcher coming up, just who he was and the way he carried himself on the field,” said Musgrove, a Grossmont High product. “I was a very emotional and energetic player as a kid. My dad really instilled in me to be respectful, to not show up your opponent and play the game the right way. I always wanted to let a little more out than he wanted me to. Going to Padres games and seeing Peavy — snot flying, grunting and fist-bumping — that’s who I felt I was as a player. Seeing a big-leaguer at that time doing the same thing gave me the confidence to be myself and play the game the way I wanted to.”

Chris Paddack wears No. 59 for the Padres. They acquired Musgrove, a 28-year-old right-hander, from Pittsburgh in a January trade.

Peavy pitched for the Padres from 2002 until he was traded in the middle ’09, going 92-68 with a 3.23 ERA and winning the Cy Young in 2007.

“It’s pretty special for me to wear 44,” Musgrove said. “I know there’s a ton of expectation with it and I have to do the number right. So I’m going to do everything I can.”

Espinoza next comeback

Anderson Espinoza is still just 22 years old. It just seems like he should be older.

Five years ago, the right-hander was the Padres’ top-ranked prospect. But he hasn’t pitched in a minor league game since 2016.

He had his right elbow reconstructed in August 2017. Even as he was throwing hard and impressing with the movement on his secondary pitches, the elbow didn’t feel right as he came back from that Tommy John surgery. And in April of 2019, he had a second TJ procedure.

The pandemic wiped out his 2020 season. So this spring training, his third in big-league camp, is expected to be a big step for him as he continues to work toward a return.

“The most important thing is we want to get him to get into games,” said manager Jayce Tingler, who noted the improvement in Espinoza’s secondary pitches in his bullpen session Friday versus his initial one earlier in the week. “Obviously, the lack of innings and game reps over the last couple years, at some point he’s going to need that. We want to get him into some of these spring training games, and we’ll go from there.”

Getting there?

Paddack was among the pitchers to throw the first live batting practice sessions of spring training Friday — along with Michel Baez, Adrian Morejon and Ryan Weathers.

The group was closely monitored by coaches this offseason, with the plan for them to pitch early in Cactus League action and get ample innings.

Paddack, who followed a stellar rookie season with a rocky 2020 (4.73 ERA), has been working on mechanics, largely having to do with an attempt to return to his pinpoint command of his fastball. He has also, according to those who have seen video, improved his curveball and cutter. The feeling is that, as good as his top two pitches are, he has had to be too reliant on his fastball and change-up.

“He’s put in a lot of work this winter,” pitching coach Larry Rothschild said. “The results so far have been good. We’ll just continue and see where it gets to.”

Tingler reported seeing improvement Friday. “He was able to take those things into live BP, which is exactly what you want to see,” Tingler said. “For him to take it in and be able to repeat to hitters, when there is a little more … adrenaline, for him to be able to do that, I thought that was a very significant step.”

You complete them

After playing their 60 regular-season games and six postseason contests in virtually empty ballparks, the Padres will see and hear fans at their spring training games beginning Feb. 28.

More pertinently, it appears increasingly likely a small number of fans will be allowed at Petco Park to start the season. The number of fans allowed is expected to increase as the season progresses.

“We feel the one thing we’re missing in this entire deal is the fans to be part of this,” Tingler said. “It’s crucial to us. That’s the component where we’re feeling a little emptiness. If we get that opportunity, not only the buzz, the excitement, the energy, I think it’s got a chance to make us complete.”