Cal Quantrill hopes his diligence in the offseason will pay off.
PEORIA, Ariz.
Cal Quantrill resumed throwing earlier this offseason than he has in past winters, threw more often and, as camp approached, pitched more aggressively in his bullpen sessions than he usually would.
“I wanted to walk into spring training with no questions (about) if I’m ready for the season,” Quantrill said.
That readiness was a factor in Quantrill being tabbed to start the Padres’ exhibition opener, which is scheduled for Saturday against the Seattle Mariners.
The game actually being played Saturday seems unlikely, as the forecast predicts nearly a 100 percent chance of rain in the morning and 60 percent in the afternoon. Whether that first start comes Saturday or Sunday, it does appear Quantrill will get ample chances to make the bigleague club.
“I want as many opportunities as possible this spring to prepare myself for the season,” he said.
It is notable Quantrill referred to the opportunities to prepare rather than the opportunities to prove he belongs in the majors, as many pitchers in his position do. It’s not that he doesn’t know he is on the bubble — whether it is the final spot in the rotation or a “swing” role primarily pitching out of the bullpen he is ultimately attempting to earn.
“The guys who make the decisions have tons and tons of information,” Quantrill said. “They’ve seen me throw lots. Spring training should be, for all of us, about preparing to win games during the season. This is just an opportunity to get started earlier than the rest of the guys and maybe get an extra one at the end. I know my arm is ready, and I’m excited.”
Quantrill, who turned 25 on Feb. 10, made his major league debut last May 1 and ended up pitching 103 innings for the Padres.
He had a 4.83 ERA and 1.37 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) in his first 41 innings, a stretch that included seven starts and four relief appearances. Beginning with a start against the Atlanta Braves on July 14 in which he threw six shutout innings, Quantrill posted a 1.79 ERA and 0.82 WHIP over his next 401⁄3 innings (seven games, six starts).
He allowed 28 runs, all earned, in 162⁄3 innings over his next four starts before ending the season Sept. 21 with a solid five innings against Arizona in which he allowed a run on two hits.
Then he pretty much got to work on this season.
“I’m still learning, still improving,” he said of his more active offseason. “I wanted to get some of those cobwebs out. That way we’re ready to go full-bore, no excuses once the games start.”
Pham on schedule
Tommy Pham is on track to make his first start in left field around the middle of March. He likely will serve as the Padres’ designated hitter in some games before then.
Pham, acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in a December trade and expected to be inserted near the top of the Padres’ batting order, has not had any setbacks since starting a throwing program last week. Pham underwent treatment for the majority of the offseason for a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament of his right (throwing) arm. He was limited to being the Rays’ DH about half the time in September and for almost all of their playoff run.
Pham played catch with a football from 45 feet and a baseball from 110 feet on Thursday morning.
Skip the skipper?
Skip Schumaker downplayed last week the idea his new role as the Padres’ associate manager is preparation for his seemingly inevitable day in charge of a team.
“I don’t think so,” he said, smiling. “It’s just (that) I’m doing everything I can to help all the coaches. … I’m very new to the game still. I’m lucky to be a part of the big-league staff this early in my career.”
Schumaker, who turned 40 this month, played in the majors from 2005-15 and served as the Padres’ first base coach the past two seasons. The Padres thought so highly of him that they created a new title and gave him new responsibilities.
The Padres hired Bobby Dickerson as bench coach this offseason, but Dickerson’s duties are primarily as infield coach. Schumaker will be new manager Jayce Tingler’s primary sounding board and strategy-checker during games.
“Skip has had great experiences on the field,” General Manager A.J. Preller said. “Players respect him. He’s been in winning programs — with the Cardinals, won a World Series. He knows the game really well. Looking at Jayce as a first-year manager, we knew we had to have some really quality people around him. … It takes a lot of people to help you put together a quality organization. I think we see Skip as an extension of Jayce and a guy who is going to take on a lot of responsibility for Jayce throughout the season.”
In a move the Padres explained as an opportunity for Tingler to get a break and for Schumaker to get experience, Schumaker was the one conducting the daily manager’s media briefing Thursday morning. It is expected he will do so every Thursday.
“Whatever Jayce needs I’ll be there to help him out,” said Schumaker, who was interviewed by the Mets as part of their manager search this offseason.
kevin.acee@sduniontribune.com