CAN HOSMER PAIR NUMBERS, HEALTH?
His production rose in ’20, in just 38 games
It was an almost imperceptible delay and only a slightly more evident slowdown.
But it made quite a bit of difference for 38 games in a season like no other, one that gave promise to the idea Eric Hosmer can be as significant to the Padres on the field as he is in the clubhouse.
“Tempo,” Hosmer said Wednesday, smiling wide, as if the word were magic.
It sort of was for him. It helped turn one of the game’s most prolific groundball hitters into a guy who sprayed line drives and fly balls all over the yard.
Slowing down allowed him to stay back, see the ball longer and had the side effect of keeping his back side more grounded as he struck the ball.
“He wasn’t rushed,” Padres hitting coach Damion Easley said simply.
Oh, Hosmer’s swinging motion can still cause whiplash just watching it. That thing is violent, like something out of a “Braveheart” battle scene.
And his pre-swing leg kick is still pronounced, like what might be seen on a dance floor at a wedding.
The man who has arguably been the Padres' most consistently effective reliever over the past three seasons probably won't be available for the beginning of the season.
For all the perceived depth in the bullpen, a stalwart will be missing at the start.
Matt Strahm, who underwent patellar tendon surgery on his right knee at the end of October, is not expected to throw a bullpen session until at least next week. And even he acknowledged “that is wishful thinking.”
And to go from there to pitching in a major league game by the beginning of April would require a significant leap and a fair amount of luck.
“Yeah,” Strahm said. “But it's me. Talking with the surgeon, I can do things as tolerated.”
So while all he has done in spring training so far is play catch and work on strengthening his knee, taking two or three figurative steps forward and then one back, his being on the opening-day roster can't be ruled out.
The left-hander pitched all of 2018 in some degree of discomfort and on a limited workload while recovering from patellar tendon surgery in his left knee. He pitched virtually all of last season in pain before undergoing patellar tendon surgery in his right knee. Manager Jayce Tingler estimated Strahm pitched at varying points at 60, 70, 80 or at best 90 percent in 2020.
Through that, he has posted a 2.66 ERA and 1.02 WHIP working out of the bullpen, second only to departed closer Kirby Yates (2.04, 0.96) since the start of '18. Strahm's 1012⁄3 innings as a reliever ranked fourth in that span behind Craig Stammen (185), Yates (128) and Robbie Erlin (106).
Strahm also made five starts as an opener in '18, allowing two earned runs in 131⁄3 innings, and made 16 starts in 2019, posting a 5.29 ERA in a stint that was for various stretches both brilliant and erratic. In all, only four Padres pitchers have thrown more innings than
Strahm since the start of the '18 season.
His resilience can't be questioned.
“I guess I am going to try to rewrite the patellar tendon recovery protocol,” Strahm said.
Strahm was acquired via trade from Kansas City in July 2017, shortly after having his left knee repaired. He was ready for spring training but began the season on the injured list and did not appear in a big-league game until May 7. He didn't appear on back-to-back days until the end of August.
There are different factors this time. It's a different leg.
The previous patellar surgery was on his drive (or push) leg. The right leg is a lefty's landing leg.
“We need to be more aggressive on strengthening it so when I'm coming down the mound,” he said. “It's my brakes. I need that to be the strongest to protect my arm. As far as how I feel at this point in my rehab compared to last time, it's different. My surgery was in July last time. I knew I was missing the end of the season. There was no rush. More so, not the severity of injury but the timing of the injury is what we're dealing with.
Strahm, who turned 29 in November, is being counted on as an integral part of the bullpen.
Thus, what the Padres are focused on is Strahm being around for the bulk of the
season, more than the beginning.
“I want to be ready for the beginning of the season,” Strahm said. “But ultimately, I want to be healthy and around for October. That is our goal. They've stressed that to me as well, that we want me around for the long haul. We're all on the same page. But we're still pushing it, because that's the kind of person I am.”
Morejon gets first start
Adrian Morejon will probably be in the bullpen when the regular season begins, but he is the openingday starter for the Padres in spring training.
The left-hander, who turns 22 on Saturday, will start Sunday's Cactus League opener against the Mariners.
“He's done probably the most simulated games or live (batting practice),” Tingler said. “So we feel confident that from a health standpoint that he's going to be in a very good position.”
Morejon, who lives in Arizona, has been working out at the complex and has thrown at least eight bullpen sessions in recent weeks.
None of the Padres' top five starters likely will pitch in a game until at least the middle of the week. MacKenzie Gore and Ryan Weathers, the team's top two pitching prospects, began throwing live BP early in spring as well, and they are expected to start next week.
Notable
The excitement about the Padres is being felt in a way they need it to be felt, as the team said it set a record over the past week with nearly $2 million worth of season tickets sold. The expectation is all season ticket members will be able to attend games this season, even with reduced capacity at Petco Park.
Tickets went on sale to the general public Wednesday morning, and the team announced Wednesday evening that all 14 home spring training games at Peoria Stadium had sold out.
Tickets for Sunday's opener vs. the Padres, which is technically a Mariners home game at the complex the teams share, were also sold out by Wednesday evening.
Just 1,960 tickets (16 percent of capacity) were sold for each game at Peoria Stadium.
• Left-handed reliever Tim Hill threw a bullpen session for the first time in six days. He had been dealing with what was described as a “little” shoulder issue. Said Tingler: “He's full go.”
• Outfielder Jurickson Profar remains in Curacao awaiting resolution of his visa issue, but the Padres still expect he'll be in camp by the weekend. Said Tingler: “As soon as that goes through, he's jumping on the first flight.”