In Peoria, Arizona, Germán Márquez arrived energized, embodying the hope the San Diego Padres have placed in him this season. The 30-year-old right-handed pitcher, coming off Tommy John surgery in 2023, is eager to prove his value with the Padres and bring a winning attitude to the team.
“I spent almost 10 years with the Colorado Rockies. This is something new for me. I’m gonna give my best to this team. … I’m excited to play with a team that wants to win. When I was young, I had team that liked to win, and it was a cool feeling,”
Márquez said Thursday.
Rebounding From Injury and Past Performance Struggles
After a solid decade primarily with the Rockies, Márquez aims to recapture his previous form. His last two seasons, however, have been marked by disappointing numbers on the mound, including a notable drop in strikeouts and a higher on-base percentage allowed. The recovery period after surgery and the transition to a new team are key factors driving his determination.
“I worked hard to get a job and show that I’m healthy and I’m going to be healthy the whole year,”
he emphasized.
Between 2017 and his surgery in May 2023, Márquez maintained a 64-55 record in 170 starts, showing respectable metrics such as a 23.1% strikeout rate and a 48.4% groundball rate despite pitching many games at Coors Field, a challenging hitter-friendly park. Yet over the past two seasons, his strikeout rate dropped to 14.1%, and opponents’ on-base percentage increased to .380, reflecting his struggles and decline in effectiveness. These struggles were apparent regardless of venue, with road appearances not providing a boost in performance.
Competition and Coaching Aimed at Renewed Success
Márquez’s arrival in San Diego adds depth to a Padres rotation that includes fellow former National League West pitcher Walker Buehler, who is also working through a comeback from Tommy John surgery. Both pitchers are competing with others for the final one or two spots in the starting rotation.
The Padres anticipate that Márquez’s additional recovery time since surgery and adjustments guided by pitching coach Ruben Niebla will help rejuvenate his arsenal. They hope that mechanical tweaks will restore life to his fastball and revive his curveball’s effectiveness.
A.J. Preller, Padres president of baseball operations, highlighted the motivation that Márquez brings, stating,
“He’s another guy who has something to prove.”
Implementing New Ball-Strike Review System During Spring Training
At Peoria Stadium, the Padres experimented with the new Automatic Ball-Strike (ABS) system during live batting practice. Although still fine-tuning player measurements, the team is preparing for regular season games where players can challenge ball and strike calls for the first time via helmet or cap taps. Each team will start with two challenges per game, which are lost only after unsuccessful attempts.
Manager Craig Stammen commented on the system’s initial testing:
“I think they just didn’t have our measurements yet. So it wasn’t perfect. But we got the feeling of what it’s like with an umpire back there and tapping your head in the appropriate amount of time, all that kind of stuff.”
The Padres plan to test and refine their use of challenges throughout spring training, instructing regulars to familiarize themselves with the process. Stammen remarked,
“When we’ve got our regulars playing, we want them to use it and get used to it.”
The coaching staff will observe who can strategically employ challenges, knowing they must be judicious, as Stammen warned,
“We’ve got to be smart when we use them. Those will be strategies we kind of come up with as we go through spring training and see how it works — see who’s good at it, see who’s not good at it. There could be some revoking of people’s challenge opportunities.”
Limited Challenge Opportunities for Pitchers Reflects Their Perspective
Most teams, including the Padres, intend to restrict pitchers from initiating ball-strike challenges. Stammen, a former pitcher, explained the reasoning:
“Pitchers are … highly emotional while pitching, and they’re also the farthest away from the strike zone. So as much as they think they’ve got a clear view, they’re doing whatever they can mechanically to throw 95 mph, and they still think they can pinpoint where that fastball or curveball ends up. I know personally (when) I was complaining about an umpire internally, about him missing a call, when I went back and looked at it after the game, it was about 95% of the time a ball. So just knowing that personally, the pitchers will have limited opportunities to challenge.”
Prospects Progressing During Spring Training
In the Padres’ camp, top prospect Ethan Salas has been actively participating in drills and bullpen sessions during his third major league spring training. However, his on-field game time is expected to be more limited than that of other minor leaguers like Rodolfo Durán and Blake Hunt.
The organization is easing Salas’s workload due to his recovery from a stress reaction in his lower back that caused him to miss most of the previous season. Additionally, the team wants to evaluate other catching options, as some within the Padres believe Durán could challenge Luis Campusano for the role of backup to Freddy Fermin.
