The San Diego Padres enjoyed a solid starting rotation in 2024. How did their starting pitchers grade out?

Starting pitching can take you very far in baseball. We just saw the Dodgers win the World Series, much in part to possessing a much better opener than the Padres, Mets, and Yankees. The Padres had a solid rotation in their own right.

The Padres ranked 13th in MLB in starting pitcher ERA. If you switch up the splits to show on the second half, San Diego starters ranked eighth in ERA down the stretch. How did each starting pitcher do over the 2024 season?

Let’s grade each one that made at least 10 starts for the Padres, listed by amount of starts.

Dylan Cease

Starts: 33

The prized trade right before the season began was Cease from Chicago. The Padres made their intentions very clear about playing October baseball by acquiring Cease. For the most part, Cease was as advertised in the regular season. He did what he always does, and that is make at least 32 starts. This season was the fourth consecutive season Cease made at least 32 starts. Even if he didn’t have his best stuff that day, he was at least available and showed up.

His 3.47 ERA over 189 innings was his best mark since finishing Cy Young runner-up in 2022. He racked up 224 strikeouts, which was third-most in the NL. His 118 ERA+ indicates he was above average overall. His four starts of allowing five or more runs and seven starts of not being able to complete five full innings does keep him from getting an A+.

But how could we give a starting pitcher with a sub-3.50 ERA, who started every time his turn came up, and also, threw a no-hitter, anything other than an “A”?

HISTORY!

The final out from Dylan Cease’s no-hitter. pic.twitter.com/FwZsNoTS6S

— MLB (@MLB) July 25, 2024

Grade: A

Michael King

Starts: 30

Where the Padres expected greatness from Cease, what they got from King in 2024 was beyond their wildest dreams. King was the centerpiece of the trade that sent Juan Soto to New York. The Padres envisioned King as a future middle-of-the-rotation starter with nasty stuff. There was the caveat that he had never exceeded 105 innings in his MLB career after spending most of it as a reliever.

King ended up being the Padres’ most reliable starter. At times, he was downright dominant. Despite the workload concerns, King finished 14th in the NL with 173 2/3 frames, blowing past his previous career high by almost 70. Not only that, but he struck out 201 batters. Along with Cease, he passed the 200-strikeout plateau. Only 12 pitchers have ever reached that mark in a Padres uniform.

King’s stifling 2.95 ERA was the best on the starting staff. His 139 ERA+ was the 10th-best by a Padres starting pitcher in franchise history. Not to mention, he put together one of the most dominant outings by a Padres starting pitcher in their playoff history. In the opening game of the Wild Card Series against the Braves, he dominated to the tune of 12 strikeouts over seven brilliant innings.

Michael King finished with 12 strikeouts, 0 walks and 0 runs allowed vs the Braves.

He is the 5th pitcher with 10 strikeouts, 0 walks and 0 runs allowed in a postseason game in MLB history, joining:

– 2021 Logan Webb
– 2020 Trevor Bauer
– 2015 Jake Arrieta
– 2009 Cliff Lee pic.twitter.com/6tKvL5hHuw

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 2, 2024

It’s hard to justify anything less than the top grade.

Grade: A+

Matt Waldron

Starts: 26

Waldron deserves a ton of credit. He began the season as a vital part of the rotation while the Padres reshuffled their five arms a few times. He reinvented himself with a knuckleball while also still mixing in a 93 mph fastball. Before the All-Star break, he tossed over 106 innings with a 3.71 ERA. He made just seven starts after the break, with a ballooned 8.10 ERA. He eventually was demoted to Triple-A. Even still, he gave the Padres everything he had and had a great attitude about his struggles down the stretch.

It’s tough to say the Padres could’ve asked for more from Waldron.

Grade: B

Randy Vasquez

Starts: 20

Certainly, King was the prize in the Soto trade. However, the Padres got a few more arms they liked, including Vasquez. He was up-and-down for the majority of the season, spending time in Triple-A. Still, he amassed 98 innings. However, his 4.87 ERA and 84 ERA+ suggest he was out-matched at times. Once the Padres made a few deadline moves in July, his place in the rotation was murky at best. He made just one start after August 28, with a 6.52 ERA in his final six outings. There still may be a future for Vasquez in San Diego, but it was an uneven maiden voyage.

Grade: D+

Joe Musgrove

Starts: 19

This one hurts. For a second straight season (17 in 2023), he failed to reach 20 starts. The native San Diegan and fan-favorite has had trouble staying on the field the last two seasons. It was uneven when he was in there as well. His 3.88 ERA doesn’t tell the whole story. In April, his ERA bloated to 6.94 in his first seven starts of the season. He steadied the ship down the stretch. In the playoffs, he gutted out a start into the fourth inning in Game 2 against the Braves before having to leave with an injury. That injury required Tommy John surgery, and it’s tough to project when we see Musgrove again. Overall, it’s a plain bummer. He showed glimpses of his All-Star 2022 self, but once again, the injury bug bit him hard.

Grade: C-

Yu Darvish

Starts: 16

After Cease and King, things got murky during the season. Darvish dealt with injuries and a personal matter that saw him miss nearly half of the season. When he was actually on the mound, he was usually fantastic. Over 16 starts spanning 81 innings, he posted a solid 3.31 ERA and 124 ERA+. He made two solid starts against the Dodgers in the NLDS, totaling 13 innings and a 1.98 ERA. The only unfortunate part was his inability to reach even 100 innings. That marks the second season in a row Darvish didn’t reach the 140-inning threshold after four straight full seasons of doing so before.

Grade: B

Martin Perez

Starts: 10

There are throw-ins at the trade deadline, and then there is whatever Martin Perez was. The Padres acquired the veteran lefty right at the buzzer of the deadline for prospect Ronaldys Jimenez. Perez tossed 52 innings in a Padres uniform for a 3.46 ERA. That came on the heels of him posting a 5.20 ERA for the Pirates before the deal. The Padres desperately needed innings down the stretch from the back end of the rotation, and Perez was exactly what the doctor ordered.

Grade: B+

Nick Lee

Native of Escondido, CA. Lived in San Diego area for 20 years. Padres fan since childhood (mid-90s). I have been writing since 2014. I currently live near Seattle, WA and am married to a Seattle sports girl. I wore #19 on my high school baseball team for Tony Gwynn. I am a stats and sports history nerd. I attended BYU on the Idaho campus. I also love Star Wars.