If The Honky Tonk Man rode into town on a pink Cadillac, then the San Diego Padres rode into Surprise Stadium on a big bat (or two or three). 

The Padres secured a win in their first road game of Cactus League play, defeating the Kansas City Royals by a final score of 10-3. Unlike their opening game, only four projected starters in the lineup made the trip to Surprise. 

Knuckling Deep

Matt Waldron started for San Diego, a notable development given the recent influx of starting talents. Despite the competition, he ran with the opportunity. Waldron fired off two innings of scoreless baseball, striking out two batters. While the box score looked rather convincing, his velocity numbers were certainly eye-opening.

After averaging 90-92 miles per hour on his fastball and sinker in past MLB action, Waldron averaged 93.3 mph on the fastball, topping out at 94.3 mph. The uptick in velocity was not isolated to the fastball, as his knuckleball averaged 82.4 mph. The knuckleball was up three full miles per hour from its average velocity in 2025, and showed the same unpredictable movement profile from the past. His sweeper was up 1.5 mph as well, posting a 100% whiff rate. Was it in one swing? Yes, but still.

If Matt Waldron is done for the day, he’s made a strong claim in the hunt for a rotation spot.

KN averaged 82.3, peaked at 87 mph
Sweeper maxed out at 3186 rpm at 84.8 mph
FB avg. at 93.3 (up 3.1 mph avg.)

Matty Knucks still has the juice#Padres @EVT_News https://t.co/qhLf6LTmxU pic.twitter.com/p2g8oy6gmy

— Diego Garcia (@StatNerd_Base) February 21, 2026

Top of the Order To You’

The top of the Padres’ starting lineup pulled in a strong day’s work before being pulled. Ramon Laureano laced a 102.8 mph double down the line off an outside sweeper from Kansas City’s Mason Black. Laureano showed no signs of slowing down after arriving in San Diego, and he looks poised for a big season in the middle of this lineup. Miguel Andujar made his first appearance in brown and gold, and while he went 0-for-3, posting exit velocities of 99.9 and 105.3 mph certainly bodes well for him. There were concerns about his ability to maintain his 2025 production in San Diego, and while it remains too early to tell, the first impression is not too bad.

Gavin Sheets drew a walk while finishing 0-for-1, holding down the fort defensively at first base. Freddy Fermin played five innings behind the plate, going 1-for-1 on ABS challenges. At the plate, Fermin had one of the game’s biggest hits early on, as his 104.1 mph double to left field scored the game’s first run. If Fermin can put up this kind of batted ball metrics in 2026, he is poised to have a breakout season as the team’s starting catcher. 

It’s time for the Ferminator ? pic.twitter.com/peNVb29KwX

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) February 21, 2026

Bringing the Heat

Miguel Mendez made his first appearance of Spring Training in relief. Arguably one of the most under-the-radar breakouts in all of minor league baseball in 2025, Mendez and his high-octane fastball were on full display on Saturday. Mendez’s stuff was electric in 33 pitches of relief, as in total, he registered a Stuff+ grade of 105 per TJStats. His command was another story, as 30.3% of his offerings were in the zone. Despite this, his slider and changeup drew whiffs and chases from Royals hitters; Mendez even punched out Royals slugger Vinnie Pasquantino on a backfoot slider. 

Mendez’s outing ends after 33 pitches (16 strikes).

Fastball maxed out at 100.1, was averaging 16″ iVB, 13″ HB.

36% whiff rate overall, though his slider was classed as a cutter by Savant.

Not too shabby for a first outing https://t.co/BM9ExN9GzH

— Diego Garcia (@StatNerd_Base) February 21, 2026

Mira Como Anda Miranda

The Padres’ bench competition remains a storyline to watch, and Jose Miranda is doing everything in his power not to throw away his shot (yes, get used to the Hamilton references). Miranda came into the game in the fourth inning and saw four plate appearances. The result: A 3-for-3 day with four RBI. Miranda walked in his first plate appearance against Royals No. 7 prospect Ben Kudrna, scoring on a single by Carlos Rodriguez. He would later single in a run against a hanging slider from Kudrna in the sixth, scoring Samad Taylor. The Taylor-Miranda connection resumed play in the eighth, as a 103.9 mph double by Miranda scored Taylor. Miranda capped off the day with a two-run single on a high changeup to left field. So far, Miranda is hitting .833 with an OPS of… 2.524. That’s definitely a way to make a case for one’s self. 

The Best of the Rest

Samad Taylor is right there with Miranda in making a case for both a bench spot and the Jason Vosler Award. Taylor finished 2-for-2 with a sacrifice fly and is now hitting .750. Nick Solak launched a solo homer in the game against Jonathan Heasley and is now 2-for-4 in camp. Ethan Salas made his first appearance of the spring, picking up a pinch-hit RBI single in the ninth inning.

On the mound, Ron Marinaccio threw a scoreless frame with a strikeout. Marinaccio, set to pitch for Team Italy in the WBC soon, showed impressive stuff grades on his sweeper and changeup, and is in the heat for the final bullpen spot. The back end of the game took the Padres on a metaphorical time jump to 2025 El Paso, as three former Chihuahuas closed out the game. Bradgley Rodriguez pitched a scoreless seventh, picking up one strikeout and averaging 99.3 mph on his four-seam fastball. His cutter also came in at 93.9 mph, a 4.7 mph increase from last season. Francis Pena struck out two in the eighth despite averaging 94.4 mph on his sinker. While he may not have the gas he did two seasons ago, Pena can still be an MLB contributor this season. Ethan Routzahn closed out the game with a 1-2-3 ninth, displaying his sinker-curveball combo, which averaged 16 inches of horizontal break… in each direction. 

Notes From Home

Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta faced off against Mariners minor leaguers in some backfield action at Peoria Sports Complex. Each pitcher threw two scoreless innings’ worth of simulated game action. For Musgrove, this marks a major step in his readiness for Opening Day, as it marked his first time facing live batters from an opposing team since Tommy John surgery. Also in Peoria, Walker Buehler threw live at-bats on the backfields, facing Manny Machado. There is no publicly available timeline for Buehler to see Cactus League action, though he is one of several arms the Padres would undoubtedly like to see. 

Two scoreless innings apiece from Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove against Mariners Minor Leaguers in a back-field sim game.

First time Musgrove has faced hitters from an opposing team since his October 2024 Tommy John surgery. He looked sharp. pic.twitter.com/qXYi4UTXGj

— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) February 21, 2026

Next Game Preview

The Padres are set to host the rival Los Angeles Dodgers at Peoria Sports Complex on Sunday. Randy Vasquez gets his first Cactus League start of the season, while LA sends their No. 6 prospect Jackson Ferris to the mound. First pitch is at 12:10 pm Pacific, and the game will be televised on Padres TV and MLB Network.

Diego Garcia

A born and raised San Diegan, Diego Garcia is a lifetime Padres fan and self-proclaimed baseball nerd. Diego wrote about baseball on his own site between 2021-22 before joining the East Village Times team in 2024. He also posts baseball content on his YouTube channel “Stat Nerd Baseball”, creating content around trades, hypotheticals, player analyses, the San Diego Padres, and MLB as a whole.

A 2024 graduate of San Diego State, Diego aims to grow as a writer and content creator in the baseball community.