Reviewing a roller coaster 2019 season for Padres’ Nick Margevicius
Credit: AP Photo
The 2019 season was a blur for rookie pitcher Nick Margevicius as he enjoyed early success, but suffered from the inevitable bumps that a young pitcher must endure.
After his first seven major league starts, Nick Margevicius owned a 3.47 ERA for the San Diego Padres.
At 22 years of age when the spring began, the former Rider University pitcher was not viewed as a possible rotation member. An impressive spring changed that, and the Friars awarded the young lefty with the team’s number five spot in the rotation as the Padres broke camp in Peoria.
Successful early months gave way to a horrendous May for Margevicius. A start in Colorado seemed to start a vicious cycle for the pitcher as he struggled to find his groove after that. Margevicius went 2-3 in March and April with a 3.23 ERA and a 1.109 WHIP. The pitcher’s ERA jumped to 8.59 in May and 14.63 in June. He was demoted to Amarillo in late June and stayed there until late in August when he returned as a reliever. “The season has been up and down like a roller coaster,” Margevicius first said in response to the year. “A lot of new experiences for me. I need to take a lesson from this season, whether it is good or bad. I need to try and learn from it because it comes at you really fast,” Margevicius stated with certainty.
His ending numbers are nowhere near his comfort level, but the pitcher is trying to process the 2019 year. “At the end of the season, I have to put it into perspective. Think about where I was last year,” Margevicius said. This is a very true statement as he was a complete surprise to even make his debut in 2019, let alone start the season with the team and last nearly four months. “It all came really fast. I have a good vision for next year and for the future,” Margevicius admitted about his time in the majors.
Being sent down was a tough moment for the pitcher. “Going down, there wasn’t too tough. Most of the guys there I knew and played with before,” Margevicius said first. The pitcher is very good at remaining positive, and this answer dictates that fact. He spent his time in Amarillo keeping busy. “Going down there- I knew what I needed to work on. Every day was just- go about your business and work on things,” Margevicius said. “We were working on my delivery. Solidifying it and gaining more consistency with it.”
Nick Margevicius is not known for his velocity and needs to learn how to pitch to his strength. “Being more consistent will lead to the numbers I am looking for. One hundred percent that is what I am looking to do,” Margevicius said with a nod.
His last five appearances of the year came out of the bullpen. This was the first time in his baseball career that Margevicius has been used out of the pen. “It is totally different for me. It is something I have never done. Once you get in the game, it is kind of the same. But how you get there is a little different. I am trying to learn it honestly. I don’t feel like I have it down at all yet,” the pitcher said about the experience.
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The conversation steered towards Austin Hedges as we discussed his value. “He is a great catcher and a great person. He is always willing to help, especially the young guys,” the rookie said about his catcher. “He has seen a lot of hitters. He knows how to attack hitters in the correct way. The way he plays the game defensively is really special. I have not seen anyone play like that before,” Margevicius said with certainty.
The 2019 season was full of many memories for Margevicius. Here is the most memorable moment of his rookie season- “The first time we played the Dodgers in May. The city was just awesome. Coming to the field, you got very excited. We lost those first two games by heartbreakers, but you could feel the electricity in the air. We won the third game on Hunter’s walk-off homer, and I will never forget that energy from the city and in the clubhouse,” Margevicius said with a giant smile. His most memorable moment does not include anything about himself. No talk of his major league debut. No discussion of his first win in the majors. Just about the team. That right there tells you a lot about Nick Margevicius.
James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.