San Diego Padres prospect Kash Mayfield is a young left-handed pitcher with a strong desire to be perfect. The lefty is also making progress in self-adjustments to become the best pitcher he can be. 

In the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft, the San Diego Padres selected Kash Mayfield out of a high school in Oklahoma.

His senior year numbers are something of legend as Mayfield only allowed 12 base runners (four walks and eight base hits) the whole season and ended the year with a 0.16 ERA in 44 innings pitched. He struck out 115 batters in that span. Basically, nobody put the ball in play.

The Padres happily used their first-round selection on the pitcher, and the early indications are that they got a great deal.

Mayfield is currently in Lake Elsinore, pitching for the Storm. He owns a 3.72 ERA and a 1.069 WHIP in his first 10 games and 29 innings pitched. He’s struck out 46 in that span but also issued 12 free passes. Something that peeves the lefty. “It’s a game of failure, and not everything will go your way. Stuff is going to happen, and we can’t be perfect,” Mayfield explained to EVT before a game. Mayfield dominated so much in high school that it was slightly surreal to pitch in the Cal League. “It was a big step up, especially after high school.”

In his last start, Mayfield failed to make it out of the first inning. We discussed the outing. He was open to talking about it and spoke candidly. “It was disappointing. I have never been pulled out of the game in the first inning. I had to call my dad that night,” Mayfield said somberly. We both agreed that the pitch count got him more than anything. He totaled 34 pitches in the outing against Modesto on June 25 and two earned runs. Mayfield recorded two outs in the game while allowing two hits and issuing two walks. At his age, it would’ve been irresponsible for him to continue that inning.

There is a lot of maturity in this young southpaw as we digested that specific game and spoke more about the experience. It wasn’t very pleasant, but Mayfield knew his career wouldn’t be completely perfect. “In the end, it was a learning opportunity. I came here to be challenged,” Mayfield states. It is all about the future. There is no time to dwell on the past. His focus is on improving and making himself a better pitcher. “High school was really fun. But playing here against guys from different countries who have played ball their whole lives and being put in difficult situations is challenging. I actually enjoy that. Working out of these situations is helping me be better.”

In Lake Elsinore, Mayfield is enjoying his time with Boston Bateman. I wrote about their relationship, which you can read about here. The duo are great friends and building a strong bond. They both strive for perfection, and that unites them in their workouts and preparation. “He and I are really big perfectionists, and I picked up that really early from him,” Mayfield said. “We would be playing catch, and he would get mad at himself- and I would think to myself- That is me.”

Kash Mayfield is loving his time in California as it is obviously different than Oklahoma. “I am enjoying my time here. There is a lot going on here. It’s really fun being out here,” Mayfield said. Bateman and Mayfield can be seen on days that aren’t pitching, playing catch with a football on the field, and just enjoying life.

Early in the year, the southpaw missed some time with a slight shoulder issue. He explains that everything is good now, and the time off was more precautionary than anything. The lefty knows his body, and the time off was nothing more than an opportunity to make sure he finishes the 2025 season fully healthy. “I am good. Excited to keep going and make my starts each week,” Mayfield said.

In talking to Mayfield, he explains that some adjustments needed to be made to his mechanics. These slight amendments to his bottom half should result in a free and easy pitcher with no discomfort to his arm. Mayfield made this discovery independently. “There for a little bit, I slowly came into this thing with my leg kick, where I was having a little too much rotation, and it was hard for me to catch up on the upper half. I spotted it by watching a video of myself in high school compared to a side video of one of my pens with the Padres, and I could see that my lead leg was doing something different during the leg kick. I saw that, and I did drills to work back into that. Now I am back to where I want to be,” Mayfield explains.

To make these changes as a teenager bodes well for his future. Mayfield is still 19 years old. A pitcher will always need to make mechanical adjustments as they progress over the years. To have this self-awareness of your body and the ability to do something about it is rare. Again, this discovery was made by Mayfield himself, and he was not coached in any way on the issue.

Kash Mayfield dominated in high school with his fastball but is now transitioning into a finesse pitcher. “Last year in high school, I was more of a fastball/slider pitcher. I really didn’t have a good feel for the change-up yet. Coming into pro ball, that was a pitch I was really going to need to develop. It’s funny because now I think I’m more of a fastball, change-up guy. I have really improved on my change-up lately,” Mayfield explains proudly.

Brian Burres is the manager in Lake Elsinore, and it is his first season managing a full-season affiliate. You get a sense the Padres picked Burres specifically because the former left-handed pitcher in the majors can relate to both Boston Bateman and Kash Mayfield. “His calming presence helps keep us fresh. He is going to state his words, but he is also going to keep calm. That is one thing I really like about him,” Matfield said. Burres realizes how special the lefties are and simply says, “They have way more talent than I ever had.”

We spoke about deception on the mound. Mayfield admits he does not utilize analytics all that much. “Every pen is on a trackman here. The only thing I honestly ever look at is my velocity in pens. Because I have a certain range of velo that I like to stay around- especially the fastball,” Mayfield explains. His fastball gets on hitters quicker than his mph indicates. Mayfield sits around 91-92 mph in general. He could ramp that up a little bit, if needed, but generally uses movement and location to accomplish the task. “I had an outing in Modesto, and Lamar King Jr was catching me. I think my fastball was like 91-93 mph that day, and he said it felt like the pitch was like 95-96 mph. The way my fastball spins and rides it plays a little faster than what the numbers say,” Mayfield told EVT.

His shoulder injury disappointed the young pitcher, as one of his goals was to make all of his starts this season. As mentioned before, Mayfield is moving forward and not dwelling on the past. “My second goal is to try to end the season in Fort Wayne. I am still working for that goal,” Mayfield said. He is still on track, despite taking a brief hiatus. It will take continued development, but ending in the Midwest League is certainly not out of the realm of imagination.

His focus right now is to be more conscious while on the mound. “I just want to improve on my strike throwing. To just get as many outs as possible in a start. I am not trying to blow everything by someone. I am almost aiming for contact. Just making them put it in play,” Mayfield said. We discussed the craft of pitching and working longer into games, which is something he also wants to accomplish. He knows that will be another key to his growth. “If I trust my stuff, I will get a lot of weak contact.” These statements are further proof of the growth of this young pitcher early in his career. The sky is the limit for Kash Mayfield. Someday, the San Diego Padres will reap the benefits of his hard work.

James Clark

James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. James has written about the Padres and their prospects for over a decade. He also writes about San Diego State as well as other local sports. James is the 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.