The Padres bullpen can beat you in a variety of different ways
IMAGE CREDIT: KYLE TERADA-USA TODAY SPORTS
A look at the San Diego Padres’ bullpen and how they beat you in several different ways.
Gaining an edge in Major League Baseball is the key to success.
You need to think outside the box.
Competing against the Los Angeles Dodgers is a challenge for the San Diego Padres. The juggernaut up the Interstate-5 freeway is built to win now. The Dodgers intend to assert their dominance in the league, but San Diego is not threatened by their rival to the north.
The Padres possess the same dreams as the Dodgers, and despite budget restrictions, they are also built to win now.
A.J. Preller is a creative mind in the league. He always does unconventional things. The Padres failed to re-sign Tanner Scott this winter, and most thought the Padres’ bullpen would be in trouble. That couldn’t be further from the truth, as the Padres have the most dominant bullpen in the league so far this season. Their 1.79 ERA is easily the best in all of baseball. Once the Padres get the lead, they hold it.
In examining the success of the pen, it goes beyond just velocity.
The Padres have a few guys who throw in the upper 90s. But the variety of arms and arm angles from which they pitch stymies the competition. It is not all about velocity.
If they need a ground ball, they have men who are superior in that category. Wandy Peralta is in the 99th percentile, inducing a ground ball at a 72.7 percent rate. Adrian Morejon is at 52.1 percent, which is in the 80th percentile for the statistic.
If they need a fly ball, a few pitchers excel in making the hitter put the ball in the air. Robert Suarez, Alek Jacob, and Jeremiah Estrada are all flyball pitchers who generally get outs that way if a batter puts the ball in play.
Speaking of putting the ball in play. If the Padres need a strikeout, virtually all staff members are in the upper percentages in terms of strikeouts produced. Estrada leads the staff with a strikeout percentage in the 96th percentile. Yuki Matsui (94th percentile), Jason Adam (92nd percentile), and Robert Suarez (87th percentile) are all strikeout pitchers.
Then there are the arm angles. Jeremiah Estrada comes at you with a 66-degree angle. Compare that to Alek Jacob and his -1 degree arm angle, and the Padres attack you with several different looks. No two members of the staff attack hitters the same way.
Here is a look at the group and what their stuff looks like. Also, here is an idea of how each pitcher attacks hitters.
Arm angle- 45 degrees
Ground ball rate- 30.3 %
Strikeout percentage- 30.2 %
Walk percentage- 7.5 %
Pitch Mix
4-seam FB- 98.32 mph at 2,391 RPM (54.9 percent usage)
2-seam FB- 97.52 mph at 1,767 RPM (14.1 percent usage)
Change- 89.45 mph at 2,380 RPM (31.1 percent usage)
Suarez mainly used his fastball last year at the end of the season (87 percent usage of FB). This season, he is using the change a lot more (31.1 percent usage). In fact, He has thrown the selection two and three times in a row, which is a far cry from the 2024 season. His four-seam fastball is filthy and generates a ton of swings and misses. Suarez also induces a lot of fly balls, as hitters just get under the selection and fly out. He throws a hard change with lots of spin that has an arm-side run averaging almost 10 miles per hour slower than his fastball. Though Suarez does give up his share of hard-hit balls, they are mostly lofting flyballs that result in outs. Now that he is using his change-up at a higher clip, he is showing true dominance at the closer position.
Arm angle- 38 degrees
Ground ball rate- 43.6 %
Strikeout percentage- 32.4 %
Walk percentage- 11.3 %
Pitch Mix
4-seam FB- 94.54 mph at 2,581 RPM (22.8 percentage usage)
Slider- 82.50 mph at 2,566 RPM (29.8 percentage usage)
Sweeper- 77.6 mph at 2,567 RPM (11.8 percent usage)
Cutter- 85.9 mph at 2,516 RPM (1 percent usage)
Change- 88.08 mph at 1,976 RPM (34.6 percent usage)
Adam uses his devastating slider to induce weak contact. He also attacks hitters with a high-riding four-seam fastball that gets great spin. His 2,581 RPMs from the FB are impressive considering he does not top out in the high 90s like his counterparts in the bullpen. Adam’s slider has great dimensions and tilt. He changes speeds on the pitch, but it generally sits 10-12 mph slower than his four-seam fastball. Adam generates weak contact, and generally, the ball is not hit hard off of him, and generally, away from a hitter’s barrel. The late movement on his slider, combined with the high-riding fastball, is tough for most hitters to handle. Adams attacks the batter on a north and south plane rather than nibbling on the corners.
Arm angle- 66 degrees
Ground ball rate- 31.4 %
Strikeout percentage- 36.1 %
Walk percentage- 6.6 %
Pitch Mix
4-seam FB- 97.79 mph at 2,246 RPM (65.2 percent usage)
Slider- 88.76 mph at 2,231 RPM (16 percent usage)
Change/Splitter- 82.98 mph at 1,370 RPM (18.8 percent usage)
The Padres stole Estrada from the Cubs last winter. He has blossomed under Ruben Niebla’s tutelage and refined his mechanics. Estrada throws incredibly hard and teams that with an unconventional split-finger change. His fastball does not have much arm-side movement, which seems to fool many hitters. This also makes him effective against left-handed batters. Estrada’s “chitter” fools batters as most are way out in front and pop the pitch up. He throws strikes and sometimes challenges hitters with pitches down the middle. Occasionally, a hitter will barrel up his fastball as he challenges them. The slider is his third pitch and is capable of generating swing and miss, but is equally capable of flattening out and being hittable. It is a work in progress.
Arm angle- Negative 1 degrees
Ground ball rate- 32 %
Strikeout percentage- 17.1%
Walk percentage- 5.7 %
Pitch Mix
4-seam FB- 86.07 mph at 2,348 RPM (37.3 percent usage)
2-seam FB- 84.62 mph at 2,276 RPM (16.7 percent usage)
Change- 75.23 mph at 2,181 RPM (33.8 percent usage)
Slider/Sweeper- 72.77 mph at 2,210 RPM (12.2 percent usage)
Jacob attacks hitters from the side and provides a totally unusual look for the Padres’ bullpen. Like most sidearmers, Jacob does not feature high velocity. Though his fastball is in the mid to high 80s, it generates swing and miss, especially if he locates it on their hands. His change is his money pitch, which infuriates hitters as they are forced to try and stay back on him. His change is why his fastball plays in the league. Jacob averages 10-11 mph slower with the selection than his fastball, and that is tough to adjust to. Factor in his arm angle, and he is not a fun at-bat for hitters on either side of the plate. He is a strike thrower, and though he will give up hard-hit baseballs, they are generally fly balls that are easily tracked. His unorthodox style is useful for the Padres moving forward.
Arm angle- 44 degrees
Ground ball rate- 52.1 %
Strikeout percentage- 20.3 %
Walk percentage- 4.7 %
Pitch Mix
4-seam FB- 96.40 mph at 2,490 RPM (5.8 percent usage)
2-seam FB- 97.51 mph at 2,415 RPM (60.9 percent usage)
Slider- 87.89 mph at 2,732 RPM (17.3 percent usage)
Cutter- 94.32 mph at 2,584 RPM (13.8 percent usage)
Split- 86.47 mph at 807 RPM (2.2 percent usage)
This left-hander found his mojo out of the bullpen for the Padres. There were thoughts of Morejon starting as recently as last year, but all that is likely over as he is showing flat-out dominance out of the pen. His velocity has ticked up in relief, and so has his durability. Morejon battled nagging injuries and ultimately Tommy John early in his career, but he is showing stamina in the bullpen. Morejon attacks hitters with a two-seam fastball that provides a lot of whiffs. His slider is biting down in the zone and producing a lot of ground balls for the southpaw as it comes in at 2,732 RPM. He generally does not throw his splitter, which comes in at 807 RPM, which has a third of the rotation of his fastball. Morjeon throws strikes and attacks hitters early in counts with multiple hard selections.
Arm angle- 46 degrees
Ground ball rate- 72.7 %
Strikeout percentage- 21.3 %
Walk percentage- 8.5 %
Pitch Mix
4-seam FB- 95.47 mph at 2,245 RPM (2 percent usage)
2-seam FB- 95.40 mph at 2,203 RPM (47.1 percent usage)
Change- 88.80 mph at 2,210 RPM (44.7 percent usage)
Slider- 87.71 mph at 2,301 RPM (6.5 percent usage)
Wandy Peralta is proving to be valuable for the Padres after a miserable 2024 season. In comparing the two seasons, the velocity on all four of his pitches was identical, but his RPM increased on each selection. Peralta may have spent some time with the Padres’ analytical department to gain some extra spin on all his pitches. He is pounding the zone and getting incredible drop on his two-seamer and his change. Both pitches are being driven into the ground as Peralta is incredibly in the 99th percentile in terms of ground ball outs. The veteran lefty is enjoying an excellent season for the Padres, and his numbers should continue to shine as long as he keeps throwing strikes at the bottom half of the strike zone.
Arm angle- 56 degrees
Ground ball rate- 35.5 %
Strikeout percentage- 33.9 %
Walk percentage- 10.7 %
Pich Mix
4-seam FB- 92.25 mph at 2,388 RPM (41.5 percent usage)
Slider- 81.11 mph at 2,637 RPM (13.7 percent usage)
Curve- 75.05 mph at 2,679 RPM (0.9 percent usage)
Sweeper- 80.5 mph at 2,809 RPM (11.1 percent usage)
Split- 83.89 mph at 1,081 RPM (32.9 percent usage)
Funky, lefty Yuki Matsui is coming into his own with the Padres in 2025. Throwing everything but the kitchen sink out there, Matsui will attack you in different ways. His four-seam fastball is spotted on both sides of the plate, and he teams that with a splitter that he uses 32.9 percent of the time. Matsui also uses the slider, sweeper, and an occasional cutter and curve to obtain strikes. Though he does not light up the radar gun, his motion and mechanics throw hitters off, and he is capable of throwing a heater past a batter. His fastball generates less arm-side run than most lefties, which adds to the funk that is Yuki Matsui. The Padres love the way Matsui gives yet another different look to the bullpen, and comes with the pedigree of closing in Japan. His skin is thick.
** Stats accumulated through brooksbaseball.net & baseballsavant.mlb.com
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.