Colin Rea Hoping to Make Padres Rotation

Like the rise of Jesse Hahn in 2014, the Padres saw Colin Rea rise quickly through the minor league ranks in 2015 all the way to the major league club where he made six starts. Now Rea is hoping for the chance to stay.

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As Corey Brock reports, Rea had never pitched above Single A to start last season. He played the first half of the year in AA before being promoted to AAA following an appearance in the MLB Futures Game All Star Game Week. Then, when the Padres needed some rotation support down the stretch as Odrisamer Despaigne continued to be ineffective in the fifth starter spot, they called upon Colin Rea.

Rea is still having fun remembering his tremendous 2015: “I feel it’s still kind of surreal for me right now. Every time we have a family event, it always comes up: I can’t believe it actually happened. This year, I won’t forget it.”

Rea will be 25 for next season and is ready to go. In his six starts he went 2-2 with a 4.26 ERA before being shu down with elbow soreness as a precaution.

One of his if not the Padres season highlights was the game he pitched on September 8th against the Rockies. He pitched 7 scoreless innings in the victory and more importantly fought through a game where he didn’t have his best stuff.

"“I didn’t really have good command that day, I didn’t have good stuff. But I made pitches when I had to, relied on my two-seam fastball that game. When I needed to, was able to put it where I wanted to. I’m sure there was a little luck involved, for sure”"

Because of the fact that he threw 133 innings last year after throwing 139 the year before, he might need his innings monitored throughout the year but in theory could be stretched to 150-160 if needed.

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As it stands right now, the Padres likely will need Rea to start as the 5th starter with Robbie Erlin as the 4th behind the trio of James Shields, Tyson Ross and Andrew Cashner. They are still evaluating their pitching options and last years #3 starter Ian Kennedy is still on the free agency market. In my opinion, the Padres would be very smart to try and add a veteran starting pitcher to shore up their rotation. If any of the James Shields trade rumors are true, the team would be left in a tough spot for getting through 162 games.