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San Diego Padres: These Pitchers Deserve A Shot

By Nick Stevens |
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SAN DIEGO, CA – APRIL 2: Bryan Mitchell
SAN DIEGO, CA – APRIL 2: Bryan Mitchell /

San Diego Padres RHP Bryan Mitchell struggled to put in a quality performance on the mound, yet again. Here are a few pitchers down on the farm who deserve a chance to start a game.

Bryan Mitchell has now had 30 innings to prove his value to the San Diego Padres. Touted for his plus-curveball and ability to induce a high rate of groundballs, Mitchell has shown no value thus far. The 27-year-old has been unable to find the strike zone and has posted a -0.5 WAR through his first six starts.

On Sunday, Mitchell worked one of his better outings of the season (minus his 5.2 innings, three hits, zero runs outing against the Houston Astros). He recorded his best strikeout rate of the season and his lowest FIP, 3.61. His previous lowest game FIP was 6.01, from the previously mentioned Houston outing.

Mitchell’s final line on Sunday read: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 5 K.

However, overall, Mitchell has struggled tremedously this season. Among all qualified pitchers, Bryan Mitchell leads the league in a number of categories. His WAR (-0.5), FIP (6.42) and BB/9 (6.98) all lead Major League Baseball.

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Of his 519 total pitches thrown this season, 228 of them have been for a ball, the fifth most in the league. The result of this has been a 16.4% walk rate compared to a 10% strikeout rate.

In his post-game comments to the media, San Diego Manager Andy Green had this to say about Bryan Mitchell’s performance,

“It’s a performance game,” Green said. “We acquired him because we believed in his potential. We believed in what he can do. It’s about time to stand up and start doing it. … There’s still that faith there, there’s still that belief that he’s got it inside of him. I think it’s time for it to start coming out.”

Sounds really similar to what Green had to say about Luis Perdomo, huh? We all know what happened almost immediately after Green made those comments about Perdomo, will the same happen to Bryan Mitchell?

When asked about his outing, Mitchell told reporters, “Honestly, today is the best I’ve felt.”

If that’s true, then a “good” Bryan Mitchell isn’t that good. He produced just three swings and misses all afternoon and walked nearly one hitter per inning.

The Padres have a few options down in El Paso that they could give a chance to. Here are three in particular that have earned that opportunity.

SAN DIEGO, CA – APRIL 17: San Diego Padres manager Andy Green comes onto the field during a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at PETCO Park on April 17, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA – APRIL 17: San Diego Padres manager Andy Green comes onto the field during a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at PETCO Park on April 17, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images) /

Chris Huffman and a number of pitchers in El Paso deserve a chance to show their stuff at the big league level.

We highlighted Chris Huffman last week, bringing attention to the young man’s minor league career up to this point. The James Madison University product is currently averaging more than six innings per start while posting a 2.52 earned run average.

This is his second season in El Paso, logging 32 innings with the team last season and proving to be a key piece in their playoff run.

While his strikeout rate has decreased from 7.44/9 innings to 5.76/9 innings, Huffman has shown an improvement in a number of other metrics.

His ERA (2.52), FIP (4.09), ground ball rate (44%), and opponent’s batting average (.222) are all lower than his numbers from last season in El Paso.

Huffman has been in the Padres’ system for five seasons, working his way up slowly through the ranks. He, more than likely, is not a full-time major league starting pitcher, however, Bryan Mitchell is struggling too much to watch.

Walker Lockett is another viable option.

In what was supposed to be the year Lockett made his major league debut, the former fourth-round pick spent most of 2017 on the disabled list with a back injury.

This season, Lockett has started five games, working a 4.11 FIP through 28 innings. His current 23% strikeout rate is one of the highest of his careers. Opposing batters are hitting .270 off of him, the lowest mark during his tenure in El Paso.

Predominantly a sinker/slider combination pitcher, Lockett is still regarded by national evaluators as a major league contributor thanks to his plus-fastball and ability to produce groundballs.

Is Brett Kennedy the best option for the San Diego Padres?

An 11th round pick of the Padres back in 2015, Brett Kennedy has quickly risen through the farm system with his exceptional control.

Like Huffman, Lockett, Eric Lauer, and Joey Lucchesi, the velocity won’t blow anyone away. It’s Kennedy’s ability to locate the ball and limit base runners that makes him effective.

In five starts for El Paso, Kennedy is 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA. He’s averaging exactly one strikeout per inning and has walked just 10 hitters over 28 frames. He’s producing the highest groundball rate of his career while limiting hitters to a .196 batting average.

Kennedy’s slider has shown to be a swing and miss pitch while his fastball is aided by slight deception in his delivery. He could slot in well as a replacement to Jordan Lyles in the bullpen.

Next: Joey Lucchesi Continues To Be A Dominant Force

It is nice to see Andy Green step up and admit that Bryan Mitchell needs to show the organization something. Now that we are entering May, pitchers can’t really use the excuse that they are still “setting into the routine.” MLB is a show-me league and Bryan Mitchell needs to show us something, otherwise, there are plenty of options down on the farm to take his place.

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