Padres prospect who went on historic 2025 streak has path to make Opening Day roster

The San Diego Padres don’t usually hand out bullpen jobs as a spring-training participation trophy. If you’re breaking into this relief mix, you have to force the issue.

Garrett Hawkins is flirting with exactly that.

Per MLB Pipeline’s Jesse Borek, Hawkins turned one ugly last April outing in High-A into a four-month stretch that basically broke the concept of “regression.” After sitting on a 6.30 ERA early, Hawkins didn’t allow a run for nearly the next four months, ripping off a 38-inning scoreless streak across 29 appearances and two levels. Borek added that streak featured just 19 baserunners allowed and 51 strikeouts, and that it was the Minors’ longest scoreless run in a decade. 

Padres’ Garrett Hawkins is turning a historic streak into an Opening Day threat

MLB Pipeline made sure everyone saw the headline version of it too, calling it a “historic 38-inning scoreless streak” on social. 

This isn’t looking like it’s just a fun minors novelty. It’s a profile that translates. Borek notes Hawkins’ “bread and butter” has long been his fastball — and that moving into shorter stints has let him ramp it up into the 95–96 mph range this spring. 

Hawkins has a lane because the Padres clearly think he’s close. He’s already on the 40-man roster, which matters when we’re talking Opening Day math, and he’s in the mix for a roster shot even if the bullpen depth could create a numbers crunch. The organization doesn’t protect a reliever like that unless it believes he can help in the near term.

The Padres’ Double-A affiliate (San Antonio Missions) put out the receipts when Hawkins was named the organization’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year: 9–1, 1.45 ERA across 60 innings with 80 strikeouts and 23 walks. The Missions’ release notes it was the longest MiLB scoreless stretch since Blake Snell’s 49 straight scoreless innings in 2015. 

So what’s the actual path to the roster?

Hawkins’ actual path to the roster isn’t beating out a scrub. It’s making it impossible to ignore you. Hawkins’ second Cactus League outing included him closing out a save in a game that also featured established big-league arms, and he quoted Craig Stammen saying the club knows what Hawkins brings — now it’s about proving it against different hitters in a big-league setting.

They’re not just evaluating the stat line. They’re evaluating whether Hawkins’ fastball command and composure hold up when the batter box stops being a development environment and starts being a punishment.

If Hawkins keeps punching out hitters and living in the zone, the Padres are going to face the classic contender problem: do you keep the “safe” choice… or do you take the reliever who looks like he can win you real innings over a full season?

Hawkins has already shown he can go quiet for months. Now he just needs to be loud at the exact right time.