3 Padres spring training overreactions after first week of action

Joe Musgrove should not be the Padres Opening Day starter

It has not been a good start to the Cactus League season for Joe Musgrove. After an injury-plagued campaign a year ago, the hope among Padres fans is that their ace would return to form. But to date, Musgrove has been ghastly.

Java Joe couldn't get out of the first inning during the Padres' spring opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In fact, Musgrove didn't even record an out. The right-hander's second start yielded more of the same, with 1.2 innings of work and four earned runs on three hits. Musgrove doesn't even have a strikeout this spring.

But, thanks to the leap year, it's still the month of February. While the Padres start the season earlier than almost every other team because of the Seoul Series this year, there's still time left for Musgrove to get right. When he's on his game, Musgrove is the best pitcher on the Padres roster.

Rest assured that, barring injury, Musgrove will be on the hill when the Padres battle the Dodgers in Korea next month. Yu Darvish looked good during his spring debut and Michael King, whom the Friars acquired from the New York Yankees, will round out the top of the Padres starting rotation.

Spring training is filled with overreactions each year, and 2024 is no different. The same holds true for the first week of the regular season, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.