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A closer look at Padres’ Randy Vasquez breakout season
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- A closer look at Padres’ Randy Vasquez breakout season
San Diego Padres SP Randy Vasquez (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In 2026, the San Diego Padres' starting rotation was the roster's weakest link. The group ranked 21st in the majors after posting a 4.40 ERA, a 1.335 WHIP, and 37 quality starts. Among the Padres' top starters was Randy Vasquez, who emerged with a breakout season.
Vasquez exceeded expectations
The right-hander recorded his first double-digit win total, finishing 10-6 with a 3.90 ERA in 32 appearances. The biggest difference from prior seasons was a rising strikeout rate and a declining walk rate.
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Vasquez raised his strikeout rate from 13.7% in 2025 to 14.8% this season. This shift allowed the young starter to shave his walk rate from 9.1% to 6.3% in 2026. The result left his strikeout-to-walk ratio at 2.35 for the season.
Becoming a more complete starting pitcher
Another area of growth for Vasquez was shifting away from a cutter-heavy pitching approach to throwing more high-velocity four-seam fastballs. He paired it with a heavy sinker; together, they accounted for 50% of the pitches thrown in starts.
The starter's four-seamer became his go-to out pitch to end potential scoring threats. A velocity jump (mid-90s) convinced him to rely on the pitch more frequently. Still, Vasquez found himself in tight scoring jams when the velocity of his four-seamer waned. His sinker was terrific in bailing him out and limiting damage.
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It turned into a dominant secondary pitch, inducing ground balls at a 39.1% rate in 2026. His baserunner strand rate was strong (81.5%) at the start of the 2026 campaign, but it dipped to 77.4% by season's end.
He scaled back his cutter usage but found great success throwing the pitch away and outside the strike zone. The sharp movement kept hitters out in front, consistently yielding strikeouts or weak ground-ball outs.
The lone negative was that opposing teams' batting average against him rose from .247 to .262 in 2026. However, Vasquez kept the ball inside the park. His home run rate went from 2.8% to 2.7% this season. Both numbers are well below the major league average of 3.1%.
His breakout 2026 campaign has vaulted Vasquez into a primary role for the Padres' starting rotation next spring. To prove last season was no fluke, he must sustain this level of consistency on the mound.
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