He has been eminently hittable for the past two seasons.<\/p>\n
Despite making about half his starts at mile-high Coors Field, M\u00e1rquez was effective enough from 2017 until his surgery in May 2023 to go 64-55 in 170 starts. In that span, he struck out batters at a 23.1% rate, got a 48.4% groundball rate and limited batters to a .317 on-base percentage.<\/p>\n
His strikeout rate in 27 starts over the past two seasons fell to 14.1% while his groundball rate dipped to 36.1% and the OBP he yielded skyrocketed to .380.<\/p>\n
This was not a Coors Field thing. He was worse on the road in 2025.<\/p>\n
M\u00e1rquez joins former Dodgers right-hander Walker Buehler<\/a>, another pitcher who spent a lot of time in the National League West and had a lot of success, looking to rebound as they compete with four other pitchers for the final spot (or two<\/a>) in the Padres\u2019 rotation.<\/p>\n Both have had their struggles the past two seasons while working back from Tommy John surgery. The Padres hope M\u00e1rquez being another year removed from the procedure will help, and that pitching coach Ruben Niebla can facilitate some mechanical adjustments to improve the life on his fastball and revitalize his curveball.<\/p>\n As much as anything, though, president of baseball operations A.J. Preller capsulized what the Padres see as a cause for optimism when he said of M\u00e1rquez: \u201cHe\u2019s another guy who has something to prove.\u201d<\/p>\n Testing<\/p>\n The Automatic Ball-Strike (ABS) system at Peoria Stadium was a bit off when the Padres held live batting practice there Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201cI think they just didn\u2019t have our measurements yet,\u201d manager Craig Stammen said. \u201cSo it wasn\u2019t perfect. But we got the feeling of what it\u2019s like with an umpire back there and tapping your head in the appropriate amount of time, all that kind of stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n For the first time ever, players will be able to challenge ball and strike calls during the regular season. Each team will begin the game with two challenges and lose them only if they fail in a challenge. Players tap the top of their helmet or caps when they want to challenge a call.<\/p>\n The Padres have spent time talking about the strategy they will employ. And spring training games, which begin Friday, bring an opportunity for more testing.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we\u2019ve got our regulars playing,\u201d Stammen said, \u201cwe want them to use it and get used to it.\u201d<\/p>\n That will also give the staff a chance to see which batters are prescient about employing challenges.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got to be smart when we use them,\u201d Stammen said. \u201cThose will be strategies we kind of come up with as we go through spring training and see how it works \u2014 see who\u2019s good at it, see who\u2019s not good at it. There could be some revoking of people\u2019s challenge opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n Most teams have indicated pitchers will not be allowed to challenge ball-strike calls. As a former pitcher, Stammen has first-hand experience with why that is.<\/p>\n \u201cPitchers are \u2026 highly emotional while pitching, and they\u2019re also the farthest away from the strike zone,\u201d he said. \u201cSo as much as they think they\u2019ve got a clear view, they\u2019re doing whatever they can mechanically to throw 95 mph, and they still think they can pinpoint where that fastball or curveball ends up. I know personally (when) I was complaining about an umpire internally, about him missing a call, when I went back and looked at it after the game, it was about 95% of the time a ball. So just knowing that personally, the pitchers will have limited opportunities to challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n Ethan Salas has been full-go in his third big-league camp, working in with the team\u2019s other catchers in drills and catching bullpens.<\/p>\n But Stammen said the Padres\u2019 top prospect\u2019s playing time in games will not be as great as that of fellow minor-leaguers Rodolfo Dur\u00e1n and Blake Hunt.<\/p>\n![\"Ethan](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SUT-L-SpringTraining-Day5-027.jpg\")
Ethan Salas #90 of the San Diego Padres participates in drills during spring training workouts at the Peoria Sports Complex on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026 in Peoria, Ariz. (Meg McLaughlin \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)
\nTaking time with Salas<\/p>\n