From Section 121, Row 33, Seats 12 & 13 at Petco Park – Remember how stressed we were this offseason about the Padres 2025 season outlook?

How we weren’t signing free agents or making splashy trades compared to how we used to; and the Dodgers ridiculous spending spree only amplified our anxiousness for A.J. Preller to make some moves?

Or how we didn’t know who would or should be the Padres chairperson among the Seidler group, and the family infighting that ensued over who will run the ball club made us think we would lose out on free agents?

The doom and gloom of winter hit this fan base hard, and man, how off-base we were.

It’s easy to say this team “hit the ground running” simply because we picked up 4 straight wins against the Braves to start the season, the second time we’ve ever done that in franchise history (1984), but it’s not just that we won, it’s how we won those games that really showcased just how good this team is going to be this season.

The Pitching Staff

Shoving it down the Braves throats would be an understatement. 22 consecutive scoreless-innings to close out the series, including 2 quality starts out of the rotation, and when our best pitchers in Michael King and Dylan Cease got themselves into trouble, the bullpen answered by only giving up 1 run over 16 innings and striking out 19 Braves along the way. Not bad for a pitching staff that is without 2 key starters in Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish, and lost a dominant arm out of the bullpen in Tanner Scott.

“Uncle Nicky”

Usually the “Uncle” nickname is reserved for veteran players, so with Nick Pivetta being 32-years-old and a 9-year veteran, he certainly fits the criteria for the nickname. But I’m choosing to call him this because of the baseball slang for a Curveball, “Uncle Charlie.” Pivetta’s curve is absolutely disgusting, and when it’s paired up with his mid-90s fastball, it’s a deadly combination for batters to deal with.

His heater averaged 93 MPH with 21.3″ of Vertical Break.

His bender averaged 78 MPH with -17.8″ of Vertical Break.

Dude was out there making the Braves dance at the plate, with 13 of his 21 outs coming by way of strikeout or ground out.

His pitching line from Sunday’s Quality Start vs. the Braves:

7 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, on just 82 pitches and he faced the minimum.

He got 8 whiffs and limited the Braves to an average exit velocity of 88.5 MPH.

Mike Shildt said it best in the postgame press conference, “Welcome to San Diego Nick Pivetta.”

Bogey and Croney

Is it still March?… Yes.

Has it only been 4 games against 1 ballclub?… Also yes.

Are Xander Bogaerts and Jake Cronenworth back to the form they used to be?… They very well may be.

After the Atlanta series:

Bogaerts: .273/.467/.455 for a .921 OPS and a 166 OPS+, 2 big RBIs and 2 Stolen Bags.

Cronenworth: .231/.333/.538 for an .872 OPS and a 145 OPS+, 1 HR into the Crone Zone.

I don’t want to get too ahead of myself, but moving these guys back to their preferred defensive positions may just make them comfortable enough to be themselves in the batters box again. I know some of you may be wondering, “How their is any correlation between where a guy plays in the field, and his production at the plate?”… it’s about being comfortable. Baseball is weird, and baseball players are even more bizarre. Something like moving positions can throw even the best off their games until they adjust.

Take Fernando Tatis Jr. moving from Shortstop to Right Field for example:

Shortstop numbers – 242 Games, 1051 Plate Appearances, .298 Batting Average, .372 On Base, .600 Slugging, .972 OPS

Right Field numbers – 253 Games, 1116 Plate Appearances, .269 Batting Average, .337 On Base, .478 Slugging, .815 OPS

Tatis has definitely started to adjust to Right Field fully, and he thoroughly enjoys being out there now, but there’s no doubt the move out there certainly played a part in his dip in numbers.

Should we even begin to mention how Rafael Devers is handling moving from Third Base to the DH spot for the Red Sox?…

4 Games, 18 Plate Appearances, 0 Hits, 2 Walks, 12 Strikeouts…Yikes.

Some other indicators of some very very very early success for Bogey and Croney, supplied to us via Clark Fahrentold on X:

Bogaerts’ average bat speed in 2024, 70.7 MPH. In 2025, 74.1 MPH

Cronenworth’s dinger off Dylan Lee was his 1st HR vs. a lefty since June of 2024, and his 2nd barrel vs. a lefty since April of 2023.

“Dairy Bonds”

I don’t know who originated this nickname for newcomer Gavin Sheets, I saw it on Devine Sports Gospel’s post, but I absolutely love it.

Who was the last great “Lefty Masher” for the Padres outside of Juan Soto? Are we counting Trent Grisham? Grish’s success came in moments more than consistency. Eric Hosmer was supposed to be that guy, but I wouldn’t consider him a “masher” even when he was playing in his best form. Jake Cronenworth at his best form could really get hot and send them to the Crone Zone with ease, but we never saw Jake as a “masher” either. Alex Dickerson and Ryan Schimpf were “mashers” but not exactly great.

Point being…it’s been a while, and it may just be Gavin Sheets who claims that title.

Hitting the first dinger on Opening Day and continuing the success he had in Spring Training is great, but his major league numbers don’t exactly scream “masher” compared to the way his 6’3″ 235 LBs body frame does. He only has 47 career dingers over 1310 plate appearances in the big leagues, and only slugged .385 over his 4 seasons with the White Sox.

But he just looks different at the dish in the Padres uni, and I’m really hoping that’s not my bias playing tricks on me. I’ve honestly been more impressed with his ability to put the ball in play over his homer on Opening Day. He’s got 4 knocks in the first 4 games for the Padres, in which he made 11 appearances at the dish.

It’s still early, and his past will have to hault our judgment. But I would love nothing more than to see him live up to the “Dairy Bonds” nickname that has been, probably prematurely, bestowed upon him by the fanbase.

We go again tonight vs. the Guardians, a win will mark the longest win-streak to begin a season in franchise history…and it may just make me believe 162-0 is possible for a fleeting moment. I’ll be there tomorrow night to see Michael King bounce back after being grinded down by the Braves bats on Opening Day, and I will follow up with the 2nd Episode of the Western Metal Podcast on Wednesday.

Until then, Cheers.