San Diego Padres Projected 2022 Pitching Rotation

After contentious discussions, the MLB lockout is over and teams have begun their spring training schedules. Opening Day has been pushed to April 14, which gives teams some extra time to finalize their rosters and rotations. In this series, TGH will be summarizing each team’s 2021 season and predicting their Opening Day pitching rotation. Here is the projected San Diego Padres pitching rotation for 2022.

Summary

The Padres were a disappointing team in 2021. They finished third in the NL West with a record of 79-83; a far cry from the 106 and 107-win seasons by the Dodgers and Giants, respectively. San Diego was expected to make noise in the postseason, but missed it entirely.

However, there was a bright spot on the season, as Joe Musgrove threw the first no-hitter in Padres history. Before that performance, the team held the record for consecutive games without a no-no. In 2022, they will be rolling out what could be one of the best rotations in baseball. Here is a look at it.

1. Yu Darvish

Darvish is a four-time All Star, and has finished second in Cy Young award voting twice. He is the team’s true ace and innings-eater. He gave up a few more runs last year than fans were used to, earning an ERA of 4.22 over 166 innings.

2. Sean Manaea

San Diego just grabbed Sean Manaea from the Oakland Athletics via trade ahead of Opening Day. This adds more depth to an already great roster. He led the American League in starts last season, with 32. That included two complete games and two shutouts.

3. Joe Musgrove

As stated above, Musgrove now has a special place in Padres history after throwing the franchise’s first-ever no-hitter. He pitched two shutouts last year, helping his ERA, which sat at 3.18 at the end of the season. He also had a huge workload, at 181 innings.

4. Blake Snell

Having so much depth that a former Cy Young award winner as a fourth starter is a rarity in 2022. That is exactly where the Padres find themselves, though. Snell had a bit of a down year in his first season in San Diego, collecting an ERA of 4.20 over the 128.2 innings. Signs point to him returning to form.

5. Mike Clevinger

Clevinger is likely going to start the season on the injury list, but could be back before the first month is out. Nick Martinez could earn this spot if Clevinger is not ready to go right away, but the fifth slot in this rotation is very much in flux.

Featured image courtesy of Norm Hall/Getty Images

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