
Second Starter: Garrett Richards
Following a 2018 elbow injury, Garret Richards was only capable of totaling three starts of 8 innings total in 2019. He stands to be the second starter for the 2020 San Diego Padres and his poise and effectiveness has begun to shine through at the start of his Spring Training campaign.
His slider is working with devastating effect, finishing off batters and compiling strikeouts. It possesses a distinctive downward tilt that was missing, in what equated to be a cameo, in 2019. This tilt allows the pitch the rapidly drop, after following the same plane as his four-seam fastball.
The fastball is his main weapon, while the slider serves as his out pitch, yet early signs indicate that Richards might more of a mixture of the two this season. Also, he has a curveball that is utilized mainly as a change of pace pitch.
Richards has had a tough go of it over the past four seasons, unable to provide a full complement of starts since the 2015 MLB season. If he remains healthy and can in any way replicate some portion of those seasons, he might very well find himself earning a hefty contract in the offseason.