Waldron's knuckleball reinvention in focus for 2025
AJ Cassavell
@AJCassavellPEORIA, Ariz. -- Matt Waldron said he wanted to throw more knuckleballs this season -- and through one Cactus League start, he¡¯s following through on that promise.
Waldron -- who is competing for the final place in the Padres' starting rotation this spring -- pitched two innings of one-run ball with a pair of strikeouts in Saturday's 10-3 win over the A's. The results are sort of beside the point.
In a way, Waldron is reinventing himself this spring. His rookie season was an uneven one. He was legitimately the best pitcher in the San Diego rotation for a lengthy stretch of the first half. He was also optioned to Triple-A late in the second.
When Waldron went back and re-watched some of his best starts, he had this takeaway: He was at his best when he was establishing his knuckleball and allowing his other pitches to play off it.
Sure enough, that¡¯s the way he attacked the A¡¯s on Saturday afternoon at the Peoria Sports Complex. Waldron threw his knuckleball on 22 of his 32 pitches -- a 69% clip that is higher than any of his previous big league starts and well above his 38.2% clip from the 2024 season as a whole.
Waldron later acknowledged it felt like he was throwing a lot of knuckleballs -- perhaps more knuckleballs than he¡¯d normally feel comfortable throwing. He¡¯s getting used to the change in his attack plan. But if that¡¯s his path to success in 2025, he¡¯s going to stick to it.
"This is the time to work on things you¡¯re uncomfortable with,¡± Waldron said. ¡°... I¡¯m also competing for a [roster] spot, so it is a tough spot there. But I¡¯d rather struggle here than be unprepared for the season.¡±
Waldron, of course, wasn¡¯t always a knuckleballer. He developed the pitch only after San Diego landed him as the player to be named later in the Mike Clevinger trade. The Padres noticed Waldron messing around with the pitch during catch play, then asked him if he¡¯d be interested in exploring it further. Waldron was all for it.
At the time, Waldron was a traditional starting pitcher -- in the sense that he¡¯d set out to establish his fastball, then use it to set up his breaking pitches. That¡¯s more or less the way he views his knuckleball now. He needs to establish it. And it sets up the rest of his pitches (mostly fastballs).
He¡¯s even throwing his knuckleball harder, too, with the majority of them clocking in the low-to-mid 80s on Saturday. In essence, Waldron¡¯s knuckleball is his fastball.
¡°It feels very similar, intent-wise,¡± Waldron said.
Waldron is one of approximately five starting pitchers vying for the final place in the San Diego rotation. Considering the impact he made when he was at his best last season, he¡¯s perhaps one of the favorites. Kyle Hart and Randy V¨¢squez are in that mix as well.
On Saturday, Waldron allowed a double to A¡¯s leadoff man Lawrence Butler on the first pitch he threw, and Butler came around to score. But the right-hander was otherwise sharp, even as he tries to reinvent himself a bit.
¡°You can¡¯t replicate those emotions and adrenaline in the offseason or even in a live BP,¡± Waldron said. ¡°So you¡¯ve just got to harness that a little bit. It felt good to be out there.¡±
Worth noting
? Luis Arraez¡¯s Cactus League debut -- all two innings of it -- was classic Arraez. He led off the first with a single to left. Then, he singled to right, plating a run in the second. It was the latest proof Arraez is back to full health after October surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb.
All last season, Arraez had issues when he got jammed. But he says he feels like he has ¡°a new thumb¡± this year, and sure enough, A¡¯s starter J.T. Ginn came in on Arraez with a fastball in the first inning. Pain-free, Arraez sprayed it to the opposite field for a single.
? Outfielder Oscar Gonzalez had identical batting lines in each of the Padres¡¯ first two Cactus League games: 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.
That's a nice start for the non-roster invitee who is competing for one of two available places on the Padres bench.
? Also part of that bench competition is outfielder Tirso Ornelas, the team¡¯s No. 18 prospect per MLB Pipeline. He reached base twice -- a 13-pitch walk in the sixth and an opposite-field double in the eighth.