Padres' starting rotation coming into focus

This story was excerpted from AJ Cassavell¡¯s Padres Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

PEORIA, Ariz. -- One month until Opening Day. And the Padres rotation plans are falling into place.

They¡¯ve yet to give starts to any of their four presumed rotation locks -- Dylan Cease, Michael King, Yu Darvish and Nick Pivetta. That¡¯s by design.

¡°The art to this Spring Training is the sweet spot of building them up but not too soon,¡± said Padres manager Mike Shildt. ¡°But making sure they¡¯re getting what they need and appropriately heading to March 27 ¡­ in a good spot and, most importantly, healthy.¡±

When do the big names pitch?

Soon enough. But unlike last spring, when the Padres opened their season early in Korea, there¡¯s no rush. (And unlike the season before, with the World Baseball Classic. Or the season before, with the preseason lockout.)

Indeed, the Padres¡¯ Spring Training calendar is somewhat normal for the first time in years.

¡°You don¡¯t need to waste bullets early in spring,¡± said King. ¡°You can use it to mentally get ready for Opening Day and build up. Last year was just such a weird one.¡±

Both King and Darvish have explicitly asked the Padres for extra back-field starts, citing their preference for a controlled environment early in camp.

¡°It¡¯s a little bit more free and easy,¡± Darvish said. ¡°You know that you have some time. If there¡¯s a little bit of funk going on with whatever it may be, you¡¯re still thinking in your mind you have time to fix it and move forward.¡±

Nonetheless, the big names will see game action soon enough. King says he¡¯s slated for one more game-like setting on a back field. Pivetta, who signed on the day of the first full-squad workout, made his back-field debut Wednesday, pitching two innings. He probably has one more outing like that before pitching in the Cactus League.

But Darvish and Cease could get into game action in the next trip through the rotation.

How¡¯s the race for the No. 5 spot shaping up?

With the big names limited to the back fields, the race for the No. 5 starter spot has taken center stage early. Among the five candidates, four have seen game action. Only Kyle Hart, who pitched two back-field innings on Tuesday, has not.

At the start of camp, Shildt indicated that the early results wouldn¡¯t matter much. The Padres merely wanted those starters to get their feet wet.

That said, it was Stephen Kolek who impressed most in the first turn through, pitching two efficient, scoreless innings against the Angels on Tuesday.

¡°Loved the attack, loved the stuff, loved the fact that he filled up the zone,¡± Shildt said. ¡°He looked in control. I thought he did a nice job.¡±

Entering camp, Kolek was probably on the outside looking in. Hart, Matt Waldron and Randy V¨¢squez appear to be the favorites, with Jhony Brito also in the mix. But if Kolek can build on his spring debut outing, there¡¯s a spot for him to win.

Waldron takes the ball today, after a relatively solid debut as well.

Any Opening Day starter clues?

None.

¡°We¡¯re still working through a few things,¡± Shildt said. ¡°The good news is we have multiple choices. Everyone is like: ¡®Is that a hard decision?¡¯ No. It¡¯s a hard decision to make. But it¡¯s good to have that hard decision, because you have multiple guys that could be your No. 1 Opening Day guy.¡±

The reality is, there are three options -- Cease, King and Darvish. If it were Darvish, he would tie a franchise record with four Opening Day starts. But if you¡¯d like to read into the minor details: Cease seems likely to be the first from that group to appear in a Cactus League game.

Depth options

No. 25 prospect Ryan Bergert is the only starter to pitch multiple times this spring, and he¡¯s impressed in both outings. Bergert, who was added to the 40-man roster before the Rule 5-protection deadline this winter, has pitched three scoreless innings, including two perfect frames against the White Sox on Wednesday.

¡°Opening Day starter in Spring Training, and [he] didn¡¯t back down,¡± Shildt said. ¡°We don¡¯t take that lightly. That¡¯s a big deal for a new 40-man guy. He shows up, in control, throws quality strikes and everything¡¯s hitting.¡±

Meanwhile, the Padres have added another depth starter to the mix in the form of left-hander Wes Benjamin. There are obvious similarities between Benjamin and Hart. Both are returning to the U.S. after pitching in Korea. Both haven¡¯t pitched in the Majors in several years. And both reinvented themselves in the KBO.

That said, the upside with Hart seems a bit higher (hence, the Padres signing him to a big league deal, while Benjamin received a Minor League contract with a camp invite). Still, with Benjamin and Bergert -- plus whichever four starters miss out on the fifth rotation spot -- the Padres have clearly built themselves some of the starting-pitching depth they¡¯re constantly searching for.