PEORIA – On our last day out on the backfields, the Padres had four squads – including a few big leaguers – in action even as a pair of key prospects continued their loud springs in the final big league game of the year. The opening day rosters for El Paso and San Antonio will depart from Peoria on Tuesday, while the low minors clubs will continue activities through the end of the week before heading out to get underway.
***
In a shortened five-inning game for the upper levels, lefty JP Sears got the start and threw five innings against a mix of the El Paso and San Antonio squads. The former Citadel star, newly arrived from big league camp, was around 92-94 mph and did an exceptional job of varying his speed and location.
Sears is ticketed to start the year in Triple-A and should be one of San Diego’s first options if they need a starter before reinforcements start coming off the injured list. Ty Harvey was behind the plate and continued to impress defensively with a strong throw to second base to nail Tirso Ornelas trying to steal.
***
Lamar King Jr., who has split time between catcher and first base the past three seasons, got his first start ever in the outfield and looked comfortable in left field in limited opportunities.
Lamar King will look to translate his raw power into production in 2026. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
“It was my first day out there, and it felt all right,” said King after the game. “I’ve been doing a lot of work with Tim Locastro [the Padres baserunning and outfield coordinator], and that has been a big help.
“The main thing for me is to just get on the field any way I can, and if it means using three gloves, that’s great.”
At the plate, the 6-foot-4, 225-pound second generation professional athlete looked good with a hard hit double down the left field line. King should start the year in High-A Fort Wayne.
***
Mason McCoy will be back in El Paso as the primary shortstop while seeing a little time around the infield if his spot on the 40-man roster holds. He reached base three times on walks and stole two bases in the first inning, coming home on a wild throw by Rodolfo Duran to score. Last season, he posted an .804 OPS in Triple-A and appeared in 18 games with San Diego.
***
Reliever Sadrac Franco was impressive in an inning of work, sitting 95-97 mph with his fastball. The 25-year-old Panamanian right-hander was previously in the Los Angeles Angels and San Francisco Giants organizations, spending most of last season with the High-A Eugene Emeralds in the Northwest League. He posted a 1.74 ERA over 20.2 innings there, but missed most of the second half on the IL.
He looked solid against a team where most players should be in the upper minors for 2026.
***
The contest on Field 3 mostly featured position players ticketed to Lake Elsinore or extended spring training, hitting against more advanced pitchers.
Jared Kollar, 27, mostly cruised through four innings against a lineup of eight players who were in the Dominican Summer League last year. It’s safe to bet that they saw very few pitchers able to tunnel three pitches as effectively as the 2022 undrafted free agent. After a solid 2024 campaign, Kollar struggled in both El Paso and San Antonio last year.
Among those who held their own against him was Jose Verdugo, nine years Kollar’s junior. The middle infielder from Mexico lined a single to center against Kollar and had another hit late in the game. While many players in the system are more physical than Verdugo, his tools definitely stand out on both sides of the ball. Despite not having logged any time in the Arizona Complex League, he could be in line for an assignment to Lake Elsinore to play alongside Jorge Quintana.
***
Catcher Jhojan Downer hasn’t really hit in two years in the DSL, but it’s easy to understand why the organization opted to bring him stateside early in spring training. The 18-year-old from Panama showed off a stellar arm behind the plate and worked very well with a pitching staff that was largely much older than him. He’ll get a chance to contribute in the ACL this year.
***
Dane Lais has been an all-too-infrequent sight since the Padres drafted him in 2023. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
One of the best days on the backfields is when players who have been in the rehab group get to return to competitive action. Righties Matt Watson and Dane Lais each had a crowd of fellow pitchers watching as they finished off the contest on Field 3.
Watson, 24, looked impressive, dialing his fastball up to 97 and showing a few nasty sliders. He set down all three batters he faced. The Padres’ 13th-round pick in 2024, Watson, had Tommy John surgery shortly after signing and missed all of last year. He should be able to help in a Single-A bullpen by May if he stays on track.
Lais, 20, threw almost exclusively fastballs, which were sitting 92-94. The club’s 13th-rounder out of high school one year before Watson, got lit up, allowing a pair of home runs. Though the first was a bit of bad luck as it caromed off his right fielder’s glove and over the fence, the second was an absolute monster blast by first baseman Luke Cantwell. He showed one impressive late-diving slider and one solid sweeper. Lais got into a few games in the desert last summer, but had to shut down again when he had a minor recurrence of the elbow injury that led to surgery in 2024. He’s logged only 4.2 professional innings since signing out of high school, so he’ll need to show the ability to go out to an affiliate soon.
David Jay contributed to this report.
