Kash Mayfield on Going to the Futures Game

FORT WAYNE — Left-hander Kash Mayfield, 21, and catcher Ethan Salas represented the Padres in the 2026 MLB All-Star Futures Game on Sunday in Philadelphia.  

Salas’ resurgence in Double-A San Antonio from a year lost with a back injury and a down season at the plate has been well documented. He continued his strong season, collecting a single and drawing a walk in the showcase game.

Mayfield, who has put on 20 pounds of solid weight since last season in Low-A Lake Elsinore, ultimately took the loss as he gave up a run to the heart of the Dodgers lineup, but he is also having a strong year.

This season, he has a 3-1 record with a 3.33 ERA with 58 strikeouts in 48.2 innings against 19 walks. 

“There is a lot of deception with him, and he can go get some velo, but he pitches 92 to 93, and our hitters will tell you that his fastball just gets on you really quickly,” said his manager, Jonathan Mathews. “It’s the arm slot, and it has some carry to it and is more impressive in person.”

In the second half of the season, the organization will attempt to stretch him out more so he can go deeper into games.

“He had a little bit of soreness a few weeks ago, so we backed him off, but he’s back to building up,” said Mathews. “The problem with Kash is that he gets a lot of swings and misses with an invisible heater and a really good changeup. He ends up getting punchouts, which takes some pitches.”

Mayfield learned about going to the Futures Game when rosters were announced on July 1, and was excited.

“There are probably going to be more people in the ballpark than there are in my hometown,” laughed Mayfield, a native of Edmond, Oklahoma, which – at just under 95,000 people – does top the attendance at Citizens Bank Park for the game.

“I think it will give me a good shot of adrenaline and just try to keep on doing what I’m doing.”

On our recent trip to Fort Wayne, we caught up with Kash and talked about his season so far.

MadFriars: What has been the biggest adjustment for you to the Midwest League after spending last year in the California League?

Kash Mayfield: The biggest one is, of course, the hitters; not as much as you can get away with. In the Cal League, there are a lot of aggressive guys who will chase.

Here they make me pitch more, work corners to get outs.

Is a bigger difference more in your improvement than in the competition?

Kash Mayfield: Definitely, but everyone is getting better. I did notice how much more patient hitters are getting.

During spring training, we asked you how you were going to do in the cold of Fort Wayne, and you responded that it gets pretty cold in Oklahoma as well.

Kash Mayfield: [laughs]. Yes, I did.

In April, you had a 1.69 ERA, and the opposition hit .082 against you. So, you liked pitching in the cold?

Kash Mayfield: It was weird, and it did suck –  but you just had to keep doing what you were doing. My velo was kind of down, and I could barely feel the ball come off of my fingers, but you just had to go out and attack.

Your strikeout rate is down this year, but your walk rate has also decreased. At the press conference the other day, you stated that you were pitching more to contact, which also means you are forcing batters to swing at pitches they don’t want to swing at.

Kash Mayfield: I am attacking hitters because I don’t want to work around them. I am not always going to aim for contact, but I think that is what has made me successful this year. I can get a lot of swings and misses, which is great, but my goal is always to go deeper in games.

In the spring you talked about adding a fourth pitch, a cutter or a sinker. Have there been any further developments with that?

Kash Mayfield: I thought of both, and I didn’t want to throw a sinker because I like the way that my fastball plays already – it has a lot of ride on it, so I didn’t want to add anything with sink. The cutter was in the discussion, but when I talked to people here, they believed that I already had three very good pitches; the key is just to refine them more.

The only thing we can really ding you on is that so far you haven’t gone as deep into games as you have wanted to. What are you doing to improve that?

Kash Mayfield: Keep on trying to improve. I believe that I am making progress, and there are certain things that I can’t control. I am on a pitch count, which I understand and respect.