Walker Lockett Aims For Rotation

PEORIA, Ariz.—Righthander Walker Lockett’s long odds to crack the Opening Day roster were stretched even longer when the Padres dipped into the free-agent bargain bin to add Jered Weaver, Jhoulys Chacin and Trevor Cahill to the rotation competition.

That doesn’t mean the 22-year-old Lockett isn’t asserting his standing in a vastly overhauled farm system.

The 2012 fourth-rounder out of high school in Jacksonville breezed through four levels last year to land on Triple-A El Paso’s playoff roster, onto the Padres’ 40-man roster and into big league camp for the first time. There, the 6-foot-5 Lockett turned in a pair of scoreless outings in his first exhibitions in front of the big league staff.

“It’s great to see a young guy come up, not be rattled at all and have the opportunity to show who he is,” Padres manager Andy Green said. “I think he did that very, very well.”

The organization had high hopes for Lockett when they lured him away from a South Florida commitment with a $393,000 payday in 2012 only to see finger and shoulder injuries derail the start of his pro career. Lockett had pitched just 31.1 innings resume entering 2015.

Taking off a year later had everything to do with blossoming confidence in a sinker he was able to spot to both sides of the plate. That his low-three-quarters arm slot created additional side action made the pitch especially useful in a hasty introduction to Triple-A hitters late last summer.

Lockett finished 2016 leading the organization in innings (164) and ERA (2.96) across his stops at all four full-season affiliates.

Momentum is on his side now, and he knows it. “I keep telling everyone that it sounds so cliché that something just clicked for me last year—but it did,” Lockett said.

FATHER FIGURES

• The Padres plan on giving second baseman Luis Urias a look at shortstop at Double-A San Antonio. The 19-year-old saw action there early in Cactus League action and played the position for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic.

• Padres lefthander Jose Castillo also made his mark in the WBC for Venezuela by retiring big league hitters on consecutive nights. He gave up a run against the Dominican Republic but also retired Jose Reyes and Welington Castillo in the process. A night earlier, he struck out all-stars Nolan Arenado and Christian Yelich of the U.S. team.

— Jeff Sanders covers the Padres for the San Diego Union Tribune