Reliever Garrett Hawkins increased his chances of joining the Padres bullpen after an epic run of scoreless innings in the minor leagues last year, according to a report by Jesse Borek of MLB.com. Hawkins was once named the Padres Pitcher of the Year, but he’s struggled to find his footing and make progress, at least until last April.
That was when Hawkins started a scoreless streak that extended for 38 innings and spanned 29 appearances across two levels. The 25-year old reliever struck out 51 hitters during the streak, and he allowed just 19 baserunners, according to Borek.
Hawkins was coming off Tommy John surgery going into last season, but now he’s got a chance to join an accomplished bullpen that’s considered the team’s biggest strength. His run was the longest stretch of scoreless innings in the minors in a decade.
The reliever did acknowledge that there’s some baseball luck involved in streaks like this, however.
“There were definitely outings where it was like, ‘I don't have it today and we're just gonna try and scrap through and we're gonna see what happens,’” Hawkins said. “That happened a few times and I kind of just got lucky that no one scored. But I just got into a rhythm and the biggest thing was just not thinking about it.”
Borek attributed the streak to what he called some subtle mechanical changes and tweaks in Hawkins deliver. Hawkins hasn’t been in the bullpen since his first stint in rookie ball in 2021, but he led the team’s minor leaguers who had at least 30 appearances in ERA (1.50), WHIP (0.85), and batting average against (.138).
Hawkins now counts relievers Mason Miller, Jeremiah Estrada and David Morgan as his contemporaries, and he locked down a save in Monday’s 7-5 spring training win over the Milwaukee Brewers after those three hurlers preceded him on the mound. This is Hawkins’ first appearance in big league camp, and he’s got an outside shot to make the team.
“We know what he brings to the table,” said manager Craig Stammen, who got to see Hawkins up close last summer during his time as a special assistant in player development. “Now it’s proving it in a big league setting against different players.”
What Hawkins brings to the table is velocity, and it plays better in the bullpen than when he was a starter. His fastball is in the mid-90s now, and that’s something the Padres value highly in their stable of dominant relievers.