Rothschild adapts to new team, challenges

SAN DIEGO -- Larry Rothschild has a job to do, and he intends to do it in 2020. Just not like he has ever done it before.

Hired in November, the veteran pitching coach is expected to be one of the Padres' key figures this season. He has been handed a rotation filled with upside and one of the deepest bullpens in baseball, and it's his job to get the most out of both.

But Rothschild is also 66 years old amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He's not taking the situation lightly.

"No matter how comfortable you can get in a situation, you have to understand [the virus] is out there," said Rothschild, who spent the past nine seasons in the same role with the Yankees. "You have to be diligent about it. ... You put yourself in position where you're mindful of everything around you, and you can't drop your guard at all. I'm going to do everything I can to stay healthy and follow the protocols."

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Rothschild is backing up his words with actions. He wears a mask while instructing his pitchers and is leaning toward doing so during games. He also plans to watch bullpen sessions and advise from a distance of several feet, and his pregame meetings with pitchers are expected to take place outdoors, where it's safer.

As for the pitchers themselves, Rothschild oozes optimism. The Padres are set to turn loose Chris Paddack, Dinelson Lamet and Garrett Richards after all three dealt with limitations last season after Tommy John surgery. MacKenzie Gore and Luis Patiño, meanwhile, are two of the top pitching prospects in baseball.

On paper, it's the best group of arms the Padres have had in years. But it's a young group suddenly faced with unique challenges -- like preparing for meaningful games with only three weeks of camp.

Rothschild feels the Padres are already ahead of the curve. A number of their starters have ramped up to three simulated innings. That puts them at roughly the same place they'd be with three weeks left before any normal season. Barring setbacks, it's fair to expect Padres pitchers to be at their usual Opening Day capacity on July 24, Rothschild said.

"It's obviously different," he cautioned, noting that pitchers won't get daily exhibitions against rivals. "I'm sure they want to face other teams because you get tired of facing your own guys. It's just a different competitiveness.

"But I think by the time we get started, most of our guys will be in a good position to do what we need them to do -- barring anything happening, which obviously in today's world there's always that likelihood."

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Perhaps no pitchers represent the challenges of the 2020 baseball calendar better than Gore and Patiño. The Padres originally planned for both to get a couple months of seasoning in the Minors. If they performed, they would’ve earned a callup.

Now, there won't be a Minor League season in 2020. The duo combined for only 3 2/3 spring innings in which both showed their youth, and neither made a serious case for an Opening Day roster spot.

As such, Gore and Patiño will be asked to make a case for a big league job almost exclusively during intrasquad games behind closed doors.

"They won't be facing outside teams much, but they'll be facing our guys, and that's still a step up from where they've been," Rothschild said. "Both of them absolutely have the ability that everybody's been talking about. There's an upside to being able to see them and let them compete like this."

No matter who cracks the rotation, the role of a starting pitcher might be altered slightly in a 60-game season. In theory, each game is worth nearly three times as much as a typical regular-season game, and Rothschild expects new skipper Jayce Tingler to manage aggressively.

"You approach it like it's the stretch run, but with the knowledge that we haven't already played 100 games going into that stretch run," Rothschild said. "... Hopefully, our starters get us deep into games, but we've got ability in the bullpen to cover ourselves on days that they don't."

There's plenty to like about Padres pitching in 2020, from front-end arms like Paddack and Lamet to elite prospects like Gore and Patiño to lock-down bullpen weapons like Kirby Yates and Emilio Pagán. Plus, it's fair to argue that few pitching staffs will benefit more from a shortened season.

Then again, it's worth noting the realities of a 60-game season amidst a pandemic. Rothschild quickly notes that every team faces the same challenge of being vigilant in following protocols to prevent spread of the coronavirus. He called for a collective effort.

"A team's only going to be as strong as its weakest link," Rothschild said. "If somebody lets their guard down carelessly, it's going to affect a lot of people. ... The downside of it is just so great, and we just all have to be mindful of that. It can, obviously, affect a team and a season. But the first priority is that it can affect people’s health."