GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Jacob Nix’s primary motivation this spring is to win a spot in the Padres’ starting rotation. But what does the 23-year-old use for inspiration when he takes the mound?
Social media.
“I got tagged on Twitter before the game; someone posted a video of my curveball, someone swinging and missing in San Antonio,” Nix said. “Someone replies, ‘Probably the last swing-and-miss he got.”
Criticism from fans is commonplace for professional athletes, but the vast majority of them choose to ignore it, chalking it up as little more than a vocal minority venting its frustrations. Nix takes the opposite approach.
“It 100 percent fires me up, man,” Nix said after the Padres’ 5-4 victory over the Dodgers Friday night at Camelback Ranch. “I’ve got screenshots from people [ripping] me last year, in my DMs calling me a trash can. I’m going to make a scrap book of them.”
Here’s the thing: Not only does Nix use the barbs to add fuel to an already searing fire within, but he also takes the criticism constructively.
“They’re not wrong, that’s the thing,” Nix said of the perception that his stuff hasn’t resulted in many swings-and-misses. “My strikeout rate last year was pretty bad; 4.5 per 9 was terrible. I need to get those up. … I had to get a few swings and misses tonight.”
He did just that, striking out three Dodgers over 2 2/3 innings in his latest outing. Nix gave up one run on one hit and two walks in his second outing of the spring as he continues to make his case for a spot in San Diego’s rotation.
“It’s just reassuring, like, ‘All right, dude; I have swing-and-miss stuff,’” Nix said. “I don’t go out there and try to pitch to soft contact, but last game I got six popouts. I’m trying to go out there and make you miss my pitch, so it’s nice when they actually miss it.”
Aside from the walks, manager Andy Green liked what he saw from Nix.
“I thought there was real attack there,” Green said. “He got some swing-and-misses with his secondary, which was nice to see. A step in the right direction for him.”
Nix hadn’t yet checked to see what the Twitterverse thought of his outing, but he was pleased with the results, especially the three strikeouts – all of which came on swings-and-misses.
“It’s more than one an inning,” Nix said. “I’ll take it. It’s an improvement.”
Relief effort
The Padres added another veteran arm to their bullpen Friday, signing Adam Warren to a one-year contract with a club option for 2020. Warren will earn $2 million in 2019, with a $2.5 million option or a $500,000 buyout for next season. He will wear No. 17.
“We’ve been talking about Adam Warren all offseason, so we’re thrilled to have him,” Green said. “He has a real slider, a four-pitch mix and versatility. He knows how to pitch and he’s pitched in big situations.”
Warren posted a 3.14 ERA in 47 relief appearances for the Yankees and Mariners last season. His first-half ERA of 1.35 ranked as the sixth-lowest among all American League relievers, though his overall numbers took a hit thanks to some struggles at Yankee Stadium, where he posted a 4.08 ERA as opposed to a 2.64 mark at all other ballparks.
“It’s a veteran arm who knows what he’s doing,” Green said. “We have a couple guys in the bullpen in Craig Stammen and Kirby Yates; the rest is an army of young guys. It’s nice to have three guys kind of settled in there and then everybody else fighting for spots and vying for opportunity.”
Warren will throw a bullpen session on Saturday, after which the Padres will gauge where he is and decide what his next step will be. Warren has the third-most scoreless relief appearances of at least 1 1/3 innings in the Majors since 2014, but Green won’t push him to throw multiple innings anytime soon.
“When guys arrive late to camp, you don’t want them to try to catch up really fast,” Green said. “We’re not worried about how much we can stretch him out. If we give him multi-inning opportunities, then he’ll be available for that when the season starts. There’s plenty of time to get him multi-inning opportunities.”
Worth noting
• Left-hander Jose Castillo (left flexor strain) was placed on the 60-day injured list to make room for Warren on the 40-man roster. Green said while the pitcher’s ligament was intact, the injury would sideline him from baseball activity for the next six to eight weeks.
• Infielders Jose Pirela and Ty France both homered against Pedro Baez in the fourth inning Friday night. It was France’s second home run of the spring and the first for Pirela.
Up next
The Padres host the Giants at Peoria Sports Complex on Saturday at 12:20 p.m. PT. All eyes will be on Manny Machado as he makes his Cactus League debut, while Nick Margevicius is slated to start for San Diego. Lefties Aaron Loup, Eric Stout and Ryan Bollinger are also scheduled to pitch for the Padres. The game will be televised locally on Fox Sports San Diego and broadcast on 97.3 FM.