ADRIÁN MOREJÓN

• Position(s): Left-handed pitcher
• Bats / Throws: Left / Left
• 2025 opening day age: 26
• Height / Weight: 5-foot-11 / 224 pounds
• How acquired: Signed as an international amateur in July 2016 (Cuba)
• Contract status: Will make $2 million in his second year of arbitration-eligibility; will not reach free agency until 2027
• fWAR in 2024: 1.1
• Key 2024 stats: 3.2, 2.83 ERA, 2 saves, 12 holds, 71 strikeouts, 21 walks, 1.32 WHIP, .256 opponent average, 63⅔ innings (60 games)

 

STAT TO NOTE

• 32.4 — Morejón’s hard-hit percentage in 2024, the lowest of his career and in the top-7% among big-league qualifiers. Morejón debuted in 2019 with a 50% hard-hit rate and has averaged 36.4 over parts of six seasons in the majors.

 

TRENDING

• Up — The prize of the Padres’ 2016-17 international class as an $11 million signee, Morejón’s call to fame heading into 2024 was the number of time he’d been on the injured list. The total is 13 between the majors and minors, but Morejón did not add to that tally at all in 2024. In fact, Morejón enjoyed his best season yet, making the opening day roster for the Seoul Series, posting a 2.84 ERA over six appearances at Triple-A El Paso and returning to San Diego for good on April 13. Morejón went on to throw a career-high 63⅔ innings in the majors, record the first two saves of his career and develop into a valuable bridge arm to Robert Suarez, especially before the trades for Jason Adam and Tanner Scott. More than that, Morejón’s breakout season saw him finish in the top-90% in the majors in fastball velocity (97.2 mph), average exit velocity (86.6 mph) and hard-hit rate (see stat to note) and better than the top-80% in chase rate (31.6%) and groundball rate (51.4%). Morejón was significantly better in the first half (2.23 ERA) than he was after the All-Star break (3.86 ERA) and wasn’t needed as often after the trade deadline. In fact, he was used far more often in low-leverage spots (152 plate appearances) than medium- (61) and high-leverage spots (59) combined. Morejón appeared in two NLDS games, both losses, as he allowed a run in one-third of an inning in Game 1 and threw two shutout innings in the Game 4.

 

2025 OUTLOOK

• The Padres signed Morejón with expectation that he’d develop into a starting pitcher. With a healthy year on the resume, the team could explore stretching him out this season, depending on the starting pitching options they bring to camp as they map out the year without Joe Musgrove. Morejón has also never thrown more than the 70 innings he threw between the majors and minors last season, so he’d be a delicate project to bring along as a starting pitcher given his injury history. Either way, he’ll have momentum to build on if he’s back in the bullpen as a multi-inning weapon who can be deployed in high-leverage spots.

 

 

Roster rankings

• 15. RHP Jeremiah Estrada
• 16. RHP Matt Waldron
• 17. INF Eguy Rosario
• 18. RHP Randy Vásquez
• 19. RHP Bryan Hoeing
• 20. LHP Yuki Matsui
• 21. RHP Sean Reynolds
• 22. C Luis Campusano
• 23. RHP Alek Jacob
• 24. OF Tirso Ornelas
• 25. RHP Ryan Bergert
• 26. RHP Henry Baez
• 27. LHP Omar Cruz
• 28. OF Brandon Lockridge
• 29. LHP Tom Cosgrove
• 30. RHP Stephen Kolek
• 31. RHP Juan Nuñez
• 32. C Brett Sullivan
• 33. UT Tyler Wade
• 34. LHP Wandy Peralta