Lake Bachar’s Long Journey Carries Him To Cusp Of Padres Debut
Drafted as a starting pitcher out of Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater, righthander Lake Bachar certainly had a changeup in his mix.
Just not a good changeup.
That’s why Bachar had toyed with splitter grips dating back years. But the Tommy John surgery that wiped away his 2021 season allowed for a complete reset.
A light bulb went off in the spring of 2023 while Bachar was participating in a splitter camp with Hideo Nomo in Peoria, Ariz.
“I needed to take more velocity off and get more vertical break,” Bachar said. “Killing spin was what I needed to do. I have big hands, so I tried it out.”
A year later, that splitter, along with a mid-80s slider that one Padres official deemed a “real pitch” and fastball that sits 94-97 mph had helped the 28-year-old righthander gain traction as a reliever.
In 10 appearances for Triple-A El Paso in April, Bachar struck out 18 and walked four in 14.2 innings. That included four scoreless appearances of at least two innings.
The Padres drafted Bachar in the fifth round in 2016. His status as a prospect never rivaled that of draft-mates Cal Quantrill, Eric Lauer, Joey Lucchesi or David Bednar, but he was on the rise as a Texas League all-star in 2019.
But then the pandemic wiped out the 2020 season. Tommy John surgery and the death of his father to cancer followed in 2021.
Bachar took a step forward in 2023 as a reliever for Double-A San Antonio after settling on his splitter grip. Now, after nine long years in the organization—including two re-ups as a minor league free agent—is finally forcing his way up the Padres’ depth chart.
“I’m feeling really good,” Bachar said. “I feel like the past eight years has been funneling everything into being the best pitcher I can be out there . . .
“I’m the best version of myself right now and I’m just trying to get better.”
FATHER FIGURES
— A year after beginning 17-year-old catcher Ethan Salas’ career at Low-A Lake Elsinore, the Padres chose the California League to debut Leodalis De Vries on April 23. The 17-year-old Dominican shortstop appeared in the Padres’ Spring Breakout game and two exhibitions at Petco Park against the Mariners. At extended spring training, De Vries hit .480/.567/.960 with seven extra-base hits in 31 plate appearances.
— Former KBO star reliever Woo-Suk Go traveled with the Padres to South Korea for the Seoul Series, but he was not activated for those two games and was subsequently optioned to Double-A San Antonio to begin his transition to the United States.
