Padres Reliever is Always Honing His Craft — Even at the Grocery Store

Every baseball fan at some point has tested a pitch grip on an orange.

Jun 1, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Jeremiah Estrada (56) pitches during the eighth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports / Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Jeremiah Estrada has been the biggest, and best, surprise of 2024 for the Padres. The Padres claimed him off waivers from the Chicago Cubs this offseason, and Estrada has paid them back in spades.

This year, Estrada has only allowed two runs in 20.2 innings pitched and has struck out a whopping 42.5% of batters faced. He even set the franchise record for consecutive strikeouts with 13.

In a recent radio interview with MLB Network, Estrada says he's constantly working on his craft. Even when he goes to the grocery store he wants to throw a slider in the produce section.

.@Jeremiah13Estra is always honing his craft, even at the grocery store.#Padres | #LetsGoPadres | @Padres
🔗 https://t.co/fGPbvbjGlC pic.twitter.com/5vZSw3g6vl

— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) June 6, 2024

The Padres tweaked Estrada's pitch mix when they signed him. They dropped his changeup and curveball and taught him to throw a split-finger fastball.

Speaking of his slider, it's arguably been his best pitch all season. Batters are only hitting a meager .091 against it and whiffing 38.7% of the time. It's also been an effective strikeout pitch with a 40.0% "put away percentage" according to Statcast.

Estrada's emergence has given the Padres the best one-two punch in the bullpen in baseball. Padres closer Robert Suarez also boasts a 0.69(!) ERA across his 26.0 innings of work.

With these two in the bullpen, they effectively shorten games from nine innings to just seven.