Spring Temperature Check: Who's Hot and Who's Cold in Padres Camp? (March 6-8)

While the key players at the World Baseball Classic won't be returning for a while, things are heating up at San Diego Padres camp. Some players continue to make a push to be on the Opening Day roster, which figures to lead to some tough decisions for new manager Craig Stammen and president of baseball operations A.J. Preller.

As a reminder: Don't take anything too seriously in this recap. It is only spring training, where exhibition games often devolve into minor-league scrimmages. The information below is meant as basic information, not necessarily hardcore analysis.

The Friars improved to 8-8 in Cactus League play, beating the Chicago Cubs 3-0 Friday, losing to the Cleveland Guardians 7-1 Saturday and beating the Cincinnati Reds 14-3 Sunday.

Who's Hot at Padres Camp? 🔥

Nick Castellanos: Going 1-for-3 in two Cactus League games might not mean a whole lot, but the probable Opening Day first baseman (at least as part of a platoon) showed that his offense is coming along. Castellanos had an RBI single in the third inning off Cubs right-hander Ben Brown, then drew two walks in his three plate appearances against the Reds. His spring average is up to .318 (7-for-22) and he has now walked one more time than he has struck out (5-4). That is the type of look the Friars would be looking for from a potential No. 5 hitter in the lineup.

Logan Gillaspie and Kyle Hart: I had them individually here in the last version of this feature, but since they pitched back-to-back Sunday and turned in very nice outings, I am combining them this time around. Gillaspie, a right-hander, started and stretched out to four innings against the Reds and still has yet to allow a run over 7⅔ innings this spring. He did walk two and only struck out a pair after having back-to-back outings with three strikeouts. Hart, a left-hander, came in for 2⅔ scoreless innings, facing the minimum and striking out three. Like Gillaspie, he hasn't allowed a run this spring, going 8⅔ innings.

Jackson Merrill: The center fielder, looking to shake off a his injury-marred 2025 season, has five hits in his last 11 at-bats. That includes having two doubles in three at-bats vs. the Reds and scoring once. While the Padres figure out how their top four hitters will slot in, Merrill regaining his rookie form will go a long way toward making the offense much more productive.

Who's Not? 🧊

Luis Campusano: Coming back to Campusano in the cold section isn't easy, especially considering I take spring training results with a grain of salt. But when a guy's primary contribution is with his bat and his exhibition average drops to .143 with Opening Day 17 days away, this starts to become a concern. Campusano started two of the three games and went 1-for-6, which is actually higher (.167) than his spring average. He is making contact, lining out, grounding out and flying out with similar exit velocities, so it could be a simple funk that just takes one good game to break out of.

Gavin Sheets: Could Sunday have been significant for the slugging first baseman? The left-handed hitter smashed his first homer of the spring and it couldn't have come at a better time. Sheets has been scuffling this spring, entering the game 3-for-15 (.200) before roping a 97.7 mph four-seamer from Reds right-hander Chase Burns for a two-run homer, his first of the spring. With how some other candidates have been performing, there could have been some small rumbles about Sheets' roster spot, but this will calm that down for now.

Mason McCoy: Getting starts at second and shortstop, McCoy isn't hitting his way onto this roster as of now. After going 0-for-6 in those two games, McCoy is now down to a .143 spring average (3-for-21), although he does have a double and triple in there. McCoy is a true shortstop, which is his path to a bench role, but with what other players bring offensively, that probably isn't enough to get him to San Diego come Opening Day.