Lake Bachar The San Diego Padres are on the verge of a notable promotion, as reliever Lake Bachar is set to join the big leagues, culminating a nine-year journey with the organization. This significant development was reported by Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune, who shared the news via a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Saturday.
Bachar, who was drafted by the Padres in 2016, has recently been added to the team’s 40-man roster after exercising an opt-out clause in his minor league contract. This adjustment allows the Padres to make a necessary change to accommodate him on the 26-man roster.
This season, Bachar has demonstrated his skills and potential while playing for Triple-A El Paso, where he posted a 4.12 ERA across 67.2 innings. His impressive performance is largely attributed to the development of a new splitter pitch, a key factor in his earlier success with Double-A San Antonio. There, he achieved a remarkable 2.69 ERA in 60.1 innings. The evolution of his pitching repertoire has been crucial to his recent success and has helped him make a strong case for a major league promotion.
Bachar’s journey to the major leagues has been anything but conventional. As detailed by Sanders in April, his career began at Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater. Throughout his career, Bachar has faced numerous challenges, including the disruption of the 2020 season due to the pandemic and a significant setback in the form of Tommy John surgery.
This period of recovery provided him with a unique opportunity to spend valuable time with his father, who was battling cancer. Reflecting on this time, Bachar noted, “I know in the beginning I was like, ‘Why did I have to have Tommy John now?’ … But there’s nothing more valuable than time.”
Unlike some of his contemporaries such as Cal Quantrill, Eric Lauer, Mason Thompson, Joey Lucchesi, Jesse Scholtens, Taylor Kohlwey, and David Bednar, who all advanced to the major leagues before him, Bachar’s path to the big leagues has been marked by perseverance and hard work. Despite not being as highly touted as these peers, Bachar’s dedication and efforts have finally led him to this pivotal moment.
A significant part of Bachar’s development came from an intensive “splitter camp” with former major league pitcher Hideo Nomo in the spring of 2023. Bachar recognized the need to improve his change-up and sought to adjust his pitching strategy. He explained, “My change-up wasn’t good. I needed to take more velocity off and get more vertical break. Killing spin was what I needed to do. I had big hands, so I tried it out.” This focused approach on refining his skills has played a major role in his success.
As Bachar gears up for his major league debut, he stands out as the final player from the 2016 Padres draft class to reach the majors. While he may not have enjoyed the same level of hype as some of his fellow draft class members, his journey exemplifies the rewards of relentless effort and determination. Bachar’s story is a testament to the idea that hard work and persistence can eventually lead to significant achievements, regardless of the challenges faced along the way.
