San Diego Padres star pitcher Kyle Hart has a case to round out their rotation in the upcoming 2025 season.
Padres: Kyle Hart living up to KBO dominance in spring
After on-and-off spells in the minor leagues between 2021 and 2023 and an Award-winning stint in the Korean Baseball Organization in 2024, the Padres have high hopes that Hart can deliver for them next time out.
According to San Diego Padres on SI’s Maren Angus-Coombs, Padres manager Mike Shildt said this about Hart:
“I just want to go see him pitch,” Shildt said. “It’s unfair for me to have too high of expectations with guys that I’ve never really seen before, but clearly, he’s legitimately in the mix to be the fifth starter.”
Hart could bring valuable execution to the Padres’ rotation
MLB.com’s Cole Bradley highlighted the year that the 32-year-old had in the KBO in 2024, saying:
“Winner of the Choi Dong-won Award — the KBO’s equivalent of the Cy Young — Hart finished 13-3 with a 2.69 ERA across 26 starts, registering 182 strikeouts over 157 innings,” Bradley wrote.
Hart only has one season of MLB experience dating back to his 2020 campaign with the Boston Red Sox. Though he only played in four games that season, the lefty hurler earned a 15.55 ERA for Boston along with 13 strikeouts.
Nevertheless, those days are long behind him. An accomplished body of work in a prestigious baseball league overseas has given him the experience necessary to play well in the Majors again.
With Padres star Joe Musgrove out for the 2025 campaign due to a UCL tear that required Tommy John surgery, Hart could slide into that No. 5 role in San Diego for next season. How he plays in the Cactus League the rest of the way out will further determine his role in 2025.