Padres righty starter being coached by beloved pitcher to become 'Dominican Yu Darvish'

The San Diego Padres are going to need some quality production from more under-the-radar pitchers this upcoming season. A.J. Preller has built a strong roster, but there are some big questions in the rotation outside of Michael King and Nick Pivetta.

There is one player, a 27-year-old right-hander who's had success in the Majors before, who could be in store for a big season in 2026. And it's not just due to the opportunity, but how he's being coached leading up to 2026.

As Jim Bowden of The Athletic shared, Padres righty Randy Vasquez is being coached up by Yu Darvish to become the "Dominican Yu Darvish" this upcoming season.

Padres trying to create 'Dominican Yu Darvish' with Randy Vasquez

"Yu Darvish is trying to teach Randy (Vasquez) how to be the Dominican Yu Darvish," Padres manager Craig Stammen said.

Vasquez, the 27-year-old righty with a solid fastball that sits in the 96-98 mph range, has been using a lot of his pitching arsenal thanks to the coaching from Darvish this spring.

While he's not been as impressive as other pitchers have been this spring, his 4.15 ERA across 13 innings and four games is good enough for the Padres to have confidence in Vasquez this upcoming season.

With Darvish considering retirement, the beloved veteran is trying to help create a successor for the Padres before he makes a final decision on his playing career.

Darvish is helping coach up Vasquez, a righty who's had success in his Major League career before, especially in 2025.

More: Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki will return to rotation, not bullpen according Dave Roberts

Last season, Vasquez had a 3.84 ERA in 28 games and across 133.2 innings. While it's not some incredibly impressive number, that's more than adequate to be a starting pitcher in the Major Leagues.

And if Darvish can help Vasquez turn into the Dominican version of himself, with the ability to use multiple pitches to fool hitters as he's developing into a pitcher with a repertoire similar to Darvish's.

He's still a ways away from reaching the heights that Darvish reached in his MLB career, but having the professional baseball legend help coach up one of the young Padres pitchers is a good sign for the Padres rotation going forward.

Vasquez will be one player worth keeping an extra close eye on this upcoming season for Padres fans, as they might have a "Dominican Yu Darvish" on their hands after working closely with the legendary pitcher.

More MLB news:

• Blue Jays sign Joe Mantiply to minor league contract
• Konnor Griffin projected to make Pirates Opening Day roster by two analysts
• Alex Cora announces Caleb Durbin is Red Sox starting third baseman
• Joey Wentz is out for the season with a torn ACL for the Braves
• Reds’ Hunter Greene to be out until July amid brutal injury news
• Braves predicted to trade Bryce Elder for Lars Nootbaar
• Jesus Luzardo’s $135 million extension is a steal for Phillies