Manager Craig Stammen has made it clear since his first media scrum at the opening of spring camp that he views Luis Campusano as the No. 2 catcher for the San Diego Padres. More than once, Stammen cited Campusano’s hard work and success in Triple-A last season. During his media scrum Friday morning, Stammen remarked on Campusano’s haircut while giving a big vote of confidence.
“He cut the dreads, got a new haircut, he looks good and I know he’s excited about this opportunity and probably the first time in his career that he has a little bit of runway to take control of this job and win it in spring training and be the number two guy when we leave camp.”
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Campusano’s professional journey has been fraught with pitfalls, to say the least. Arriving with the Padres in 2020 at age 21, Campusano played the most in 2024, where he appeared in 91 games with a .227/.281/.361 line and a -0.7 fWAR reflecting below-average defense. His eight home runs and 40 RBIs didn’t make up for the struggles he had behind the plate. Then-manager Mike Shildt seemed to have seen enough and never gave Campusano a catching opportunity in his 10 appearances in 2025. His 21 at-bats were as a DH and he had no hits and six walks with 11 strikeouts.
Stammen played with Campusano when he was a pitcher in the Padres bullpen. From his first comments after getting the manager’s job, Stammen expressed his support and confidence in Campusano. He indicated from the start that the now 27-year-old would have every opportunity to prove he could be a major league player.
When President of Baseball Operations AJ Preller acquired Freddy Fermin at the trade deadline last season, it became clear that he would be the top-line catcher moving forward. He learned the staff on the job after joining the team and was far offensively superior to the aging Elias Diaz and Martin Maldonado.
Fermin has never been a team’s number one and has never played more than 89 games, which was last season. He started 39 of the Padres’ 52 games after leaving the Kansas City Royals and before that, his previous record was 72 games as Salvador Perez’s backup.
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“I think in order not to wear out Freddy, Campy, if he’s No. 2, he’s got to catch a lot of them,” Stammen said. “To get these guys off to a good start in the season, maybe not exactly equal playing time, we’ll see how it goes, but Campy will play a lot.”
Stammen also talked about the other catchers working with the Padres pitchers in camp. Blake Hunt and Rodolfo Duran share catching duties with Fermin and Campusano. All four, along with top prospect Ethan Salas, will catch Padres pitchers in spring games. Hunt or Duran will likely be Campusano’s replacement and if he doesn’t perform well, it’s likely one of them will be the No. 2 to start.
Another interesting topic to discuss during the scrimmage was Stammen’s aversion to catchers dedicated to specific pitchers. “I think every catcher has to catch every pitcher, and every pitcher has to throw to every catcher. Now, is there going to be a, ‘Hey, these guys are much better together?’
The topic of Matt Waldron also came up and Stammen said all the receivers would work with him and Campusano already brought a glove for Waldron. He recognized that not everyone can catch a knuckleball pitcher, so the best one will get the job.
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Campusano caught Dylan Cease’s hit, the second thrown by a Padre, on July 25, 2024. But his inconsistency behind the plate apparently cost him his manager’s trust. With Stammen as the new leader and Kevin Plawecki as the new catchers coach, Campusano will have another opportunity to show if he is capable of being a major league catcher. There was no discussion about giving him time at first base, although Stammen acknowledged he played first base last season. Its job is to catch and win the backup job. If he is unable to do so, he is out of options and will either be traded or have to go through waivers to be sent to the minor leagues.
To make his job more difficult, ABS will be a part of major league games this year and both catchers will likely be primarily responsible for judging balls and strikes in order to contest pitches. Fortunately, the system has been in place for years in the minor leagues and Campusano has plenty of experience. Stammen said they will strategize as the spring progresses and games begin.
If instilling confidence and expressing confidence in a player can make the difference in their strong performance, Campusano should thrive this spring. Stammen has gone out of his way to publicly support and express his confidence in the young receiver. This is definitely his last and best chance. Hopefully he will take the opportunity and make the most of it.
