Padres News: MLB Insider Believes Nick Martinez's Has a Shot at His First All-Star Bid

Another Friar on the way to Seattle this year?

The San Diego Padres have enjoyed a number of guys from all around their depth chart stepping up as of late as they were able to win four out of their last six games and could have easily made that five on Sunday if not for some late-game slip-ups. Blake Snell was having one of the best performances he's cooked up all year but an ankle injury ended his night early.

Besides the rain delay on Sunday, the biggest story was that the Padres' bullpen was unable to hold on to their lead as they allowed two homers in the ninth inning and fell 5-4. But despite this meltdown, San Diego's relievers have undoubtedly been one of the better groups in the MLB over the past few weeks.

And ever since Nick Martinez was bumped down to the bullpen crew, he has found a very comfortable role and has been thriving. Martinez was able to get a taste within the starting position and has brought that experience with him.

In fact, experts from The Athletic believe that it would not be out of the question for Martinez to make the 2023 All-Star squad.

Pregame stand off between Nick Martinez and Sean Manea 😂 pic.twitter.com/VSuR7Xdhyn

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 30, 2023

"And

with a 1.73 ERA since moving to the bullpen

, there’s a decent argument for

Nick Martinez

, too. The ironic thing is that if the

Padres

ever actually get it together, either of those guys could be pushed out of consideration as San Diego’s better-established stars claim All-Star roster spots."

(Via The Athletic)

Ha-Seong Kim has always been coined as someone from the Friars outside of their main group of stars to get an All-Star nod as he has been raising his value over the past two months.

However, Martinez has seen plenty of success with the Padres even on the biggest stage and this would be a massive honor.