Padres' 'Best Kept Secret' Could Turn Bullpen Into MLB's Best

The San Diego Padres may be dealing with some problems in the starting rotation to open the new year, but the pitching staff as a whole isn't an issue. The bullpen for San Diego was expected to be the strength of this roster, and so far, it has been.

With star Mason Miller as the closer and left-hander Adrian Morejon right behind him, San Diego has one of the better duos that the league has to offer. But this team will also be getting veteran Jason Adam back from injury soon, giving the relief staff even more firepower to work with.

The Padres' front office knew that this group would have to carry the pitching staff this season, so they invested heavily in the arms. But it seems that the Padres may have a secret weapon that could make them even stronger.

Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report put together a list of every team's best-kept secrets, and one of the Padres relief pitchers made the cut. This would be right-hander David Morgan, who has been excellent for San Diego since he made his MLB debut last year.

Who is David Morgan?

So far this season, Morgan has appeared in four games, posting an ERA of 0.00 while working five innings. The right-hander has been lights out to start the season, and it has given this unit a nice boost while Adam recovers from a quad injury.

Last year, Morgan made his debut in May for the Padres, and he ended up pitching in 41 games for the team. During this time, he put up an ERA of 2.66 over 41.7 innings of work.

San Diego has been very encouraged by the start to his MLB career, and he gives this team more flexibility to use over the season. With Morgan, Miller, Morejon, Jeremiah Estrada and eventually Adam, among others, the Padres bullpen could be even scarier than what most expected.

Morgan was actually not a pitcher from the jump of his baseball career, playing every position other than pitcher at Orange Coast College. The right-hander eventually transitioned over to being a pitcher, and it has seemed to work out very well for him.

The Padres signed Morgan as a free agent after he went undrafted in the 2022 MLB Draft, and he has put in the work for this organization. San Diego bet on his potential, and he looks like another strong signing from this scouting department.

Assuming that he keeps up his strong start to the season, the Padres bullpen could be lethal the rest of the way. And for San Diego, they are going to need this group to stay strong if the team wants to compete for a playoff spot.

Morgan and Bradgley Rodriguez may not have been known commodities around baseball heading into the year, but they could be two of the best relievers in the league's top bullpen by the end of it.