Padres Reliever Says Surprise Pitcher Has Been Best Lefty in National League

Jul 13, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Adrian Morejon (50) delivers during the seventh inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

San Diego Padres relief pitcher Jason Adam believes teammate Adrian Morejon has been the best left-handed pitcher in baseball this season.

Morejon received the first All-Star selection of his career this season after starters Chris Sale and Zack Wheeler backed out of the game. He has a 1.85 ERA this season, and has only allowed one earned run since May 21.

“I told him when he got it he deserved it more than anyone,” Adam said of Morejon's All-Star selection. “He’s been, in my opinion, the best — maybe (Red Sox All-Star Aroldis) Chapman, but like, outside of that — the best lefty in all of baseball.”

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The Padres also sent Adam and closer Robert Suarez to Atlanta for Tuesday's game, and became the first team in MLB history to have three All-Star relievers in the same season.

Morejon has the best ERA among left-handed relievers in the National League, and only trails Chapman in all of MLB. Morejon may not strike out a ton of batters, but is in the top 10 in MLB in many other categories.

He is in the 100th percentile in MLB in xERA and hard hit percentage, and is in the top 10 percent in expected batting average, fastball velocity, average exit velocity, walk percentage, barrel percentage and ground ball percentage.

Morejon's slider is a major reason as to why he's so successful, as it is his go to swing and miss pitch, and is generating just a .108 batting average. It generates an average break of 5.3 inches, more than four times as much as the league average among left handers.

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The Padres will continue to rely on Morejon in high-leverage situations and hope he continues to produce as they make a run for the playoffs. They are 0.5 games ahead of the San Francisco Giants in the NL Wild Card, and will try to maintain that lead through the second half.

Their first series after the All-Star break comes on Friday, when they travel to the nation's capital for a three-game series against the Washington Nationals. The series begins at 3:45 p.m. PT.

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