Padres roster review: Alek Jacob – San Diego Union-Tribune
ALEK JACOB
Position(s): Right-handed pitcher
Bats / Throws: Left / Right
2026 opening day age: 27
Height / Weight: 6-foot-3 / 190 pounds
How acquired: 16th round in 2021 (Gonzaga)
Contract status: Will not be arbitration-eligible until 2028
fWAR in 2025: Minus-0.4
Key 2025 stats: 1-0, 5.13 ERA, 0 saves, 3 holds, 23 strikeouts, 14 walks, 1.50 WHIP, .275 opponent average, 33⅓ innings (29 games)
STAT TO NOTE
7.4 — Feet of extension in 2025, which ranked in the 97th percentile in the majors, according to Statcast. Extension can have an impact on perceived velocity and Jacob’s elite extension helps a fastball that averaged 85.0 mph in 2025 — in the 1 percentile — play up.
TRENDING
Down — Not only does Jacob have elite extension (see stat to note), he employs a funky, side-slot delivery as deception goes a long way in making up for the lack of velocity that haunted him well before he made his way to Gonzaga. Still, 323 strikeouts in 288⅓ innings was enough for the Padres to take a flier on the quirky college senior and Jacob breezed through three levels his first full year as a pro. He made his big-league debut in 2023 (3 IP, 0 H, 0 R), was sidetracked by forearm trouble at the end of the year and didn’t make it back to the majors until the following July. The ensuing sample size was small (14⅔ IP, 4 ER), but Jacob showed enough to land on the Padres’ postseason roster and get a leg up on making the team the following spring. But a strong first month in 2025 (1.80 ERA, 15 IP) gave way to a rocky May (16.20 ERA, 8⅓ IP) that saw Jacob bounce between the majors and Triple-A El Paso (5.27 ERA, 27⅓ IP) the rest of the year. He allowed just one run over 10 intermittent innings over the rest of his big-league appearances, but seeing his walk rate jump from 1.2 per nine innings in 2024 to 3.8 per nine innings and his opponent average jump from .173 in 2024 to .275 made it easy for the Padres to leave Jacob off the NL Wild Card roster.
2026 OUTLOOK
Without even average velocity, he needs to throw more strikes than he did in 2025 if he’s going to carve out a more regular role in the bullpen. Jacob has one option year left so he’ll likely shuttle to and from Triple-A El Paso even if he makes the opening day roster as he did in 2025.
San Diego Padres’ Alek Jacob on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
ROSTER RANKINGS
35. RHP Alek Jacob
36. INF Mason McCoy
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