Rookie outfielder José Azocar initially made the roster out of spring training as a defensive replacement, but has slowly earned more playing time, in part due to his production at the plate as well as a need in right field, where starter Wil Myers has been sidelined much of the season due to injuries. The Venezuela native signed with the Detroit Tigers when he was 16 and in November 2020 elected free agency before signing a minor league contract with the Padres. He spent last year improving his plate discipline while working in Double-A San Antonio and Triple-A El Paso. Known for his inquisitive nature and speed on the basepaths, Azocar is called “Sugar” by teammates, a nod to the Spanish translation of the word — “azúcar” — sounding similar to his last name.

Union-Tribune: You were added out of spring training because the Padres needed depth in the outfield. But you’ve been working your way into the lineup more and more, earning the trust of Bob Melvin and the coaches. How do you think you’ve gone about doing that?

Azocar: I think it’s doing my things, then getting my opportunity and doing it the way I do it all my life. And then I will get more opportunities every time. … I come to the field and work hard every day in the gym and all those things. And then during practice, I power shag and run the bases, because I want to show them I’m ready to play.

U-T: You had your first career walk-off hit earlier this season. How do you look back on that moment?

Azocar: It was amazing. I dreamed of that before. And at that time, I get my opportunity. I didn’t want to do too much there. So I just tried to put the ball in play and I get the base hit.

U-T: Did you have a lot of family and friends reaching out after that?

Azocar: Yeah, tons of people from my city in Venezuela. And all the fans from the Padres. They text me all night.

U-T: How do you think your game has elevated since coming here? Do you think that you’ve grown a lot?

Azocar: Oh yeah, you need to grow in this game. If you don’t grow, if you don’t mature at the plate or on defense, you will be out of this game so quick. You need to learn all those things. Like, quick. You don’t have time to say, “Oh no, I’m new at this, new to this stadium or new to the big leagues.” They don’t have time for that.

U-T: It seems like you’ve become really close with your teammates over the last month especially. You’ve been learning a lot from them, too. Who has helped you the most?

Azocar: I mean, everybody. The coaches and players and all the staff. Because they played the game before, so they’ve been in this game all their life probably. They know how to do things. If you ask, they will not say no to answering your question. They want to answer and make you better every day. So I’m trying to learn every single day when I come to the field. I try to ask questions, because that’s the only way you learn.

U-T: Some rookies are afraid to ask...

Azocar: Probably like four years ago I was afraid, but right now, no, because this is my life. Everything I do is on the field. I want to be in this game for many years. So it’s the only way you get there. … When we had (Robinson) Cano, I talked to him a lot. He will still call me, text me every night with what I do wrong in the field or he would pull on my ear and say something I did in the field that he didn’t like. It’s the same thing with Manny (Machado) or (Eric) Hosmer. They come to me and talk to me. And I appreciate that because they don’t get into you if you don’t respect them, you know?

U-T: Let’s talk Jurickson Profar. Your locker is right next to his in the clubhouse. You guys have a great time; you’re always laughing. What’s that relationship been like?

Azocar: Great. When I got here, he was close to me all the time and talking. He gives me some little things that I need to do in this game. I feel like he’s my brother right now. … He includes me in everything. He’s a great guy. How you see him play, that will tell you everything. The passion he has for this game. And that’s the thing that you literally love because when you see somebody playing with heart like that, you want to be like him, too.

U-T: You were in the minors nine seasons before you made your big-league debut. Did you ever worry that you might not get here?

Azocar: No, I never thought I would not make it because I believe in myself. I believe in everything I do. And I feel like the Padres did a pretty good job with me, trying to teach me how to deal with my strike zone. All last year, I tried to take many pitches. I tried to get on base every time I can. And that is paying off right now. That’s why I’m here.

U-T: Because last year in the minors, you were hitting, but also striking out a lot.

Azocar: Yeah, I was hitting like .290 in the minor leagues, but with 140 strikeouts, and nobody will send you up to play in the big leagues. Nobody will believe in you when you do those things.

U-T: You grew up in Venezuela. How did you learn the game?

Azocar: My dad would bring me to the stadium every day on a bike. He started giving me ground balls and hitting with (expletive) balls (laughs). In Venezuela there wasn’t good balls. I started learning to hit and catching ground balls because I was a shortstop. My dad tried to teach me everything about defense here — what I was supposed to do in this moment, that moment, how to play the game the right way.

U-T: Did your dad play?

Azocar: Not really. But he had seen my uncle — my uncle played for the Padres — and he had a close friend that played in Venezuela a lot. So he’d been around baseball for a long time.

U-T: Wait, your uncle played for the Padres?

Azocar: Yes, Óscar Azocar. He was an outfielder, but in his career he was a pitcher. (Note: Óscar Azocar played three years in the majors; one with the Yankees and two with the Padres, in 1991-92. He died in 2010.)

U-T: When did your dad know you were good enough to possibly go to the next level?

Azocar: He said all the time that I was good when I was little. But I didn’t realize that as I go to the field and play because it’s fun for me. I used to love playing basketball more than baseball but he told me, ‘You’re gonna be probably 5-11, 6-foot, so you don’t have a chance to play basketball.’ I was like, but I really love that. I enjoyed doing that. And he said, if you want to ruin your life and try to make the NBA …

U-T: Are you now glad he told you that?

Azocar: Oh yeah, 100 percent (laughs).

U-T: When the Tigers signed you, you were 16. What was that moment like?

Azocar: That moment was great because my dream came true. My first dream. I look back at those birthdays and all those things where I wasn’t with my family, and I was probably crying in the complex in Venezuela. That was before I signed. And when I signed that paper it was like, all my dreams came true. … I got out of my house when I was 14-and-a-half. My mom wasn’t happy. But I told her that I want to play baseball. I don’t want to go to school for anything.

U-T: So when you signed, it was like all the sacrifices made it worth it.

Azocar: Yes. And my mom was happy, too, like, oh, you get your dream. So now you need to work hard and try to make it to the next level.

U-T: You left your house a lot younger than maybe someone would have here in America. How do you deal with being away from your family?

Azocar: They know me 100 percent and they know everything I do is for them, to try to make their life better. And I come here every day and think about all my family that I left in Venezuela. Even if I don’t do well that night, I’m still grinding because they support me.

U-T: What’s the last time you were in Venezuela?

U-T: We’ve talked a little bit in the clubhouse about how you help them out, how you send them money. You’ve been doing that since you were in the minors. There’s other players that do that as well, but why has it been important for you?

Azocar: Because they support you before you are born. And then after you are born, they give you everything they can. Now I have the opportunity to get them everything, so I will do it the rest of my life.

U-T: How far does that money go for them in Venezuela?

Azocar: Right now nowhere, because everything’s expensive over there because of inflation. And when I was in the minor leagues, I couldn’t send that much money because I pay rent, I pay all those things. I sent just a little money. I tried to save some money and send the money to Venezuela to our family and tried to give them good food every day.

U-T: You worked during your time in the minors too, right? You taught baseball?

Azocar: I used to do lessons when the pandemic started and all those things. Because I needed money to send to my father in Venezuela; it wasn’t a great moment for them. And then all my neighbors, they don’t have any money or any income. So I wanted to help them. I don’t want people to just remember me because I play baseball. I want them to remember me like a good person, too.

U-T: You’re just 26. You seem a lot older. Like you grew up fast.

Azocar: Because I left my home when I was little. So I was learning a lot. When you are around old guys you need to grow up. If you don’t grow up, you go nowhere.

U-T: What’s on your bucket list to see here in San Diego, if you get some time?

Azocar: Probably go around in a boat and try to fish here. I would love to do that.

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