PEORIA, Ariz. -- The Padres have tried this formula before -- and they’ve seen it work.

Stephen Kolek is a right-hander with a five-pitch mix. He began his career as a starter before he was pigeonholed as a reliever upon his arrival in the big leagues. Now, Kolek is making the transition back into a starting role.

Sounds a lot like last year’s version of Michael King, doesn’t it?

To be clear, King was more advanced, having logged more big league time with the Yankees before arriving in the Juan Soto trade. But the similarities are clear. The two share virtually the same arsenal, which is just one reason San Diego believes Kolek will find success as a starter.

Another reason? Kolek’s proactivity in learning from King -- his willingness to use King as a resource. In return, King has become a willing mentor.

It’s not so much about new pitches or grips. They already throw the same pitches -- two distinctly useful fastballs, a solid changeup, a sweeper and a cutter. It’s about how to use that arsenal.

King is coming off a season in which he made 30 starts and posted a 2.95 ERA, finishing seventh in the National League in Cy Young Award voting. Who better for Kolek to emulate?

“He’s a guy that’s really trying to learn,” King said. “And it’s refreshing to have a guy come up to me and say: ‘You sequence well, you read swings -- what you got for me? What can I do better?’”

In the bullpen last season, Kolek was rarely able to tap into his five-pitch arsenal. This spring, however, he’s throwing all of his pitches regularly. Perhaps naturally, he’s still processing when exactly to use each of them.

That’s where King comes in. Kolek has shadowed King’s game-planning sessions, and he’s been encouraged to ask questions about the way King operates.

“We have, obviously, very similar arsenals,” Kolek said. “We throw a lot of the same sort of stuff. Whenever I’m looking at him, in my mind I’m always trying to … just pay attention to how he goes about it. And also, there’s the game-planning side of things. Even before getting into the game -- what are some things he’s looking for? What’s the strategy behind it?”

Kolek’s investment appears to be paying off. He’s a contender for the No. 5 spot in the Padres’ rotation. (That race is down to three, following Matt Waldron’s left oblique strain, which will keep him out through the start of the season.) At the beginning of camp, Kolek seemed like perhaps the longest shot among the true contenders.

He might suddenly be the favorite. In three outings, Kolek has allowed only one run on five hits across nine innings. He’s also been excellent on the back fields. That’s no surprise to King, who saw the potential in Kolek as a Rule 5 Draft pick last summer, even as Kolek struggled to a 5.21 ERA.

“His sequencing wasn’t very good,” King said. “There were so many opportunities, I felt like, last year -- and even this year in Spring Training -- where he has had the opportunity to get the strikeout, and he gets [a soft-contact hit]. So it’s really just about sequencing in a way to allow for swing-and-miss.

“That’s what we’ve been talking about. I also told him it’s a mindset thing. Once you get to two strikes, it’s like: I’m throwing a pitch that’s a swing-and-miss pitch. I’m not just trying to execute. I’m saying: ‘I’m throwing this pitch, you’re swinging and missing at it, and it’s at-bat over.'

“If he gets that mentality and can also sequence a little better, his stuff is some of the best in baseball.”

Pitching coach Ruben Niebla actively encourages collaboration among his pitchers, so King isn’t the only starter Kolek has endeavored to learn from. He wants some of Nick Pivetta’s swing-and-miss and some of Yu Darvish’s techniques with spin. Joe Musgrove has been helpful with game-planning techniques.

“I’m trying to use the whole staff,” Kolek said. “There’s a lot to learn. There’s a lot of knowledge in our starting pitching. I’m trying to just pick each of their brains as much as I can. But yeah, Michael is the direct correlation for me.”

That type of communication isn’t limited to Kolek. It’s been an organization-wide emphasis this spring.

“I applaud Kolek for being open-minded to say, ‘OK, our [pitch] shapes are similar, now how do you use them?’” said manager Mike Shildt. “‘How do you work off of them? What’s your thought process with how you set up hitters?’ So that part’s great.

“And then in general what I really, really appreciate … is the more that we can share our information, the better version of players we’re going to have. And the better version of a team we’re going to have.”