It's Now Or Never For The Padres & Luis Campusano

[Randy Holt]

To refer to a baseball player as a Quad-A, Quadruple-A, or AAAA type is indicative of a player who is too good for Triple-A baseball but can't hack it at the major league level. The San Diego Padres may have such a player in their organization at present in the form of Luis Campusano. Only possible, though, as we don't have a large enough sample to confirm whether or not that's the case. 

Drafted out of a Georgia high school in 2018, Campusano's first extended look at the top level came in 2023. Campusano served as Gary Sánchez's backup for the majority of the year, turning in a 133 wRC+ and 1.1 fWAR. He parlayed that into an extra 120 plate appearances last year but regressed on both sides of the ball (83 wRC+, -0.5 fWAR) and ceded his job to Kyle Higashioka as the season wore on.

Ahead of the 2025 season, the Padres chose to roll with a combination of Elias Diaz and Martín Maldonado behind the plate. Díaz was a late-season pickup in 2024, signed by the team to a new deal last winter, while Maldonado rode his outdated reputation as a defensive stopper behind the plate to a non-roster deal. Rather than extend another opportunity to Campusano, Mike Shildt & Co. decided to roll with the pair of veterans behind the dish for '25. 

It's a move that has not panned out at all. Maldonado, in particular, has compounded below-average offense (46 wRC+) with well-below-average defense. Statcast has him at -8 Blocks Above Average, -1 Framing Runs, and -6 Caught Stealing Above Average. Díaz hasn't been much better offensively (62 wRC+), but he's at least been passable with the glove via 2 Blocks Above Average and 1 Catcher's CS Above Average (though his framing is worse than Maldonado's at -3 Framing Runs). 

Such brutal production out of one spot assuredly indicates that A.J. Preller will prioritize a move for a catcher ahead of this month's trade deadline. A marginal improvement like the Cubs' Reese McGuire or Korey Lee of the White Sox would at least offer a boost to a positional group in need of it. But would it be entirely unreasonable in the interim for the Padres to consider Campusano for an extended look before such an acquisition were to transpire? 

Campusano has not been a good defensive catcher in his time with the Padres. Across two years of action, he went -11 in Blocks Above Average, -10 in Framing Runs, and -5 in CS Above Average. We don't have such data available from El Paso to determine whether or not Campusano has demonstrated any growth on that side of the ball in Triple-A, but considering that his numbers across two years aren't that much worse than what Maldonado, in particular, has turned in within half of just one, it's something worth considering, especially when you factor in the offensive side. 

We know Campusano has upside that neither Díaz (at this stage) nor Maldonado (at any point in his career) possesses. And he's done nothing but mash in Triple-A this year. 

Through a shade over 250 PA with El Paso, Campusano has wRC+'d 140. He carries a .308/.427/.587 line and a walk rate (16.3 percent) that narrowly exceeds his strikeout rate (16.0). His isolated power checks in at .279. Among 55 qualifying Triple-A hitters, the wRC+ ranks second, the slug/ISO figures sit fifth & sixth, and the on-base percentage is pacing the group. He's been one of the best hitters that the Pacific Coast League has to offer. That, dear reader, is the component that the Padres need to consider at this immediate point in time. 

The Padres are a team starved for offense. Catcher and left field are the two spots at which they've gotten almost zero production. The defensive caveat is a difficult one to ignore, but it's possible that the difference between Campusano & Maldonado could be negligible at this point. Why not take a run at an upside play if it could, potentially, allow you to deploy your resources elsewhere prior to July 31st? 

It is worth noting that Campusano does have 27 PA to his credit at the top level this year. He's accrued exactly zero hits in that time. However, there has also been no stability in his opportunities. He saw 10 chances at the start of May, was called up again 19 days later for another seven, and waited five days for another pair of plate appearances before the month's end. He scattered another five PAs across two appearances in mid-June before getting a start as the DH on July 13th, before another demotion. Twenty-seven plate appearances are a small enough sample on their own. Let alone when opportunities are scarce. 

Ultimately, though, the Padres and Luis Campusano are at a crucial point in their relationship. If, at this point, the team refuses to give him a shot, considering the context unfolding behind the plate, it's likely never coming. Considering the upside with the stick, you'd like to see a stable bit of opportunity to perhaps inject a little life into a position that has lacked it in 2025. At best, you're getting an in-house upgrade. At worst, it's the status quo.

Campusano may very well be a Quad-A player. It's worth finding out for sure.

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