Brock Beauchamp

After one season at Western Kentucky, the San Diego Padres selected center fielder Ryan Wideman in the third round of the 2025 draft. Wideman had spent the two previous years in junior college at Georgia Highlands and then became the Conference USA Player of the Year at Western Kentucky. The 22-year-old son of former Clemson men's basketball player Tom Wideman is very toolsy. He can definitely hit for average, posting a .398/.466/.652 slash line in his lone season (60 games) at Western Kentucky after a .423/.488/.724 in 115 Juco games. He also brings a big speed aspect, stealing 48 bases in 2024 and then 45 in 2025. Besides those two traits, many onlookers feel that his power potential is untapped due in part to a 6-foot-4, 204-pound frame. Wideman had 10 homers at Western Kentucky after 22 in two Juco seasons. After being selected, he reported to Low A Lake Elsinore and had a .229/.330/.271 slash line in 26 games, with no homers and 12 RBIs with 11 steals in 12 tries. The concern with Wideman offensively is how he adjusts to pro pitching. His grounder and chase rates were among the worst in Division I. The Padres will need to help Wideman hone in his approach at the plate, perhaps eliminating a big leg kick. After striking out 47 times in 283 plate appearances (16.6%) at Western Kentucky, he went down 32 times in 112 plate appearances (28.6%) at Lake Elsinore. He had a 40% chase rate in college in 2025 and 35% with the Storm. Defensively, Wideman has the speed and the range to track down any ball in center field, but needs to improve his routes to the ball, something that can be smoothed over as a pro. While he has an average arm, his legs will keep him in center. A return to Lake Elsinore and the California League seems pretty obvious in order to put the changes made in the offseason and spring training into action. With the investment of a third-round pick, at least a round or two higher than projected, Wideman will get time to prove himself. If things click early and the Padres like what they are seeing, a promotion to High-A Fort Wayne will be waiting. His tools are easy to dream on, especially if he puts together a 25-homer season, which seems very reachable based on his college performance. It would not be out of bounds to project a 25-homer, 70-steal season while playing the premium position of center field if absolutely everything clicks. But that only comes if he is able to smooth out the rough patches at the plate.

In the midst of a pennant race, the San Diego Padres introduced new owners Monday: Jose E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones. Randy Holt and Steve Drumwright took in the press conference and gave their thoughts on the power couple taking over. The vibes were good, with not a lot of empty promises or corporate chatter typical of most introductory ceremonies. Randy and Steve also discuss the week that was, including a big comeback that helped sweep the Minnesota Twins before running into some good pitching before salvaging the finale of the series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. They also take a look at the NL wild-card standings and the upcoming road trip to face the Tampa Bay Rays and Cincinnati Reds. Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/padres-mission-podcast/id1896922834 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033xclmydmbLmEp0exYuYz Listen on iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1333-padres-mission-podcast-336930560 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@padresmission

This website is getting a little long in the tooth. The basic design dates back to 2021, when our only site was Twins Daily. Since that redesign, we've added nine (!!!!) sites and crammed in more new features than we can count. It's time for a ground-up rethink of everything about this website, and we need your help to do it right. A lot has changed over the past half-decade, especially for independent publishers like us: social media has throttled our reach to near-zero, Google is replacing search results with AI summaries, and economic uncertainties continue to loom over us all. As a result, we're focusing inward and doubling down on community. We offer more interactivity than ever before; we want to offer the best comments, forums, and user blogs you'll find anywhere. Features like the You're The GM! offseason tool will gain more prominence, and new features are coming that expand upon that idea. At the center of everything we do is you, the user. We only know how we use the website; your experience could differ in very important ways. That's why it's important to let us know how you use the site and how we can do things better. We can't improve without input, and yours is vital to the next generation of DiamondCentric sites. As always, thank you for being such an important part of our community! Create your own user feedback survey

Lascelles is a Yale commit who is the best position player prospect out of Canada in the 2026 class. At 6'2, 190, he's grown and added size and strength in the last twelve months to a profile that has started to be more heavily scrutinized by scouts. Lascelles hits left handed, with some pre-swing waggle in his stance and a slightly unorthodox look. His swing isn't the smoothest, and it doesn't look like Lascelles gets into his lower half as much as he might, potentially limiting his power output. What there's plenty of, is bat-to-ball skills. Lascelles has exceptional hand-eye coordination and almost never strikes out, a tendency he combined with a ton of discipline in his at-bats. While he may move off shortstop long term due to a fringy arm, Lascelles should stick in the dirt, possibly at second base. He's a plus runner and a threat on the base paths. If he's to add more power, there's some swing work to do, but Lascelles has the most important tool in his bag.

With the San Diego Padres currently in postseason position, Randy Holt and Steve Drumwright take the opportunity to talk about the Friars' chances in the postseason. Do they have what it takes to win the franchise's first World Series? Or are they more apt to be eliminated in the Wild Card Series? Randy and Steve also take a look back at the week that was, beginning with Jose E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones taking over as owners and then the six games against the Cleveland Guardians and New York Mets, including a superstar performance by Fernando Tatis Jr. They wrap things up by checking in on the newest draft pick to debut and look ahead to the weekend series against the Minnesota Twins. Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/padres-mission-podcast/id1896922834 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033xclmydmbLmEp0exYuYz Listen on iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1333-padres-mission-podcast-336930560 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@padresmission

One of the higher upside prep catchers in last year’s draft class, Ty Harvey, finds himself as the number eight prospect in the San Diego Padres' farm system going into the 2026 season. A catcher who graduated from Inspiration Academy out of Bradenton, Florida, Harvey was a Florida State commit before the Padres took him in the fifth round of the 2025 MLB Draft. Harvey’s scouting report before the draft showed plenty of power in his swing for an 18-year old kid. The Friars thought highly enough of him to pay him more than triple his slot value ($1.5 million signing bonus) in order to break his commitment to FSU. In summer showcases and the MLB Draft Combine, Harvey had plenty of home run swings that traveled over 400 feet as well as exit velocities reaching anywhere from 100-110 MPH. But prep catchers are a hard group to bank on maintaining their power from the time they’re drafted up until they reach the upper levels of the minors. Harvey’s seven-game sample size in 2025 showcased the challenge in adjusting to power in the pros from high school pitchers, as he didn’t have a single home run over his 30 plate appearances in Low-A. In fact, Harvey was only 4-for-23 with 12 strikeouts and seven walks. Any player's numbers in their first seven games in pro ball are not enough to judge what their future will be. In Harvey’s case, what we can draw is the makings of decent plate discipline, with a need to fix the holes in his swing that opposing pitchers were able to get via those 12 strikeouts. Harvey will return to Low-A Lake Elsinore to begin his 2026 season and have a runway there all season to work on his strengths and weaknesses at and behind the plate. The key thing to follow will be his power numbers. If he can hit anywhere from 15-20 home runs this season, he will be in good shape to climb up the rankings of the Padres’ farm system. If he doesn’t show that much power, then it’ll be a matter of whether he trades that for more contact and a higher walk rate than he's previously shown capable of producing. Defensively, Harvey had one of the better throwing arms among prep catchers in his draft class. The sample size of how he calls games and stops bad pitches is still not enough to merit how strong his defense will be long term, but belief is strong that he'll stick behind the plate as he climbs the ladder. Harvey will turn 20 on July 28 and has a good opportunity in front of him for his first full season in pro-ball. With Ethan Salas still holding the title of the Padres’ best catching prospect, it allows the organization more time to develop Harvey into their liking and not rush him up the system. In a best-case scenario, Harvey won't be MLB-ready until 2028 or 2029. If he crushes the pitching at Low-A, then it’s likely he moves up to High-A Fort Wayne by the end of this year. If Salas doesn’t turn out to be the MLB star he’s been projected to be, then Harvey will likely be the Padres' next chance at developing an All-Star-caliber catcher behind the plate for the long term.

After four years of college, no one took a chance on the well-built McCoy (6-foot-5, 260 pounds) in the 2024 draft, so the Padres pounced and signed him as an undrafted free agent. His 2021 season at Maryland-Eastern Shore was wiped out by the pandemic, but he showed an ability to hit the ball in 2022 and 2023 before transferring to Hofstra for his senior season, playing for former MLB infielder Frank Catalanotto. He hit .306 with 11 homers, 44 RBIs and 22 steals in 56 games. His hit tool has continued to shine since joining the Padres' organization. Making his debut in 2025 at Low-A Lake Elsinore, McCoy put together a season slash line of .315/.393/.521, hitting seven homers and driving in 40 while stealing 14 bases in 17 attempts over 58 games. His 2025 included a stint on the seven-day injured list as he dealt with hamstring and quad injuries, missing more than two months, and a brief rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League. Moving up to Fort Wayne this year, McCoy has kept chugging along. He has a .293/.359/.560 slash line following Wednesday's game with six homers, 17 RBIs and five steals in 32 games. McCoy hasn't unleashed his power yet, which might be the best in the Padres' system and reportedly reaching a peak exit velocity of 118 mph last year, but that could come as the season progresses. His hitting ability can be attributed to a short and controlled swing that allows him to attack pitches. McCoy had a 21-game on-base streak this season, which included a 15-game hitting streak. He was named the Midwest League Player of the Month for April with a .354/.386/.683 slash line. While McCoy's power ranks a 60 (well above average) on the 20-80 scouting scale, his running, throwing and fielding ability rank just below average. Left field is probably his best positional fit, but a move to first base is also possible. He played the position some in college.

The San Diego Padres have starting pitching? The San Diego Padres have starting pitching. The San Diego Padres have starting pitching! Randy Holt and Steve Drumwright recap the week that was, meaning a 5-1 homestand, including a sweep of MLB's best team, that vaulted them into the No. 2 NL wild-card spot. That is because the trade-deadline acquisitions of Robbie Ray and Casey Mize suddenly have made the starting rotation a strength instead of a question mark. That newfound depth also has a trickle-down effect that can only strengthen the Padres as they head into September. After checking in on the latest draft picks to make their pro debuts, Randy and Steve then look ahead to a six-game road trip to play the Cleveland Guardians and New York Mets. Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/padres-mission-podcast/id1896922834 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033xclmydmbLmEp0exYuYz Listen on iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1333-padres-mission-podcast-336930560 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@padresmission

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