Seth Stohs
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Salas, who played with players twice his age in the Venezuelan winter league just months before signing, made his debut in the Padres organization two days before his 17th birthday, playing for the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm. Coming from a baseball family—dad Jose Salas Sr. played catcher in the Atlanta system, his paternal grandfather and his dad's brother played in the minors and Ethan has two brothers currently in the minors (Jose Jr. with the Minnesota Twins and Andrew with the Miami Marlins)—Salas had a wealth of knowledge that helped elevate his prospect status. Plus, being a 6-foot-2, 185-pounder who would have had to wait another year or two before being drafted doesn't hurt, either. He was a rare catcher that not only had elite defense, but had a good approach at the plate as a left-handed hitter. He has a proclivity for hitting the ball to all fields and was scouted with plus power. Salas showed those skills at Lake Elsinore. In his first 48 professional games, Salas had a slash line of .267/.350/.487 with nine homers, 35 RBIs and five stolen bases. Defensively, he had just one error and threw out eight of 37 steal attempts. As the Padres are wont to do, Salas was quickly promoted to the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps. He wasn't there very long, playing in just nine games with Fort Wayne and struggling offensively with a .200/.243/.229 slash line. With the season coming to an end, the Padres surprisingly moved Salas up again, this time to the Double-A San Antonio Missions, where he spent another nine games. There, he had a slash line of .179/.303/.214. Baseball America and MLB Pipeline each had Salas ranked as the No. 8 prospect in baseball as he returned to Fort Wayne to start the 2024 season as a 17-year-old, the youngest player in the Midwest League. This time, he stuck around for 113 games, but the offense he showed at Lake Elisnore wasn't there. Salas put together a .206/.288/.311 slash line with four homers, 53 RBIs and 10 steals, playing against players who on average were 4.3 years older than he was. He threw out 28 of 111 runners attempting to steal in 67 games at catcher. With a full season under his belt, the Friars sent him to the Arizona Fall League, a prospect showcase. The offense was still a work in progress as he finished with a .228/.327/.424 slash line, but he did pop four homers and drove in 21. The lack of offense started to dampen Salas' prospect luster, as Baseball America dropped him to No. 31 and MLB Pipeline to No. 33 entering 2025. Now 18 years old, Salas went up to Double-A, where he was five years younger than the average player in the Texas League. But just 10 games into the season, Salas' campaign came to an abrupt end with a stress reaction in his lower back. Salas, now 19, is likely returning to San Antonio to begin 2026. He participated in major-league camp this year, but went just 2-for-11 (.182). He slid further in the prospect rankings, tumbling to No. 90 in the Baseball America list and not being included in MLB Pipeline's Top 100. Some outlets even moved Salas to No. 2 in the Padres' system, behind last year's first-round draft pick, left-handed starter Kruz Schoolcraft. All of this adds up to making 2026 a key year for Salas. The defense is still there, with improvements made to his throwing process to better cut down runners. His approach at the plate has been considered simple (in a good way, with fewer moving parts) and he had an 86% in-zone contact rate in 2024 and his brief stint in 2025 before being hurt. He improved his strikeout rate by about five percentage points from 2023 to 2024 even though he didn't fare well against breaking balls. How the Friars treat Salas if he has success offensively will be something to watch. Double-A pitching is sometimes better than Triple-A pitching due to the number of prospects at the second-highest minor-league level, so any development on that front would be a huge boon for the best catcher in the system. While he was out injured last year and continuing this offseason, Salas worked with a number of people who have catching experience in the Padres' organization, including A.J. Ellis, Scott Servais and Mike Borzello, a current advance scout with a lot of experience on championship-winning teams as a bullpen catcher and catching coach. It helped Salas with game-planning and other items to sharpen him defensively. He is now up to 215 pounds (and down to 6-foot-1 in revised measurements) and worked to shorten his swing to improve his offense. "Cerebrally he’s advanced for his age, and for as little as he’s played, he absorbs the information really well," Borzello told the San Diego Union-Tribune. "Now it’s just about playing and getting reps." Added Salas: "I think that’s why I didn’t see last year as the biggest negative in the world. I just took a lot of time to reflect, kind of make a plan starting forward and how I want to start going about things and I want to start playing and taking care of my business." With better health, Salas could make a loud return to top prospect lists around the league in 2026. Hard as it is to believe, he's still just a teenager, as he won't turn 20 until June. -
Coming out of a small North Carolina high school in the abbreviated 2020 draft, the Padres selected left-handed starter Jagger Haynes with their final pick, taking him in the fifth round. Due to trades, Haynes is the lone member of that class still with the Friars. Haynes comes from the same remote area of North Carolina where the Padres found MacKenzie Gore. Now 23, Haynes' pro career got off to a slow start after he had Tommy John surgery, so his debut didn't come until the start of the 2023 season at Low-A Lake Elsinore. That season was slowed by blister and shoulder issues, but he did put up a 3.91 ERA in 11 starts, although he only logged 25 1/3 innings. But he came back strong in 2024. At High-A Fort Wayne, Haynes was healthy enough to appear in 23 games, all but one a start. While the numbers left a little to be desired (4.64 ERA, 1.41 WHIP), the fact he was able to go 110⅔ innings was definitely a positive. He walked 5.4 per nine innings and struck out 9.3. Haynes followed that up with a better 2025 at Double-A San Antonio. In 26 appearances (25 starts), Haynes had a 4.11 ERA and 1.408 WHIP, walking 5.4 per nine innings and striking out 8.8 in 103 innings. The velocity was back for Haynes in 2025, but he still only sat at 91-94 with his four-seam fastball after the pitch was listed at 94 mph coming out of high school. He also throws a sinker, a changeup, and a slider, the latter appearing to be a very effective pitch. The sinker is a pitch that he has developed since turning pro. Walks are definitely an issue, something that he will need to improve upon to make his way to the majors. His career hits per nine (7.3) is solid, but with his softer stuff, limiting hard contact would also increase his chances. Haynes should be moved up to Triple-A El Paso this season, even though he might face a better quality of competition by returning to San Antonio. That is just the natural progression, especially in the aggressive-promotion Padres system, that makes sense. Not that this would necessarily be an aggressive promotion — Haynes is facing a big season relative to service time. He was left unprotected this offseason for the Rule 5 Draft. Even a decent year would force the Friars' hand to put him on the 40-man roster next offseason, leading to the hope that he'll potentially make his MLB debut in 2027. If his numbers don't show progress as a starter, the Padres may experiment with how the stuff plays in a relief role. -
The San Diego Padres' fifth-round pick from the 2024 MLB Draft out of Firth, Nebraska, Kale Fountain made his professional baseball debut 2025. He had a decent start to his season in the Arizona Complex League, hitting .262/.386/.364 with one home run, 18 RBI, and 12 stolen bases. However, once he was moved up to the next level in Low-A, Fountain had his weaknesses exposed, hitting only .195 with 17 walks and 34 strikeouts over 148 plate appearances with the Lake Elsinore Storm. Fountain has great plate discipline, as he demonstrated in Rookie Ball, and was scouted with 65-grade power while still in high school, but his power has yet to show itself in the minors. That will need to be the next step in his development, especially if he expects to play one of the corner infield positions long-term. As Fountain has a full year in the Friars' system under his belt, he will need to show improvements in his game. The 2025 campaign saw more weakness exposed than upside. He still grades out with a 65 in raw power and 55 in in-game power, but everything else in his game sits at 40 or below in fielding, running, and his overall hit tool. In turn, Fountain is a boom-or-bust prospect in the classic sense. He's got a big frame (6'4", 225 pounds) and was impressive enough in high school to convince the Padres to go way over-slot to sign him (he was originally committed to LSU). Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow in October 2024 certainly didn't help matters either — with a fully healthy offseason under his belt, there's reason to believe he can turn things around. A corner-infield prospect who played entirely at first base in 2025, there have been ravings about his excellent arm as well. If he can remain nimble as he further fills out his hulking frame, a move to right field could be in the cards (and would take a little pressure off of his bat to develop into a perennial 30-homer threat). And even with middling grades regarding his running ability, he stole more than 20 bases last year and holds Nebraska's state record for career stolen bases (84) at the high school level. Fountain only turned 20 last August, so there’s still plenty of growth and development that can change the course of his future. But the performance in his debut season is cause for some concern about where his floor is at. If he maintains at his current pace, then he may never make much noise in the big leagues, but if he can develop his power into more results and fewer strikeouts, then he will reach his ceiling and ascend up this list in future seasons. -
AJ Preller and the Padres went all-in at the trade deadline, making several key moves in an attempt to compete with the Dodgers in the NL West and in the playoffs. It did come at a cost. To acquire so many years of Mason Miller, the Padres included Leo De Vries, a top three prospect in all of baseball. They also added right-handed pitchers Henry Baez and Braden Nett who were Top 20 Padres prospects and performed really well. They needed to do something, anything to improve their catching situation. They acquired Freddy Fermin from the Royals but had to include Top 20 prospect Ryan Bergert, who has already done well in the big leagues for Kansas City. They added some thump to their lineup with the addition of 1B/DH Ryan O’Hearn and outfielder Ramon Laureano. They gave up six players to get those two players including three of their Top 20 prospects. Lefty Boston Bateman and shortstop Cobb Hightower were drafted in 2024 out of high school and already showing improvements in Lake Elsinore this year. Tyson Neighbors is another 2024 draft pick, though he is a hard-throwing college reliever who is already at Double-A. With at least six of our Top 20 Padres prospects leaving the organization, you can understand a bit of an overhaul in our updated prospect rankings. Change at the Top Well, trading one of the best prospects in baseball means that we need a new #1 prospect. Not only did lefty Kash Mayfield move up, but he’s been pitching really, really well of late. It’s what you would hope to see from a high school kid drafted high just one year ago. He is currently 1-4 with a 2.57 ERA. In 59 1/3 innings, he has 28 walks, but he also had 95 strikeouts. He’s 6-4, lanky, and certainly looks the part of Future Ace. Lost Season Doesn’t Alter Fan Hopes The 2025 season has been completely lost by Ethan Salas, yet he sits in the number two spot in our rankings. A stress reaction in his back due to overuse can’t be fun. It’s been slow to heal, but we all have to remember that even though we've known about Salas for several years, he only turned 19 in June. Hopefully he will be able to get some games in during the Arizona Fall League. Back to School Kids across the country are now back at school. In the younger grades, there are lots of arts and crafts. Late in high school, in college or trade schools, students are honing their craft as they look to cruise into adulthood. That was just a terrible lead-in to say that 2025 first-round pick Kruz Schoolcraft comes in as the Padres number three prospect. The Padres drafted the 6-8 southpaw as a pitcher. In high school, he was an All-American talent with his arm and with the bat. He has yet to make his professional debut which is not surprising. Did You Know: Kruz Schoolcraft was the 25th overall pick in the 2025 MLB draft. The Padres selected lefty Kash Mayfield with the 25th overall pick in 2024. The Holdovers (Upper Levels) Tirso Ornelas missed a couple of months with injury, but he returned recently and has shown power and speed to make the 25-year-old intriguing. He has big-league time. So does Bradgely Rodriguez who was called up directly from Double-A earlier this season. He’s spent most of his time in El Paso since then. Francis Pena remains in our Top 20. The 24-year-old has pitched out of the bullpen his entire career. Zero starts. It might be telling as it relates to organizational prospect rankings that the Padres have so many relievers in the Top 20. Lefty Jagger Haynes and first baseman Romeo Sanabria remain at Double-A San Antonio. What’s Your Vector, Victor? Victor Lizarraga signed with the Padres as an undrafted free agent in March of 2021. Lsat year, he was an intriguing 20-year-old already at Double A. He returned to San Antonio this season and has taken a step backwards. More walks. Less strikeouts. Higher ERA. But as I wrote for Ethan Salas, we have to remember that Lizarraga is just 21, and they can continue to be patient with him. He certainly has had some moments of positive performances, especially in the second half. Young Holdovers Humberto Cruz is 18 and has a ton of potential. Don’t look at his statistics. If you do, you will not be excited. Instead, read the scouting reports of what he could become. That’s part of this prospect ranking thing. It isn’t about his numbers now but try to project what he could be when he is 23 or 25. Just a few weeks ago, Cruz underwent surgery to repair his UCL with an internal brace. With that procedure, the timeline for return is faster than normal Tommy John surgery, but certainly no reason to rush him. Kale Fountain was another draft pick from 2024 out of high school in Nebraska. Already 20, he made his pro debut this year. At 6-5 and 225 pounds, he is a first baseman with a ton of power potential. It hasn’t really shown in games yet this year in the ACL or at Lake Elsinore, but that will be the key thing to watch as he advances. The Newbies Ryan Wideman - The Padres selected Wideman in the third round of July’s draft. Born in Spain, he grew up in Georgia and was drafted out of Western Kentucky after a couple of years in junior college. This season, he hit .398/.466/.652 (1.118) with 20 doubles, six triples, 10 homers. He also stole 45 bases. A well-rounded player, he is certainly intriguing. He began his career with Lake Elsinore. Miguel Mendez - The 23-year-old signed with the Padres in February of 2021 from the Dominican Republic. This season, he made three appearances at Lake Elsinore. He quickly moved up to Fort Wayne. In 12 starts, he went 7-3 with a 1.32 ERA. He moved up to San Antonio in August. In his first start, he went six innings and gave up just one hit. He walked four, but he struck out 11 batters! It’s been a bit of a struggle since then, but he’s certainly put himself on the prospect map. Jorge Quintana - The 18-year-old from Venezuela came to the Padres at the trade deadline with Nestor Cortes. He had hit .264/.349/.403 (.752) with 13 doubles, three triples, three homers, and 19 stolen bases in 50 games with the ACL Brewers. Following the trade, the Padres sent the infielder to Lake Elsinore. In 22 games, he’s hit just .197 with three doubles and a homer. In his most recent game (9/3), he hit his first home run. The Brewers signed him in January of 2024 for a $1.7 million signing bonus. He is a terrific athlete that many believe can stay at shortstop. Deivid Coronil - The Padres signed Coronil from Venezuela in January 2025 and gave him a $900,000 signing bonus. He’s already 6-3, and scouts believe he can be a plus-plus defensive shortstop. He debuted with 45 games in the DSL. He hit just .186/.327/.214 (.542) with two doubles and a triple. He was 8-for-8 in steal attempts. He’s very young, and has a lot of growing to do, strength to be gained, but he is certainly intriguing at this phase. Bryan Balzer - Balzer signed out of Japan in January of 2023. Instead of playing in the NPB, he signed in the States. However, soon after signing, he had Tommy John surgery. In 2024, he made six appearances in the ACL. Upon his return, he was throwing his fastball between 96 and 100 mph. His sinker sits 93-94 mph. He also has shown the makings of a solid changeup and slider/sweeper. This season in Lake Elsinore, he has pitched in 16 games and 50 innings. He is 1-6 with a 7.92 ERA and has 28 walks to go with 49 strikeouts. The upside is tremendous. Michael Salina - Another member of the Padres 2025 draft class, Salina was the team’s fourth-round pick out of St. Bonaventure. The Rochester, NY, native spent a year at George Mason before spending two seasons with the Bonnies. As a starter, he was touching 102 mph with his fastball and has a terrific slider. Unfortunately, he was limited to just four games in 2025 and had Tommy John surgery in April. That means he won’t pitch until the middle or late in 2026. How do you feel about the Padres minor league system? Is this how you would rank these prospects? Who is missing from this list? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. View full article -
Plenty of Youth Added to New-Look Padres Prospect Rankings
Seth Stohs posted an article in Minor Leagues
AJ Preller and the Padres went all-in at the trade deadline, making several key moves in an attempt to compete with the Dodgers in the NL West and in the playoffs. It did come at a cost. To acquire so many years of Mason Miller, the Padres included Leo De Vries, a top three prospect in all of baseball. They also added right-handed pitchers Henry Baez and Braden Nett who were Top 20 Padres prospects and performed really well. They needed to do something, anything to improve their catching situation. They acquired Freddy Fermin from the Royals but had to include Top 20 prospect Ryan Bergert, who has already done well in the big leagues for Kansas City. They added some thump to their lineup with the addition of 1B/DH Ryan O’Hearn and outfielder Ramon Laureano. They gave up six players to get those two players including three of their Top 20 prospects. Lefty Boston Bateman and shortstop Cobb Hightower were drafted in 2024 out of high school and already showing improvements in Lake Elsinore this year. Tyson Neighbors is another 2024 draft pick, though he is a hard-throwing college reliever who is already at Double-A. With at least six of our Top 20 Padres prospects leaving the organization, you can understand a bit of an overhaul in our updated prospect rankings. Change at the Top Well, trading one of the best prospects in baseball means that we need a new #1 prospect. Not only did lefty Kash Mayfield move up, but he’s been pitching really, really well of late. It’s what you would hope to see from a high school kid drafted high just one year ago. He is currently 1-4 with a 2.57 ERA. In 59 1/3 innings, he has 28 walks, but he also had 95 strikeouts. He’s 6-4, lanky, and certainly looks the part of Future Ace. Lost Season Doesn’t Alter Fan Hopes The 2025 season has been completely lost by Ethan Salas, yet he sits in the number two spot in our rankings. A stress reaction in his back due to overuse can’t be fun. It’s been slow to heal, but we all have to remember that even though we've known about Salas for several years, he only turned 19 in June. Hopefully he will be able to get some games in during the Arizona Fall League. Back to School Kids across the country are now back at school. In the younger grades, there are lots of arts and crafts. Late in high school, in college or trade schools, students are honing their craft as they look to cruise into adulthood. That was just a terrible lead-in to say that 2025 first-round pick Kruz Schoolcraft comes in as the Padres number three prospect. The Padres drafted the 6-8 southpaw as a pitcher. In high school, he was an All-American talent with his arm and with the bat. He has yet to make his professional debut which is not surprising. Did You Know: Kruz Schoolcraft was the 25th overall pick in the 2025 MLB draft. The Padres selected lefty Kash Mayfield with the 25th overall pick in 2024. The Holdovers (Upper Levels) Tirso Ornelas missed a couple of months with injury, but he returned recently and has shown power and speed to make the 25-year-old intriguing. He has big-league time. So does Bradgely Rodriguez who was called up directly from Double-A earlier this season. He’s spent most of his time in El Paso since then. Francis Pena remains in our Top 20. The 24-year-old has pitched out of the bullpen his entire career. Zero starts. It might be telling as it relates to organizational prospect rankings that the Padres have so many relievers in the Top 20. Lefty Jagger Haynes and first baseman Romeo Sanabria remain at Double-A San Antonio. What’s Your Vector, Victor? Victor Lizarraga signed with the Padres as an undrafted free agent in March of 2021. Lsat year, he was an intriguing 20-year-old already at Double A. He returned to San Antonio this season and has taken a step backwards. More walks. Less strikeouts. Higher ERA. But as I wrote for Ethan Salas, we have to remember that Lizarraga is just 21, and they can continue to be patient with him. He certainly has had some moments of positive performances, especially in the second half. Young Holdovers Humberto Cruz is 18 and has a ton of potential. Don’t look at his statistics. If you do, you will not be excited. Instead, read the scouting reports of what he could become. That’s part of this prospect ranking thing. It isn’t about his numbers now but try to project what he could be when he is 23 or 25. Just a few weeks ago, Cruz underwent surgery to repair his UCL with an internal brace. With that procedure, the timeline for return is faster than normal Tommy John surgery, but certainly no reason to rush him. Kale Fountain was another draft pick from 2024 out of high school in Nebraska. Already 20, he made his pro debut this year. At 6-5 and 225 pounds, he is a first baseman with a ton of power potential. It hasn’t really shown in games yet this year in the ACL or at Lake Elsinore, but that will be the key thing to watch as he advances. The Newbies Ryan Wideman - The Padres selected Wideman in the third round of July’s draft. Born in Spain, he grew up in Georgia and was drafted out of Western Kentucky after a couple of years in junior college. This season, he hit .398/.466/.652 (1.118) with 20 doubles, six triples, 10 homers. He also stole 45 bases. A well-rounded player, he is certainly intriguing. He began his career with Lake Elsinore. Miguel Mendez - The 23-year-old signed with the Padres in February of 2021 from the Dominican Republic. This season, he made three appearances at Lake Elsinore. He quickly moved up to Fort Wayne. In 12 starts, he went 7-3 with a 1.32 ERA. He moved up to San Antonio in August. In his first start, he went six innings and gave up just one hit. He walked four, but he struck out 11 batters! It’s been a bit of a struggle since then, but he’s certainly put himself on the prospect map. Jorge Quintana - The 18-year-old from Venezuela came to the Padres at the trade deadline with Nestor Cortes. He had hit .264/.349/.403 (.752) with 13 doubles, three triples, three homers, and 19 stolen bases in 50 games with the ACL Brewers. Following the trade, the Padres sent the infielder to Lake Elsinore. In 22 games, he’s hit just .197 with three doubles and a homer. In his most recent game (9/3), he hit his first home run. The Brewers signed him in January of 2024 for a $1.7 million signing bonus. He is a terrific athlete that many believe can stay at shortstop. Deivid Coronil - The Padres signed Coronil from Venezuela in January 2025 and gave him a $900,000 signing bonus. He’s already 6-3, and scouts believe he can be a plus-plus defensive shortstop. He debuted with 45 games in the DSL. He hit just .186/.327/.214 (.542) with two doubles and a triple. He was 8-for-8 in steal attempts. He’s very young, and has a lot of growing to do, strength to be gained, but he is certainly intriguing at this phase. Bryan Balzer - Balzer signed out of Japan in January of 2023. Instead of playing in the NPB, he signed in the States. However, soon after signing, he had Tommy John surgery. In 2024, he made six appearances in the ACL. Upon his return, he was throwing his fastball between 96 and 100 mph. His sinker sits 93-94 mph. He also has shown the makings of a solid changeup and slider/sweeper. This season in Lake Elsinore, he has pitched in 16 games and 50 innings. He is 1-6 with a 7.92 ERA and has 28 walks to go with 49 strikeouts. The upside is tremendous. Michael Salina - Another member of the Padres 2025 draft class, Salina was the team’s fourth-round pick out of St. Bonaventure. The Rochester, NY, native spent a year at George Mason before spending two seasons with the Bonnies. As a starter, he was touching 102 mph with his fastball and has a terrific slider. Unfortunately, he was limited to just four games in 2025 and had Tommy John surgery in April. That means he won’t pitch until the middle or late in 2026. How do you feel about the Padres minor league system? Is this how you would rank these prospects? Who is missing from this list? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. -
Ornelas signed with the Padres in 2016 as an international free agent as a 16-year-old. Now about to turn 26, the native of Tijuana, Mexico, has certainly gone through a few trials and tribulations with the Friars. After reaching minor-league free agency following the 2023 season, the outfielder re-signed with the Padres. Then, he was curiously added to the 40-man roster July 17, 2024, but not called up to the majors. That didn't happen until Ornelas made his MLB debut on April 19, 2025, when he replaced an injured Jason Heyward on the roster. He played in seven games, sticking in the majors until being sent back to Triple-A El Paso on May 2. He went just 1-for-14 in 16 plate appearances. Just recently, Ornelas was designated for assignment to make room for Griffin Canning on the 40-man roster, though he went unclaimed on waivers and was outrighted to El Paso. The issue with Ornelas has been his power, or lack thereof. Home runs were supposed to be Ornelas' calling card, but he has hit just 74 in 808 minor-league games over eight seasons. His best showing was 23 at El Paso in 2024, when he was named the Padres' Minor League Player of the Year. He has been a solid hitter, producing a .269/.355/.411 slash line in the minors. He has walked 11.3% of the time and struck out 19.6%, both better than the MLB averages. Defensively, he has played both corner outfield spots, with spot time in center and a handful of games at first base. There doesn't seem to be a lot of potential here unless he somehow finds his power stroke again. A third straight Opening Day in El Paso is in his future, where he will be waiting for a second call-up should injuries strike the outfield. -
Kash MayfieldKruz SchoolcraftEthan SalasHumberto CruzRyan WidemanIsaiah LoweRomeo SanabriaKale FountainVictor LizarragaTirso OrnelasLamar King JrKavares TearsFrancis PenaBradgley RodriguezJagger HaynesBryan BalzerDeivid CoronilMichael SalinaMiguel MendezTruitt Madonna
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Tears was 11th in our post-deadline Top 20 last summer, but a rocky debut season at Low-A dinged him this year. More was expected from a toolsy player who came from a collegiate powerhouse in the University of Tennessee. San Diego took him in the fourth round of the 2024 MLB Draft as the compensation for Josh Hader, but the organization waited until 2025 to start his career. His debut was pushed back further, to April 15, because of a hamstring injury. He then was limited to DH duty until late July. For the year, he started 29 games in the outfield and three games at first base. Four of his five scouting grades from Prospect Savant speak to his athleticism -- 60 throw, 55 run, 55 field, and 55 power. The fifth grade is a 40 hit tool. The left-handed hitting Tears slashed .227/.320/.385 (.159 ISO, 96 wRC+) in the hitter-friendly California League. He hit .188 in 72 games from June 1 through the end of the season. At least his 12.2 percent walk rate was encouraging, On top of that, he posted extreme home-road splits -- .782 OPS, 22 extra-base hits home; .625 OPS, 15 extra-base hits road -- and large reverse splits: .805 OPS vs. left-handers against a .676 OPS vs. right-handers. There's a lot to monitor as Tears enters Year 2 of his development. -
The San Diego Padres organization has been extra cautious with Kash Mayfield ever since taking the left-hander 25th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft. They delayed his pro debut until last April, and then the team capped his workload for Low-A Lake Elsinore tightly. Mayfield never worked more than five innings or threw more than 80 pitches in a game. His innings limit shrank further in midseason after he missed three weeks in May and June with inflammation in his pitching shoulder. When he did take the mound, he showed a lot of promise. Over 19 games (all starts) and 60 2/3 innings, Mayfield produced a 2.97 ERA/3.06 FIP, a 34.1 percent strikeout rate, a 3.14 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and a 43.6 percent ground-ball rate. He was excellent at keeping the ball in the yard, allowing just two home runs in a hitter-friendly environment. His 10.9 percent walk rate was a blemish, if only slightly, given his youth and lack of consistent reps. He succeeded despite working with a diminished arsenal. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported last September that Mayfield's fastball velocity was down about 3 mph from his days at Elk City (Okla.) High School; he topped out at 94 mph in the Cal League, compared to 97 mph in the prep ranks. The 21-year-old's offseason plans included adding weight and strength. That could bump the velocity back up. Other aspects of pitching helped him compensate. The heater had lively arm-side run, and Mayfield created deception with both the extension from his 6-4 frame and a relatively low release point. A mid-80s changeup and upper-70s slider gave him excellent separation. In fact, the changeup is thought to be Mayfield's best pitch. It has big-time sink and fade, making it a weapon against right-handed batters, and his arm speed creates great deception. His mechanics are considered advanced; his motion looks smooth and repeatable. Mayfield was one of 21 pitchers in the preliminary player pool for the Padres' Spring Breakout game on March 21 against the Chicago Cubs' top prospects. A strong outing against high-level competition would give him a nice boost ahead of his second minor-league season, which should begin at High-A Fort Wayne. -
Brandon Glick reacted to a post in a topic:
TRADE: Padres Loot Farm System For Athletics' Super-Closer Mason Miller
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I wonder what piece or what was the final straw that made the Padres OK dealing De Vries. Was it adding Sears? Henry Baez has been amazing this season, and Nett just was tremendous in his most-recent outing. Definitely a good haul for the A's. But that much Mason Miller should be a good thing for the Padres. Robert Suarez was an All Star and had lots of Saves, but he's a one-pitch pitcher. Adding Miller is huge.
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Henry Baez, born in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic, signed with the Padres as an international free agent in 2019. He has progressed through the minor league system, making 26 starts in 2024 between High-A Fort Wayne and Double-A San Antonio. His performance earned him the Padres' Minor League Pitcher of the Year award. This season, he is showing real views into the future of Padres baseball. In nine starts this season, he has an impressive 2.70 ERA with 45 strikeouts in as many innings pitched. Baez stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs 175 pounds. He possesses a fastball that sits in the low 90s, complemented by a slider and changeup. His command and control have improved over time, enabling him to navigate lineups effectively. This season, opposing teams have managed to average around seven hits per nine innings, while Baez allows fewer than three walks per nine innings, with a home run every 18 innings pitched. Keeping baserunners on the bags has been a key to his early successes. After being invited to Arizona for spring training this year, the Padres see his near-future potential to make an impact on the club's 40-man roster. Baez's ability to induce ground balls and limit hard contact makes him a reliable starter prospect. Look for this name on a mound near you in a few seasons. -
Braden Nett, originally from Troy, Missouri, chose to play college baseball for the legendary Marty Smith at the College of Central Florida. After going undrafted in 2022, he signed with the Padres as a free agent. Nett has steadily climbed the minor-league ranks, earning a spot in San Antonio's rotation. He gained attention with a 10-strikeout performance for High-A Fort Wayne in 2024. Nett shows a high upside with his 41 strikeouts in 36 innings pitched this season over only eight starts. He seems to hit trouble in the later innings, where his ERA jumps to 9.82 in the fifth inning or later. He would benefit from some expanded endurance to extend his strikeout dominance later in his starts. Nett features a diverse five-pitch arsenal: a fastball (60 grade), slider (55), curveball (50), cutter (50), and changeup (45). His fastball sits in the low to mid-90s, and his slider serves as an effective secondary pitch. Although his control is still developing, his ability to mix pitches keeps hitters off-balance. If Nett could see improvement on his endurance and changeup to make it a more solid choice later in his outings, we could have a great future weapon on our hands. Keep an eye on this one. -
Leo De Vries is an 18-year-old shortstop signed out of the Dominican Republic in the 2024 international free agent signing class. The switch-hitting standout was the top-ranked player in the class a year ago and is already excelling in High-A, where he is the youngest player in the Midwest League. He doesn't turn 19 until the conclusion of the regular season, which only speaks to his high ceiling, considering the level of success he has already found at the lower levels of the minor leagues. De Vries is the embodiment of the five-tool player. At the plate, it's an excellent combination of hit and power from both sides, with more of his power coming from the right side. It's a comfortable 60-grade hit tool and a 55-grade power tool, as he makes consistent hard contact to all fields with plenty of pull-side power. As he grows into his 6'1" frame, he's expected to tap into more of that juice. It's a "passive-aggressive" approach as he keeps his sights in the zone, which leads to plenty of walks, but there is some swing and miss, which has yielded roughly league-average strikeout and contact rates. If he struggles at the plate, he has other tools in his tool bag to keep his profile afloat. He's a plus defender at shortstop, with plenty of feel to stick there long-term, along with an above-average arm. On the base paths, he's not expected to steal 30+ bases, but certainly has the athleticism to get around and provide value in that manner as well. -
Cobb Hightower hails from Salisbury, North Carolina, and played high school baseball at East Rowan High School, where he led his team to a 3A state championship. Although somewhat under the radar during the draft process, the Padres saw potential and selected him in the third round of the 2024 MLB Draft, signing him for $852,300. Hightower literally and figuratively has plenty of room to grow. Only 5’11” and 180 pounds, his potential for power in his bat will hopefully grow as he does. In his first 60 at-bats, he has hit .222 with a .386 OBP. He needs more time to develop and truly find his potential. Scouting reports indicate that Hightower is an offensive-minded shortstop with a compact right-handed swing that consistently produces line drives. He projects as an advanced hitter with potential for 20-home run power as he matures and grows acclimated to professional pitching. His speed and arm strength are both average, and while his defensive skills at shortstop are still developing, his high baseball IQ aids his fielding. With multiple potential prospects vying for the Padres' shortstop of the future, this could be another situation that necessitates either a position change or a trade to avoid bottlenecks. -
Tyson Neighbors is a 22-year-old right-handed pitcher who pitches exclusively out of the bullpen. He was selected by the Padres in the fourth round of last year's draft as the 118th overall pick out of Kansas State University. It's rare that a reliever is selected within the first five rounds of the draft, but that wouldn't stop the Padres from landing him at slightly below the slot value for $600,000. Neighbors was regarded as the top reliever in the 2024 draft class, and he has done a good job of proving that thus far, as he has allowed just two earned runs in 17 innings out of the bullpen in High-A in 2025. Standing in at 6'2" and 220 pounds, Neighbors has a strong frame that allows him to really generate a lot of power down the mound. The fastball has typically sat in the mid-90s, but has more recently been living in the upper-90s, earning a lot of whiffs, especially up in the zone. The slider and curveball are both plus offerings as well. The slider sits in the mid-80s and is an excellent put-away pitch, while the curveball is another breaking pitch he can lean on. Given he's pitching in one to two inning stints, he's typically relying on just the fastball and the slider, both of which have yielded excellent results. It's rare that a minor league reliever has three plus offerings, so there's a lot to like about Neighbors moving forward as a potential high-leverage reliever. The command is average to above-average for a reliever of his caliber as well, considering the amount of hitters he strikes out already.
