News, analysis and scouting reports of San Diego Padres Prospects
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And just like that, the first half of the minor league season is over.  It seems like just yesterday we were reporting from Spring Training and getting excited over the aggressive promotions of Edinson Rincon and Keyvius Sampson, yet here we are 90 days later with a half-season of games to look back on.

Injuries have become the calling card of 2012 on both the MLB and MiLB sides with 13 prospects from our Preseason Top 25 spending time on the disabled list.  Luckily, few of those seem very serious but the Padres seem set on letting guys like Joe Ross, Casey Kelly, Robbie Erlin and Joe Wieland take a very slow road back to live action.

Tucson Padres

Position prospects on the Tucson Padres shined offensively with Yasmani Grandal (.335/.443/.521) and the early-season promotion Jedd Gyorko (.341/.383/.592) leading the way.  Grandal has hit his way into an extended look in San Diego replacing a slumping Nick Hundley and Gyorko is expected to join him sometime in the near future. Continue reading “Padres Prospects First Half Review” »

Although the regular season is long over, Winter League baseball has been in full effect for about a month with a few big-name Padres prospects headlining rosters.  This is not a complete look at the performances of all Padres players, only guys who have either done something worth talking about or have come up in conversations with scouts.

Jedd Gyorko

Gyorko put on quite the hitting display during AFL action, winning the batting title with a .437 average.  Even in the hitter-friendly environment that AFL stadiums offer his numbers were impressive.  Scouts rave about his ability to consistently square up balls and produce against advanced competition.

Defensively, Gyorko put more stock into the idea that he can stay at third base while simultaneously showing off great baseball instincts both in the field and on the bases.  He’ll never be a good runner – or even an average one – but more than ever Gyorko has shown that he’ll be able to make up for his awkward, slow running style with great awareness.

G R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BA OBP SLG
18 17 31 4 0 5 22 1 0 .437 .500 .704

Jaff Decker

Decker was a late addition to the Peoria roster after it was announced that James Darnell would need to undergo shoulder surgery, effectively ruling him out of any baseball activities until Spring Training.  Like just about every other AFL hitter Decker enjoyed the friendly confines in Arizona, posting an offensive line closer to his pre-2011 levels.

Much like Gyorko, Decker upped his perceived value on the defensive end.  Those who remember Decker during his high school days still see him as a pudgy, line-drive hitter but in the last few years he has slimmed down and become a very well rounded player.  He did manage to show an improved approach at the plate, but 24 games isn’t a large enough sample size to know if he has been able to shake his passive approach.

G R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BA OBP SLG
24 17 26 5 1 2 14 1 0 .289 .407 .403

Continue reading “AFL Wrap-up and Winter Ball Notes” »