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Padres Prospects First Half Review

Posted by Jeff in Fort Wayne Tin Caps | Lake Elsinore Storm | MLB Draft | Organizational Audit | Player Update | San Antonio Missions | Scouting Reports | Tucson Padres - (4 Comments)

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” »

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Padres Prospect Rap Sheet: April 17, 2012

Posted by Jeff in AZL Padres | Eugene Emeralds | Fort Wayne Tin Caps | Lake Elsinore Storm | San Antonio Missions | Tucson Padres - (7 Comments)

Star Performer:

Rico Noel, CF (High-A Lake Elsinore) – Noel’s production this season has to be a very pleasant surprise to the Padres after tasking him with learning how to switch hit this last offseason.  He was 12-for-32 heading into Monday’s game with seven steals in as many attempts and hitting a robust .370 against righties in 27 at bats.  Noel is never going to be a big power guy, but with his speed and contact skills you’d like to see a few more extra-base hits.  With an insane 91.5% career steal rate even if Noel is limited to singles you’re almost guaranteed to see him on second soon enough.

Rock Steady:

Jace Peterson, SS (Low-A Fort Wayne) – It’s been a great stretch for Peterson so far hitting leadoff for the TinCaps.  With three doubles, a triple and a homerun Peterson has shown a strong bat to go with his three steals.  Defensive production is still a concern as he continues to show plus tools in his arm and glove, but at this point he hasn’t been able to put them together.

Casey Kelly, RHP (Triple-A Tucson) – Kelly’s season was off to a fantastic start – 2.25 ERA in 12 innings pitched – before news came down before his start on Monday that he was headed to the 7-day disabled list with a sore elbow.  At last check there was no definitive word on exactly what plagued Kelly or a firm time table. Continue reading “Padres Prospect Rap Sheet: April 17, 2012” »

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Q&A with Padres Prospect Joe Wieland

Posted by Jeff in Player Update | Q&A - (0 Comments)

Joe Wieland came to the Padres along with Robbie Erlin in the July 31st trade that sent Mike Adams to the Texas Rangers.  Wieland finished 2011 fifth in all of the minors with a 1.97 ERA and is headed to Spring Training with an eye on making his way to San Diego sometime in 2012.  You can follow him on Twitter.

Via BBref:

Year Tm W L ERA G GS CG SHO IP H R ER HR BB SO WHIP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB
2008 Rangers 5 1 1.44 13 7 0 0 43.2 32 8 7 2 8 41 0.916 6.6 0.4 1.6 8.5 5.13
2009 Hickory 4 6 5.31 19 18 0 0 83.0 102 67 49 7 24 73 1.518 11.1 0.8 2.6 7.9 3.04
2010 Hickory 7 4 3.34 15 15 2 1 89.0 84 36 33 4 15 71 1.112 8.5 0.4 1.5 7.2 4.73
2010 Bakersfield 4 3 5.19 11 10 0 0 59.0 67 36 34 6 10 62 1.305 10.2 0.9 1.5 9.5 6.20
2011 Myrtle Beach 6 3 2.10 14 13 1 1 85.2 78 23 20 7 4 96 0.957 8.2 0.7 0.4 10.1 24.00
2011 Frisco 4 0 1.23 7 7 1 1 44.0 35 9 6 2 11 36 1.045 7.2 0.4 2.2 7.4 3.27
2011 San Antonio 3 1 2.77 5 5 0 0 26.0 23 10 8 0 6 18 1.115 8.0 0.0 2.1 6.2 3.00
4 Seasons 33 18 3.28 84 75 4 3 430.1 421 189 157 28 78 397 1.160 8.8 0.6 1.6 8.3 5.09

You went through an experience this year few top prospects go through. What was it like switching organizations in the middle of the season?

It definitely was a different experience, especially with everything that had happened two days prior* to the trade. It kind of was like my first day of pro ball all over again. I had to learn everyone’s names, adjust to the new surroundings, and get settled in. I couldn’t have been more happy with everything that happened though.

*Wieland threw a no hitter against the Padres’ Double-A affiliate he would later pitch for two days before being traded

Your name was at or near the top of just about every leader board this season, what clicked in 2011 to help you take your game to the next level? Continue reading “Q&A with Padres Prospect Joe Wieland” »

Q&A with Baseball America Associate Editor Matt Eddy

Posted by Jeff in AZL Padres | Eugene Emeralds | Fort Wayne Tin Caps | Lake Elsinore Storm | Player Update | Q&A | San Antonio Missions | Trades | Tucson Padres - (0 Comments)

Matt Eddy is an Associate Editor at Baseball America who has covered the Padres’ minor league system since the 2006 off season.  He was kind enough to chat with us about BA’s recently released Padres Top 10 Prospect list.  You can also see full writeups on the Padres’ Top 30 prospects in BA’s Prospect Handbook.  Be sure to follow Matt on Twitter.

Where would the prospects acquired in the Mat Latos trade rank in the Padres’ farm system?

The Mat Latos trade with the Reds changed the Padres prospect landscape. San Diego can plug in first baseman Yonder Alonso at first base right away, and he fits with the organization’s emphasis on on-base skills and a line-to-line hitting approach—particularly when it comes to lefty bats like Alonso. He would challenge Anthony Rizzo for top prospect in the system honors.

Catcher Yasmani Grandal will spend the bulk of 2012 in Triple-A if all goes according to plan, though he could share time with either Nick Hundley or John Baker in 2013. Catchers who provide offensive value are so rare that Grandal might slot in at No. 5 on our list, after Cory Spangenberg and ahead of Austin Hedges.

Right-handed reliever Brad Boxberger probably would not crack the Top 10, though like Alonso he is big league-ready.

Who are the prospects in your Top 10 who scouts continually gave glowing reviews? Continue reading “Q&A with Baseball America Associate Editor Matt Eddy” »

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Padres Prospect Rap Sheet: August 9, 2011

Posted by Jeff in AZL Padres | Eugene Emeralds | Fort Wayne Tin Caps | Lake Elsinore Storm | Player Update | Prospect Rap Sheet | San Antonio Missions | Tucson Padres - (2 Comments)

Star Performer:

Robbie Erlin, LHP (Double-A San Antonio) – Since joining the Padres Organization all Erlin has done is dominate: 12 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 15 K.  Diving deeper into Erlin’s performance you see that he has retired all 12 left-handed batters and maintained his plus-plus command he showed while with the Rangers.  Could he be inspired by his #1 ranking in the Padres Prospects Top-25?  Probably not.  Erlin’s previous career high in innings was 114.2 in 2010, so don’t be surprised to see shorter outings down the stretch for the 20-year-old.

Rock Steady:

Rymer Liriano, RF (Low-A Fort Wayne) – He was the Padres Prospects Player of the Month in July, and a .318/.370/.455 line in 7 August games isn’t going to disappoint anyone.  Liriano is beginning to be pitched around by teams, so don’t be surprised to see his numbers take a dip.  Also, a .395 BABIP is never a sign of completely sustainable play.

Rico Noel, CF (Low-A Fort Wayne) –With an absurd 94.4% steal success rate, he possess game-changing speed and he obviously knows how to use it.  As a point of reference, 36.2% of the time Noel reaches base he steals a bag.

Kevin Quackenbush, RHP (Low-A Fort Wayne) – 6.2 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 10 K since being promoted to the Tin Caps to give him a season line that includes a 0.35 ERA in 27.1 IP since being selected in June’s draft.

Keyvius Sampson, LHP RHP (Low-A Fort Wayne) – Continue reading “Padres Prospect Rap Sheet: August 9, 2011” »

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