2023 Lake Elsinore Storm Season Preview

Synopsis: The 2022 version of the Storm had an incredible season, finishing with a 77-55 regular season record culminating in a California League championship. On July 1, the Storm also threw their first no-hitter in team history, as starter Garrett Hawkins and reliever Alan Mundo collaborated on the achievement. The Storm also got breakout seasons from former first-rounder Jackson Merrill and outfielder James Wood, who was later traded to the Nationals as part of the Juan Soto deal.

Three Strikes with Mike Daley, Padres Associate Director of Player Development:

MadFriars: Samuel Zavala might be a somewhat under-the-radar prospect to the casual fan. What is the most impressive thing that you see with him?

 

Mike Daly: Sam has a tremendous natural talent in his abilities on the field, and you see it when he hits. When you see that leg kick, that is not something you can teach and coach because of its required timing. When you watch his swing, it’s something; he has an innate ability to hit the ball.

 

The organization selected Robby Snelling with the 39th overall pick in last year’s draft, and this is a somewhat aggressive promotion. What is the most significant improvement you saw from last summer to his first spring?

 

Mike Daly: Robby is in a great spot. The biggest thing we partnered with him on early on was his fastball’s usability and command. Outstanding pitchers have command of their fastball, which we both identified early on. He can throw it in the zone, and has ability to command it. Top starting pitchers, which we think Robby has the potential to become, can do that consistently – and that’s one of his goals. 

 

We worked on it from when he first got into camp, and we have been able to see his growth in being able to perform.

 

Jagger Haynes finally got out of the desert after suffering some tough injuries. How did he look this spring?

 

Mike Daly: Jagger has looked excellent, and I have had an opportunity to mention his name to a few people on a prospect that we are excited about. A few people haven’t thought about him for a while because of his injuries, but our rehab group with Matt Hancock, and Jagger is invested in getting through it and improving.

 

Players go through adversity in their careers, and Jagger had to go through it at a young age, and he came out very strong. We are excited for him to go out to Lake Elsinore, and he’ll be on a strict pitch count and inning limit early in the season to ensure he can stay within his overall limit, but all of us are fired up to see him.

 Lake Elsinore Storm 2023 projected lineup:

C: Oswaldo Linares                          LHRP Robby Snelling

1B: Griffin Doersching                      RHRP Henry Baez

2B: Rosman Verdugo                       LHRP Jagger Haynes

SS: Charlis Aquino                          LHP Javier Chacon

3B: Graham Pauley                         LHP Jesus Gonzalez

LF: Kai Murphy                                RHP Kobe Robinson

CF: Samuel Zavala                          RHP Manuel Castro

RF: Tyler Robertson                        RHP Austin Krob

DH: Albert Fabian                            RHRP Carter Loewen

MadFriars Top 20 Prospects in Lake Elsinore: #4 OF Samuel Zavala, #6 LHP Robby Snelling

Catch a Rising Star: 18-year-old outfielder Samuel Zavala made his stateside debut in 2022, appearing in 10 games in the ACL before earning a late-season promotion to Lake Elsinore. The left-handed outfielder was pivotal to the Storm’s success down the stretch. In 33 games, Zavala hit an excellent .254/.355/.508 with seven homers. He finished the season on the injured list with a hamate injury. The young outfielder will be the man to watch in a Storm lineup featuring several players who ended the season with the California League champs.

Starting Pitching: From the prospect side of things, left-hander Robby Snelling is the headliner of an interesting Storm rotation. Snelling, 19, was a supplemental first-rounder last summer and will make his professional debut in Low-A. The LSU commit played linebacker in high school, and on the mound, he has hit 96 mph to go with a curveball and a change-up. … Like Snelling, 19-year-old Isaiah Lowe was held him out of games to work with the development staff last summer after the Padres signed the North Carolina product for $400,000 out of high school – a hefty sum for a day three pick. … Southpaw Jagger Haynes is the only draft pick left in the organization from the abbreviated 2020 draft, and after enduring a Tommy John surgery, he is finally ready to make his professional debut. He could piggyback with righthander Kobe Robinson, who opened the club’s eyes with a high-octane fastball that hit 99 mph in his draft year. He pitched in seven games for the Storm last season, starting three, before a shoulder injury shut him down. He struck out 31 batters in 22.2 innings. … The top two pitching prospects from the ACL squad last year, righty Henry Baez and lefty Javier Chacon, both 20, will contribute to a young rotation. Baez can comfortably sit in the mid-90s with his fastball while Chacon already shows good feel for spin. … College products Thomas Balboni and Austin Krob should also be able to bolster the staff with innings in swing roles and each offers some upside projection as day three picks.

Bullpen: 21-year-old Jesus Gonzalez appeared in 21 games for the Storm last year, starting 19. He was a bit too hittable (99 hits allowed in 91.1 innings), and he didn’t miss many bats, averaging 6.8 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. … Last summer, the Padres were very active in the undrafted free-agent market, and many of those pitchers will make up the Storm pitching staff. Righties Cole Paplham, Ian Koenig, and Will Geerdes cracked the opening-day staff. … Righty Carter Loewen will begin the year anchoring the back of the Storm bullpen after impressing in 2021 with the TinCaps. He got hurt in July of 2021 and is ready to go after recovering from Tommy John surgery. … Ruben Galindo, 21, is back for his third campaign with the Storm. He functioned as a multi-inning reliever for the Storm last season, striking out 77 batters in 66.2 innings, albeit with a 5.67 ERA. Left-hander Fernando Sanchez has bounced around the organization over the previous few years but will have a chance to establish himself with the Storm. In three stops within the organization last season, the 21-year-old had a 4.73 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 32.1 innings.

Catchers: It seems like the big story behind the dish in Lake Elsinore is who isn’t there to start the season. 16-year-old Ethan Salas could appear with the Storm at some point this season, but his time will have to wait. He and Lamar King Jr., who the Padres selected out of high school with their fourth-round pick last year, he will continue to get reps in the desert. The player to watch behind the plate is Oswaldo Linares, who will make his stateside debut in the Cal League. Linares, who turns 20 on April 28, was part of the Padres’ international signing class of 2019. He spent the last two years in the Dominican Summer League and performed very well offensively. Last summer, he hit .274/.404/.425 with five homers. He’s also considered one of the stronger receivers in the system. Behind Linares will be 22-year-old Victor Duarte, who spent time with the Storm in 2022. In 28 games with the Storm last season, he hit .225/.337/.348 with a pair of homers. … After spending all last year in Fort Wayne, 23-year-old Anthony Vilar will move back a level to give the Storm a left-handed bat who is also capable of bouncing around the infield. Vilar played second base and shortstop at the University of Miami before moving behind the plate after the Padres selected him in the 15^th round in 2021. Last season with Fort Wayne, Vilar walked in 15% of his plate appearances while hitting .226/.342/.321, just below league average in the Midwest League.

Infielders: Four of the six players listed as infielders on the Storm roster played with Lake Elsinore at some point last year. Last year’s eighth-rounder, Griffin Doersching headlines that group. Doersching, 24, earned a California League Player of the Week award last August when he hit six homers in a series against Stockton. Overall, the former Oklahoma State slugger hit .227/.349/.511 in 25 games with the Storm. He shows prodigious power, but needs to make more consistent contact. … 21-year-old Charlis Aquino returns to the Cal League and should have a smoother path to regular at-bats. In 2022, Aquino was more of a utility player, appearing in at least one game at every position but first base (he caught in one game and pitched in two more). He struggled offensively but has the athleticism to develop into a guy to watch. 24-year-old Wyatt Hoffman will break spring training with an affiliate for the first time in his professional career. After bouncing around in the organization, the former Pacific Tiger finished last season with the Storm, producing a .600 OPS but showing good hands around the infield. The newcomers are headlined by Mexican-born Rosman Verdugo, who is just 18 years old. The Ensenada native made his professional debut in the ACL last summer and hit well. In 52 games, Verdugo hit .251/.338/.467 with seven homers. His overall offensive output was 16 percent above league average. Verdugo struck out in 35% of his plate appearances, but his overall skill set is intriguing. He narrowly missed our preseason top-20 list. 20-year-old Chase Valentine cracked the opening-day roster and should bounce around all over the infield. Valentine signed with the Padres as an undrafted free agent last summer after finishing his college career at Central Arizona Junior College. He went 3-for-30 last season, seeing action in the ACL and with El Paso at the end of the season.

Outfielders: Zavala will see everyday at-bats in center field and is far and away the best offensive prospect on the roster. Beyond him, Albert Fabian provides a potent bat that should again play in the middle of the order. The 21-year-old broke out with the Storm last season, hitting .278/.362/.502 with 12 homers in 62 games. His offensive output in the Cal League led to a promotion to Fort Wayne, where he struggled to make consistent contact. He returned to the Storm late in the season and was part of the Cal League championship team. … Tyler Robertson – the Padres’ 14th-round pick last year, played in two games last season with the Storm after making his professional debut in the ACL. …Former Arizona State outfielder Kai Murphy signed with the Padres last summer and appeared with the Storm in the final stretch of 2022. He is the son of former Padres interim manager Pat Murphy. … Watch for Ruben Salinas and Juan Murillo to contribute in the outfield as the season progresses.

Under the Radar: The Padres selected former Duke infielder Graham Pauley in the 13^th round of the 2022 MLB draft. He started all 54 games of his junior year at third base for the Blue Devils, hitting .292/.402/.495 with nine homers. He got into 17 games with the Storm and had a .958 OPS, walking 12 times and striking out just 10 times in 72 plate appearances. He played all over the infield for the Storm and figures to do the same in 2023. With his solid approach, left-handed bat, and defensive versatility, he is a player to watch this summer in Lake Elsinore.