The Padres played their first Friday night home game, losing 8-3 to the Giants. While all the attention was on the big league club, that was not the only action in the organization. The El Paso Chihuahuas opened their 2024 campaign on the road in Albuquerque. The rest of the organization will kick off their regular season campaigns next Friday. We will have full previews in the coming days, including the top players to watch at every level. Let’s dive into year 21 of MadFriars!
Pete Zamora takes out the lineup card in his debut as the El Paso Chihuahuas manager. (Photo: Albuquerque Isotopes)
Chihuahuas 6, Albuquerque Isotopes 5
Key Statistics: C Brett Sullivan, 5-for-5, 3B, 2 RBI, SB (1); 2B Clay Dungan, 1-for-4, R, BB, RBI; 1B Nate Mondou, 2-for-4, R, RBI; LF Bryce Johnson, 1-for-1, 3 BB, 2 R, SB (1); RHP Nolan Watson (W, 1-0) 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 7 K; RHP Kevin Kopps, IP, 3 BB, K; RHP Alek Jacob (S, 1), IP, 2 H, ER, 3 K
Brett Sullivan had a huge night. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: El Paso had 11 hits, drew six walks, and held on to beat Albuquerque to notch their first win of the season. The Chihuahuas had just one extra-base hit on the night, but the team went 5-for-19 with runners in scoring position. … Catcher Brett Sullivan was one of the last cuts the Padres made when they finalized their roster just before heading to Korea. With performances like Friday, Sullivan could be in line for another opportunity. The left-handed hitter had five hits, including a triple, and drove in a pair of runs in the win. It was Sullivan’s second career five-hit game – the last coming in June of 2022 in his first season in El Paso. The ever-versatile backstop – who has also seen time at third base and left field – hit an excellent .328/.401/.517 in 61 games for the Chihuahuas last season, better than 20% above league average offense for the third time in his career. He also made his big league debut in 2023, getting into 23 games with the Padres. … Nate Mondou had a pair of singles and drove in a run in his organizational debut. The 29-year-old signed with the Padres in the off-season after spending most of last year playing for Triple-A Charlotte in the White Sox organization. He hit .270/.379/.434 with a career-high 13 homers. Mondou attended Wake Forest University and was drafted in the 13th round by Oakland in 2016. He has a single game of big-league experience, having suited up for the A’s in 2022; he went 0-for-2 with a walk. … Righty Nolan Watson got the start and pitched well, earning his first victory of 2024. Watson completed five innings and allowed two runs on four hits. He struck out seven without issuing a walk.
Like Sullivan, Watson is entering his third season in the Padres’ system. After a solid showing in Double-A last year, the Indianapolis native was hit hard in the Sun City, pitching to a 6.39 ERA in 12 games last season. The organization re-signed him this offseason. … Kevin Kopps earned the hold, keeping Albuquerque off the board in his inning of work. The outing was far from a clean expedition, as Kopps walked three batters. The 27-year-old reliever was considered a plug-and-play reliever who could move through the system quickly when the Padres drafted him in the third round in 2021. However, Kopps has struggled with command as a professional.
Last season with the Missions, the former Golden Spikes Award winner averaged nearly four walks per nine innings – a number that shot up to nearly seven in a small, 15.2-inning sample with El Paso. He threw 20 pitches Friday night – just seven of them were strikes. Still, Kopps’ slider/gyroball can give opposing hitters fits when it is working. … Righty Alek Jacob allowed a run on two hits in the ninth, but he still managed to escape the jam, earning his first save of the season. Jakob struck out three batters, including the final two of the game, and got six whiffs on 10 swings by Albuquerque. The righty with the funky delivery made his big league debut last season but was injured in July with a flexor strain and a UCL sprain in his right elbow. In 75 games as a professional, Jakob has a sparkling 1.89 ERA.
Alek Jacob from 2022. (Photo: Jorge Salgado).
Opening Day Roster: The Chihuahuas announced their opening day roster on X (formerly Twitter). The roster features 30 players, with pitchers Nick Hernandez and Gabe Mosser opening the season the development list. One prominent name missing from the roster is reliever Woo Suk Go, whose option was transferred to San Antonio.
