The minor league season is officially in week two of the season but the Triple-A level is still the only level in action. The other three affiliates will get underway Friday night.
Round Rock Express 8, Chihuahuas 4
Key Statistics: 2B Clay Dungan, 1-for-3, BB, 2B, RBI; 3B Matthew Batten, 2-for-3, R, BB, RBI; DH Tirso Ornelas, 1-for-4; LF Bryce Johnson, 1-for-3, 2 R, HR (1), RBI; RHP Randy Vásquez, 3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 K; RHP Kevin Kopps, IP, H, ER, 2 BB, K; LHP Adrian Morejon (L, 0-1) 2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 K
Matthew Batten in action against Round Rock. ((Photo by Eddie Kelly / ProLook Photos)
Prospect Watch: After losing two out of three on the road in Albuquerque, the Chihuahuas returned home and dropped their home opener to Round Rock. … Matthew Batten had a pair of singles, drew a walk, and drove in a run to continue his hot start. In the season’s first four games, Batten is 7-for-19 (.368 average) with a homer and seven RBI, tied for the team lead with Brett Sullivan. The versatile infielder has struck out six times in 20 plate appearances. This marks the sixth straight season in which Batten has appeared in El Paso. … Outfielder Bryce Johnson connected on his first homer as a member of the Padres’ organization. Johnson’s blast was measured at 384 feet, leaving the bat at 105 mph. The 28-year-old has seen big league action in the last two seasons with San Francisco, amassing 67 plate appearances. In 563 minor league games, Johnson has a career slash line of .276/.364/.386.
Adrian Morejon continues to pair stellar stuff with inconsistent results. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
After traveling on the big league taxi squad to Korea to open the season, Randy Vásquez made his official organizational debut and pitched relatively well. The former Yankee completed three innings and allowed a pair of runs of four hits. More importantly, he notched three strikeouts without walking a batter. Free passes were a bit of an issue for Vásquez last year in the minors and in 11 appearances with the big league Yankees. In 80.1 innings in Triple-A last year, Vásquez averaged nearly 4.5 walks per nine innings pitched. On Tuesday, he threw 46 pitches – 34 for strikes. His fastball topped out at 95 mph and sat in the 92-94 mph range. … Adrian Morejon took the loss for El Paso after allowing a pair of runs in two innings. The two runs came on a pair of solo homers – one in each inning of work. Besides the homers, Morejon touched 99 mph with his heater and his off-speed pitches looked good although he failed to notch a strikeout. The 25-year-old still has tantalizing stuff but has yet to show much consistency when he’s been on the field. He is in his final option year, so this season may be his last opportunity to show the organization that he can be a viable big-league arm.
Welcome Back, Jack(son): The Padres made a trade on Tuesday afternoon, re-acquiring a familiar face. The Padres acquired left-handed pitcher Jackson Wolf from the Pittsburgh Pirates, who had designated him for assignment last week. Going back to Pittsburgh in the trade is infielder Kervin Pichardo, who was slated to begin the year in Fort Wayne with the TinCaps.
Jackson Wolf got the win in his major league debut. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Wolf, 24, was originally drafted by the Padres in the fourth round of the 2021 MLB draft. He made his major league debut with the Padres last season, pitching five innings on July 22 to earn a win against Detroit. His big league debut stands as the only game he has thrown in the majors. He was traded to the Pirates at the deadline, along with outfielder Estuar Suero and first baseman Alfonso Rivas, in exchange for first baseman Ji Man Choi and starter Rich Hill. He was optioned to El Paso before the game and will give the Padres some added depth in the upper minors. With Wolf’s acquisition, the Padres now have a full 40-man roster.
Pichardo, 22, will head to Pittsburgh after a strong finish to the 2023 campaign. The former Phillies farmhand broke out a bit down the stretch with the TinCaps, hitting a blistering .367/.469/.620 with six homers in his final 26 games. We profiled Pichardo as a sleeper pick to watch this spring. The Padres acquired Pichardo for James Norwood in 2022.
