2024 San Antonio Missions Season Preview

Synopsis: The Missions will take the field in 2024 with more notable names than they have opened a season with in recent memory. With a pitching staff anchored by Adam Mazur and Robby Snelling, plus notable offseason addition Woo-Suk Go and familiar face Reggie Lawson, much of San Antonio’s name recognition is in the pitching staff. However, second-year Missions manager Luke Montz‘s club will begin the season with names such as Brandon Valenzuela, Jakob Marsee, and Nathan Martorella, all of whom prospect watchers have become familiar with.

Three Strikes with Mike Daly, the Padres’ Assistant Director of Minor League Development

What has been the most significant improvement in Robby Snelling since last year?

Mike Daly: Robby did so many good things last year that talking about what he can improve is nitpicking. We think he has become more confident in his changeup, is developing it, and will use it more, particularly with lefties. He had an unbelievable year in 2023 and pitched very well for us in the Spring. He’s returning to Double-A to refine his pitch usage and is on the right path.

Ryan Bergert has been impressive in the Spring and last season. Does the organization still plan to keep him in the starting role?

Mike Daly: Ryan is a starting pitcher. We see his development path continuing as a starter; he is strong and physical, throws innings, and has weapons—a great combination.

As Ryan continues to perform in our system and advance his career – there might be a time when we look at the needs of the Major League team and see if Ryan might be an option. This leaves the door open to potentially changing roles in that scenario, but as of now, we see Ryan as a starting pitcher.

The organization prides itself on positional versatility. Do you envision Nathan Martorella and
Jakob Marsee playing positions other than first base and center field?

Mike Daly:  One thing that stands out is the number of plate appearances and games they played in 2023. They were in Arizona early for Spring Training and then went wire-to-wire in the Minor League season. Plus, they gained the experience with Graham Pauley of playing the Arizona Fall League – which is a massive credit to them for their love of playing, performance, and sheer durability.

We think Nathan will probably focus more on first. There is a lot of value in having a quality defensive player in that position. The ability to scoop balls of the dirt gets us a lot of outs and saves us a lot of runs. He might get more time in left field, but we are more focused on working with him to be the best first baseman he can be. As for Jakob playing other positions, we have a good player right fielder right now at PETCO [laughs].

Again, when you have a premium defender in the center right now, we might move him around a little, but he’s mainly staying in the center.

2024 Projected Lineup: 

1B: Nathan Martorella*           OF: Jakob Marsee* 

2B: Ripken Reyes*                  OF/SS: Ray-Patrick Didder

3B: Marcos Castañon             OF: Cole Cummings*

INF/SS: Connor Hollis             DH/OF: Zach Reks*

C: Brandon Valenzuela*

*indicates left-handed or switch-hitter

LHSP: Robby Snelling          RHRP: Woo-Suk Go

RHSP: Adam Mazur              RHRPH Cole Paplham  

RHSP: Ryan Bergert             RHRP: Carter Loewen

RHSP: Victor Lizarraga        RHRP: Reggie Lawson   

LHSP: Austin Krob                 

MadFriars’ Top 20 Prospects in San Antonio:  LHP Robby Snelling (#4), OF Jakob Marsee (#8), RHP Adam Mazur (#11), RHP Ryan Bergert (#14), RHP Victor Lizarraga (#16), C Brandon Valenzuela (#18), and 1B/OF Nathan Martorella (#19)

Catch a Rising Star: While a few others are better known, Ryan Bergert, a sixth-round pick in 2021,  has emerged as one of the better pitching prospects in the Padres organization. The West Virginia alum opened the 2023 season with a 2.63 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 61.2 innings pitched in Fort Wayne before earning a 2.86 ERA and fanning 51 batters in 44 innings pitched in San Antonio. The 24-year-old righty returns to the Missions to begin the 2024 season as part of a stacked rotation, and when his fastball is on, it’s as impressive as any pitcher in the organization.

Starting Pitching: Before the trade of Dylan Cease, the Padres were set to send out of the strongest minor league starting staffs in their history to San Antonio, with Snelling, Jairo Iriarte, Drew Thorpe, Mazur, and Bergert. However, even with the subtraction of Iriarte and Thorpe, it’s still a loaded staff, with four starters in the MadFriars Top 20.

Snelling, a former Division I football recruit for Arizona and LSU, performed as well as anyone could ask in 2023. Across three levels, he went 11-3 with a 1.52 ERA in 103.2 innings at only 19. At 6-foot-2 and at least 215 pounds, he can maintain his low-90s velocity deep into games, and his secondary pitches, particularly his changeup, have become a weapon. .. Mazur might be the Padres’ best prospect that casual fans are less familiar with but should be. The lanky Minnesota native is one of the players that the Padres’ scouting department has been particularly adept at identifying in the past few years: a player on the rise. In his sole year in the Big Ten at Iowa, he was the pitcher of the year and could throw four quality pitches for strikes. As the season went on, he became more comfortable with his curve but also faded a bit down the stretch. He came into Spring Training with more weight on and 96 professional innings. He could rise very quickly. .. Bergert has a riding fastball, which he described using current mechanics language as having a good induced vertical break. The key for him is how well his changeup and sweeper will continue to develop. ..Victor Lizarraga sits in the low 90s and will not blow anyone away with his velocity. Still, he has an excellent changeup and appears to relish competing in the big moments. In a way, he pitches like a more experienced pitcher than one would expect of a 20-year-old. He could use an uptick in velocity, but he also needs a more consistent breaking ball to succeed in Double-A. Lefty Austin Krob put together a nice season between Fort Wayne and Lake Elsinore with a 2.72 ERA in 109.1 innings. Yes, this is the fifth starter. The former TCU Horned Frog relies on keeping the ball down with a moving two-seamer that comes in around 91 to 93 mph, along with a decent slider.

Bullpen: Woo-Suk Go is the best-known name that will come to the Alamo City. Signed in the offseason out of the Korean League by the Padres for $4.5 million, San Diego essentially sent him down to stretch him out a little more and let him get better acclimated to the American game after a relatively short Spring Training. .. Carter Loewen has fought injuries his whole career. Still, he had a relatively healthy season last season and struck out 58 in 49 innings against 18 walks. At 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, the big Canadian has a blazing fastball, but since his injury, he has a much better changeup and slider. .. Cole Paplham was one of the better relievers in the system last year and looked great after a late-season promotion to Fort Wayne. The undrafted free agent from the University of New Orleans can let it fly in the upper 90s to go along with a high 80s slider. .. Finally, Reggie Lawson returns to the Padres system after retiring after the 2022 season with injuries. When he was healthy, Lawson had as much talent as any pitcher in the Padres system with a rising four-seam fastball and solid curve.

Catching: Switch-hitting backstop Brandon Valenzuela returns to San Antonio after finishing the 2023 season with the Missions. The 23-year-old is the most compelling non-Salas catching prospect in the organization, slashing .239/.337/.374 last season but posting a .828 OPS in Fort Wayne before his promotion to San Antonio. The Hermosillo, Mexico native gets a chance to start in Double-A and get comfortable hitting pitching at this level while managing a highly regarded pitching staff. .., Veteran Michael De La Cruz returns to the Missions after playing the entire 2023 season with the club. The 30-year-old hit .256 with 17 doubles and seven home runs in 355 at-bats last year while making appearances at catcher, first base, second base, third base, and designated hitter. … 24-year-old Juan Zabala fills out the catching depth at San Antonio. Acquired from the Dodgers organization in 2022, Zabala split the 2023 season between Fort Wayne and San Antonio, hitting five home runs in 136 at-bats for the TinCaps.

Infield: Padres fans who kept a watchful eye on Spring Training got a good look at Nathan Martorella, who began the Spring in big league camp as part of a raft of prospects who had a chance to earn a spot on the roster. Martorella, a 23-year-old first baseman who played his college ball at Cal, represents the rare prospect in the Padres organization who is almost solely a first baseman. The lefty-handed Monterey, California native hit 16 home runs in 398 at-bats for Fort Wayne before finishing the 2023 season in San Antonio, where he gets a chance to show it’s possible to have significant power in Nelson Wolff Stadium. … Connor Hollis returns to San Antonio 2024 to stay healthy and return to the form that won the Houston alum the 2022 Texas League batting title and placed him a step away from a possible big league debut. The 29-year-old infielder managed only 244 at-bats in 2023, disrupted heavily by injury, but when healthy, can play nearly any position on the field and hit with contact to all fields. … Like Martorella, Marcos Castañon finished the 2023 season in San Antonio after thriving in Fort Wayne with 13 home runs in 289 at-bats. The UCSB product has hit 42 homers in 977 at-bats since being selected by the Padres in the 12th round of the 2021 draft and represents one of the most potent bats in the organization. Taking on the breaking balls that begin to show themselves more readily in Double-A will be this year’s challenge for the 25-year-old. … The Padres still have a 30th-round pick in the organization as 2019 draftee Ripken Reyes returns to San Antonio to shore up the infield. The USD alum posted a .408 OBP for San Antonio in 2023, thanks in part to being hit by a whopping 49 pitches, and in his professional career, Reyes has been hit by 108 pitches.

Outfield: San Antonio’s outfield will be anchored by 2023 Arizona Fall League MVP Jakob Marsee, who made a name for himself by making a bid for a spot on the Padres’ roster in spring training. The 22-year-old, drafted in the sixth round in 2022, slashed .286/.412/.446 in 56 at-bats for the Missions after being promoted from Fort Wayne and has a chance to prove he’s the next player up should San Diego need an outfielder on the big league club. … Cole Cummings returns to the Missions after hitting 12 home runs in 294 at-bats for the club in 2023. The UCSB alum posted a .750 OPS for San Antonio and looked to build on the power stroke he developed as the 25-year-old, who went undrafted in 2021, seeks to defy the odds in his big league journey. .. Ray-Patrick Didder returns to San Antonio, where he spent the bulk of 2023 before ending the season in El Paso. The 29-year-old made appearances at all three outfield spots as well as third base, shortstop, and designated hitter in 2023, giving the Missions useful versatility on the roster. … Minor league free agent Robert Perez Jr. joins the Missions after signing with the Padres in the offseason. The 23-year-old slashed .242/.321/.416 in 450 at-bats for Arkansas of the Texas League in 2023. … Rounding out the outfield is veteran Zach Reks. The 30-year-old owns a .882 OPS in 1,354 minor league at-bats and has limited big league experience in 2021 with the Dodgers and 2022 with the Rangers.

On The Spot: The Missions’ roster doesn’t have anyone in a “make or break” type year, but Reggie Lawson’s return is a unique story. The former 71st overall pick in the 2016 draft, Lawson showcased truly electric stuff before injuries took their toll on the Victorville native. While working his way back from the latest of those maladies, Lawson struggled at the outset of the 2022 season before finding a groove. Unfortunately, his performance fell off as he was again hurt, and Lawson decided to retire. After an entire season away, Lawson will most likely be a reliever from now on, and 2024 will determine whether he is back on an upward trajectory toward San Diego again.

Under the Radar: A free agent acquired before the 2023 season, Bobby Milacki quickly outgrew Fort Wayne and was a solid contributor to the Missions, striking out 44 while walking 17 in 52 innings. A fiery competitor on the mound, the 27-year-old native of Lake Havasu City is an intriguing relief option for San Antonio amidst a deep pitching staff. He will look to separate himself to take the next step.