San Diego Padres Minor League Week in Review: May 7 through May 12

It was a busy week for MadFriars, with onsite coverage from Lake Elsinore – including updates on Leo De Vries’ shoulder injury – both for Thursday night’s win and Friday’s sloppy loss. We’ll have a few player interviews from up the 15 coming up this week.

From John Conniff’s trip out to San Antonio, we had final interviews with both Nathan Martorella, who discussed his approach in the power-stifling confines of Wolff Stadium, and Jakob Marsee, who talked with us the day before his trade. Our subscribers also got to read about Ryan Bergert‘s new repertoire and what’s behind Adam Mazur‘s stellar start to the year.

He’ll have a few more pieces coming up this week as well. As always, we thank our subscribers who, for $4.95 a month, make it possible for us to travel to the affiliates and keep the website going. We’ll be out in Arizona next week for a look at some of the key names to know at the lowest level of the system.

El Paso Chihuahuas (Split Series with Albuquerque Isotopes)

Top Performers: Brett Sullivan had a massive week with five doubles, three home runs, a single, and a pair of walks in five games, as he posted a stellar 1.553 OPS.  The 30-year-old former University of Pacific star has mainly seen time behind the plate this season but can also play in left field, first, and third base. He has already been up for a few games in San Diego this year and is a prime candidate for any roster opening. … Ryan Carpenter, 33, gets the nod for the pitching staff with an impressive outing that saw him go 6.2 innings and only allow an earned run as he struck out four against one walk and five hits.  By way of Gonzaga University, the left-hander was last with the Detroit Tigers organization in 2019 before throwing for a year in Taiwan and two in Korea.  This week was his best outing of the season and his second straight win.

Top Prospects and Others of Note: It was a good week for outfielders with big league service time on the El Paso roster. Bryce Johnson, 28, had a great week with a slash line of .462/.533/.846 and a pair of stolen bases in four games. Cal Mitchell, 25, the former Rancho Bernardo High School star, was close behind with 1.169 OPS. Tim Locastro, who has seven seasons of significant bit league experience, tied for the club lead with nine hits, four going for extra bases. The trio are all capable of playing all three outfield positions. Speed is the calling card for both Johnson, a switch-hitter, and Locastro, a righty, while the left-handed Mitchell, 25, offers more pop at the plate. … Eguy Rosario, 24, had a solid week back in the minors, hitting .292 with seven hits in six games, including four doubles, a home run, and four base-on-balls for a .997 OPS. … Jackson Wolf, 25, had another solid outing, going six innings to get the win with seven strikeouts against two walks. It was the lefty’s second straight outing of six innings. For a guy who barely tops 90 mph, his ability to throw all four of his pitches for strikes with movement in the hitter-friendly conditions of the Pacific Coast League is impressive. … Big Fudge, a.k.a. Austin Davis, 31, threw well in relief, with the left-hander recording five strikeouts in 2.1 innings without allowing a run. The Chihuahuas also had strong relief outings from Nick Hernandez, Matt Festa, and Kevin Kopps, each of whom made two scoreless appearances. (John Conniff)

San Antonio Missions (Lost series at Frisco Rough Riders, 1-4)

Top Performers: Robbie Tenerowicz had a good start to his Missions career with five hits in four games including a pair of doubles, to lead the team with a .791 OPS.  This is the third organization for the 29-year old former Cal Bear who was putting up decent numbers with Seattle’s Texas League affiliate, the Arkansas Travelers, before he was released as the start of the month. He joined San Antonio with a .269/.344/.404 line. Tenerowicz should add some much needed offense to the San Antonio lineup with the departures of Nathan Martorella and Jakob Marsee. … It’s a broken record, but in a good way: Adam Mazur continues to dominate with his four-pitch mix and improved use of his curve ball. In his lone start of the week, the 23-year old threw six shutout innings with three strikeouts, two hits and a walk.

Top Prospects and Others of Note: Cole Cummings, 26, continued a solid year with six hits in five games for a .749 OPS. With the acquisition of Tenerowicz, he returned to seeing most of his time in the outfield, as opposed to first base. … Robert Perez Jr., 24, made the most of his four hits this week, with two of them doubles for a team-high four RBI. Perez signed as over the winter after spending his career in the Mariners organization. He posted an OPS of .737 for their Double-A affiliate in 2023. Perez should see more games in center going forward. … Juan Zabala, 24, got into four games, and although he only notched a solitary single, he walked four times in eight plate appearances and drove in a run. He is serving primarily as Brandon Valenzuela’s backup behind the dish, but he has also earned some time as a designated hitter. … Josh Roberson, 28, gave up two runs this week to push his total on the season to three, but still had five strikeouts in 2.2 innings to lead the Missions staff against no walks. On the season, the righty who previously played in the Rays and Cubs system has a 2.70 ERA in ten innings with 13 strikeouts but is a little heavy on the walks with seven. … Robby Snelling, 20, delivered a quality start, allowing three runs over six innings in his longest start of the season. Even though he took the loss, he’s had a solid but not spectacular season so far with a 3.86 ERA in six starts and 28 innings. … Fellow lefty Austin Krob, 24, scattered seven hits and one run over 5.1 innings. The sinker/slider specialist has been up and down this season with a 5.18 ERA, but in three of his six starts he has allowed one earned run or less. Jason Blanchard, 27, made the most of his single inning of work this week, with the lefty doing what he has done all season: punch out batters (two) and not give up a run. On the season the Lamar University grad has a 0.61 ERA in 14.2 innings with a 20:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. (John Conniff)

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost series at Western Michigan White Caps 2-4)

Top Performers:  After not collecting an extra-base-hit in the first five weeks of the season, Homer Bush Jr. had two doubles to anchor a strong series. Bush went 9-for-20 with two walks and three stolen bases and now leads the organization with 15 steals.  After a slow start to the season, the 22-year-old center fielder is hitting .368/.429/.421 in May. … Enmanuel Pinales continues to be the breakout star of the first part of the season for Fort Wayne. The Dominican right-hander threw five more scoreless innings, striking out seven. Over his last two starts, Pinales has tossed 11 scoreless innings, giving up just three hits against 14 strikeouts. He now sports a a 2.35 ERA with 27 strikeout in 23 innings on the year.

Top Prospects and Others of Note:.  Catcher Ethan Salas, started the week with a double and triple on Tuesday, as he delivered his first RBI in a week. He didn’t get another hit, but did walk in each of the next four games to finish with a  .177/.364/.353 line.  … After a horrendous start a week before, Dylan Lesko was able to pitch deeper into the game this week, but still battled through control issues. While he only allowed two hits, he walked three and hit four batters.  In 19 innings this year, Lesko has now walked 23 and hit seven.  He has struck out 22. … Righty Henry Baez made his longest outing of the year, throwing 5.2 innings of one-run ball while tying his season high with eight strikeouts.  More impressively, he has dialed in his command; After walking seven in his first nine innings, Baez has issued just three free passes in the last 15.2. The 21-year-old has a 4.01 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 24.2 innings. … Jagger Haynes walked three and hit a batter, leading to a pair of earned runs despite allowing just one hit over 3.1 innings. It was the second straight start the 21-year-old breezed through the order the first time, before running into trouble the second time through the order. On a positive note, in those two May starts, Haynes has a 2.89 ERA with opponents hitting .172. … 24-year-old reliever David Morgan tossed 4.2 scoreless innings across two appearances this week. The Mission Viejo native has allowed one earned run in 7.2 innings without walking a batter this month. … Francis Pena continued his dominant start to the season. The 23-year-old picked up his third win of the season on Friday, pitching 2.1 perfect innings. Pena’s ERA sits at a stellar 0.61, with a 0.95 WHIP. … Flamethrowing righty Bradgley Rodriguez threw three scoreless innings this week. He did not allow a hit, but walked three guys. Rodriguez has 16 strikeouts and eight walks in 13 innings this season across both Single-A levels. (Ben Davey)

Lake Elsinore Storm (Won series vs. Inland Empire 66ers, 4-2)

Top Performers: After a rough 12-game road trip, the Storm returned home and won a series against Inland Empire, taking both weekend games. The club is back on the road this week in Visalia. Romeo Sanabria had a nice week at the plate, hitting .318/.444/.500 with a double, a homer, four RBI, and four walks. The Miami native has been a consistent performer for the Storm this year, showing power and the ability to make consistent contact. He ranks fourth in the circuit in batting average (.319) and seventh in on-base percentage (.437). … The top pitching performance belonged to Isaiah Lowe, who dominated the 66ers on Saturday night. The young righty threw four shutout innings, allowing four hits and two walks while racking up a career-high nine strikeouts. The Padres’ 11th-round pick in 2022 has built up slowly this season after missing most of last season with shoulder issues. This season, he’s pitched to a 3.224 ERA and struck out 25 in 16.2 innings.

Top Prospects and Others of Note: First baseman/designated hitter Ethan Long only played in three games after joining the club, but he made the most of his opportunity going 3-for-10 with a homer to post a 1.062 OPS. Long signed with the Padres last season as an undrafted free agent out of Arizona State. Long hit 17 homers as a freshman but dealt with wrist injuries in each of the last three seasons. If healthy, he possesses intriguing power from the right side. … The Storm OPS leader for the week (minimum three games played) was none other than 25-year-old Wyatt Hoffman. He went 5-for-11 with two doubles and four runs scored. Hoffman typically doesn’t provide much offensively but his hot series boosted his wRC+ to 93, which would be a career-high. However, Hoffman has a .432 BABIP and a ghastly K-rate of over 35%. Among Cal League hitters with at least 70 plate appearances, Hoffman’s strikeout percentage is the sixth-highest in the league. Hoffman has one homer in 478 plate appearances, so he will need to make more contact to help the Storm offensively. … Nick Vogt seems to be shaking off a slow start at a perfect time. Vogt had nine hits last week, including four on Thursday night. The former UCSB had two doubles, and a triple, while scoring a team-high six runs. With Dillon Head now in the Miami organization, Vogt should receive regular work in center field. … Southpaw Fernando Sanchez threw a career-high six innings Tuesday to earn the victory. He allowed just one run on two hits with five strikeouts and did not issue a walk. The excellent start lowered his ERA to 1.93 this season. The 23-year-old from Mexico originally signed back in the spring of 2019. had Tommy John surgery after just one appearance in 2021. … Reliever Dwayne Matos struck out nine over five scoreless innings in a pair of appearances. The 23-year-old righty hasn’t allowed an earned run and only surrendered three hits over his last 8.1 innings. (Kevin Charity)

ACL Angels 6, ACL Padres 3 (2-4 on the week)

Key Stats: CF Donte Grant 1-for-3, BB, SB (6); DH Lamar King Jr. 2-for-3, 3B; RF Kashon Conliffe 1-for-3, 3B; SS B.Y. Kim 0-for-1, BB, 2 HBP, 2 SB (3); LHP Luis Gutierrez 4.2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 5 K, 2 BB; RHP Bernard Jose 2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 4 K, 2 BB

Prospect Watch: Lamar King Jr. made his first appearance of the year, batting fifth as the designated hitter. The 20-year-old logged only 84 plate appearances last year because of a series of injuries and ultimately underwent knee surgery at the end of the campaign. A bat-first catcher selected out of high school in Maryland in 2022, King had a single and triple in three trips to the plate. … Donte Grant had a single and a walk and stole his sixth base out of the leadoff spot. The 19-year-old outfielder has reached base in 13 of his 29 plate appearances to open the year.

Top Performers of the Week: B.Y. Choi capped off a stellar week by reaching base three times Monday evening. Across six games, the big left-handed hitter reached 12 times in 21 plate appearances, mixing in a pair of homers and three stolen bases. The Padres’ 19th-round pick last summer heads into the second full week of the season with a 1.231 OPS. … Addison Kopack, who logged just eight plate appearances after signing as an undrafted free agent last summer, is off to a strong start this season with a 1.029 OPS through his first seven games. While he caught in college, the 22-year-old has only seen time at first base so far this year. … Athletic infielder Spence Coffman, who the Padres selected in the 19th round in 2022 but entered this year with only 70 at-bats, went 5-for-15 on the week with a pair of doubles and two stolen bases. The 20-year-old from Mississippi will get action on the dirt and in the outfield this year.  … Righties Maikel Miralles and Kleiber Olmedo each impressed in their first week of stateside baseball. Olmedo, struck out three over three scoreless innings, while Miralles allowed one run over four innings while striking out six. The duo of Venezuelan 19-year-olds both signed in last year’s international class and debuted in the DSL last summer.