MadFriars Week in Review: September 3 through September 8

El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost series at Reno 2-4)

Top Performers: Three Chihuahuas hitters had big weeks, but Brett Sullivan had the best performance. The 30-year-old backstop had nine hits in five games, including a double, triple, and home run for a 1.129 OPS. Sullivan had a brief seven-game call-up to San Diego but has spent most of his third option season in Triple-A, where he has an .834 OPS. After a big May (.888) and June (.941), he struggled in July and August with an OPS of .619 and .628 respectively.… In a week when no starter posted an ERA better than 4.50, six different relievers worked at least a pair of scoreless innings. Austin Davis, 31, led the way, throwing three innings across a pair of shutout appearances, striking out three while surrendering just one hit. Davis, who defines the phrase “crafty lefty,” has a 3.24 ERA in 41.2 innings with 54 strikeouts against 21 walks. He had a brief stint with San Diego this season, giving up seven earned runs in seven innings.

Top Prospects and Others of Note: Brandon Valenzuela, 23, has had a tough slog since being promoted from Double-A, but he had a big week in Reno. The switch-hitting catcher had six hits and three walks in five games, good for a .462/.563/.538 line. Even with the strong week, he’s hitting .211 with a .559 OPS in his first taste of Triple-A after posting a .698 OPS in San Antonio. He has been playing much more first base in El Paso. … Brandon Lockridge, 27, continues to get on base often. This week, he reached 11 times in five games for a .478 on-base percentage, and he added three doubles and one stolen base. Since coming over from the Yankees organization, he has a .328/.425/.429 slash line in 139 plate appearances with 12 stolen bases in 14 attempts. … Both Eguy Rosario and Tirso Ornelas struggled on the week, posting a .634 and .409 OPS respectively. The duo still have the club’s best overall numbers on the year, but have been limping toward the finish line after not getting promoted to the big league club during their hot stretches. … Carl Edwards Jr., 32, had the best showing of any starter, giving up three runs in six innings as he struck out a season-high 10 batters against three walks. The long-time veteran will likely finish the year with more innings than any season since 2013. … Matt Waldron, 27, had one start in Reno, which plays as the best offensive park in the minors. He gave up four earned runs and allowed six hits in five innings of work but didn’t walk a batter while recording four strikeouts. … Sean Reynolds stayed sharp for another potential return to the big club, making two appearances and tossing a pair of hitless innings. The 26-year-old struck out two, but did walk one and hit a batter. (John Conniff)

San Antonio Missions (Won series at Tulsa 4-2)

Top Performers:  Robert Perez, Jr. had a big week, posting a 1.208 OPS with 11 hits – six of them doubles – and a pair of walks for a .458/.500/.708 slash line. On the season, the 24-year-old minor league free agent signee has a .687 OPS, but is second overall on the team with 88 hits and 21 doubles. … Ryan Bergert, 24, extended his strong second half, going five innings and allowing one earned run on three hits with four punchouts, though he did issue three walks. The right-hander from West Virginia University has worked to a 3.24 ERA since returning from a month-long shutdown in mid-July. He’s posted a 41:17 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 40.1 innings since then, a marked improvement from his first half.

Top Prospects and Others of Note: Ripken Reyes, 27, had a strong week with a 1.096 OPS that included a pair of home runs to double his season total. The switch-hitting utility player’s on-base percentage is down nearly 60 points from last year. … Connor Hollis, 29, also put together a solid series with seven hits in six games for a .986 OPS. Hollis, who missed a decent amount of time this season because of injuries, has hit .284/.390/.358 in the last month while seeing time all over the field defensively. He has struggled to repeat his success from 2022, when he was the Texas League batting champ. … Henry Baez threw well as he continues to blow past the 100 inning mark for the first time in his career. The 21-year-old put together another workman-like start, going six innings and only allowing one run while scattering four hits. The righty has now tossed 120 innings on the year. … Jackson Wolf, 25, pitched well in relief, throwing five innings in two appearances and only allowing a single run on two walks and a hit while striking out five. Wolf, who relies on deception and movement within the strike zone, struggled at the altitude of El Paso but may have found a home as a long reliever. … Ryan Och, 25, the left-hander from Minnesota by way of Southern Mississippi, didn’t allow a run in 3.2 innings of work over two appearances. Och has a 2.86 ERA in 28.1 I innings with a 42:11 strikeout-to-walk ratio since joining the Missions in June. … Bradgley Rodriguez struck out eight over three one-inning appearances as he continues to impress in his first stateside campaign. The hard-throwing righty has held opponents to a .179 average across three levels this year. (John Conniff)

Chihuahuas and Missions Notes:  Longtime fan favorite Jose “Sugar” Azocar was claimed by the New York Mets after he was designated for assignment to make room for Brandon Lockridge on the 40-player roster. Azocar, 28, hit .282 for El Paso this season with a .727 OPS after hitting .219 in 61 games for the big league club. He joined the Padres organization as a minor league free agent in 2021 and spent parts of three seasons with the big league club. He got off to a quick start in the Mets system, collecting two hits in his first game for Triple-A Syracuse. … Lake Bachar was also designated for assignment after making just a one-day appearances on the Padres’ big league roster. The Miami Marlins claimed the 29-year-old, and he struck out the side while logging his first inning in MLB against the Philadelphia Phillies, throwing 11 of 16 pitches for strikes. With the former college punter’s departure, Reggie Lawson is the only player left in the organization from the 2016 draft class. … In addition to Bachar, Miami now has seven players who appeared on our top 20 lists this year; Robby Snelling, Jakob Marsee, Graham Pauley, Adam Mazur, Dillon Head and Nathan Martorella from the preseason list and Jay Beshears from the updated list. If you are keeping score at home, the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox each have three of the the Padres’ 20 prospects from various points this year. (John Conniff)

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost series against South Bend Cubs 2-4)

Players of the Week: The TinCaps wrapped up their season, not with a bang, but a whimper. The offense averaged 2.2 runs over the final five games and finished the year just three runs better than the least-productive team in the Midwest League. The lone offensive bright spot in the final series was Nerwilian Cedeño. The 22-year-old had nine hits including three doubles and a triple. Cedeño rode a season-high 13-game hitting streak into the final game. He finished his year with a .967 OPS in September to lift his overall mark to .650 in his first fully-healthy season since signing as part of the 2018 international free agent class. … Breakout prospect Enmanuel Pinales allowed one run over six innings to finish the season on a fantastic run. Over his last four starts, the 23-year-old allowed three earned runs across 22 innings.  Pinales finishes the season with a 3.49 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 111 innings after logging just 60 frames in his first stateside campaign in 2023. 

Top Prospects and Others of Note: After he posted his best numbers of the year in August, there was hope Ethan Salas could finish out the year on a high note. Instead, he went 3-for-22 with a double in the final series of the season and finishes with a forgettable .206/.288/.311 line. … Isaiah Lowe got two starts in the final week, allowing three runs over nine total innings. The 21-year-old walked two and struck out seven. After missing nearly all of his first year with shoulder issues, Lowe came back strong, finishing 2024 with a 3.33 ERA and 111 strikeouts in 105.1 innings.   … It was a tough end of the year for Jagger Haynes as the southpaw gave up five earned runs and walked five in 3.2 innings. It was the second time in four starts that Haynes issued that many free passes. While the season numbers of a 4.64 ERA and 66 walks in 110.2 innings don’t jump off the page, Haynes staying healthy for an entire season after battling injuries for three years is a huge plus. He led the team and finished in the top 10 in the league with 114 strikeout. … Making his final High-A start of the year, Braden Nett did not allow an earned run over four inning sdespite also walking five, though he also struck out five. After missing more than a month on the injured list early in the year, Nett has a 4.03 ERA, with 70 strikeouts over 60.1 innings. He was promoted to Double-A to get one final start.  (Ben Davey)

Lake Elsinore Storm (won series at Inland Empire 66ers, 3-2)

Top Performers: The Storm won their final regular series of the season in San Bernardino, taking down the 66ers in five games. The series’ final game was canceled due to unplayable field conditions caused by rain. Lake Elsinore finished the regular season with a 71-58 record, winning the division in both halves. They will take on the Visalia Rawhide in a best-of-three playoff series that starts Tuesday in Visalia. They will play in Lake Elsinore on Thursday and Friday, if necessary. … At the plate, Kai Roberts had another productive series. The 23-year-old went 5-for-16 with two doubles and four RBI. The former University of Utah outfielder had an impressive pro debut, hitting .340/.414/.470 while showing athleticism and some raw power. He will now look to help the Storm bring home their second Cal League title in three years. … Luis Gutierrez turned in another solid outing to end the regular season on a high note. The left-hander tossed five strong innings, allowing just one run on four hits. He struck out five batters without issuing a walk. After a disastrous start on July 30, in which he allowed seven earned runs in 1.2 innings, Gutierrez threw the ball well down the stretch. In his final five outings, he pitched to a 1.75 ERA in 25.2 frames. He issued just six walks in that span. The 21-year-old finished the regular season with a 4.62 ERA in 62.1 Cal League innings. 

Top Performers and Others of Note: Brendan Durfee had another productive series, hitting .308/.357/.538 with a homer and three RBI in three games. The 23-year-old out of UC Santa Barbara was the Padres’ 14th-round pick in July. The left-handed swinging catcher delivered an .892 OPS in his pro debut with the Storm. He has received most of the playing time down the stretch, adding another big bat to a Storm lineup full of senior signings from July’s draft. … Lamar King hit well in his final regular-season series, delivering a .754 OPS and four walks in four games. Between the complex league and Lake Elsinore, the 20-year-old played in a career-high 62 games, hitting the first two homers of his professional career while delivering a .800 OPS. King has been limited to first base and designated hitter this season as he recovers from shoulder surgery, but should get the chance to test himself behind the plate next spring. … Kleiber Olmedo pitched well on Friday night, tossing four hitless innings before running into trouble in the fifth. He hit a batter and issued a walk before being pulled and both runners ultimately came around to score. Still, the terrific outing is a positive sign as the 20-year-old transitioned into the rotation after spending his first season in the U.S. pitching out of the bullpen. In 17.2 innings for the Storm, the Venezuelan native posted a 4.58 ERA with 19 strikeouts against 10 walks as he works to master the finer points of pitching. … 2024 fourth-rounder Tyson Neighbors pitched in two games, allowing two runs on five hits in 2.2 innings. The former Kansas State reliever struck out four batters. In 4.2 innings down the stretch for the Storm, the 21-year-old racked up nine strikeouts, but also allowed significant traffic on the bases. (Kevin Charity)