Padres Minor League Minicamp Opens

While full minor league spring training is still two weeks away, Padres top prospects get underway at minor league minicamp in Peoria today, with a much larger group than in recent years.

Minicamp offers player development staff time for more individualized and focused work with prospects before the team of over 150 players is on the field in early March. Invitees include some of the Padres’ top prospects, pitchers ramping up to be ready at the beginning of the minor league season, and several hurlers who missed last year with injuries.

On day one, 38 players are in camp, up from 23 last year. The group size reflects the large number of players with little professional experience who will be counted on to make significant contributions this year.

Kash Mayfield and Boston Bateman, the Padres’ first two picks in last summer’s draft, headline a group of 19 pitchers who are in action during the minicamp. Both lefties were held out of competitive action the previous year until cameo appearances in the instructional league. Still, they should be ticketed for the Lake Elsinore rotation to open the year.

Jagger Haynes and Isaiah Lowe, who were both in minicamp last year and each logged more than 100 innings after injuries limited them the prior year, are back this season. Each will head into the year looking to assert themselves as viable starting options for the 2026 season.

Veteran righties Efrain Contreras, who re-signed with the organization over the winter after spending a year in the Phillies’ system, and Jared Kollar will also stretch out gradually over the next eight weeks to be ready for starting work in the upper minors.

Righty Kannon Kemp, finally healthy after dealing with a series of shoulder issues last year, also joins the camp group with an eye toward being ready to go when Lake Elsinore’s season begins. The big righty signed out of high school in Texas for the second-largest bonus given out by the Padres in the 2023 draft class but hasn’t thrown competitively yet.

Seven members of the 2024 draft class, led by third-rounder Cobb Hightower, head the position player group that will get a head start on their seasons.

The group includes Sean Barnett, one of the system’s most interesting storylines heading into the year. The power-hitting outfielder was selected as a two-way player in the draft last year and threw bullpens throughout the summer. He will work as a pitcher this spring while getting regular action as a designated hitter. As camp starts, the plan is for him to continue to develop on both sides of the ball.

Several key prospects who likely would have been in minicamp are instead working in a rehab group. Most notably, righty Humberto Cruz won’t throw from a mound until mid-March, almost certainly ensuring that he will open the year in the Arizona Complex League. Corner infielder Kale Fountain and outfielder Kavares Tears are both working to get cleared for full baseball activities. Tears could still be on track to open the minor league season, while Fountain, who had Tommy John surgery last fall, won’t start hitting until next month and will be limited to DH duty into the summer.

Encouragingly, Lamar King, Ian Koenig, and Cole Paplham, who all had injuries at the end of last year, are in full action with the minicamp group.

Here’s the full list of Padres prospects on the minicamp roster:

Pitchers
Boston Bateman*
Jason Blanchard*
Raul Brito
Manuel Castro
Miguel Cienfuegos*
Efrain Contreras
Jagger Haynes*
Kannon Kemp
Ian Koenig
Jared Kollar
Kevin Kopps
Carter Loewen
Isaiah Lowe
Kash Mayfield*
David Morgan
Tyson Neighbors
Cole Paplham
Ethan Routzahn
*left-handed pitcher

Two-way Player
Sean Barnett

Catchers
Colton Bender
Brendan Durfee*
Lamar King
Addison Kopack
Oswaldo Linares
Andy Thomas*
Colton Vincent

Infielders
Francisco Acuña
Brandon Butterworth
Marcos Castañon
Jack Costello
Zach Evans
Cobb Hightower
Rosman Verdugo

Outfielders
Braedon Karpathios*
Kai Murphy*
Kai Roberts*
Tyler Robertson
Jake Snider*
*left-handed hitter