Welcome back to another year of coverage with MadFriars.
The minor league season kicked off Friday night with El Paso in action at home. The rest of the full-season squads get underway next Friday.
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Chihuahuas 10, Salt Lake Bees 3
Key Statistics: 1B Trenton Brooks, 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 HR (2), 2 RBI, BB; C Luis Campusano, 3-for-4, 2 R; DH Connor Joe, 2-for-4, 2 R, RBI; SS Mason McCoy, 2-for-4, R, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI; RHP Ryan Bergert, 4 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 4 K; RHP Raul Brito (W, 1-0) 1.1 IP, H, BB, 3 K; RHP Ethan Routzahn IP, K
Trenton Brooks had a huge night in his system debut. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Prospect Watch: The Chihuahuas fell behind early but scored a pair in the second to take the lead for good. They blew things open with a five-run sixth inning to win convincingly on opening night in El Paso. … The offensive star for El Paso was San Diego native Trenton Brooks, who connected on a pair of solo homers in the victory. Brooks, 29, signed with the Padres as a minor league free agent in the off-season after making his big league debut last season with San Francisco. The former Granite Hills star produced a .361 OPS in 29 big league plate appearances last season. Brooks had an excellent spring, delivering a .989 OPS for the Padres. Last season in Triple-A Sacramento, the first baseman hit .302/.410/.453 in 94 games. … Speaking of San Diego natives, Connor Joe made his organization debut, and he delivered with a pair of singles to go with two runs scored and an RBI. The former Pirate signed a major league deal with the Padres late in the off-season and seemed destined to form a left-field platoon with Jason Heyward. Joe 32, had an excellent spring for the Padres, hitting .316/.469/.447 with five doubles and more walks (nine) than strikeouts (seven) in 20 games. Despite the performance, Joe had a minor league option left and was sent to El Paso so Yuli Gurriel and Jose Iglesias could be added to the major league roster. Joe hasn’t played in the minors since a 26-game stint with Triple-A Albuquerque in 2021. He’s played in at least 111 big league games in each of the last three seasons. The former Poway High slugger should get a chance to make an impact in the big leagues at some point this season. …
Mason McCoy gets into one at the plate. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
If Friday night was any indicator, former top prospect Luis Campusano took his demotion to El Paso in stride. The former second-rounder had three hits – all singles, each with impressive exit velocities. Campusano’s three hits registered at 107.8, 105.9, and 109.3 mph respectively. Behind the dish, Campusano also fired a dart, throwing out a runner attempting to steal second. Campusano has little to prove offensively at the Triple-A level, but the Padres clearly want to see his work behind the dish improve. In 175 games at the Triple-A level, Campsuano has hit .301/.368/.513. … Infielder Mason McCoy delivered with a multi-hit effort in his season debut. McCoy, 29, had a double, a triple, and drove in three runs. The infielder saw action in 19 games for the Padres last season, producing just a .523 OPS at the plate. He played well defensively, and the organization added him to the 40-man roster at the end of spring to provide infield depth. McCoy had a .711 OPS with El Paso last season and a paltry wRC+ of 79. … On the pitching side, the Padres received an excellent outing from Ryan Bergert. Bergert, 25, made his first career Triple-A start and turned in four solid innings before turning things over to the bullpen. Bergert showed good four-seam fastball velocity, sitting 93-95 mph and topping out at 96.8. He also had his slider working, generating 10 swing-and-misses and four groundouts. Perhaps more importantly, he mostly kept the ball out of the air, aside from a solo homer off of the bat of Scott Kingery. The former West Virginia hurler struck out four and did not issue a walk. The Padres added Bergert to the 40-man roster in the off-season to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. If Friday is any indicator, the young righty could be an important depth option for a Padres rotation that has already needed reinforcements this season. … Raul Brito earned the victory, recording four outs, three via strikeout. Brito didn’t allow a run and allowed one hit and a walk. The 27-year-old is in his third season in the Padres’ system after signing as a minor league free agent in 2023. Brito posted a 3.31 ERA in 34 games for the Missions last season. Friday marked the first Triple-A appearance of his career.
The San Antonio Missions are warming up for the season with an exhibition series against Mexican league club Monclava Acereros. They cruised to an 8-0 victory Friday. At the plate, Joshua Mears hit a monster home run to dead center, while Austin Krob kicked off the shutout for the pitching staff. If you want to watch the remaining games this weekend, a livestream on the Acereros’ Facebook page is your best bet.
[…] the Chihuahuas took advantage, belting four homers in a blowout win in Southern Nevada. … As we have chronicled all season, it is evident that Luis Campusano has nothing left to prove offensively the PCL. Yet, […]