PEORIA – Kale Fountain was among the more interesting picks of the San Diego Padres 2024 draft. The big third…
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[…] Prospect Watch: Bryan Balzer, Kannon Kemp, and Johan Moreno combined to blank the Quakes on six hits. Balzer, 20, turned in his best start since missing a month with arm discomfort, tossing three innings and punching out four. The 2023 international free agent impressed many people inside and outside the organization with his athleticism and velocity coming into the season. However, he is still learning how to pitch after working primarily as a hitter in high school in Japan. … After giving up five runs against Visalia in his last appearance, Kemp delivered his best performance of the season, working around five singles over five innings. The big righty from Texas, who earned mid-third-round money out of high school in the 2023 draft, has had mixed results after shoulder injuries kept him from making his professional debut until this year. Working with a short arm action, the 20-year-old is still working to get his fastball velocity back up to where it reportedly sat late in his senior year. While encouraging, he has gone at least five innings in eight of his 11 appearances across two levels this year, he has posted a 5.09 ERA with 38 strikeouts across 53 innings. … With the pitching staff cruising, the Storm got on the board in the fourth inning on Carlos Rodriguez’s bases-clearing triple. Rodriguez has produced well in his second go-around with the Storm, posting a .910 OPS in 16 games and 58 plate appearances. The 22-year-old from Venezuela didn’t reach full-season ball for the first time until last year and started back in the ACL this year before hitting his way back to Elsinore with a .357 batting average. The left-handed hitter has shown tools on both sides of his game, and is likely to get more action behind the plate down the stretch. … Kavares Tears added a pair of doubles and drove in three runs in his second multi-hit game of the month. The 22-year-old, who remains limited to the DH role because of a shoulder issue, raised his slugging percentage back up to .403 and now has his offensive production back up to league average. … Kale Fountain had a hit and stole his second base in six games for the Storm. In addition to holding the Nebraska high school home run record, the 6-foot-5, 225-pound Fountain is also the all-time leader in stolen bases. […]