San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: April 12

Las Vegas Aviators 11, Chihuahuas 2

Key Statistics: DH Luis Campusano 2-for-3, BB; RF Yonathan Perlaza 2-for-4, 2B; 3B Mike Brosseau 2-for-3, 2B; LHP Wes Benjamin  (L, 0-1) 4 IP 9 H, 8 ER, 5 K, HBP, 3 HR; RHP Ethan Routzahn 2 IP, 2 K

Prospect Watch: This past winter, the San Diego Padres signed two left-handed pitchers from the KBO, Kyle Hart and Wes Benjamin. While Hart had a strong bounce-back night at Petco Park, Benjamin struggled in his first outing at Southwest University Park, allowing three home runs, including one to top Athletics’ prospect Nick Kurtz. Those accounted for five of the eight earned runs he surrendered as he labored through 87 pitches in four innings. In his two previous starts at Oklahoma City, he allowed one earned run in seven innings. The 31-year-old went 11-8 with a 4.63 ER in 149.2 innings in his third KBO season last year as he worked to earn another shot with an MLB club. The key for him will be to figure out how the altitude of El Paso will affect his pitches. … Luis Campusano continues to punish Triple-A pitching, reaching base three times with a pair of hits.  In his first 11 games, he had a 1.057 OPS with four extra-base hits and a .478 on-base percentage, with seven of his 11 games at catcher. … Two days after he took a pitch to the ribs and left the game, Tirso Ornelas returned to the lineup in left field. He went 0-for-4. … When Tyler Wade was called back up to the big league squad, it created space once again for Mike Brosseau, who had been on El Paso’s Development List. The infielder went 2-for-four with a double in his first action in 10 days.

Roster Notes: After being designated for assignment earlier this week, the Padres traded lefty Tom Cosgrove to the Chicago Cubs for cash considerations, ending the tenure of the former Manhattan University Jasper, which began when he was drafted in the 12th round of the 2017 draft.  We interviewed Tom often here, and he was always a class act.  We wish him all the best.

Corpus Christi Hooks 2, Missions 0

Key Statistics: SS Francisco Acuña 1-for-4; LF Joshua Mears 1-for-3; RHP Braden Nett (L, 0-2), 4 IP, 2 H, R, BB 7 K; RHP Jose Espada 2 IP, H, R, 4 K; RHP Eduarniel Núñez 2 IP, 2 H, 3 K

Prospect Watch: The Missions’ offense continued to struggle on the road and now hasn’t scored in 14 innings as they dropped their second straight after taking the first three games of the series. There was, nonetheless, some good news for the squad. Braden Nett, despite taking his second loss of the year, was electric on the mound. He didn’t allow a hit for the first three innings and only gave up two on the night. The 22-year-old showcased his big fastball to generate seven strikeouts as he landed 39 of 58 pitches for strikes. Nett, an undrafted free agent, was a huge win by the Padres’ scouting department and has as much upside as any pitcher in the organization. As the year progresses, the key for him will be to continue to throw enough strikes to go deeper into games, and to develop more consistency with his slider. … Hard-throwing righty Eduarniel Núñez worked two more scoreless innings and struck out three. The minor league free agent signee has allowed just three hits over his first 5.2 innings in the organization. More importantly, the 25-year-old with a career 14.7% walk rate in the Cubs organization has issued only one free pass so far. … Marcos Castañon got his first start of the year at first base as the organization plans to rotate the former UC-Santa Barbara Gaucho between first, second, and third base. He was 0-for-3 with a pair of punch outs, but on the season, he is tied with Romeo Sanabria for the team lead with 20 total bases and has an OPS of 1.052.

Dayton Dragons 6, TinCaps 0

Key Statistics: SS Leo De Vries 1-for-4, CS; 1B Jack Costello 1-for-4; CF Nerwilian Cedeño 1-for-4, 2B; RHP Isaiah Lowe 0.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R (3 ER), BB; RHP Tyler Morgan 3.1 IP 7 K; RHP Josh Mallitz IP, K

Prospect Watch: It’s April in the Midwest League, it’s cold, and the TinCaps are struggling. You will find this an evergreen theme if you have read MadFriars over the past 20 years. Offensively, the TinCaps were held to three hits and Nerwilian Cedeño‘s double was the only extra-base hit. … Brandon Butterworth was the only player in the lineup who finished the game hitting .250 on the year. Leo De Vries, the top prospect in the Padres’ system, went 1-for-4 and is now batting .200. The other seven starters are now below the Mendoza Line. … On the mound, Isaiah Lowe experienced one of the worst starts of his career. After Dayton’s first four batters reached base, Lowe got what could have been a double-play, but Butterworth threw the ball away on the back end of the attempt.  After a balk, Lowe got another force out before being removed after 32 pitches. … The one very bright spot of today’s game was the outing by Tyler Morgan, who replaced Lowe and threw three and a third shutout innings. Morgan (no relation to fellow Padres organization reliever David) retired all 10 batters he faced, seven by strikeout. Last season, the 24-year-old drafted in the 14th round out of Abilene Christian in 2023, posted a 4.76 ERA in the Summit City in a swingman role. He posted a 56:27 strikeout-to-walk ratio. This season, he has a 1.35 ERA in 6.2 innings over four games and opponents are only hitting .100 against him.

Storm 10, Modesto Nuts 1

Key Statistics: SS Ryan Jackson 4-for-4, HR (1), RBI, SB (4); DH Sean Barnett 1-for-4, 2B, BB, RBI; 3B Zach Evans 3-for-4, 3B, 3 RBI; RF Ryan Wilson 1-for-2, BB; LF Kaden Hollow 2-for-5, 2 2B, 4 RBI; 2B Yendry Rojas 1-for-4, BB SB (2); RHP Bryan Balzer 4 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 3 K; RHP Carson Swilling (W, 1-0) 2 IP, H, 3 K; RHP Mario Zabala 2.2 IP, 5 H, R, 3 K

Prospect Watch: The Storm got their first victory of the season in style as they sent nine batters to the plate and plated four runs in the first inning, They never looked back, adding four in the fourth inning and one each in the fifth and the seventh. Ryan Jackson, 23, a San Diego’s 17th-round selection from USC last year, had a big day at the plate with four hits, including his first professional homer run.  Jackson is off to a fast start this year with nine hits and a 1.121 OPS in his first eight games.  The former Trojan should see action around the infield this summer, with the Storm. … Kaden Hollow had a nice night with a pair of doubles and four RBI. Signed as an undrafted free agent catcher before a series of knee injuries moved him from behind the plate, he has six hits in his first seven games to go along with four walks against only a single strikeout in 25 plate appearances. … Bryan Balzer had his second straight impressive start. After giving up three runs in his first first Cal League inning, he hasn’t allowed another. He gave up just two singles to Modesto and finished with three strikeouts over four inning. An international free agent signee in 2023, Balzer had Tommy John surgery soon after joining the organization before making his professional debut last summer. The 20-year-old from Japan who is being mentored by Yu Darvish, turned a lot of heads in spring training and is a name to watch this season.