San Diego Padres Daily Farm: Report April 17

Albuquerque Isotopes 11, Chihuahuas 8

Key Statistics: C Luis Campusano, 3-for-4, 2 R, 2 HR (4, 5), 2 RBI, BB; LF Tirso Ornelas, 4-for-5, 2 R, 2B, SB (3); 1B Nate Mondou, 2-for-4, R, 2B; SS Mason McCoy, 3-for-4, 2 R, HR (1), 2B, 3 RBI; RHP Stephen Kolek 5 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 3 K, 3 BB; RHP Raul Brito 2 IP, H, ER, 3 K

Luis Campusano is one of the best hitting catchers in the minor leagues. (Photo: Jorge Salgado).

Prospect Watch: Thursday afternoon’s slugfest between El Paso and Albuquerque was a classic PCL game. There was plenty of hitting, and balls somehow left the building despite registering exit velocities below 95 mph. … With wind speeds above 10 MPH blowing straight out, the two teams combined for six home runs. Two of those came off the bat of Luis Campusano, but neither was cheap. He logged exit velocities of 101.1 and 101.8 mph. For good measure, he also laced a 107 mph single in the fourth inning. Campusano’s baseline numbers on their own are impressive, even by PCL standards: His .407 batting average, 1.304 OPS and .796 slugging percentage all lead the league. Still, the batted ball data may even be more impressive, as the backstop owns a 15.4% barrel rate, 95.3 mph average exit velocity, and a 112.3 max exit velocity. All rank in the 90th percentile or better. … While he didn’t swat two home runs, Tirso Ornelas did put together a 3-for-4 day at the dish. The loudest was a 109.2 mph single in the fourth, but he recorded two other exit velocities over 95, which is the threshold for hard hit. Through 68 plate appearances, Ornelas has been solid, posting a wRC+ over 100. Still, his underlying numbers leave something to be desired. His average exit velocity is at 81.8 MPH (3rd percentile), with a barrel rate of 2.5% and a hard hit rate of 30%. … Starter Stephen Kolek was snake-bitten, allowing seven earned runs on nine hits. However, his .218 xwOBA shows that he wasn’t rewarded despite getting a large dose of soft contact. Kolek’s sinker fared well, generating a 21.4% whiff rate. The sweeper also flashed with a 37.5% chase rate and held opposing batters to .178 xwOBA. 

Missions 7, Northwest Arkansas Naturals 4

Key Statistics: C Brandon Valenzuela, 2-for-4, R, 2B, BB; 1B Romeo Sanabria 1-for-4, R, HR (3), RBI; DH Ethan Salas, 1-for-4, 2B, RBI; 2B Anthony Vilar, 2-for-4, 2 R, HR (1), 2 RBI; RHP Henry Baez, 5 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 K; LHP Miguel Cienfuegos (W, 2-0) 3 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 K; Eduarniel Núñez (S, 1) IP, 2 K

Romeo Sanabria shoots one the other way for San Antonio. (Photo: Rey Holguin)

Prospect Watch: Romeo Sanabria‘s off-season plan to add more power and put the ball in the air more often seems to be working. Thursday night, the left-handed hitting first baseman from Florida’s Indian River State College smoked his third home run of the season in just 11 games for San Antonio. In 32 Double-A games last year, he hit just one. Sanabria owns a .446 wOBA and 167 wRC+ as of April 17. The homer raised his slugging percentage to .625 with a 1.013 OPS. … It took 10 games, but Ethan Salas finally logged his first extra-base hit of the season with an opposite-field double to left-center in the bottom of the sixth. While it’s been far from perfect start at the dish for Salas, even with the early struggles, the 18-year-old Salas has still reached base safely in six straight games. His elite feel for the zone also continues to shine through as he sports a 14.6% walk rate, well above league average. … Henry Baez worked five innings on the bump, allowing two runs on three hits without a walk while punching out three. Baez, who relies on inducing soft contact with his plus command on multiple pitches, generated only five whiffs on the night for a 15.6% whiff rate. Baez’s fastball sat 93-95 while the slider he’s been working on flashed some solid depth sitting in the mid-80s. … The Missions have a boatload of intriguing and high-upside bullpen arms, and Eduarniel Núñez has put himself firmly among them. The former Chicago Cubs farmhand looked good again Thursday night, generating six whiffs on 11 swings while striking out two in his inning of work to earn his first save of the year. His sinker flashed at 97-98 MPH with a good arm side run, while his slider spun hard with excellent sharp tilt. The biggest flaw with Núñez has always been his control. Through his first 6.1 innings in the Padres organization, he has allowed only one walk.

TinCaps 9, Lake County Captains 1

Key Statistics: SS Leo De Vries, 1-for-4, R, HR (1), 2 RBI; LF Jack Costello, 1-for-4, 2 R, HR (1), RBI; CF Braedon Karpathios, 3-for-4, 3 R, 3 2B, RBI; 3B Rosman Verdugo, 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 HR (2, 3), 4 RBI; RHP Jose Luis Reyes, 4 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 K; RHP Garrett Hawkins (W, 2-0) 2 IP, 2 BB, 3 K; LHP Harry Gustin (S, 1) 3 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 K

Rosman Verdugo squares one up for the TinCaps. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)

Prospect Watch: The TinCaps played long ball Thursday night at Parkview Field, swatting four home runs en route to their 9-1 victory. … After leaving Tuesday’s game in the second inning and then getting scratched from the lineup late Wednesday, top prospect Leo De Vries put fans’ minds at ease as he crushed his first career home run in High-A. Like many of his round-trippers, Thursday’s wasn’t a cheap one, leaving his bat at 108 mph. Even with the home run, some may look at Leo’s 55 wRC+ and .623 OPS with concern. For context, in Jackson Merrill‘s first month in Fort Wayne, he posted a .662 OPS. Fernando Tatis Jr., in his first month at (then High-A) Fort Wayne, posted a .672 OPS. The cold air factor is real. Don’t be shocked when De Vries begins to warm up as the temperature rises. … The TinCaps’ other teenage infielder, Rosman Verdugo also put on an impressive power display with a two-homer game. Verdugo has now gone deep three times in the past two nights.Through 11 games this season, the 19-year-old owns a .909 OPS and a wRC+ north of 120. In 97 at-bats last year in High-A, Verdugo left the yard only once; he’s now already left the building three times in only 38 at-bats. … Braedon Karpathios stayed in the yard against Lake County. Nonetheless, he put together arguably the most impressive night at the dish, going three-for-four with three doubles. The jump to High-A has not been an issue for the former undrafted free agent out of Harford (Maryland) CC. Karpathios, through 37 at-bats, owns a .386 OBP, .818 OPS, and 15.9% walk rate. Since last July, he owns a 138 wRC+ and .415 wOBA across two minor league levels. 

Storm 9, Fresno Grizzlies 4

Key Statistics: SS Ryan Jackson, 3-for-5, BB, 3 RBI; C Lamar King Jr., 1-for-5, HR (2), RBI; LF Kaden Hollow, 2-for-5, R; 3B Zach Evans, 2-for-3, 2 R, 2 RBI; C Victor Duarte, 2-for-5, 2 R; CF-RF Ryan Wilson, 2-for-4, 2 R, HR (1), 3 RBI, BB; LHP Boston Bateman (W, 1-1) 5 IP, H, BB, 7 K; RHP Alejandro Lugo (S, 1) 1.1 IP, 2 K

Boston Bateman delivers in his first professional start. (Photo: Robert Escalante)

Prospect Watch: Boston Bateman made quick work of Fresno Thursday night, punching out seven batters over five innings while allowing just one hit. Bateman’s fastball sat 95-97 and topped out at 98 while his slider flashed solid depth and tight break. His sinker once again showed good arm-side break. For the night, Bateman generated eight whiffs and a 32% whiff rate. Bateman’s command was noticeably improved from his debut, as he reached a three-ball count just three times and only walked one. Subscribers can read more about Bateman’s focus areas coming into the year. … Kavares Tears has looked more than comfortable since joining Lake Elsinore three days ago, collecting four hits in 11 plate appearances. That includes a single to right in the first inning of Thursday night’s win. While it’s a vanishingly small sample size, Tears owns a .400 batting average, .700 slugging percentage, and 1.155 OPS. From the short time he’s been out there, you can see the plus-raw and in-game power he possesses. So far, Tears has feasted on fastballs. That should come as no shock, as during his final year at the University of Tennessee,  Tears posted a 73% hard-hit rate, and he slugged over .500 on heaters that were thrown harder than 92 mph. … Lamar King Jr. continues to haunt California League pitching, swatting his second home run. He now has 12 total hits on the young season. Since joining Lake Elsinore last August, King has compiled a 119 wRC+, .384 wOBA, 10% walk rate, and .802 OPS in 29 games.