Padres Prospects Week in Review: May 20 -25

MadFriars and Site Updates: John Conniff was in Fort Wayne to provide coverage and terrify his cardiologist this week. We’ll start pumping through interviews and other subscriber content from that trip and some of our Lake Elsinore coverage tomorrow. FOR SUBSCRIBERS, please note that we’re dealing with some issues with our subscription tool. We’re hoping to have it worked out this week, but if you have problems with your charges or accessing content, please let us know at madfriars@gmail.com or through DM on socials. Thank you for your patience!

El Paso Chihuahuas (Split with Reno Aces 3-3)

Top Performers: After allowing 17 earned runs over his last four appearances, Wes Benjamin turned in a stellar outing, tossing a six-inning shutout. He allowed six hits and struck out two. It was the 31-year-old lefty’s first six-plus inning shutout since April, 2022, when he was a member of the Charlotte Knights.  … Bryce Johnson went 4-for-14 with a double, triple, and two walks on the week. Johnson led off Tuesday’s game with a triple but lost his helmet as he was rounding second, and as he slid into third, the ball hit him square in the head. The speedy center fielder came out of that game and missed Wednesday’s as a precaution, but returned on Thursday and reached base safely in every game on the week. He is hitting .292/.427/.438 with the Chihuahuas.

Top Prospects and Others of Note: Mason McCoy began a rehab assignment this week after hitting the IL with a sprained finger on his left hand on April 29.  The 30-year-old shortstop appeared in two games for El Paso, going 1-for-7 with 2 RBI. … Before his callup, Luis Campusano had gone 2-for-14, with a double, an RBI, and three walks. He will likely finish May hitting .246 but with a .411 OBP and .509 SLG. …  Despite only playing four games, Tim Locastro had a solid week, going 5-for-13 with three doubles and three stolen bases. The 32-year-old is hitting .290/.389/.548 in May. …  It was a tough week for Tirso Ornelas who collected a hit in each of the first two games but went hitless over the last three. He finished the week 2-for-20 with one walk and five strikeouts and has a .653 OPS since being sent down. … Kyle Hart, who will get the big league start on Wednesday walked four, but he only allowed two runs over five innings. Hart has managed to pitch to a 2.29 ERA in Triple-A despite walking 15 and striking out only 16 in 19.2 innings. …  After throwing in relief for the Padres, Ryan Bergert is slowly working back up to a starter’s workload. He threw three shutout innings this week, allowing two hits and striking out three. The 25-year-old has a 4.12 ERA overall for El Paso, but since returning to Triple-A, he has allowed two runs over 9.1 innings, striking out nine. … Miguel Cienfuegos had a 1.13 ERA in six outings with the Missions. He was promoted to El Paso and, within a week, was sent to the Development List.  He returned this past week and allowed one run over four innings. The 28-year-old lefty is the definition of a junkball pitcher but has been an innings eater since signing with the Padres in late 2022. … Kevin Kopps tossed three scoreless innings over two appearances this week. It was a nice rebound for the 28-year-old after he had allowed eight earned runs in his first six appearances of the month.  More importantly, Kopps did not walk a batter for the third straight outing. … Francis Pena ñ had a rough week, allowing seven earned runs over 2.1 innings in three appearances. He saw his ERA nearly double from 3.38 to 6.38.  Pena was still averaging 98 on his sinker but missed with location and allowed his first two home runs of the season. … Jackson Wolf threw five innings of three three-run ball. He struck out four and walked three.  While the 26-year-old’s numbers have not been amazing all season, the lefty has allowed more than three earned runs in just one of nine starts. (Ben Davey)

San Antonio Missions (Won over Wichita Wind Surge 5-1)

Top Performers: Another week and another series when Romeo Sanabria feasts on Texas League pitching. The 23-year-old posted four multi-hit games in his six starts as part of an 11-for-23 week that included four doubles and his fifth home run of the year. Despite playing in a ballpark that often neutralizes left-handed power, Sanabria owns a .507 slugging percentage and .175 Isolated Power rate. Quite the improvement from last season’s .333 and .069 marks in 32 games to end the season in San Antonio. His 148 wRC+  ranks second in the Texas League, while his  .392 wOBA and .331 batting average rank sixth and first respectively. A third of the way through the year, Sanabria remains much more aggressive, swinging at 52.4% of the pitches he seen, a huge spike from last season’s 42.3% swing rate. While Sanabria has taken noticeably fewer walks, his plate discipline remains exemplary. He boasts a career best 16.9% strikeout rate. … Bradgley Rodriguez made a trio of appearances without allowing a run in three innings of work. His final appearance of the week was arguably his most dominant as he struck out one and posted a 42.9% whiff rate, with his sinker topping out at 98 MPH. Even with two outings where he was roughed up – both at stadiums with a higher elevation – Rodriguez’s season numbers remain excellent. The 21-year-old has a 3.38 ERA, but with a  34.1% rate and 5.9% walk rates yield a 2.26 FIP. His 28.6 K-BB% ranks sixth in the Texas League, while his 18% swinging strike percentage checks in at ninth.

Top Prospects and Others of Note: Bryan Hoeing made a pair of relief appearances for the Missions as part of his rehab stint. He faced seven batters, allowing just one hit without a walk and struck out three. While Hoeing is currently eligible to be activated from the IL, the organization will likely want him to log a few multi-inning outs before they activate him. … Matt Waldron made two rehab starts, working a combined 6.1 innings and allowing three runs on eight hits while striking out six, good for a 5.58 FIP. Waldron will likely make at least one more rehab start before the Padres reevaluate him and the many other moving parts of their current roster. … Francisco Acuña was a consistent presence at the dish, going 8-for 24 with a triple,  home run, two RBIs, and four runs scored in his six starts. Since returning from a brief IL stint, Acuña has posted a .408 wOBA, 158 wRC+, and .904 OPS…Marcos Castañon went 6-for-18 in the series with three doubles, a home run, and five RBIs. Since May 11, Castañon has been on a bit of a heater putting togethera 169 wRC+, .424 wOBA, and .977 OPS in 12 games. … Victor Lizarraga earned his first win of the season in an extending relief appearance behind Waldron on Sunday. Working three innings, Lizarraga allowed no runs on one hit, walked three, and posted a 16.6% whiff rate.  He used a pair of double-play balls in both the seventh and the eighth innings to avoid damage. Command remains an issue for the Imperial Beach native, who walked two more in the outing. For the year, he owns a 13.8% walk rate. … After getting rocked in his first three Double-A outings, Enmanuel Pinales put together a solid outing for the Missions on Saturday. The 24-year-old right-hander logged 5.1 innings, allowing two runs on five hits, one walk, and struck out four. Pinales’ stuff certainly flashed with his fastball sitting 93-95 and topping out at 96 with a solid ride. The changeup continues to show plus late fade, helping him generate 13 whiffs and a 30.9% whiff rate for his outing. (Clark Fahrenthold)

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Split vs. Cedar Rapids Kernels, 3-3)

Top Performers: Brendan Durfee, 23, paced the TinCaps with six hits in 13 plate appearances for a 1.267 OPS as he split time between catcher and DH. The former Cal Lutheran standout by way of UC Santa Barbara had a solid April with a .278/.350/.403 slash line, but slumped this month with a .595 OPS.  The left-handed hitter has been particularly effective against right-handed pitching this year with a .774 OPS. The Pasadena, California native is every bit of his listed 6-foot-3, 225 pound stature. He has drawn raves from his manager, Lukas Ray, a former catcher, for his ability to handle the pitching staff and call a game. … Tyson Neighbors, 22, only got in two innings but made the most of them, striking out five of the seven batters he faced. The only hit he allowed was to his roommate at Kansas State, Kaelen Culpepper, on Friday. He pushed his strikeout rate to 46.5% on the year, better than any pitcher who has faced more than 10 batters in the Midwest League. He is holding the league to a .167 batting average in 18 innings.

Top Prospects and Others of Note: Jacob Campbell, 25, is starting to heat up, posting a .916 OPS. The Wisconsin native got off to a slow start with a .543 OPS in 39 April plate appearances, but has significantly improved in May with an .884 in 55 plate appearances. … Brandon Butterworth, 22, the star of Saturday’s double-header with two triples, led Fort Wayne for the week with six RBI and posted an .868 OPS. … Leo De Vries, 18, hit a pair of doubles and had a .381 on-base percentage for a .756 OPS as he broke out of a recent slump. De Vries still leads the team with 38 hits and an .841 OPS. After a huge April, he has slowed down with a .659 OPS this month. Outfielder Kai Roberts made his High-A debut, striking out six times in five games and only managing a.133 batting average, but he got on base seven times for a .381 on-base percentage and stole four bases without being caught. … Eric Yost, 22, had the best start of the week, throwing 6.1 innings on Sunday and only giving up one run with eight strikeouts against two walks. Yost has been the TinCaps’ best pitcher this season, leading the team with 41 innings pitched and 42 strikeouts. The Northeastern alum has held opponents to a .163 average this month, dropping his ERA to 1.76, which is good for fourth in the Midwest League. … Clark Candiotti, 24, had one of his better starts of the year, going 4.2 innings and striking out nine against only one walk and only one earned run.  Candiotti has 32 punchouts in 20.1 innings, but has walked 16 to contribute to a 5.75 ERA on the season. … Miguel Mendez, 22, struggled with his command in his start on Saturday, but the lean Dominican still struck out nine in 4.1 innings. Unfortunately, he walked five batters and left too many pitches over the middle of the plate, resulting in a pair of home runs. (John Conniff)

Lake Elsinore Storm (Lost series at Visalia Rawhide, 2-4)

Top Performers: The Storm lost the first four games of the series before bouncing back with wins on Saturday and Sunday. Through 45 games, the club sits at 19-26. … First baseman/right fielder Victor Figueroa debuted in Lake Elsinore after pummeling Arizona Complex League pitching. While he didn’t hit with the same ferocity, he still posted impressive numbers. The Florida native played in all six games, going 9-for-25 with two doubles, two homers, six RBI, and just four strikeouts. His 1.087 OPS led all Storm hitters on the week. The big first baseman should add power to a team that doesn’t hit many home runs. … Lefty Luis Gutierrez pitched well once again on Sunday, throwing six solid innings to earn the victory. He allowed just one run on two hits, walking two and striking out seven. The 21-year-old pitched well at times last year for the Storm, but outside of a season-opening clunker, Gutierrez has pitched brilliantly this season. Cal League batters are hitting just .174 against him this year – a marked improvement from the .300 average they tagged him for last year. His 3.41 ERA isn’t supported by a FIP that is approaching 5.00, but he walked six in his first start of the season, skewing the numbers just a bit. Gutierrez has helped stabilize a pitching staff that is very inexperienced. 

Top Prospects and Others of Note: Shortstop Ryan Jackson had a fantastic week, hitting .348/.464/.565 with a double, homer, three RBIs, and four walks. Jackson leads the Cal League with a staggering 47 walks in 45 games. Overall, the former Nevada and USC shortstop has a .944 OPS for the Storm this year. … Kavares Tears homered once but had a slow week overall, delivering a .590 OPS with four walks and eight strikeouts. Through 30 games this season, Tears’ offensive production is seven percent above the league average but it comes with a worrisome K-rate of nearly 30%. … Catcher Lamar King Jr. bounced back with his best week of May, delivering an OPS of .816, including a double, and a homer. King struck out just once in 18 at-bats and his K-rate year-to-date is under 20%. … Storm third baseman Zach Evans hit .320/.393/.440 with three doubles. Evans ranks fourth in the Cal League with a .329 batting average. … Boston Bateman started Friday and struggled with command a bit but still kept the Storm in the game. He pitched four innings, allowing a run on three hits. He walked three and struck out five. Through seven starts, Bateman has a 4.45 ERA and a 3.68 FIP. … Adam Conrad threw a pair of scoreless outings last week, as the former undrafted free agent has not allowed an earned run in 18.2 innings this season. He’s bound for some regression as a .147 BABIP isn’t sustainable and his walk rate of nearly 17% is on the high side. However, baseball is a results game and the former NAIA pitcher has been getting them with the Storm. … Kash Mayfield did not pitch again this week after leaving a start two weeks ago with shoulder soreness. He worked through his throwing program and had a bullpen session on Saturday. We should have more information on him soon. Cobb Hightower and Kasen Wells both played in just one game last week. Neither player was placed on the injured list but their statuses will be something to watch as the team returns home this week. (Kevin Charity)

ACL Mariners 4, ACL Padres 1 (1-5 on the week)

Key Stats: RHP Cole Paplham 1.2 IP, 0 H, ER, 2 BB, HBP, WP; RHP Kannon Kemp 5.1 IP, 2 H, 6 K, BB; LF Eguy Rosario 0-for-3, BB, R; C Yoiber Ocopio 1-for-4

Top Performers and Others of Note: The rookie club couldn’t back a stellar outing by Kannon Kemp Monday, falling in the desert 5-1. After a second rehab outing from Cole Paplham, who struggled with command but got through 1.2 innings of work, Kemp turned in his finest professional outing yet. The 20-year-old righty worked 5.1 scoreless innings, giving up only two hits while striking out six. The piggyback opportunity behind Paplham was great for the big Texan who the Padres drafted in 2023, because he has struggled mightily in the first inning of his appearances so far. While he has a 5.12 ERA overall, he’s allowed just one run after the first inning. … With Figueroa and Roberts no longer in the desert, and Kale Fountain out of action for almost two weeks, the offense doesn’t have a lot of firepower right now. Donte Grant had two triples as part of a 5-for-22 week. He was the only Padre batter with multiple extra-base hits on the week. … Yoiber Ocopio, who had one of the club’s three singles Monday, hit .273 while playing all six games. No batter who appeared in more than two games on the week topped that mark.