San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report July 24th

Sugar Land Space Cowboys 7, Chihuahuas 2

Key Stats: LHP Wes Benjamin (L, 3-7) 4 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 3 K; RHP Manuel Castro, 1.2 IP, 1 K; CF Clay Dungan, 2-for-4, 1 BB; 1B Luis Campusano, 0-for-4, BB; DH Yonathan Perlaza, 1-for-2, RBI, 2 BB; 3B Mike Brosseau, 2-for-3, BB

Prospect Watch: Yonathan Perlaza continued his red-hot stretch on Thursday night as the El Paso DH went 1-for-2 with a single, an RBI, and two walks. His ninth-inning single logged an exit velocity of 106.0 mph. For most of the season, loud contact has been the name of the game for Perlaza whose 113.7 mph max exit velocity is in the 93rd percentile. He has also posted a strong 49.2% hard hit rate (87th percentile), and 91.0 mph average exit velocity (83rd percentile). What comes with that hard contact is an equally concerning amount of swing and miss rate. He owns a 34.4% whiff rate and a 76.1% in-zone contact rate. … Luis Campusano went hitless on the night, but  he still hit the ball extremely hard all night. He logged exit velocities of 101.2, 103.7, and 107.4 mph. Over 280 plate appearances into his 2025 season in El Paso, Campusano owns a 14.7% barrel rate, 55.4% hard-hit rate, and an average exit velocity of 93.7 mph. All of those marks rank in the 96th percentile or better among Triple-A hitters this season. … Clay Dungan had a multi-hit night, going 2-for-4 with two singles and a walk. The 29-year-old has put together an .816 OPS and 11% walk rate this year. … Manuel Castro was effective in his multi-inning relief outing for El Paso. The recently-promoted right-hander worked 1.2 perfect innings and struck out one. Castro did well to induce a bevy of soft-contact, posting a 0.093 xwOBA on Thursday night. His most effective pitch on the evening was his sinker, which he threw six times among 14 total offerings. It averaged 12.4 inches of induced vertical break with 12.2 inches of horizontal break, helping to draw a 50% chase rate and 25% whiff rate. Castro now owns a 3.86 ERA in seven innings with El Paso.    

Midland RockHounds 2, Missions 1

Key Stats: 1B Romeo Sanabria 1-for-4, HR (9); LF Albert Fabian 1-for-4, 2B; Moisés Gómez 1-for-4, 2B; RHP Enmanuel Pinales 5 IP, 2 H, 4 K; LHP Jake Higgenbotham 2.1 IP, H, 4 K, BB

Our fearless leader John Coniff was on site with coverage of the Missions’ Thursday night game against the RockHounds.

TinCaps 2, Cedar Rapids Kernels 1

Key Stats: RHP Miguel Mendez (W, 7-2) 5 IP, 1 R (0 ER), 2 H, BB, 6 K, 2 HBP, WP; RP Garret Hawkins (S, 8) IP, K; SS Leo De Vries, 0-for-3, RBI, BB, SB (7); CF Kai Roberts, 1-for-4, RBI, R, SB (19); 2B Brandon Butterworth, 1-for-4

Prospect Watch: Miguel Mendez continued to own Midwest League hitters as the right-hander allowed just one unearned runs on two hits and a walk over five innings, though he did hit a pair. He struck out six in the game. His explosive fastball sat 96-97 and topped out at 99 while the mid-80s slider showcased excellent depth. Meanwhile, his changeup flashed good late fade while sitting in the upper 80s and even touched 91 mph on a swing strike three to end the bottom of the fourth inning. In total, he generated 13 whiffs and a 39.3% whiff rate. Among Midwest Leagues pitchers with at least 50 innings pitched, Mendez has a league best 1.46 ERA  while his Mendez’s 27.7% strikeout rate and  3.55 FIP rank third and 10th. The 23-year-old has increased his value as much as anyone in the organization this year. … To close out the win, the TinCaps once again handed the ball to big Garrett Hawkins. The right-hander responded with a perfect ninth, striking out one to extend his scoreless inning streak to 31. The 25-year-old’s 37.3% strikeout rate and 2.14 FIP both rank inside the top five among Midwest League relievers this season. … Kai Roberts had a solid night at the dish for Fort Wayne, going 1-for-4 with a single, RBI, run scored, and his 19th Midwest League stolen base of the season. The 70-grade runner has been gunned down only three times all season. While the leadoff hitter has a solid 13.2% walk rate because of solid zone judgment, his poor bat-to-ball skills have led to a troubling 33.4% whiff rate and 73.4% in-zone contact rate. … Brandon Butterworth went 1-for-4 on with a single. The infielder has cooled off over the last week, going just 2-for-22 in his last five starts, but continues to make solid swing decisions. Despite a lower 7.4% walk rate, Butterworth has crushed pitches in this zone with an 82.1% in-zone contact rate to go with just a 24% whiff rate. Since June 16, the North Carolina native owns a 142 wRC+. 

Storm 6, Stockton Ports 4

Key Stats: LHP Boston Bateman, 4 IP, 5 H, ER, BB, 3 K; RHP Kleiber Olmedo (W, 3-4) 3 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 5 K; SS Cobb Hightower, 3-for-5, 2 RBI; 1B Victor Figueroa, 1-for-5; 3B Zach Evans, 2-for-4, RBI, BB; CF Kasen Wells, 2-for-4 2B, R, BB; RF Kavares Tears, 1-for-2, BB, R

Prospect Watch:  Out of the lead-off spot, Cobb Hightower notched his second career three-hit game. The 20-year-old went 3-for-5 with two RBIs in the Storm’s victory. By counting stats and traditional box score numbers, Hightower has been unimpressive in his first professional season. However, the underlying swing discipline numbers suggest good things. Hightower has proven to be an extremely patient hitter, chasing only 24.1% of pitches out of the zone to post a stellar 16.5% walk rate. Hightower has also shown the ability to make consistent contact, posting an 85.7% in-zone contact rate and whiffing on just 21.7% of his swings. If he can continue the approach, those numbers should improve over the final months of the season. … After allowing seven runs in his prior start, Boston Bateman had a solid rebound start Thursday in Stockton. The big lefty worked four innings, allowing one run on five hits, walking one, and striking out three. Bateman’s sinker sat 94-96 mph for much of the evening, while topping out at 97. Bateman struggled a bit to get swings and misses, generating just five whiffs and posting a 14.2% whiff rate over the course of his start. … Center fielder Kasen Wells went 2-for-4 with a double, walk, and run scored in the win. Wells sports a 116 wRC+, 11.7% walk rate, and .372 wOBA while swiping 27 bases in 49 games in a solid first season of pro ball. … Kavares Tears went 1-for-2 with a single, walk, and run scored. Encouragingly, he made his second start in right field of the week after first hamstring and then shoulder issues have limited him to DH almost all year. He is easing into the work in the field and was removed from the game in the sixth inning. The former Tennessee Volunteer has struggled to find consistency at the dish this season. His .726 OPS is good for just a 99 wRC+, as his troubling 28.7% strikeout rate this limited his production in 74 games with Lake Elsinore. 

ACL White Sox  6, ACL Padres 4

Key Stats: RF Donte Grant, 2-for-4, 3B, 2 RBI, R; LF Gustavo Marquez, 1-for-2, R, BB; RP Eiker Huizi, 2 IP, 2 K; RP Roberto Burgos, IP, H; BB; RP Dariel Polanco (L, 2-1) 1.1 IP, ER, 2 H, K

Prospect Watch: Donte Grant was the lone bright spot in the ACL Padres’ final game of the 2025 season. The toolsy outfielder went 2-for-4 with a triple, two RBIs, and a run scored. The 20-year-old finished the season with a .733 OPS, 112 wRC+, and a wOBA north of .360.  … Eiker Huizi looked solid in his rehab assignment appearance, allowing just one walk over two scoreless innings and striking out two. The minor league Rule 5 selection will rejoin the TinCaps bullpen in the coming days. … Roberto Burgos also had a solid final ACL outing. The 21-year-old right-hander worked around a single and a walk to work a scoreless eight innings. Opponents punched out 24 times in 20.1 innings and hit only .164 against him, but he walked 29 and hit four batters in his first season stateside. … Even with the loss, the Padres’ rookie league affiliate just narrowly avoided posting the worst record in the league’s history. They finish with a 14-46 record, good for a .223 winning percentage on the year.