Summary: There’s no way around it: the 2025 ACL Padres were a bad team. While records in the low minors rarely matter, when a club makes a run at the all-time worst winning percentage on the circuit, that provides some important information. At 14-46, the Padres finished five games behind the second-worst squad in the 15-team league and just 1.5 games ahead of the worst record ever posted in the desert going back to the 1980s.
The brown and gold roster finished no better than ninth in any meaningful offensive category, managing to pair the league’s second-worst slugging percentage with the third-worst strikeout rate. If you exclude the two ridiculous weeks of slugging provided by the since-traded Victor Figueroa, the team numbers are even uglier.
It’s not hard to understand how the team fared so poorly. Having allocated more than 98% of their international free agent spending in 2023 and 2024 to Ethan Salas, Leo De Vries, and Humberto Cruz, the roster was populated by foreign players who signed for $10,000 and undrafted free agents.
Most of the position players mentioned in last year’s version of this exercise were released by the end of this year, and it’s not hard to imagine the same thing being true of this group.
Overview: Our approach to eligibility remains straight-forward. Players are considered at whichever affiliate they logged the most service time. So, while Kale Fountain opened the year with decent numbers in the desert, he’ll get some ink in the Lake Elsinore wrap-up since he logged more games there. We recognize the top contributor to this year’s team as the top player, while the top prospect is based on our expectations based on his production, age, projectability, and potential impact in the major leagues.
Level: Now that MLB has moved the draft to mid-July in a delusional attempt to build a television audience for it, the inexplicably-renamed Arizona Complex League is largely made up of international free agents and a small group of draftees out of high school from previous years or players returning from injury.
Domestic roster limits and newly configured levels of the minors have incentivized organizations – even those not as prone to aggressive promotions as the Padres – to quickly move high-end college position players to full-season ball. Long-time scouts are still trying to recalibrate to the new, lower level of competition.
Nothing you imagine U.S. professional sports to look like applies to the lowest level of domestic baseball. Games – mostly played on back fields rather than the main stadiums – are rarely watched by more than a half dozen people who aren’t team employees or players’ family members. Game-time temperatures often exceed 100 degrees, and even with the pitch clock, games frequently lumber well past three hours. Watching an ACL contest will test even the heartiest fan’s commitment.
Luis De Leon tracks a pitch in the ACL. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Player of the Year: 2B Luis De Leon (Unanimous)
De Leon was easily the most productive position player among the qualifying ACL Padres in his second campaign in the desert. The undersized 19-year-old switch-hitter had team highs with a .419 on-base percentage and .390 wOBA. After he managed just three singles in 42 at-bats in 2024, the Dominican Republic native, who signed a week before his 17th birthday in 2023, collected a club-best 58 hits this season. Because he had only seven extra-base hits in 243 plate appearances, De Leon’s primary value came from his 15.6% walk rate and ability to use his above-average speed to turn balls in play into hits. De Leon made 50 of his 54 starts at second base this year, showing good range and enough arm to stick at the position.
Top Position Prospect: Luis De Leon (John Conniff and Clark Fahrenholt)
De Leon was available to sign for $10,000 because of his size, but he’s shown some upside already and should still add some strength. If he can continue to reach base consistently while adding more alley-to-alley extra-base hits, he can continue to progress toward the big leagues.
Yimi Tovar takes a cut. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
Yimy Tovar (David Jay and Ben Davey)
Signed just after his 17th birthday in 2023, Tovar spent his first two professional seasons in the DSL. In his stateside debut, the right-handed hitter put together a .301/.356/.384 line in the desert, and added a .980 OPS in eight games with Lake Elsinore. While several players on the roster outperformed him, his offensive contributions were slightly above-average for the level, and his physical tools give him a higher ceiling. He saw most of his action during the season at shortstop, but got some exposure behind the plate during Instructional League play. That likely won’t stick, but it points to Tovar’s versatility and game aptitude.
Donte Grant (Kevin Charity)
Originally signed out of high school in Seattle in 2023, Grant missed most of 2024 due to injuries, but returned to action this year, showing better bat-to-ball skills and increased power. The left-handed hitting outfielder finished the year with a .240/.378/.355 line that was good for production 10% above league average. The 21-year-old has a solid blend of tools that have continued to develop since he came into the system, giving him as much upside as any player eligible at this level. While the Padres opted not to send him to Elsinore at the end of the year, his combination of speed and improving offensive profile put him in a position to contribute at the full-season level next season.
Others of Note: Catcher/First baseman Yoiber Ocopio was already 18 when he signed at the start of the 2023 international free agency period, and spent his first two seasons in the Dominican, so he doesn’t have the same room for projection. Still, he got off to a strong start at the plate before fading in the heat of the summer. With a pair of priority draftees at his position likely heading to Lake Elsinore to open the 2026 season, he’ll need to show he can carry that forward quickly next year.
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