Summary
It was a rough year in Lake Elsinore, as the Storm dropped their final six games of the year to finish with a 56-76 record, which was the worst in the eight-team California League. Offensively, the Storm hit just 57 homers, which tied for the fewest in the league. Their one area of strength at the plate was a league-best strikeout rate and above-average walk rate.
Overview
Our approach to eligibility remains straight-forward. Players are considered at whichever affiliate they logged the most service time. Ryan Jackson ended the year in Double-A, but he’s eligible in Lake Elsinore, as he played more games for the Storm than at any other level. 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
Low-A is the first level out of the complex leagues and is the bottom rung of full-season ball, so it can be challenging to gauge how meaningful a prospect’s performance is. Some pundits focus primarily on the raw ability and potential demonstrated, while others focus on the consistency of performance.
We lean toward more of a middle-of-the-road evaluation relying on a couple of questions to filter through it: (1) how old is a player compared to the competition; (2) how raw or developed is the prospect heading into full-season ball, and (3) is he making the necessary adjustments during the course of the season.
Alex McCoy is a threat at the plate. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
2025 Lake Elsinore Storm Player of the Year
Alex McCoy, OF (John Conniff, David Jay, Ben Davey, and Clark Fahrenthold) 53 G, .318/.394/.513, 12 2B, 6 HR, 33 RBI
The Padres have had success over the last few years in developing undrafted free agents, with reliever David Morgan already finding a home in the big leagues. McCoy appears to be another gem uncovered after the draft. The 23-year-old signed after going undrafted out of Hofstra University in 2024. Injuries in spring training kept him from making the Storm’s opening day roster, but when he finally got an opportunity, he made the most of it.
Among Storm players who played in at least 50 games, McCoy led the club with a .907 OPS. He hit 12 doubles and six homers, while producing a wRC+ of 147 in 53 games with the Storm. He did his best work in August, delivering an OPS north of 1.000 and earning a California League Player of the Week award for good measure. Encouragingly, that spike in production coincided with significantly better swing decisions and higher contact rates. McCoy did have an extended stint on the injured list thanks to a quad injury. Otherwise, he may have finished the year in Fort Wayne. With the organization having traded away a significant amount of talent over the last year, McCoy has done enough to establish himself as a top-30 prospect within the organization.
Others Receiving Votes: SS/INF Ryan Jackson (Kevin Charity) 62 G, .292/.448/.412, 14 2B, 3 HR, 39 RBI
Ryan Jackson started the season with the Storm and finished the year in San Antonio in a breakout campaign. The former USC shortstop posted an excellent 19% walk rate with the Storm and led the league with a .448 on-base percentage before his promotion. He primarily played shortstop but moved to second base after Cobb Hightower was promoted to Lake Elsinore. Jackson also added 15 stolen bases in 16 attempts. Like McCoy, Jackson also posted a wRC+ of 147 during his time with Elsinore.
Top Hitting Prospect
Alex McCoy (John Conniff and Kevin Charity)
Lamar King Jr. (David Jay and Ben Davey)
Lamar King gets out of the box quickly on another line-drive single. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
After suffering through injuries early in his career, Lamar King Jr. was healthy in 2025. The 21-year-old catcher played in a career-high 105 games in 2025, including 81 with the Storm. Overall, he produced a solid .771 OPS, including a breakout in June when he hit .408/.505/.579 while striking out in less than 10% of his plate appearances. King faded a bit in July, before being promoted to Fort Wayne, where he struggled down the stretch. The former fourth-round pick is still a work in progress defensively and clearly showed the wear-and-tear of a full-time catching role. Still, his bat is intriguing for an organization that has struggled to find a regular solution behind the plate.
Others Receiving Votes: SS Jorge Quintana (Clark Fahrenthold)
In one of the stranger moves of the trade deadline, the Padres shipped out DFA candidate Brandon Lockridge to Milwaukee for veteran lefty Nestor Cortes (who struggled mightily before ending the season on the injured list) and young shortstop Jorge Quintana, whom the Brewers signed in 2024 for $1,700,000. The 18-year-old produced league-average offense for the Milwaukee complex league team before striking out in a third of his plate appearances in 25 games for the Storm in the final few weeks of the season. Despite the struggles offensively, Quintana showed tremendous range and solid instincts defensively at shortstop. While the switch-hitter has nowhere near the offensive potential of Leo De Vries, he is a legitimate and intriguing prospect who should return to Lake Elsinore next season.
Others of Note
Kasen Wells gets out of the box on another hit for Lake Elsinore. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Former fourth-rounder Kavares Tears led the team with 13 homers, but a K-rate approaching 30 percent helped produce offense that was below average in the generally hitter-friendly Cal League. Tears turned 23 during the season. … After spending three years in the desert, catcher Carlos Rodriguez broke out in a small sample during his time with the Storm. In roughly 200 plate appearances, the 22-year-old produced an .858 OPS, including a .404 on-base percentage. By the end of the season, Rodriguez was a bit old for the Cal League, but his production could indicate he’s a late bloomer. … Center fielder Kasen Wells was a sparkplug at the top of the order, stealing 28 bases and notching a .381 on-base percentage. An undersized left-handed hitter drafted out of community college in the 16th round in 2024, Wells will be asked to prove it at each level. … Kale Fountain showed some power late in the season but did not look entirely comfortable after coming back from Tommy John surgery. He delivered a sub-.600 OPS before finishing the season on the injured list with a knee injury that required surgery at the end of the year. He seems like a good bet to return to Lake Elsinore next season.
The 2025 Draft Class
Eight draft picks from the 2025 draft class, plus an undrafted free agent, made their professional debuts with the Storm late in the season. Ryan Wideman was the highest-drafted position player from this year’s class to see action with the Storm, though prep catchers Ty Harvey and Truitt Madonna each got bigger signing bonuses than the outfielder out of Western Kentucky. Wideman struggled in 112 plate appearances, posting just a .601 OPS. … Neither Harvey nor Madonna got good results in very limited action after the Padres bucked recent precedent and sent them out to full-season ball in their draft year, but both clearly showed physical tools you’d expect while facing far more advanced pitching than they’ve ever seen. … Dylan Grego, an infielder selected out of Ball State in the 13th round, posted a .695 OPS that was highest among his draft classmates who reached Elsinore.
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