MadFriars Top 20 for 2026

One year ago, we lamented that, even with consensus top prospects shortstop Leo De Vries and catcher Ethan Salas, the Padres were a bottom-10 system in the game. Fast forward one year, De Vries is now in Oakland’s system, Salas is coming off a lost season, and the system is generally considered one of the three worst in the sport.
While there are many reasons to be bearish on the system, there is still talent in the system, especially among pitching at the A-ball levels,where Kruz Schoolcraft will begin his first full professional season, while Kash Mayfield will look to build on an encouraging debut season.
Our MadFriars contributors each prepared individual Top 30 lists for our subscribers over the offseason. In all, 38 different players appeared on at least one of them, with quite a bit of variance in our individual rankings. After a back-and-forth between our writers, we have developed a top-20 ranking that we are comfortable with.

Reviewing our MadFriars Top 20 from 2025
Graduated: Sean Reynolds (13)
Traded: Leo De Vries (1), Boston Bateman (5), Henry Baez (6), Braden Nett (8), Ryan Bergert (10), Cobb Hightower (18)
Fell Off: Isaiah Lowe (7), Romeo Sanabria (11), Kavares Tears (12), Tirso Ornelas (15), Victor Lizarraga (16) and Omar Cruz (20)

1. Ethan Salas
Position: C
Height/Weight: 6-2/211
Age: 19
Bats/Throws: L/R
How Acquired: 2023 International Free Agent
Team AVG OBP SLG PA K/BB Hits XBH/HR
Missions .188 .325 .219 41 5/6 6 1/0

2025 Highlights: There weren’t many for Salas, who logged only 10 games before a stress reaction in his back shut him down. While the organization initially hoped to have him return during the regular season and later announced an assignment to the Arizona Fall League, he never got particularly close to game action again all year. Early returns from spring training indicate that he remains stellar in all aspects of defense behind the plate – receiving, blocking, and pitch framing – and is astute at handling pitchers.
Negatives: Salas started last year with an aggressive assignment to Double-A after posting a .206 batting average for the TinCaps in 2024, and had just a .544 OPS in 32 plate appearances before he was shut down. It’s now been almost 32 months since he put up strong offensive numbers.
Projection: Salas is a polarizing prospect – and that is even among us. While we all agree that he is one of the best defensive catchers the organization has had in our twenty-plus years of writing about Padres prospects, there is concern about whether he has the ability to hit at a major league level despite having one of the smoothest left-handed swings in the system. Most of the industry believes that he was rushed at the end of 2023 after a spectacular July in Lake Elsinore that saw him land in Double-A at only 17. However, his poor offensive performance in High-A in 2024 was not due to being rushed. Despite the poor raw data, there were some conflicting signs. On the positive side, his whiff and chase rates were both impressive. Still, he often went for pitchers’ pitches within the zone.

After his extended layoff, if it were up to the MadFriars staff, we would likely let Salas regain his offensive footing in Fort Wayne before giving him another opportunity in San Antonio. That does not appear likely. Instead, the organization will rely on the learning and added muscle mass he gained last season, when he was off the field, to prepare him to reassert his elite prospect status as a genuine two-way threat.

2. Kruz Schoolcraft
Position: LHSP
Height/Weight: 6-8/230
Age: 19
Bats/Throws: L/L
How Acquired: First Round, 2025 Draft (25th overall)
Team W-L IP ERA GS K/BB Hits Runs/Earned Runs
Storm 0-0 1.2 10.80 1 4/3 1 2/2

2025 Highlights: Departing from recent history, the organization pushed Schoolcraft out to Lake Elsinore to make one appearance in the final days of the season. While it was reported he hit 99 in the bridge league, he sat at 95 in that outing and showed only one slider, which will be the pitch most critical to his development. Schoolcraft has the size, advanced feel for a changeup, and projection for top-of-the-scale velocity that make it easy to dream on as an 19-year-old,
Negatives: There are concerns that, because Schoolcraft supinates his arm (turns his wrist inward as he releases the pitch), he could struggle to develop a strong breaking ball. As with most pitchers his size, there is a risk that he’ll need extra time to refine a consistent delivery and command.
Projection: Schoolcraft will serve as the Storm’s ace to start the 2026 season. His fastball and changeup combo are likely enough to overpower Cal League hitters. The most significant areas of focus for the left-hander will be making strides with his slider/breaking ball shape and consistently landing his arsenal in the strike zone. Should he do that, he should find himself in Fort Wayne in the latter part of the season.

3. Kash Mayfield
Position: LHSP
Height/Weight: 6-4/210
Age: 21
Bats/Throws: L/L
How Acquired: First Round 2024 Draft (25th overall)
Team W-L IP ERA GS K/BB Hits Runs/Earned Runs
Storm 1 – 5 60.2 2.97 19 88/28 46 26/20

2025 Highlights: Except for a brief injury scare in May, the Padres’ top selection in the 2024 draft answered the bell in his first professional season and posted an impressive 2.97 ERA in 60.2 innings across 19 starts. The 6-foot-4 Oklahoman showed an ability to add and subtract with his fastball, along with a strong changeup and developing slider. Most of the year, his velocity sat in the low- to mid-90s, though he could reach back for more. At 20 years old, he held the opposition to a .207 batting average and put up a stellar 34.1% strikeout rate in the California League.
Negatives: While there were reports that Mayfield had jumped up to throwing 97 mph in his senior year, he rarely touched that in 2025 and often sat 90-93. That might not have been an issue 20 years ago, but in 2025, there are very few quality major league starters throwing in that range. Already on the older side for his draft class, he doesn’t have the luxury of extra development time. He does have good movement with his fastball, which, combined with his secondary pitches, led to a ton of strikeouts, but adding even a few mph on his fastball could make a massive difference in his future.
Projection: Mayfield, who will pitch the entire year as a 21-year-old, will be asked to double his workload in his second professional season. He’ll headline the Fort Wayne staff, where he’ll hope that another offseason of strength and flexibility gains will help him emerge as a potential rotation workhorse.

4. Miguel Mendez
Position: RHSP
Height/Weight: 6-2/175
Age: 23
Bats/Throws: R/R
How Acquired: 2021 International Free Agent
Team W-L IP ERA GS K/BB Hits Runs/Earned Runs
Storm 1-0 11.1 3.97 3 18/4 11 5/5
TinCaps 7-3 61.1 1.32 12 70/24 38 11/9
Missions 0-4 22.1 8.87 6 30/17 22 22/20

2025 Highlights: Mendez was the Padres’ breakout prospect of the year, making it a no-brainer for the team to add him to the 40-man roster this offseason. The 23-year-old signed in 2021, but while he showed intriguing stuff, his inability to locate kept him from progressing. In 2025, location – both control and command – improved enough for him to put up some dominant numbers. Mendez’s breakout was in large part due to consistently locating his upper-90s fastball. His mid-80s slider serves as a counter to it and generates plenty of swing-and-miss, though both it and his changeup are unrefined, and often miss with location.
Negatives: The improvement of his secondary pitches will be key for Mendez, who should begin the year in Double-A. He finished last year with the Missions, putting up an 8.06 ERA in six starts. He walked 17 in 22.1 innings, as hitters could wait out his offspeed stuff for a fastball, knowing his trouble with location. The Padres will try to help ensure that this is the season when Mendez completes the transition from “thrower” to “pitcher.”
Projection: If he’s going to be a starter, he’s going to have to throw his slider and changeup for more called strikes while continuing to get swing-and-miss out of the zone. At Fort Wayne, he was able to bully a lot of hitters with his fastball. How well the secondary pitches develop will determine whether he can stay in the rotation and how high his ceiling as a starter can be.

5. Bradgley Rodriguez
Position: RHRP
Height/Weight: 6-1/190
Age: 22
Bats/Throws: R/R
How Acquired: 2021 International Free Agent
Team W-L IP ERA K/BB Hits Runs/Earned Runs
Missions 4-0 22.1 3.22 31/5 9/8
Chihuahuas 2-0 14.1 3.63 7/11 5/5
Padres 1-0 7.2 1.17 9/1 1/1

2025 Highlights: Rodriguez made his major league debut in late May, but it was mid-September when he might have come up for good. Rodriguez burst on the scene in spring training of 2024 because of his big arm. While his fastball averages more than 98 mph, those who have watched regularly have been even more impressed with his wipeout changeup that generated an eye-popping 46.7% whiff rate in the big leagues.
Negatives: Rodriguez’s strikeout production fell off as he worked on adjusting his mechanics in the second half of the year, but as he gets more comfortable, his ceiling is enormous. He should be a key cog in a talented Padres bullpen throughout 2026 and well beyond.
Projection: The organization knows what they have in Rodriguez, and they said as much following his performance last September against the Brewers. He’s poised to play a key role in a stacked Padres bullpen that already has Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon, and Jeremiah Estrada generating some of the league’s nastiest stuff.

6. Jorge Quintana
Position: SS/3B
Height/Weight: 6-2/190
Age: 19
Bats/Throws: B/R
How Acquired: 2025 Trade with Milwaukee Brewers
Team AVG OBP SLG PA K/BB Hits XBH/HR
Brewers ACL .264 .349 .403 229 50/24 53 19/3
Storm .193 .317 .265 101 34/15 16 4/1

2025 Highlights: After drawing a seven-figure signing bonus from Milwaukee in 2024, the switch-hitter started his career in the DSL. He came stateside just after his 18th birthday and showed intriguing traits as a physically projectable shortstop playing in Arizona, but fell behind several other members of his signing class. The fact that the Padres secured him while making a starting pitching gamble that didn’t pay off, in exchange for a fungible fifth outfielder was an impressive move by A.J. Preller.
Negatives: With the Brewers’ ACL entry, Quintana posted a .752 OPS, but in his 25-game cameo with the Storm, he struggled with the bat, managing just a .582 OPS while striking out a third of the time. He did show impressive range on defense and looked the part of an everyday shortstop.
Projection: Quintana, who will turn 19 on the first day of the Cal League season, has already added significant mass since signing. How much more he grows will determine if he stays at shortstop, where he will play everyday in 2026 and will likely make some highlight reel plays. He’ll look to translate the extra strength into louder offensive production while headlining what could be an interesting Storm team.

7. Humberto Cruz
Position: RHSP
Height/Weight: 6-2/190
Age: 19
Bats/Throws: R/R
How Acquired: 2024 International Free Agent
Team W-L IP ERA GS K/BB Hits Runs/Earned Runs
ACL Padres 0-4 17.1 8.31 8 15/8 21 16/16
Storm 0-3 20.2 6.97 6 20/9 20 16/16

2025 Highlights: After the Padres made a pair of trades to get the pool space they needed to sign Mexico’s top pitching prospect in 2024, the organization focused on weight gain and building a good routine with the then-17-year-old in his first professional year. After his 2025 debut was delayed by an offseason shoulder injury, he showed the same arm speed that gained him attention in his early amateur days.
Negatives: In our looks at Elsinore, he showed a fastball that could run up to 98 and flashed both a solid changeup and slider. However, he didn’t have all three working in any game and struggled to repeat with each of them. That contributed to an uninspiring 7.58 ERA across 38 innings. Things turned worse in mid-August when Cruz was diagnosed with a tear in his UCL and ultimately underwent repair surgery at the end of the season.
Projection: This season will be all about getting healthy for Cruz and taking advantage of the time to work with the strength coaches and nutritionists. Cruz, who is listed at just 190 pounds, will look to bulk up and learn from some of the older pitchers rehabbing in Peoria.

8. Alex McCoy
Position: OF/1B
Height/Weight: 6-7/275
Age: 24
Bats/Throws: R/R
How Acquired: 2024 Undrafted Free Agent
Team AVG OBP SLG PA K/BB Hits XBH/HR
ACL Padres .278 .381 .611 21 7/0 5 4/1
Storm .318 .394 .513 226 53/20 62 22/6

2025 Highlights: Alex McCoy is an excellent example of how A.J. Preller’s army of scouts helps San Diego take advantage of the new draft setup. Signed for $150,000 as an undrafted minor league free agent in 2024, the 6-foot-7, 275-pound Hofstra University product was the best position player in Low-A Lake Elsinore. One of the more formidable athletes in the organization, McCoy generates huge bat speed, leading to exit velocities that would rank among the best in the majors. After getting a late start because of a hamstring injury and missing time after injuring himself in a collision, the Baltimore native posted a .318/.394/.513 line across 226 plate appearances. His contact rates were shaky to start the year, but he cut his swing-and-miss each month.
Negatives: At 23 years old, McCoy was without question older than much of the competition he faced last season. In 2026, he’ll face a stark increase in pitching talent at Fort Wayne, and he’ll have to show he can continue to keep up his improvedcontact against the new competition. McCoy will need to work to make sure his 3XL frame doesn’t lose fast-twitch ability.
Projection: Because the quality of pitching in Low-A has really fallen off in recent years, it will be essential to see how McCoy holds up in the middle of the Fort Wayne lineup. If he can stay on the field and continue to produce, he’ll be in San Antonio by the middle of the year. The big man should continue to see time in the outfield while also getting some looks at first base.

9. Michael Salina
Position: RHSP
Height/Weight: 6-2/215
Age: 22
Bats/Throws: R/R
How Acquired: Fourth Round 2025 Draft

2025 Highlights: This list is long on pitchers who remain largely unknown commodities, but none are as unknown as Salina. The righty from upstate New York threw only 10 innings his freshman year at George Mason before transferring home to St. Bonaventure. There wasn’t a ton that jumped out in his sophomore year, but he added significant velocity heading into his draft season. Then, in his fourth start of the spring, his elbow blew out and he had Tommy John surgery. The Padres selected Salina in the fourth round and agreed to an at-slot signing bonus, banking on his ability to return from surgery and build on the results their scouting group saw in the spring.
Projection: Salina is already throwing full-effort bullpens and should begin to incorporate his breaking ball soon. That puts him on the early side of a typical recovery schedule and he could be close to ready to start building up in game action as extended spring training gets underway. Salina does have some reliever risk, but he should get to Lake Elsinore by May and could be fast-tracked to Fort Wayne.

10. Garrett Hawkins
Position: RHRP
Height/Weight: 6-5/230
Age: 26
Bats/Throws: R/R
How Acquired: Ninth Round 2021 Draft
Team W-L IP ERA K/BB Hits Runs/Earned Runs
TinCaps 8-1 44 1.43 60/13 17 3/3
Missions 1-0 16 1.69 20/10 11 7/7

2025 Highlights: After being out of action for 19 months following Tommy John surgery late in 2023, Hawkins returned with a vengeance last spring. The big Canadian set a Midwest League record with 34 straight scoreless innings before being promoted to San Antonio. So much of Hawkins’ dominance was a result of his overpowering four-seam fastball that sits in the mid- to upper-90s, and topped out at 98 mph. The pitch shows exceptional ride, averaging north of 20 inches of induced vertical break. Hawkins did an excellent job of regularly locating it in the upper third of the zone, which helped the offering create a 33% whiff rate last season. Hawkins relied on a sweeper that, at times, flashes a decent horizontal break, but it will need to take a step forward. He began working with a new split-finger offspeed pitch late in the season.
Negatives: After his promotion to San Antonio at the start of August, Hawkins’ walk rate spiked to 15.2%, largely because more advanced hitters allowed everything but the fastball to go by. That meant that, even though his ERA stayed at an impressive 1.69, his FIP and xFIP swelled to less eye-popping levels.
Projection: After moving to the bullpen, Hawkins has, in a way, begun a second career. He will continue to work to tighten up the sweeper and refine his new changeup to give him something to use against lefties. He will likely return to Double-A to start the year as the closer.

11. Jagger Haynes
Position: LHSP
Height/Weight: 6-3/190
Age: 23
Bats/Throws: L/L
How Acquired: Fifth Round 2020 Draft
Team W-L IP ERA GS K/BB Hits Runs/Earned Runs
Missions 3-4 103 4.11 25 101/62 83 55/47

2025 Highlights: The last man standing from the Padres’ 2020 draft class, Haynes has made slow progress through the system after injuries ate up most of his first three seasons. The North Carolina native has the makings of a nice three-pitch mix with a low- to mid-90s fastball with some run, to go along with a plus slider. In his first pass at Double-A, the left-hander saw his walk rate go up and his strikeout rate drop, but his ERA fell as he made improvements to his changeup.
Negatives: While he sometimes ran his fastball into the upper-90s, he rarely showed feel for any two of his pitches at the same time. Away from the very forgiving confines of Wolff Stadium, he yielded a 5.40 ERA and surrendered eight homers in 51.2 innings. At 23, he wasn’t protected from the Rule 5 draft as the organization correctly surmised that no other team would bank on him being able to jump to the big leagues to open the year, so now he’ll head into the final year before he’d be eligible for minor league free agency still looking to take the step forward onlookers have been awaiting for several years.
Projection: As his pitching coach last year, Jeff Andrew noted, Haynes’ ticket to the major leagues will be learning to be more of a pitcher than a thrower. After getting his first invitation to big league spring training, he’ll likely head back to  San Antonio, where he’ll look to develop all three of his pitches to meet their potential to be above-average offerings and earn a spot on the 40-player roster next winter.

12. Lamar King Jr.
Position: C/1B
Height/Weight: 6-3/215
Age: 22
Bats/Throws: R/R
How Acquired: Fourth Round 2022 Draft
Team AVG OBP SLG PA K/BB Hits XBH/HR
Storm .286 .370 .408 359 68/38 89 29/4
TinCaps .233 .289 .300 97 25/6 21 6/0
AFL Javelinas .255 .397 .294 63 13/11 13 2/0

2025 Highlights: The Padres’ fourth-round pick in 2022 – and the highest-selected of the six players from his class who remain in the organization – King finally stayed healthy in 2025, giving a glimpse of the weapons he possesses. Noticeably bigger than his listed 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, King dealt with concussions and other injuries throughout much of his first two seasons, ultimately having surgery on his throwing shoulder in late 2023 that kept him from getting behind the plate again until this spring. Finally fully healthy, King served as the primary catcher for Lake Elsinore to open the 2025 season, getting time at first base and as a designated hitter to build his stamina. King had an up-and-down season. He posted an .800 OPS through April while looking very rough behind the plate. The bat disappeared in May, but he was clearly getting back up to speed defensively, and then it all clicked in June when he put up a monster .408/.505/.579 line to earn Player of the Month honors in the Cal League, drawing more walks than strikeouts and playing his best stretch of defense of the year.
Negatives: As King blew by his career highs in games and plate appearances, the bat fell off again, and he had just two extra-base hits in 90 trips to the plate in July before he slogged to the finish line in Fort Wayne. While he has plus raw power and can put on shocking displays of gap-to-gap power in batting practice, he connected on just four homers in 105 games last year. It was assumed at the time of his draft that King would need many repetitions behind the plate defensively, and all the lost time has cost him. If he doesn’t make significant strides again in 2026, he’s looking at a permanent move to first base, where the offensive bar is much higher.
Projection: King will likely return to Fort Wayne to open the year, where he spent the end of 2025. The Padres see King as having an above-average bat. The question is whether he will show enough power in games. If he can turn his raw power into production while staying healthy in 2026, he could emerge as a top-five prospect in the system.

13. Ty Harvey
Position: C
Height/Weight: 6-2/215
Age: 19
Bats/Throws: R/R
How Acquired: Fifth Round 2025 Draft
Team AVG OBP SLG PA K/BB Hits XBH/HR
Storm .174 .367 .174 30 12/7 4 0/0

2025 Highlights: With the third-lowest bonus pool in the 2025 MLB draft, San Diego had to be creative with how and where they spread their cash. Still,  Ty Harvey earned a well-above-slot, $1.5 million signing bonus in the fifth round. Harvey has a compact swing with few moving parts. He stands in a slight crouch, his front side slightly open, and utilizes a slight leg kick. After seeing some time in the bridge league, the Padres got Harvey’s feet wet by having him play seven games with Lake Elsinore to end 2025. There, he rather predictably struggled, but did display solid swing decisions, walking seven times in 30 plate appearances.
Negatives: Coming into the draft, Harvey was identified as a power-over-hit prospect, and there is a question of how well his bat-to-ball skill will play against professional pitching. There are far fewer questions about his ability to stay behind the plate, and at 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, he is rated as having solid receiving skills and a strong arm.
Projection: Harvey and fellow over-slot pick Truitt Madonna will split time behind the plate for Lake Elsinore, though he’ll likely get plenty of time at DH and perhaps the infield corners as well as he adjusts to the workload of a professional catcher. The club will count on him as a power bat in the middle of the lineup.

14. Kannon Kemp
Position: RHSP
Height/Weight: 6-7/235
Age: 21
Bats/Throws: R/R
How Acquired: Eighth Round 2023 Draft
Team W-L IP ERA GS K/BB Hits Runs/Earned Runs
ACL Padres 2-0 24 4.88 3 16/8 22 13/13
Storm 3-5 53.2 6.37 7 48/24 64 38/35
AFL Javelinas 0-2 7 1.29 2 6/3 4 1/1

2025 Highlights: A late riser in the 2023 draft class, Kemp was precisely the kind of draftee the Padres tend to target. Shoulder problems kept him from making his professional debut until last season, when the 6-foot-7, 230-pound Texas native flashed enough to get noticed. While his stuff lagged early in the year, as the season went on and he gained more confidence in his shoulder, his velocity began to tick up. His manager and former big league pitcher Brian Burres called out how he was developing into a pitcher with a quality slider and changeup.
Negatives: Kemp, who has an extreme short-arm delivery, finally got to Lake Elsinore in May to make his professional debut, but finished the year with a 5.87 ERA and an uninspiring 19.3% strikeout rate. He especially struggled when working in a piggyback role, though the fact that his ERA when starting was almost a full run better than his overall mark may be reason to hope for improvement as he takes a regular turn in the rotation.
Projection: Kemp is a lot of projection – maybe even a bit of wishcasting – but after not throwing in a competitive game for nearly two years, his size and pedigree make him one of the few true upside picks in a thin system. He should begin the year with his friend Kash Mayfied as one of the mainstays of the TinCaps rotation.

15. Braedon Karpathios
Position: OF
Height/Weight: 5-11/190
Age: 22
Bats/Throws: L/L
How Acquired: 2022 Undrafted Free Agent
Team AVG OBP SLG PA K/BB Hits XBH/HR
TinCaps.254.370.410433118/659332/12
Missions .225 .295 .425 88 28/8 18 8/3
AFL Javelinas .211 .333 .298 69 27/11 12 5/0

2025 Highlights: A member of the same 2022 undrafted free agent class as David Morgan and Braden Nett, Karpathios has played himself into a puncher’s chance at a big league career. As a hitter with a slightly open and very upright stance that keeps his hands low and extremely relaxed, Karpathios did two things exceptionally well in 2025: hit the ball very hard and get on base. He logged a max exit velocity of 111.0 in 2025, almost matching his 112.0 mark from 2024. His 90th-percentile EV was 105.8 mph, nearly 4 mph above the average for 22-year-old hitters. Karpathios was also one of the most patient hitters in the Midwest League, helping him post a whopping 15.0% walk rate with the TinCaps that ranked sixth on the circuit among batters with at least 350 plate appearances. He rarely swings at offerings outside of the zone, posting a chase rate below 21% in 2025.
Negatives: Karpathios”s highly patient approach can also lead to too many strikeouts. He finished second on the TinCaps with 118 strikeouts in 433 plate appearances and saw his K rate jump even higher to 31.8% in his late-season cameo with San Antonio. The organization is trying to get him to be more aggressive earlier in the count when he recognizes a pitch he can drive. As a corner outfielder, there is a lot to like about his strike-zone discipline, but he needs more power to be a viable option.
Projection: Karpathios has shown steady improvement since entering the Padres organization and is now among the best of a very shallow group of outfielders in the system. He’ll need to control his strikeouts a bit more against Double-A pitching, but if he can, he has a shot as a fourth outfielder or even the strong side of a platoon in the future.

16. Truitt Madonna
Position: C/1B
Height/Weight: 6-3/225
Age: 19
Bats/Throws: R/R
How Acquired: 11th Round 2025 Draft
Team AVG OBP SLG PA K/BB Hits XBH/HR
Storm .185 .267 .278 60 23/6 10 4/0

2025 Highlights: Madonna was – along with Schoolcraft and Harvey – one of three prep players to whom the Padres allocated nearly 85% of their bonus pool money. Atypical of the Padres’ tendencies – and reflecting the holes at the bottom of the organization – was the first of the trio to get a late-season look in Lake Elsinore. San Diego selected the former high school quarterback/outside linebacker for an overslot bonus in the 11th round after an impressive prep career and a strong showing in 50 MLB Draft League plate appearances, where he produced an .872 OPS while facing off against mostly college pitchers.
Negatives: Because of his size, Madonna’s swing from a slight crouch can sometime gets long despite few moving parts. Using a very small leg kick for timing and a slightly closed front side, the 18-year-old struck out in 38.3% of his 60 plate appearances for the Storm at the end of the year.
Projection: The last time the Padres built their draft class on a lefty pitcher and two high school catchers, they were able to send Blake Hunt to short-season ball while Luis Campusano started in then-Low-A Fort Wayne. This time around, Harvey and Madonna will be asked to share time. It will be worth watching how much time each spends behind the plate, and where else Madonna logs innings.

17. Tucker Musgrove
Position: RHRP
Height/Weight: 6-3/190
Age: 24
Bats/Throws: R/R
How Acquired: Seventh Round 2023 Draft
Team W-L IP ERA GS K/BB Hits Runs/Earned Runs
Storm 2-0 20 5.40 7 26/10 15 12/12
AFL 0-0 5.1 5.06 0 8/5 5 3/3

2025 Highlights: Musgrove was a two-way player at the University of Mobile before the Padres made him the first NAIA player off the board in the 2023 draft. Based on his work in the outfield as a collegian, the club intended to explore him on both sides of the game. However, his pre-signing physical confirmed the need for Tommy John surgery, so he didn’t throw his first full-effort bullpen as a professional until last spring. The organization decided to streamline his path by moving him exclusively to the mound. He joined the Storm at the end of April and showed a lively arm, but the sort of raw feel you’d expect from someone with his limited experience on the mound. He built up plenty of buzz in the Arizona Fall League, where he showed off a nasty four-seam/sinker arsenal and a slider that showed some tantalizing flashes.
Negatives: While his stuff has almost as many fans in the organization as it does on social media, he also walked 20% of the batters he faced in the AFL and threw entirely too many noncompetitive pitches. At the University of Mobile, Musgrove was more of an outfielder who pitched than the other way around. In his junior year, he threw only 18 innings, making the progress he is now showing all the more impressive. He really needs to get a full season on the mound before any analysis can be made.
Projection: Musgrove will be 24 when the 2026 season begins, pushing the clock on him a bit. He will likely open at Fort Wayne with a potential for a quick promotion if he shows he can harness the stuff just a bit. There are some who would like to see if he can stretch out, though the injury history and limited pitching experience make that a gamble.

18. Francis Peña
Position: RHRP
Height/Weight: 6-3/190
Age: 25
Bats/Throws: R/R
How Acquired: 2022 International Free Agent
Team W-L IP ERA K/BB Hits Runs/Earned Runs
Chihuahuas 4-4 52.1 4.99 47/34 50 33/29

2025 Highlights: Peña was one of the fastest risers in the Padres system in 2024, with his whip-like fastball/sinker, striking out 64 batters in 63 innings across three levels. Through his first month in 2025, the $10,000 signee posted a 2.00 ERA and struck out 11, even as he fought command a bit. Unfortunately, that was the high point of his season.
Negatives: In 2025, Peña struggled to consistently throw his slider – his primary secondary pitch – for strikes. By the middle of this summer, his sinker, which has hit 100 mph in the past, was sitting mid-90s, and his attempt to turn his cutter into a more traditional slider wasn’t looking great. The organization kept him out of competition for a few weeks in August while making additional adjustments, but his ERA approached nine in the final weeks of the year. Peña has the talent; the key, as his manager said, is “stacking quality outings,” which mainly means finding more consistent command. He came awfully far in 2024, and some growing pains were to be expected.
Projection: Peña’s stuff can be electric, but efforts to improve his arm health and lock in a more repeatable release point yielded worse results for the wiry Dominican. After his second straight stint in big league camp, he’ll look to put himself back on track for a big league debut when he opens the 2026 season in El Paso.

19. Kale Fountain
Position: 1B/3B
Height/Weight: 6-5/225
Age: 20
Bats/Throws: R/R
How Acquired: Fifth Round 2024 Draft
Team AVG OBP SLG PA K/BB Hits XBH/HR
ACL Padres .262 386 .364 132 31/18 28 8/1
Storm .195 .311 .260 148 34/17 24 4/2

2025 Highlights: The Padres drafted Fountain with the 151st overall selection in 2024, intrigued by his extremely impressive raw power and bat speed. They agreed to a well-above-slot bonus of $1.7 million to draw the Nebraska native away from what was considered a very firm commitment to LSU. While working in instructs later that year, it was determined that Fountain needed Tommy John surgery, a procedure he underwent in October. The surgery delayed Fountain’s clearance to get underway last year, and then he was hampered by a hamstring injury in spring training. That meant he played most of the ACL season before finally getting to Lake Elsinore in July. He showed impressive athleticism and kept his strikeout rates in check while drawing plenty of walks until a knee injury ended his campaign early.
Negatives: He didn’t make his professional debut until the Arizona Complex League opened in May. There, while largely playing first base and DH, he produced a .370 wOBA despite just eight extra-base hits in 132 trips to the plate. Once he got to Elsinore, the production fell off significantly and he hit just .195/.311/.260. It’s unclear how much of that was because his knee injury sapped his power.
Projection: Given the bookend injuries of the year, he deserves a mulligan before drawing any conclusions. At 20, he should start the year back in Lake Elsinore, where he could get some time at third base, but will log plenty of innings at first base. His main challenge will be to show he can stay healthy and make consistent, hard contact.

20. Carson Montgomery
Position: RHSP
Height/Weight: 6-2/210
Age: 23
Bats/Throws: R/R
How Acquired: 11th Round 2023 Draft
Team W-L IP ERA GS K/BB Hits Runs/Earned Runs
AFL Javelinas 1-0 10.1 1.74 4 7/7 11 2/2

2025 Highlights: Montgomery is an excellent example of how much this year’s list hinges on possibility rather than demonstrated ability. In 2020, Montgomery was the highest-ranked prospect to make it to campus because no team was willing to meet his bonus demand. After a mediocre career at Florida State, San Diego drafted him in the 11th round in 2023 with a slightly overslot bonus agreement. He appeared in only three games at the start of 2024 before being shut down and eventually having Tommy John surgery. He and the organization hoped he would return to action during the 2025 regular season, but it wasn’t until the AFL that he got back to competition. In a limited 10.1 inning stint with the Javelinas, he only allowed two runs, showing a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and touched 97, a good slider, and a feel for a change.
Negatives: Montgomery showed better command in the spring of 2024 after some intensive work with the pitching development group. Still, he fought to find the zone when he finally starting pitching again in the AFL. He heads into the 2026 season as the ultimate wildcard, nearly two years removed from the seven official professional innings he has on his résumé.
Projection: Montgomery, who will be 23 for most of the season, should be part of the rotation in Fort Wayne. He’ll need to show that, after all these years of struggling to make the results match the stuff, he can finally put things together.