El Paso Chihuahuas (Split series at Albuquerque Isotopes 3-3)
Mason McCoy had a huge week in Albuquerque. (Photo: Deanna Almaguer)
Players of the Week: Mason McCoy, 31, had a huge week, hitting .500 and slamming five extra-base hits, including two that went over the wall for an .846 slugging percentage as he topped the team with an OPS of 1.363. McCoy, back for his third year in the Sun City, has seen the majority of his time at shortstop, but he has also had limited time this season at second and third base. He is a plus defender at all three positions. On the season, he is slashing .308/.376/.538. … In his final rehab start for El Paso, Griffin Canning, 30, went five innings in one of the sports most favorable hitting environments. He allowed just one unearned run, with four punchouts and one walk. The former Met and Angel made five starts and threw 15 innings for the Chihuahuas this season with a 3.60 ERA and 18 strikeouts against 12 walks.
Top Prospects and Others of Note: Nick Solak, 31, had another nice week, going 9-for-18 with three doubles and a walk for a 1.217 OPS. On the season, he has pushed his batting average to .305 with an .814 OPS. … Samad Taylor, 27, wasn’t far behind McCoy and Solak this week with two triples and two home runs for a slash line of .348/.400/.783. On the season, he leads the team in hits (35) and batting average (.330), and is second with a .585 slugging percentage. His .990 OPS also leads the team, and ranks fifth in the PCL. Defensively, he’s played all three outfield positions and second, with the majority of his time spent in left field, but for his career, he has primarily been a second baseman. … Sung-Mun Song hit his first home run stateside and also had a double among his six hits as he finished with an 804 OPS for the week. In 110 plate appearances this season in Triple-A, the left-handed hitter has a .354 slugging percentage compared to a .431 mark in nine seasons in the Korean League. He has split time rather equally around the infield, but has yet to see time in the outfield, which was a plan before he dealt with oblique injuries in spring training. … Marcos Castañon only got into three games and Anthony Vilar two, but both made the most of their time, with Castañon posting an OPS of 1.045 and Vilar of 1.000 with limited plate appearances. … Evan Fitterer is still being stretched out, but continues to perform well on the mound in his first season in the organization. Although he only allowed one unearned run in his 3.2 inning start last week, he needed 74 pitches as he walked three and struck out four. The 26-year-old right-hander from Mission Viejo, California, has big-time stuff, but struggled with a high walk rate last year in Double-A Pensacola in the Marlins organization. (John Conniff)
San Antonio Missions (lost series at Tulsa Drillers 2-4)
Ethan Salas was at it again this week for the Missions. (Photo: San Antonio Missions)
Players of the Week: Through 27 games, the Missions have hit a league worst 18 home runs. Improbably, 28% of them have been hit by Ethan Salas. The second-youngest player in the league added three more home runs in Tulsa, giving him five on the year. The 19-year-old also added three stolen bases, a double, and five walks to hit .333/.462/.810 for the week and is now hitting .307 with a .975 OPS on the season. His five home runs are more than he hit in the last two years combined, and his six stolen bases already put him more than halfway to his career high of 10 in 2023. … For the first time since June of 2025, Jagger Haynes had a quality start, allowing two runs on three hits over six innings. More impressively he only walked one while posting eight strikeouts for his best total since last May 3. After starting the season with a 16.20 ERA, the 23-year-old lefty is down to a 5.32 ERA and a .225 BAA.
Jack Costello has been hitting the ball more consistently and with more authority in 2026. (Photo: Jeff Nycz)
Players of the Week: Clay Edmondson has been nails out of a very poor Fort Wayne bullpen this season. This week, the 22-year-old out of UNC-Asheville made three appearances, working a total of 3.1 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out seven. In 12 innings for Fort Wayne, he owns a 0.75 ERA, 1.92 FIP, and a stellar 34.0% strikeout rate. Edmondson, a 14th-round selection for last year’s draft class, is a true side-armer, coming from a 3.6 ft. release point. His stuff won’t light up the radar gun, but his combination of a unique arm slot and movement can make him difficult to barrel. His low-90s sinker sees around 18 inches of arm side run, and his changeup flashes -8.5 inches induced vertical break and 14.4 inches of arm side run. … Jack Costello made some clear swing adjustments this offseason and they seem to be paying off. Rather than standing crouched and closed as he had for his first year-plus of pro ball, the former USD Torero is now more upright and notably more open with his lower half. This week in South Bend, he went 7-for-19 at the dish, swatting two long balls, collected nine RBIs, and stole four bases. After hitting just ten home runs last season, Costello already has four bombs in 23 games.He owns a 110 wRC+ and .374 wOBA this year in 23 games.
Top Prospects and Others of Note: After a slow week against Wisconsin, Lamar King Jr. once again caught fire on the road against South Bend. The 22-year-old backstop went 8-for-20 on the week and clubbed his second home run of the season. While there have still been inconsistencies, King does clearly seem more comfortable at the plate at High-A this season. He now boasts a 110 wRC+, driven by a strong 80.1% contact rate and 13.4% walk rate while striking out at a solid 21.6% clip. … While it wasn’t his most bonkers week, Alex McCoy was still exceptional in his six games against South Bend. The outfielder went 9-for-24, posted a 1.172 OPS, swiped two bags, and clobbered his fifth home run of the year. Yes, he is old for the High-A level, but it’s difficult to ignore the production. His 149 wRC+, 1.006 OPS, .290 Isolated Power, and .330 batting average all rank inside the top 10 among qualified Midwest League batters. … Rosman Verdugo continued to look better at the plate this week. In just four games, he hit .400 with two home runs, three walks, and only one strikeout. Over his last 16 games, the 21-year-old owns a .412 wOBA, 133 wRC+, and has walked as much as he has struck out. … Right-hander Carson Montgomery earned his first professional victory, tossing five three-hit innings and setting down four Cubs by way of the strikeout. Perhaps most encouraging was his improved command as he threw 39 of 53 pitches for strikes and logged his first start without issuing a free pass this year. The Florida State product, who underwent Tommy John in 2024, has a 2.12 ERA this season. … Last Friday was the worst start of the year for left-hander Kash Mayfield, as he tossed 3.2 innings, issued a career- and season-high five walks, and threw only 35 of his 80 pitches for strikes. Despite the poor start, Mayfield has still started the year with a 2.29 ERA and 30.7% strikeout rate. (Clark Fahrenthold)
Lake Elsinore Storm (Won series at Ontario Tower Buzzers, 5-1)
Luke Cantwell has added thump to the middle of the Storm lineup. (Photo: Robert Escalante)
Top Performers: A week after sweeping Visalia at home, the Storm hit the road to start a grueling, 12-game trip in San Bernardino County. The Storm lost the series opener in Ontario, a game started by Blake Snell, and then won five straight. Lake Elsinore has won 11 of 12 games and sits in first place with a 17-10 record. … First baseman Luke Cantwell had an incredible series, going 10-for-14 in four starts. He had a double, a homer, four walks, and seven RBI. The former Pittsburgh first baseman came into the series hitting .225/.367/.325; he left the six-game set with a .352/.493/.500 line for the year. The 23-year-old would rank fourth in the Cal League in OPS, but he is just short of the plate appearance requirement. Cantwell was the Padres’ 20th-round pick last July. … Righty Winyer Chourio turned in arguably the best outing of his career on Tuesday. The 22-year-old tossed five innings of one-run ball. He allowed just one hit, walking two and striking out eight. The young righty has looked dominant at times in 2026, reflected by an excellent 37% K-rate. His walk rate of 11.6% will need to come down, but his stuff has played up through his second stint in the Cal League. Last season, Cal League hitters tagged the Venezuelan for a .301 average; this season, that mark has been cut down to .153.
Top Prospect And Others of Note: As Clark wrote on Sunday, new Storm outfielder Qrey Lott had a game for the ages. He went 5-for-5 with a pair of homers, including the homer that put the Storm ahead. The 21-year-old hit .462/.556/.923 with with eight RBI. in his first full week after being promoted to Lake Elsinore when Kale Fountain went on the injured list with season-ending shoulder surgery. Through eight games, the former Northwest Florida State College outfielder has a splendid 11.5% K-rate while drawing walks at a 15% clip. While the sample size is obviously small, Lott has the tools to merit a long look with the Storm this summer. … The Storm had three other players post an OPS north of 1.000 in the Cal League’s newest ballpark. Victor Duarte played in four games and had two doubles, a homer, and he tied for the team lead with eight RBIs. Duarte started the year as the third catcher behind Truitt Madonna and Ty Harvey, but he’s gotten an opportunity to play with Harvey on the injured list. Duarte is in Lake Elsinore for his fourth tour of duty, and for the first time, he’s posting excellent offensive numbers. In 67 plate appearances, the 25-year-old has a slash-line of .347/.492/.551, buoyed by a 20% walk rate. He’s also tied his career-high with two homers. Despite being in the Padres’ system since 2019, he’s never exceeded 200 plate appearances in a season. … Former Division II star George Bilecki went 6-for-12 with six walks and five RBI. Bilecki was drafted in the 12th round last year and has a 105 wRC+ this season despite having a strikeout rate north of 30%. … Versatile Justin DeCriscio played in all six games, delivering a 1.092 OPS. He scored a team-high eight runs and connected on his third homer of the season. The former NC State and USD infielder leads all Storm-qualified hitters with a 136 wRC+. … After what appears to be Lucas Giolito’s swansong in the Cal League, Bryan Balzer made a four-inning relief appearance and kept the Buzzers off the board. He allowed just one hit and struck out six. The young righty has looked much more comfortable in his second stint in the Cal League. He has touched 99 mph with his fastball and posted a career-high 27% strikeout rate this season. In 22 innings, he has a 3.68 ERA. … Righty Tyler Schmitt suffered through a brutal April, pitching to a 9.75 ERA in four appearances. In his first appearance in May, Schmitt pitched five shutout innings Saturday, earning his second win of the season in the process. He struck out six and walked just one batter. Schmitt was the Padres’ 17th-rounder last year, out of the University of Illinois. … Lefty Kruz Schoolcraft pitched a career-high 3.1 innings on Friday, but once again, the outing left a bit to be desired. Schoolcraft did notch five strikeouts, but he allowed three runs on four hits, walking three before departing. In five starts, Schoolcraft has thrown just 10.2 innings. His 13.50 ERA is obviously a cause for concern, but it also shows you that developing young pitching is not a linear process. (Kevin Charity)
(0-2 on the week)
Key Stats: C Ty Harvey 1-for-3; 3B Luis De Leon 1-for-2, 3B, E (1); RHP Cam Nohos 1.2 IP, 0 H, ER, 4 K, 4 BB, 2 WP, HBP
Prospect Watch and Top Performers: A year after the Padres’ ACL squad sank close to an all-time worst winning percentage in the desert, they’ve gotten off to another rough start in the first two games of the year. They dropped Monday’s contest on the road as four different pitchers got hit hard enough that they had to resort to a position player to record the final out of a scheduled seven inning game. Undrafted free agent Cameron Nohos showed off big stuff, recording four strikeouts in 1.2 innings of work, but he walked four, hit a batter, and uncorked a pair of wild pitches. … Perhaps the most notable development in the desert is Ty Harvey getting a rehab assignment underway. The 19-year-old backstop was off to a strong start in Lake Elsinore before a quad injury shut him down after just seven games. He went 1-for-3 and caught five innings on Monday. … Through their first two games, the Brown and Gold squad has tallied just seven hits while committing as many errors. (David Jay)