San Diego Padres Week in Review: June 30-July 6

El Paso Chihuahuas (Won Series 4-2 over Sacramento River Cats) 

Top Performers: After a short stint with the big league club, Blake Hunt returned to the El Paso lineup and continued to mash. The catcher went 4-for-11 at the dish, launching two homers en route to slashing .364/.462/.909 in an abbreviated week. In his time this season at Triple-A, Hunt pas produced a .337 xwOBA, with an above-average 11.4% barrel rate  and 40.0% hard-hit rate. Since coming back from the IL and re-joining the lineup, Hunt has been one of El Paso’s most consistent bats, posting a 141 wRC+ and .414 wOBA  in 22 games. … Justin Yeager made three separate scoreless appearances this week in El Paso; between them, he allowed no just two hits while striking out one and logging a save. The right-hander has now strung together four straight scoreless outings with the Chihuahuas. In that time he owns a 29% whiff rate and a .262 opponent xwOBA. It’s a bright spot in what has otherwise been a rather forgettable season for the 28-year-old who owns a 7.79 ERA, 6.74 xFIP and 14.4% walk rate in 34.2 innings.

Top Prospects and Others of Note: Andrew Moore made a pair of appearances, allowing one run over 3.2 innings.The right-hander’s second appearance on Sunday was more impressive, as he worked the final two innings for the Chihuahuas and allowed just one hit and a walk and struck out two without giving up a run. In total, the right-hander generated a 38% whiff rate (five swings and misses on 13 swings). Moore leaned heavily into his fastball, throwing it at a 67% rate on Sunday, with the offering averaging 97.3 mph. Since arriving at Triple-A Moore sports a 1.23 ERA and 12.2 K/9… Eric Yost made his Triple-A debut, allowing five earned runs on seven hits, walked three, and punching out three. Yost’s arsenal generated a 17.9% whiff rate and only a 22.0% chase rate. He was hit hard across the board, yielding an opponent xwOBA of .438. … Will Wagner managed just two hits in 13 plate appearances this past week, but the second baseman continued to churn out walks, working three free passes. Bat-to-ball skill and strike zone awareness have been Wagner’s calling card in the minors, as he owns a 93.6% in-zone contact rate, 16.1% walk rate and has whiffed at only a 16.2% clip. … Early results in El Paso have been interesting for newly promoted Romeo Sanabria. This past week he went 2-for-15 with a double. In his first few games in El Paso, he’s chasing at a 33.3% rate and has just a 79% in-zone contact rate; however, his 108.3 90th-percentile EV and 110.1 max exit velocity are solid marks. … Marcos Castañon tallied four hits in 16 at-bats for El Paso, with one being his 13th long ball of the season. While he walks at just a 6.5% clip, Castañon does show strong barrel control, whiffing only 20.8% of the time with a solid 87.5% in-zone contact rate. His batted-ball data, including a 111.6 max exit velocity and 40.6% hard-hit rate, is solid if not elite. This season, he owns a .350 wOBA and .793 OPS … Newcomer Luis Rengifo looked comfortable at this dish in El Paso, going 4-for-21 with a pair of homers and three walks. His long balls logged exit velocities of 94.7 mph and a 102.1 mph. The eight-year MLB veteran was released by the Brewers last week before signing with San Diego (Clark Fahrenthold)

San Antonio Missions (Won series over Amarillo Sod Poodles 4-2)

Top Performers: Jagger Haynes bookended the week with two outstanding starts. On Tuesday, he earned the win after allowing two runs over 6.2 innings. He closed the week on Sunday with the challenging task of facing the same opponent again, and he responded by allowing just one run on two hits over five innings. Combined, the left-hander surrendered only three runs across 11.2 innings, giving up six hits while walking seven and striking out eight. Since May 1, Haynes has posted a 3.62 ERA and a .205 batting average against. …  For the second consecutive week, Tirso Ornelas was the top performer in the Missions lineup. After going hitless in the opening game, Ornelas rebounded by going 7-for-17 over the final five games, adding three doubles, a triple, and three walks. His strong week pushed his season OPS back above .800. His triple was also his first since April 2024.

Top Prospects and Others of Note: Ethan Salas returned from the IL and reached base safely in every game. The organization’s top prospect went 4-for-15 with three walks, three RBI, and just two strikeouts. On the season, the 20-year-old is hitting .280 with a .773 OPS. … In his second full week in Double-A, Jake Cunningham continued to rake. He homered in the first game of the series and added two doubles while going 6-for-24 overall. Cunningham has now hit safely in nine of 11 games since his promotion. Between High-A and Double-A, he is hitting .275 with an organization-leading 17 home runs and a .909 OPS. … Albert Fabian finished a triple shy of the cycle on Tuesday, then picked up his first triple of the season later in the week. He went 7-for-16 with two doubles, a triple, a home run, and a team-best seven RBIs in the series. The 24-year-old has had a rough season, hitting .244 on the year. … The best individual start of the week belonged to Ian Koenig. The 25-year-old tossed five scoreless innings, allowing four hits, walking two, and striking out five. It was an impressive bounce-back after his roughest outing of the season last week, when he surrendered six earned runs in just two innings. The undrafted free agent has now allowed three or fewer runs in seven of his last eight starts, including four scoreless outings. … Victor Lizarraga also rebounded nicely after a difficult outing the previous week. He allowed two runs on five hits over five innings while striking out five. Command remains an area to improve, however, as he walked three batters this week and has issued 21 walks over his last 25.2 innings. … After being sent down to start the week, Garrett Hawkins looked like himself again in Double-A. The right-hander tossed two perfect innings and struck out three. Hawkins posted a 1.50 ERA with a 12.0 K/9 in Double-A last season but struggled in Triple-A this year, recording a 6.17 ERA with a 7.71 K/9. … After allowing two runs in his longest outing of the season last week, Josh Mallitz returned to dominating opposing hitters. The 24-year-old gave up just one hit over four scoreless innings while walking two and striking out five. The two earned runs he allowed last week were his first since May 21. Since then, Mallitz has compiled a 0.90 ERA, a 0.70 WHIP, an 11.3 K/9, and a .118 batting average against. (Ben Davey)

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost series to Great Lakes Loons, 2-4)

Players of the Week: We were at the first three games of the series when the Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate blew out the TinCaps, but after we left, they won two out of three, including an epic 14-inning thriller. Kavares Tears, 23, hit three home runs on the week to go along with a pair of singles, three walks, and nine strikeouts in 20 plate appearances. The former University of Tennessee standout is tied for second on the team with 12 homers and has a .867 OPS on the season, but he has also punched out in a third of his trips to the plate. … Lefty Jamie Hitt, 23, took the loss on Sunday, but had a six-inning start, punching out six batters against no walks and only allowing two runs. The 8th-round draft pick from the University of Oklahoma has thrown six innings in four of his 13 starts on the year, but has worked to a 5.31 ERA overall. After a 14-inning affair on Saturday when Fort Wayne used six different pitchers, it was a big lift for Hitt to give the bullpen some rest.

Top Prospects and Others of Note: Corner bat Jack Costello, 25, had a .300/.364/.650 slash line with a double and a pair of home runs as part of a strong series. Costello, in his second year in the Summit City after the Padres drafted him from University of San Diego in the 10th round in 2024, struggled in June, but is off to a good start this month, seeing action at both the infield and outfield corners. … Ryan Wideman, 22, wrapped up his second full week in the Midwest League and first at home, with a solid .304/.360/.348 line and three stolen bases in four attempts. So far, he only has one extra-base hit in 54 plate appearances as he adjusts to much better pitching. … Rosman Verdugo, 21, had a .873 OPS with seven hits, including two doubles and three walks in the division showdown. Verdugo is getting to more power while striking out less in his second full season with the TinCaps, but still has just a .730 OPS on the season. … Bryan Balzer, 21, made his second start since his promotion to Fort Wayne. He was better, but still needed 81 pitches – 46 for strikes – to throw 3.2 innings. He allowed only one earned run in his outing, with six strikeouts and one walk, but he will have to improve his efficiency. … Lefty Igor Gil, 25, and 23-year-old righty Will Koger both appeared in two games this week, each throwing three innings and allowing a run. Gil had seven punchouts against one walk, while Koger had a scoreless inning on Tuesday and allowed a solo home run in two innings of work on Thursday. (John Conniff)

Lake Elsinore Storm (Lost series vs. Stockton Ports, 2-4)

Top Performers: The struggling Storm lost their series against Stockton, dropping to a league-worst 4-11 in the season’s second half. The Storm already have their playoff spot secured by virtue of winning the first-half title. With the draft upcoming next weekend, the Storm should receive some reinforcements in the coming weeks. … Conner Westenburg had an excellent series against the Ports, hitting .429/.500/.619 with four doubles, a team-high eight RBI, and five stolen bases. The speedy outfielder has been a roughly league-average bat with little power, but he has played a solid center field since Ryan Wideman’s promotion. He’s also swiped 34 bases while being caught just five times. … Righty Jeferson Villabona had a pair of excellent outings in relief. Villabona fired five shutout innings, allowing just one hit. He hit one batter and struck out four. The 25-year-old spent most of the season in the TinCaps bullpen before being demoted to the Storm. Since joining the Storm, he’s allowed just one run in 9.1 innings. 

Top Prospects and Others of Note: Jorge Quintana had an excellent series, delivering a 1.027 OPS with a triple, a homer, and three RBI. He drew four walks and struck out just three times. The 19-year-old shortstop has struggled to make contact consistently, with a K-rate north of 30%, so striking out just three times in 17 plate appearances this week is a step in the right direction. Overall, Quintana has a wRC+ of 67 this year. … Infielder Dawson Willis continues to make loud contact for the Storm. Willis had a double, a triple, and a homer. He also drove in six runs and stole three bases. The former Oklahoma infielder has put up impressive numbers, despite some glaring contact issues. In 16 games with the Storm, Willis is hitting .295/.343/.541 with three homers. However, he’s punched out in 38% of his plate appearances. Willis signed with the Padres as an undrafted free agent last year. … Tyler Schmitt started on July 4 and earned the win with five strong innings. He allowed just one run on four hits, walking three and striking out six. The Padres’ 17th-round pick out of Illinois has had an up-and-down debut season for the Storm. He was excellent in May (2.33 ERA) before struggling in June (5.51 ERA). Overall, the 21-year-old has an ERA of 4.62. … Kruz Schoolcraft struggled Friday night, allowing six runs in five innings. On top of that, he was hit in the head with a line drive. Schoolcraft posted on social media that he was doing well, but it will be interesting to see if he makes his next start. Schoolcraft has taken his turn each Friday night, but his struggles last week pushed his ERA above seven. (Kevin Charity)

ACL Cubs 4, ACL Padres 3 (3-2 on the week)

Key Stats: 1B Colton Vincent 3-for-4, SB (3); C Jack Mathey 1-for-2, HBP, 2 RBI; RHP Erick Batista 3.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R (2 ER),4 K, 4 BB;  LHP Joseph Herrera 3.1 IP, H, 3 K

Key Performers and Other Top Prospects: System veteran Colton Vincent represented half the ACL Padres’ offense for the night, putting together three of the team’s six singles. The 26-year-old, originally signed out of Florida State after the 2023 draft, opened the year on El Paso’s roster but spent most of the first two months on the Development List and saw action in only four games. He has continued to see sparing action since being sent all the way down to the desert as a third catcher, but he’s gone 15-for-28 with five extra-base hits for a 1.496 OPS in 38 plate appearances. … Despite an 0-for-4 Monday, Eddson Martinez still had one of the most productive weeks on the roster, hitting .333/.348/.500. The mighty-mite outfielder has posted a 1.000 OPS through his first 10 games stateside, fueled in part by a .480 average on balls in play that won’t be sustainable. … Santiago Vargas, the 18-year-old switch-hitter from Colombia who made his professional debut in the desert earlier this year, drew a walk and scored the club’s final run in Peoria. The infielder, who has split his time evenly between second, third, and shortstop, had a strong .912 OPS for the week, the best mark among any players in the brown and gold who logged more than three games on the week. … Joseph Herrera had his best outing since being returned to the ACL last month. The lefty tossed 3.1 innings of scoreless ball, punching out three while allowing just one runner on a single. The 20-year-old had given up three earned runs over as many innings in his first two appearances after coming down from Lake Elsinore. (David Jay)