Summary: El Paso serves largely as an extension of the big league club, providing space for role pitcher or potential big league contributor to work on mechanical problems or focus on a particular offering. The taxi squad model led to some rough baseball in the Sun City as the Chihuahuas finished in the basement of the Pacific Coast League with a 60-90 record.
David Morgan spent some time with El Paso in 2026. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
The PCL is a brutal place to pitch, with the altitudes in Reno, Salt Lake City, Albuquerque, and Las Vegas – not to mention El Paso – inflating offense. Even against that backdrop, the Chihuahuas’ 6.28 team ERA was the worst on the circuit.
El Paso struggled to get length from its starters, especially after the team’s leader in innings pitched, Jackson Wolf was included in the Casey Mize deal at the deadline. Sean Boyle and Evan Fitterer, pitchers comfortable as starters and relievers, led the squad in innings pitched this year.
Overview: We use a simple formula for the awards. The team a player appeared for most determines his eligibility. We recognize the top contributor to this year’s team as the top player. In contrast, the top prospect is based on our expectations based on his production, age, projectability, and potential impact in the major leagues.
Level: Triple-A is a unique crossroads in professional baseball, with some minor league veterans looking for their first crack at the big leagues, some hoping for one more opportunity at the highest level, and still others shuttling up-and-down throughout the year. Only 13 of the 47 players who threw at least one inning for El Paso have been in the Padres organization since their professional careers began, with many others trying to find a path as minor league free agents.
Pitcher of the Year: RHP Evan Fitterer (John, Kevin, Clark) 28 G (20 GS), 95.1 IP, 64 K, 57 BB, 4.06 ERA, 1.54 WHIP
Others Receiving Votes: RHP Sean Boyle (Ben) 35 G (16 GS), 122.2 IP, 97 K, 42 BB, 5.66 ERA, 1.488 WHIP; RHP Logan Gillaspie (David) 47 G (1 GS), 85.2 IP, 69 K, 22 BB; 5.78 ERA, 1.506 WHIP
Logan Gillaspie ate a lot of innings in 2026. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Evan Fitterer, 26, joined the Padres six years after the Miami Marlins drafted him in the fifth round out high school in Mission Viejo, California. Fitterer’s fastball can occasionally hit the upper 90s, but averaged 94.4 mph on the year. He has a pair of above-average breaking balls that helped him finish second on the Chihuahuas with 95.1 innings pitched, but his extreme problems with command limited him to less than five innings in 15 of his 20 starts. Both his slider and curve get strong whiff rates, but landed outside the zone half the time, contributing to a 13.2% walk rate. … Sean Boyle, 29, led El Paso in innings pitched and made 16 starts. He was pressed into starting duty after posting a 6-2 record with a 2.89 ERA as a reliever in 46.2 innings, as compared to a 7.37 ERA in 75.2 innings as a starter. Boyle relies vastly more on movement than velocity, with a three-pitch mix of a sinker, changeup, and sweeper. … Despite starting only one game, Logan Gillaspie led all Chihuahuas relievers and finished fourth overall with 85.2 innings. After having two brief cameos with the Padres in 2024 and 2025, the 29-year-old didn’t crack a stacked bullpen this season. Gillaspie mainly works off his four-seam fastball, which averages in the mid-90s, along with a changeup he can pair with a sinker and three different breaking balls.
Garrett Hawkins is a large presence on the mound. (Photo: Jorge Salgado)
Top Pitching Prospect: Garrett Hawkins (unanimous)
As a reminder, we chose the top prospect among players who have not exceeded their rookie status. That criteria eliminates much of El Paso’s key arms, including JP Sears, Jhony Brito, and Hunter Stratton.
With that caveat, we all selected Garrett Hawkins, the 6-foot-6, 245-pound Canadian with a big fastball that can touch the high 90s and a developing gyro. After a major breakout in 2025, Hawkins struggled early in the year as he worked around soreness and tried to adjust his release point. It led to 26 walks in 23.1 innings. He was ultimately sent down to Double-A in mid-June with a 6.17 ERA. He found the zone more with the Missions, posting 35 strikeouts against seven walks in 23 innings, but still had a 5.48 Texas League ERA when he was sent back up to El Paso. Over his final four outings, he allowed three runs in eight frames, with 10 strikeouts against only three walks. Hawkins feels further away from contributing to the big league club today than he did when he was added to the 40-man roster last November. If he can get his fastball back up to 96-98 rather than the 94.6 mph it sat at this year, he will still need to find an effective secondary to use against right-handed hitters.
Others of Note: JP Sears, Jhony Brito, Ethan Routzahn and Hunter Stratton
JP Sears, 30, nearly made the Padres rotation out of spring training and ended up making eight starts and posting a 4.68 ERA in 32.2 innings with the big club during the summer. That was distinctly better than his results in El Paso, where he struggled to a 7.49 ERA in 85.1 innings. When Sears is effective, he can place his fastball to all four quadrants of the zone. His big challenge this year was that all of his other offerings graded out below-average in the PCL. … A combination of injuries and inconsistency have largely kept Jhony Brito, 28, off the big league roster since he came over in the Juan Soto trade. This year, as he returned from an internal brace procedure, he posted a 4-1 record with a 2.97 ERA in 69.1 innings spread between Arizona, San Antonio, and El Paso. Brito throws a sinker, slider, and changeup, and could have an outside shot as a starter next year in San Diego, depending on what happens during the offseason. In 13 games and 12 starts, he posted a 2.78 ERA in 45.1 innings with 29 strikeouts against 10 walks. … Ethan Routzahn ate a ton of innings this season (66 innings pitched) with his unique sidearm delivery. Still, the former St. John’s star posted a 6.27 ERA, with a strikeout-to-base-on-balls ratio of 48 to 45. … Hunter Stratton, 29, came over from the Pirates in a trade. With El Paso, Stratton posted a 1.93 ERA over 18.2 innings, struck out 15 while allowing eight walks, and grabbed two saves. Stratton works mainly off a fastball that sits in the upper 90s, along with a slider and a cutter. He has spent parts of four seasons in the big leagues with a 3.88 ERA in 72 innings and has no options remaining.
You can see our picks for the top performers and best prospects at each level of the Padres system here.