Quote from MrPadre19 on July 31, 2023, 11:12 am

Reminds me some of Buddy Reed..

Extreme talent...but when it's the "hit tool" that's the one question it could be a problem.

 

Quote from fenn68 on July 31, 2023, 11:24 am

Quote from MrPadre19 on July 31, 2023, 11:12 am

Reminds me some of Buddy Reed..

Extreme talent...but when it's the "hit tool" that's the one question it could be a problem.

 

Forgot about Reed ... his star was falling before the Padres drafted him.

I am thinking more a Taylor Trammell ... big upside out of HS ... and through the lower minors ... then really stalled out in AAA / ML. Remember the hype at the trade deadline in 2019 when the Padres landed Trammell in a complicated deal with CLEV and CINN having to give up Franmil Reyes, Logan Allen, and Ivan Nova (all thought of as big Padre prospects). That trade helped no one in the long term.

Quote from Stergios on July 31, 2023, 2:00 pm

Quote from Randy Manese on July 28, 2023, 10:03 pm

Rosman Verdugo is playing the entire Low A 2023 season at age 18.  I don't think he can stay at ss, but looks to be a power-first second baseman that may hit around 250 but can crank out 20+ HRs at maturity while playing a steady second base.  A lot of people wrote him off after a horrible May, which plunged his BA below 200, however, a .276 June and .280+ July show his growth at the plate doing all of this while reducing his K rate to the low 20's.  He showed that power last year with 7 HRs in the ACL but also K'd around 35%.  Having hit his 26th double today as well as having 2 triples and 2 HRs, one can easily envision many of those doubles turning into HRs.  Verdugo still is chasing some pitches out of the zone and still has a little trouble recognizing breaking stuff early but watching many Lake Elsinore games this season on MiLB I have seen him get better and better.  Yes, expect him to emerge as one of the Padres Top 10-15 prospects by the beginning of next season.

Linares is an interesting guy but has a longer way to go.  After 2 years in the DSL, he was skipped over the ACL and debuted at LE, where he was overwhelmed.  Pushed back to the ACL, he hit a solid .325 with twice as many walks as K's and an OPS of 1157 (albeit only 13 games).  Once he returned to LE, he's been hitting over .300 but still needs to command the strike zone better.  Like him defensively, flashing a Caught Stealing Rate of over 43% in his second year in the DSL with only 5 PBs.  Only 20 years old, I can see him as a solid contributor in the Padres system over the next 3-4 years although he might not ever rise to uber prospect status.  How his bat continues to develop will determine his future success; rank him behind Salas and Valenzuela as the 3rd best combo catcher (King might have a bigger bat, but needs a lot of work behind the plate).

Thanks for the exhaustive answer!  Really appreciated.

Quote from Stergios on July 31, 2023, 2:14 pm

Really interesting discussion, so thanks to all of you guys.  Another guy whom we may be able to consider as being a future OF for us is Graham Pauley.  He’s been raking in High-A as a 22-year old.  Now, he’s a 3B, but I noticed that he played LF last night, which indicates to me that management likes his bat and may be thinking of making room for him in our major league outfield.

Perhaps we’re envisioning a future OF of Tati, Merrill, Zavala/Pauley?  And if Kim leaves and Merrill plays SS, we’ll have room for both Zavala and Pauley.

Quote from Randy Manese on July 31, 2023, 6:58 pm

My top 3 are Salas, Snelling and Merrill.  What Salas is doing in his first 200 Plate Appearances as a 16/17 year old is remarkable and you want to see that continue with the same consistency as he finishes out the Lake Elsinore season.  Maybe a tad high in his K rate and sometimes gets himself in the hole by taking too many pitches but generally doesn't chase and has a very good eye at the plate for someone so young.  Expect him to get stronger as he fills out which means he could easily be a 20+ HR guy when he hits the big leagues.  Handles pitchers well but a little sloppy behind the plate in blocking balls, however, this should be easily correctable.  Good arm but at this level pitchers don't hold runners on very well.  By far the Padres most valuable commodity and could even to make it to AA by the end of next year.

Snelling seems to have it all on the mound, both in skills and poise yet he still has that linebacker body.  Expect that he'll retool himself to get the maximum production out of his 6-3 frame, gaining more whip to a low mid-90's FB and more movement on his breaking stuff.  If he remains healthy, certainly will start 2024 in AA and could even be a call-up by mid-season.  In my opinion, he has the entire package and is the most projectable as a Padres starter as early as sometime next year.

Merrill is a very solid player with exceptional bat to ball skills.  Like him better than Abrams but would like to see him walk a tad more.  When he gets his stance locked and loaded with sufficient use of his lower half, he can drive balls to every part of the ballpark.  Likely see this more as this season goes on and as he progresses over the winter - a real gym rat who loves the game who is still growing into his body.  Another fast riser who also could be on the big league roster in 2024 if he shows both the hit tool and expected power at San Antonio next season.

You could take the next three - Lesko, Iriarte and Sammy Zavala - and put them in any order.  All have a little more risk but a lot of talent.  All should reach the big leagues in 2-3 years at the most.

Beyond these 6, there are safe picks, fast risers and a number of guys who are exceeding expectations.  Hard to tell where the ceiling is with most of these prospects but it is truly fun to watch the minor league games on TV and in person and see the growth.  Go Padres!

Quote from Randy Manese on August 1, 2023, 5:16 pm

Snelling doesn't have his best stuff tonight, but is still battling.  This is what a good pitcher does - find a way to keep the team in the game when you don't have your best stuff.

Quote from Jeremy Hill on August 3, 2023, 3:03 pm

Merrill is playing 1B tonight. That's an interesting development.

Quote from Randy Manese on August 3, 2023, 3:16 pm

Haven't seen that announced, but I do know Merrill seemed to tweak his hamstring or hip a couple of days ago when running the bases.  This might be limiting his lateral mobility so just a precaution - don't see him as a future 1b man; would be wasting his fielding skills at more difficult positions like ss or 3b.  Noted that Mazur is the SP - this will allow him to continue to grow into that role and get to around 90-100 IP this year.  Should see the same with Iriarte after he gets his sufficient rest.

Quote from Jeremy Hill on August 3, 2023, 3:37 pm

I don't think he's moving there or anything. Being able to offer a little more versatility could help him contribute a little quicker at the big league level. He might be more valuable as a utility guy early on with the current roster. Let him learn as many positions as he can.

https://twitter.com/missionsmilb/status/1687213707900645376