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#3531 · February 6, 2026, 6:04 am
Quote from fenn68 on February 5, 2026, 11:07 amQuote from WindsorUK on February 5, 2026, 10:07 amOkay, can somebody fill me in on Kale Fountain? Is he another Josh Mears or is he an actual, legitimate prospect?
He appears to have all the right attributes to be the slugging 1st baseman we haven't had since AGon left. Granted, his bio doesn't paint a pretty defensive picture but give him 4-5 years in the minors, is it reasonable to expect he can anchor 1st base for a decade?
At this point I will call him a prospect with flaws ... but only 20 and due to injuries very limited game time in 2025 (65 games). His calling card is big power. Padres took him in the 5th round in 2024 but paid him 2nd round money ... so they seemed willing to gamble the overall game can develop enough to justify the bet on power. Looks at best a 1B/DH.
A better call should be after a full season in LE.
Fountain should hit for big power in Low-A Cal League at Lake Elsinore. A bigger test will be once he gets to High-A Fort Wayne and AA San Antonio. Let's see how KF hits in those two leagues. I'm hoping for him to develop well. He is the all-time leader in HR & SB (surprisingly) for Nebraska High School baseball.
#3532 · February 6, 2026, 6:49 am
Will be watching Fountain and Wideman closely this year.....hoping they both take jumps forward offensively in 2026.
Tears and Sanabria also....but really hoping those first two impress in '26
#3533 · February 9, 2026, 7:59 am
Reported signing to a ACL for now ... a lightning in a bottle move:
Daichi Moriki is a Japanese right-handed pitcher born in 2003, drafted by the Hanshin Tigers in the 2021 NPB draft. Standing 6'0" and weighing around 198 lbs, he is a high-pedigree prospect known for his fastball velocity, though he has faced injury challenges and struggled to establish himself in the top team's rotation, playing primarily in minor league games
- Background: Drafted as a highly-touted pitcher out of Kochi High School in 2021 (1st round pick).
- Pitching Repertoire: Known for having a high-velocity fastball, often reaching high-140s to low-150s km/h (approx. 92-96+ mph) earlier in his career.
- Performance: He has struggled with command and consistency in his initial NPB seasons, resulting in a high ERA (6.23 in 2022) during limited appearances.
Still just 22 but never even had "good" professional season. I guess the Padres (who probably have scouted him since HS) see the upside of his stuff and are hoping he can start pitching healthy then deliver the promise of his high school projections.
#3534 · February 9, 2026, 8:24 am
This is where we could use Darvish - to help Moriki and Balzer - smooth out their deliveries for better command.
#3535 · February 19, 2026, 8:52 am
Baltimore Orioles swooped up one of our best minor league pitching coaches in Thomas Eshelman, promoting him to a higher level position in their organization. Really like this guy - had hoped he would be the eventual successor of Niebla and Orioles obviously saw that too.
#3536 · February 19, 2026, 8:57 am
Sean Barnett listed as a pitcher among the 51 invitees to minor league camp. Did well as a batter at low A but when promoted to Hi A, both his batting and pitching were ugly. Unlike Tucker Musgrove, who is now strictly a pitcher and evolving into a top prospect, would like to see if Barnett has enough to continue as a pitcher or re-focus solely on hitting. Either way, seems a long shot since K rate was very high at Ft. Wayne.