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#3581 · May 3, 2026, 10:15 pm
If Salas keeps it up he's going to rocket back up prospect rankings. He's still a few weeks shy of his 20th birthday and he's hitting .307/.402/.573 in AA. For comparisons sake Merrill split his age 20 season between A+ and AA hitting .273/.338/.444 in 46 games in AA. That was the last year he started in the minors. Tatis hit .286/.355/.507 in his age 19 season in AA. He also broke camp with the big league club the next season. A second half call-up might not be out of the realm of possibility if Salas can even come close to sustaining this type of production at the plate.
#3582 · May 5, 2026, 9:02 pm
Let's give him at least half a season at SA before getting too excited about him being the next Jackson Merrill. What I see is a more aggressive Salas with much improved bat to ball skills and a better launch angle. If he can keep this up, looking very very good for a 2027 debut.
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#3583 · May 5, 2026, 9:08 pm
With Fermin and Campusano no need to bring up Salas as a part-time player. He is better served and so are the Padres letting him play a full season in San Antonio. Plus, if there is a lockout, he will still be a minor league player and can start 2027 at the beginning of the season playing in El Paso. That would get him ready potentially to start in 2027 with the Padres after the lockout has ended.
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#3584 · May 7, 2026, 2:33 am
Always get intrigued by prospects who seeming out of nowhere are producing in the Padres' minor league system and hope they are that hidden gem that makes the ML (usually that hope fads quickly but still hope).
This season, in a small sample size, we have Carson Tucker, 24 year old INF signed as a FA out of INDY ball in 2025. In AA (60 AB) he is hitting 333/388/483(871). Why he is of note is that he was the 28th pick in the 1st round of the 2020 draft (with much hype) ... but total failure in the Cleveland minors (.199 BA) ...Rookie/lowA ... injuries ... released in 2024 ... INDY ball in 2025 (did well) ... signed as a MiL FA by the Padres last winter. What happened from fairly in low A to initial success in AA? Is it possible that 1st round potential kicked in as he matured / got healthy?
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#3585 · May 7, 2026, 2:52 am
Another on the watch list is Alex McCoy ... 24 year old CF/1B. In his case the opposite of Tucker since he was a non-drafted FA in 2025 out of Hofstra. Had a good senior season (and summer league prior) so no idea why not drafted even in the low rounds. Athletic enough to play some CF and steal some bases.
Padres dropped him into low A in 2025 ... 226 PA ... 318/394/513 (907) ... sure "old for that league" but
in 2026, Padres placed him in high A ... 109 PA ... 313/367/596 (963) ... maybe still "old for that league" fits but could there be something in that production that the scouts missed when he was playing in a relative small program at Hofstra? Can dream!
On the other hand he could be then next Romeo Sanabria ... dominate hitter until AA.
In a weak minor league system ... grasping at straws for long shots to come in.
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#3586 · May 7, 2026, 9:21 am
Old for the league and small sample size oftentimes gives us false hope that the Padres have uncovered a gem or signed a free agent that failed in another system. There are a number of those at Lake Elsinore and scattered throughout the system, like Jake Cunningham, Leandro Cedeno and even Jase Bowen.
My favorite guy who deserves a chance is Samad Taylor. Had a tremendous ST and because he faded at the end and Bryce Johnson picked it up, Bryce was able to hold onto his job. However, Bryce is back to his low 200's BA this year and striking out at an over 35% rate, so Padres really need to look at Taylor for more production and even more versatility. There are probably a number of players on the El Paso roster than can opt out of their contracts if not in the majors by a certain date (typically 1 June), so I hope Taylor is not one of them. If Croney can't go for several weeks, wouldn't mind seeing them bring up Taylor and giving him a chance to split time with Song at 2b and elsewhere as another rest Machado/Bogaerts/Laureano/Merrill option.
#3587 · May 7, 2026, 11:00 am
Former Pads LHP SP Robbie Snelling is making his MLB debut on Friday. I have a feeling he will be one we regret trading. Somewhat similar to James Wood and CJ Abrams. Most of Preller's trades have worked out in our favor, just hurts when you see our former prospects bloom elsewhere.
#3588 · May 7, 2026, 7:39 pm
Jhony Brito made a decent rehab start in the ACL today, walking only 1 and striking out 7 while throwing 60 pitches. Can he successfully come back and contribute at the major league level? Need to see him at 75 pitches as well as how he bounces back from this outing. Behind Giolito but maybe late June/early July? Has one option left if need more time after his max rehab period is up.
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#3589 · May 8, 2026, 8:25 pm
What a bummer about Humberto Cruz! Ugh! What a stupid decision by Cruz.
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#3590 · May 8, 2026, 8:53 pm
Quote from brent wolff on May 8, 2026, 8:25 pmWhat a bummer about Humberto Cruz! Ugh! What a stupid decision by Cruz.
From Dennis Lin
”Humberto Cruz, one of the Padres' top pitching prospects, pleaded guilty to a federal misdemeanor stemming from a human smuggling operation in Arizona, according to court documents, and as the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. Cruz self-deported to Mexico, sources said.”