Mad Friars 2015 Top Padres Propsects
The off-season saw the San Diego Padres add established major league players in Matt Kemp, Justin Upton, Wil Myers and Derek Norris along with the free agent signing of right-hander James Shields. While ownership increased payroll and new General Manager A.J. Preller moved some money around to facilitate the trades, what allowed him to make the moves was a surplus of the most valuable commodity in professional baseball: young prospects.
Trea Turner, Joe Ross, Zach Eflin, Burch Smith, Max Fried, Jace Peterson, Mallex Smith, R.J. Alverez, Jake Bauers and Dustin Peterson - who all would have been in this year's Top 20 or just on the outside - were dealt to acquire the big four above. And while the organization's depth of potential big leaguers has been its most notable strength for the last few years, now there is a significant gap between the top five and the rest of the system.
But one thing is certain. Since the end of November, prospects have been turned into starting players at five positions on the big league field. And that is a great thing for fans of the San Diego Padres.
All ages are based on the age the player will be on April 1, 2015.
1. Matt Wisler, RHP/SP
Detractors of the 2011 seventh-rounder will point to the ugly ERA in the Pacific Coast League and suggest that it indicates he doesn't have quite enough to deliver at the highest level. But Wisler, 22, as one of the youngest arms on the circuit, got better with each month in the high desert of the most offense-friendly league's most offense-friendly division. He continued to rack up strikeouts while limiting walks all along, and of course, he began the year by absolutely owning the Texas League.
That's the Wisler who Padres fans can ultimately expect to see in the Majors.
2. Hunter Renfroe, RF/CF
Renfroe's first full season in the system gave everyone a look at just what he's capable of - and what he still must work on to turn his prodigious talent into consistent on-field ability. The Mississippi native mashed in the Cal League, showing off his top-shelf power and a throwing arm that will ultimately be the focus of highlight reels. But after a midseason promotion to Double-A, Renfroe, 23, really struggled.
The good news is that his strikeout rate actually dipped in San Antonio while his walk rate went up, and he had a nice bounce-back in the AFL.
3. Rymer Liriano, RF/CF
For the first time since coming stateside, when Liriano, 23, arrived at a new level in late July, he went on a tear. His torrid performance in El Paso, paired with a dearth of production at the big league level, led to a surprise promotion to the Padres, a remarkable turn-around for a guy who missed all of 2013 following Tommy John surgery. Not surprisingly, though, he struggled to make adjustments immediately, and then fell into scattered playing time that didn't help matters.
4. Austin Hedges, C
Austin Hedges, 22, remains one of the most gifted receivers in the game. On defensive value alone, he will merit a long big league career. But after a year of going backward offensively in San Antonio, many will be watching whether the former big-bonus standout can get his bat back on track.
5. Michael Gettys, CF
The super-toolsy outfielder from Georgia actually seems a lot like the players Preller's former club, the Rangers, have feasted on in recent drafts. He has immense athletic ability and his power, arm and speed can be carrying tools. And Gettys, 19, might also never figure out how to make contact with enough frequency to make any of it matter. The second-rounder had a strong .310 average and swiped 14 bases in his pro debut in Peoria but also struck out in nearly 30 percent of his plate appearances.
6. Cory Spangenberg, 2B/3B/OF
Spangenberg, 23, suffered a second serious concussion early in the year - and many thought his career could be in doubt - but he bounced back with a torrid .343/.378/.452 line and earned a promotion to the big club.
His defense improved greatly under former Oriole great Rich Dauer but still can look a little awkward. Also, for his speed game to work, he must get on base at a better clip and pull the ball better so he doesn't face the same defensive alignments that flummoxed Sean Burroughs.
7. James Needy, RHP/SP
Needy, 23, is not the type that excites a lot of minor league pundits. His velocity is good not great and he is never going to post huge strikeout-to-walk ratios. What he has done in the past two years is eat innings and rank among the league leaders in ERA.
We like that; it's a big part of winning baseball games to keep the other team from scoring. The six-foot-six Santana graduate relies on sharply tilting sinker that makes it difficult to get solid contact along with an improving slider/changeup.
8. Jose Rondon, SS
Rondon, 21, was the jewel in the Huston Street trade that saw four Angels' prospects come over. He is a slick-fielding shortstop who has continually hit for a high average. This past year may have been the season that put his name on the map. The Padres believe as he matures he will get stronger and add more power.
9. Casey Kelly, RHP/SP
The last remaining piece of the Adrian Gonzalez trade, Kelly, 25, has now worked a total of only 86.2 innings since the start of the 2012 season. He returned from Tommy John surgery in May, made four appearances, and then disappeared completely.
When he's on he is an athletic pitcher with a very good moving two-seamer/sinker who can eat innings and force a lot of bad contact. Right now it's just about showing that he can stay on the field.
10. Zech Lemond, RHP/SP
Lemond, 22, was primarily a relief pitcher at Rice, but San Diego believes he has the stuff to be a quality starting pitcher with three plus pitches.
He has a good fastball that sits in the mid-90s to go along with a plus spike curve. An arm injury caused him to drop to the third round and there are many who doubt he can take the workload of a starter.
The Next Ten
11. Auston Bousfield, CF/LF
12. Kyle Lloyd, RHP/SP
13. Ryan Butler, RHP/RP
14. Fernando Perez, 3B/2B/1B
15. Jordan Paroubeck, LF
16. Elliott Morris, RHP/SP
17. Franchy Cordero, SS/Other
18. Franmil Reyes, RF
19. Cody Decker, 1B/C/3B
20. Seth Streich, RHP/SP.
Compiled and written by John Conniff, David Jay and Ben Davey
For a complete breakdown of all the players in the Top 20 please visit FoxSportsSan Diego.com or MadFriars.com.
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