Below is an analysis of the prospects in the farm system of the San Diego Padres. Scouting reports are compiled with information provided by industry sources as well as from our own (both Eric Longenhagen’s and Kiley McDaniel’s) observations. For more information on the 20-80 scouting scale by which all of our prospect content is governed you can click here. For further explanation of the merits and drawbacks of Future Value, read this.

All of the numbered prospects here also appear on The Board, a new feature at the site that offers sortable scouting information for every organization. That can be found here.

Top Prospects Team Lists 2019 2018 AL BAL CHW HOU BOS CLE LAA NYY DET OAK TBR KCR SEA TOR MIN TEX NL ATL CHC ARI MIA CIN COL NYM MIL LAD PHI PIT SDP WSN STL SFG AL BAL CHW HOU BOS CLE LAA NYY DET OAK TBR KCR SEA TOR MIN TEX NL ATL CHC ARI MIA CIN COL NYM MIL LAD PHI PIT SDP WSN STL SFG

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C

1B

2B

SS

3B

OF

LF

CF

RF

LHP

RHP

Other Prospects of Note

Grouped by type and listed in order of preference within each category.

Pitchability Arms

Joey Cantillo, LHP

Brett Kennedy, RHP

Efrain Contreras, RHP

Frank Lopez, RHP

Ramon Perez, LHP

Omar Cruz, LHP

Osvaldo Hernandez, LHP

Gabe Mosser, RHP

Cantillo, 19, signed for $300,000 in the 2017 16th round out of a Hawaii high school. Like Joey Lucchesi, he has a weird overhand delivery that hitters struggle to adapt to. He sits 88-91, has a good changeup, and his vertical arm slot creates depth on his breaking ball. He could be a big riser this year. Kennedy has four average pitches and has gotten lost in the prospect shuffle a bit because Lauer, Lucchessi, Quantrill, etc. are all a bit better. He’s a capable depth starter. Contreras is off to a strong start as a mature-bodied 19-year-old at Low-A. He sits in the low-90s, has an above-average changeup, and may have a 50 or 55 breaking ball at peak. In our shared notes, we have down that Contreras is known as “The Embalmer,” but neither of us remembers putting that in there. Lopez, 18, left his last extended start with an unknown injury. He was up to 96 last year but has been more 91-93 over the last 10 months, while his secondary stuff is average and flashes above. Both he and Contreras have mature builds. Cruz and Perez are stocky young lefties with average stuff; Hernandez is a little older but has a good split. Mosser went to little Shippensburg in South/Central PA and may be yet another college arm from that area who San Diego unearthed and moves quickly. He has an advanced four-pitch mix.

The 2018 July 2 Class

Nerwilliam Cedeno, SS

Euribel Angeles, SS

Alberto Fabian, OF

Wilmert Paula, 2B

Jose Miguel Velez, OF

All of these players were signed for $300,000 last year. Cedeno is a switch-hitting, athletic shortstop with a quick arm, and his feet are okay. He has some feel for contact but an imbalanced, uncomfortable foundation from both sides. Angeles has an oddly sloped swing, but has some feel to hit and pull-side pop. A pretty muscular, 5-foot-10, tapered-shoulder type, he has modest physical projection. Fabian is a thicker corner guy with advanced feel for contact. Paula is a lefty bat with a good frame and some feel for contact. His infield hands are plus but the footwork and arm strength are both below average. Velez is a right field profile with some power, and a good frame.

Young Sleeper Bats

Jack Suwinski, LF

Yerry Landinez, SS

Johnny Homza, C

This is a chef’s selection group. Suwinski, 20, was signed away from an Indiana commitment for $500,000. He’s been the most consistent offensive performer in that lauded 2016 draft/July 2 class but may not have a position. Landinez is a thick, 18-year-old infielder with all-fields power. He’s could fall down the defensive spectrum quickly due to his size, but the power is real. Homza was a high school infielder with an advanced bat who converted to catcher in pro ball. He’s a long term developmental project.

Older Sleeper Bats

Aderlin Rodriguez, OF

Jake Scavuzzo, OF

Both of these guys are minor league free agent types, but they each have huge raw power and could be late-blooming big leaguers.

Because You’ll Ask

Mason House, OF

Luis Almanzar, SS

Justin Lopez, SS

Concerns about House’s contact skills (he was a rural Texas popup high schooler who didn’t face quality pitching) turned out to be founded, and he has struggled to hit as a pro. His body, swing, and power remain very pleasing to scouts’ eyes. Almanzar’s weight has fluctuated since he signed but the bat speed scouts saw when he was an amateur just isn’t there anymore. Lopez has issues with lever length, but he’s a good defender.

Relief-Types

Starlin Cordero, RHP

Henry Henry, RHP

Brad Wieck, LHP

Wen-Hua Sung, RHP

Jean Cosme, RHP

Dauris Valdez, RHP

Lake Bachar, RHP

Trevor Megill, RHP

Jose Geraldo, RHP

Jake Sims, RHP

Cordero is a long-limbed, 6-foot-7, and has trouble repeating, but he throws really hard and has a deceptive delivery. He’s still just 20 but has spent four years in rookie ball trying to develop viable control. Henry is a loose, well-built, low-slot righty who sits 90-93 with an average slider. The slot is a bit of an obstacle and makes it likely that he’s a reliever. Wieck is a multi-pitch lefty relief piece who had cancer surgery this spring. Sung is a 22-year-old with a plus splitter. Cosme is a 22-year-old three-pitch reliever. Valdez is a bad bodied reliever who throws 100. Bachar was a college punter whose stuff seems to have ticked up recently; he’s in the low-90s, with an above-average curveball. Megill is a fastball/slider reliever in his mid-20s. Geraldo will touch 97 but sits 93-94 with an average slider. Sims was a 2018 late round pick out of a small Florida college who has been 94-97 in extended.

System Overview

If a competitive San Diego Padres team isn’t already here, it’s certainly close. The churn of fringe 40-man talents is a sign that a team is nearing a critical mass of big league talent, and the Padres were compelled to reshape their roster with moves like that last year. They traded superfluous pitching for Jason Vosler (who fit a more immediate need at the time; he’s been passed by Ty France since), Esteban Quiroz (who is advanced and can help right now if he’s needed, but doesn’t take a 40-man spot), and Ignacio Feliz (an athletic, teenage arm). More moves like this are likely to occur this summer, as the team appears to be in the NL West race and has a surfeit of upper-level outfielders of note. There’s such a ludicrous amount of depth here that consolidation is almost necessary.

Because we’re talking about the best farm system in baseball, the talent has come from all angles. Trades, Latin America, the draft — each avenue has been fruitful. There are still some trends to pick out, though. Most of the high-profile teenage pitching targeted by San Diego has been advanced. Gore, Weathers, and Morejon were all bulldog, outwardly competitive lefties when they signed. The Padres have unearthed quick-moving college arms in the draft’s mid and late rounds. The tenacious scouting staff takes its lead from GM A.J. Preller, who seemingly does more in-person player eval than any other lead executive. The team appears to be on the verge of delivering a successful rebuild, and has amassed such a huge collection of talent that it appears they’ll be able to add via trade while still maintaining a healthy pipeline of dudes, especially now that they once again have big bonus flex in Latin America.