The Padres, who have won just two of their last 10, are now 11.5 games behind the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West. Which means it’s as good a time as any to check in on some developments on the farm. Here are three prospects who’re making some noise in 2018, and another three struggling to find a groove so far this season.



Three Up



Tirso Ornelas, 18, OF, Class A Fort Wayne



2018 stats: 273 PAs, .269/.370/.432, 13.2 BB%, 16.8 K%



Signed for $1.5 million out of Mexico in the summer of 2016, Tirso Ornelas is young for the Midwest League, though not so much for his own team, the Fort Wayne TinCaps. According to Baseball Reference, the average age of hitters in the Midwest League is 21.3, but Fort Wayne comes in a full two years under the league mark, an A.J. Preller-era tradition. Ornelas is one of five 18-year-old players on the TinCaps’ roster with at least 100 plate appearances (another five are just 19).



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