Photo of Padres Outfielders Franmil Reyes and Hunter Renfroe.
The San Diego Padres:
Their Abundance of Youth
By: Michael A. Chase Jr.
5/30/2019
The San Diego Padres collection of talented prospects is enviable around the MLB. From talented arms, to gifted position players the Padres have elite prospects at many positions. San Diego thus is in good shape to continue its retooling process to becoming a consistent winning club. This piece will look to highlight 5 key young players within the Padres organization. Explaining the impact, they could or have had at the big-league level.
Short Stop Fernando Tatis Jr.:
Photo of Padres Shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr.
- The first player to acknowledge is the top prospect in their organization. This being shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., who at just 20 years old was the youngest player to make an opening day roster this year. Tatis Jr. has shown in his first 27 games as a big leaguer all the skills he possesses. On the defensive side he has shown off his range and athleticism at shortstop. Going deep in the hole to field grounders, making over the shoulder catches on pop-ups, while displaying his impressive arm strength. Tatis has shown all the skills to become the elite defender many scouts tout him to be. In terms of his offensive game he owns a. 300 batting average, with 6 home runs, and 13 rbi’s in 100 at-bats. He has displayed good power with his 12 extra base hits. While showing his speed, swiping 6 bases in 8 attempts. Plus, he made history becoming the youngest player since Robin Yount in 1975 to have two hits on opening day. This young man has displayed all the promise the Padres and their fans anticipated. Tatis Jr. now must return from his current hamstring injury to continue his terrific rookie season. The best-case scenario for Tatis Jr. with San Diego is he becomes entrenched at the shortstop position for 10-15 years. He will need to continue to improve his discipline at the plate and become smarter as an overall baserunner. This all will allow Tatis to develop into the young star the Padres expect him to be.
Starting Pitcher Chris Paddack:
Photo of San Diego Starter Chris Paddack delivering a pitch.
- Chris Paddack, 23-years-old, came into Padres spring training with an outside shot of making the Padres opening day roster. A young right hander who had not pitched above the Double-A level in the Padres system. It is now impressive to see Paddack not only made the Padres opening day roster but has quickly become one of the top starters in baseball. Paddack who the Padres acquired via trade with the Miami Marlins for Fernando Rodney back in 2016, has become the Ace of San Diego’s rotation. Posting an impressive 2.40 ERA good enough for 5th in the National League this year. Paddack an 8th round pick in 2015 possesses an arsenal of a mid-90s fastball, with a plus curveball and change-up. He has shown great command throughout his young professional career, with 230 strikeouts to just 20 walks in his minor league career. He has continued to display this command with 62 strikeouts to just 12 walks in his first 10 big league starts. This success has been due to having three plus pitches in his repertoire and all the confidence in the world. Setting Paddack up well for success going forward. In terms of what the Padres need specifically from Paddack one is good health throughout his rookie season. While continuing to refine his approach to pitching and getting consistently deep into games. The Padres view Paddack as a talented young arm who can be the Ace of their rotation for many years to come.
Catcher Francisco Mejia:
- After acquiring this young catching prospect from the Cleveland Indians for closer Brad Hand, Mejia is looking to entrench himself as the main backstop for San Diego. Mejia at 23 years old has shown flashes of a productive bat both through 19 games played this year and in the 21 games he played the year prior. Mejia so far this season has hit though just .167 with 3 rbi’s in 54 at-bats with the Padres. He is currently on a rehab assignment after suffering a knee sprain a few weeks ago. He was also sharing time as San Diego’s catcher with 26-year-old Austin Hedges before the injury. This rehab stint may likely be a good thing for Mejia to not just get healthy but his confidence back. Mejia certainly could use some work in the minors since he struggled early. The silver lining is his game calling and defensive game was improving by the day. The Padres hope Mejia will return from his rehab stint healthy and a little more polished to provide another quality catching option. With him and Hedges the Padres believe they have two young catchers who will solidify the position for many years. Mejia just needs to continue to learn the ropes whether it be in the majors or minors to develop smoothly.
Second Basemen Luis Urias:
Photo of Padres infielder Luis Urias in the field.
- Urias is a 21-year-old infielder that got a 12-game cup of coffee with the Padres last season and flashed his potential. Urias unfortunately just missed out on making the opening day roster this season. A lot of it due to the acquisitions of veterans Ian Kinsler, Greg Garcia, and Manny Machado. This does not mean he is not in the Padres plans. The club wants him to get more seasoning in the minors and polish his game to make a huge impact down the road. In his 12-game audition last season Urias accumulated a stat line of a .208 average with 2 homers and 5 rbi’s in 48 at-bats. He showed a little power, but flashed his glove handling the transition to second base solidly. He can play both middle infield spots due to his experience as a shortstop also. This young infielder for San Diego has shown at the minor league level his hitting prowess with a .306 career average. Unfortunately, this has not yet transferred to the majors shown by his .167 average in 23 career games at the MLB level. Urias can improve by working on being more patient in his approach and seeing big league pitching consistently. For now, Urias must work on his game in the minors and refine his skills. This way when he gets his next call up to the majors, he can stick with the club long term. The Padres despite some these struggles see Urias as a future starter on their infield. It is just up to Urias to adjust and be ready when his time comes to take advantage of his next opportunity.
Starting Pitcher Joey Lucchesi:
- Joey Lucchesi the 25-year-old left hander is the oldest player, of this quintet mentioned. He has the most big-league experience of any of these players. Becoming a reliable starter for San Diego after being an unheralded name within the Padres system. As a 2016 4th round pick Lucchesi was well thought of, but certainly not on the radar to have a big-league impact this soon. It was because of injuries to the Padres rotation going into the 2018 season that he made the clubs opening day rotation. Lucchesi went onto have a solid rookie season despite never pitching above the Double-A level. Collecting 8 wins with a 4.08 ERA and striking out 145 batters in 130.0 innings over 26 starts. Lucchesi looked to carry this experience over into 2019 and become a fixture in the Padres rotation. He has done just that posting a 3-3 record with a 4.25 ERA, while striking out 57 to just 14 walks. In a perfect world Lucchesi will become a reliable middle of the rotation starter who can eat up innings. Which is why Lucchesi must continue to improve his stamina and arm strength to go deeper into games consistently each start. Although not posting spectacular numbers Lucchesi has a lot of promise and has now forced himself into the Padres plans. Now it will be interesting to see how Lucchesi’s progression continues going forward.