A Few Unheralded Padres Prospects with Strong 2018 Statistics

While there has been lots of hype surrounding the Padres’ farm system, and the top prospects within it, there are still players in the team’s minor league system who have been overlooked. Here is a look at the players in the Padres’ organization who you won’t likely see on many prospect lists, yet had impressive statistical numbers to show for their 2018 performances. 

The top of the farm system for the Padres is strong and is strengthened by the depth of many interesting prospects as well. Players such as Fernando Tatis Jr. are the cream of the crop, while the pipeline as a whole is deep in younger players such as Xavier Edwards. Beyond these players though, are a group of guys in the Padres’ system that are relatively unknown to most of us. Let’s look at the guys who we don’t hear about very much, and examine their overlooked 2018 statistics:

Quietly France has hit very well in the Padres’ system, since being drafted in the 34th round in 2015.

For a player with a wRC+ mark of 128, it was impressive to see him only strike out 70 total times during his 112 games at Double-A. He got on base at a .349 clip with the Missions, and upon being promoted to Triple-A, upped that number to .382.

In his 25-game cameo at Triple-A, France posted an isolated power number of .245, hitting five home runs, and driving in another nineteen. He’s been left off prospect lists because his defense at third base is not well-regarded by evaluators, but if he continues to hit this well, the Padres should put his bat in the lineup.

Although it’s unlikely the Padres don’t acquire someone to fill their current opening at third base, if they don’t we could see Ty France get early season at-bats for the friars at the position to begin 2019. With little else for France to prove with the bat in the minor leagues, the Padres might as well see what he can do at the big league level at some point next season.

Despite all the attention given to fellow rotation mates Luis Patiño and MacKenzie Gore in Fort Wayne, Cosgrove deserved just as much recognition for his pitching for the TinCaps.

He struck out an impressive 23.7% of hitters he faced, and his FIP shows that he pitched better than his ERA indicates.

In his 116.1 innings of work, Cosgrove only gave up six total home runs, good for a rate of only 0.46 home runs given up per nine innings pitched. He also struck out 9.44 batters per nine innings, which was the second-best rate among qualified Midwest League pitchers. Cosgrove has shown a solid mix of pitches across the board, including a fastball in the 89-92 mph range. There is nothing flashy about his profile, but Cosgrove’s statistics suggest that he’s the type of guy who just gets it done, and makes the most of what he has to work with.

As a southpaw, there are certainly reasons to take more notice of Cosgrove moving into next season. The hitter-friendly California league will prove to be a good test for him, and considering his performance in the Midwest League — Look for him to make more of a name for himself with a strong showing at the level in 2019.

During his second year in the Arizona Rookie League, Marcano annihilated the league as an on-base machine, nearly reaching base in half of his plate appearances at a .497 clip. His .395 batting average was the best among qualified hitters in the league.

He was soon promoted to Short-Season Tri-City, where he continued to get on base consistently, albeit less often than in rookie ball. Throw in fifteen stolen bases across both levels, and we can see Marcano potentially being a table-setter at the top of the lineup. Scouts rate his hitting ability and speed as his best tools, whose evaluations line up well with the most impressive statistics Marcano has produced thus far.

He lacks the recognition of the 2016 July 2 signees, or a first-round draftee, but the young Venezuelan has been just as impressive as players such as Xavier Edwards, to start his pro career. There will be increased pressure on his bat in order for him to be successful as he moves up the minor league ladder, and he could realistically steal more bases with his speed if he were more aggressive on the base paths. Regardless, look for Marcano to appear on prospect lists by mid-season next year, as long as he hits well in the Midwest League.

The three prospects above should be more well-known to Padres fans as next season approaches. They are all candidates to receive noticeably more attention as a result of playing on bigger stages, and simply proving that their 2018 seasons were not a fluke. If we want to talk about prospects that are lesser-known, these three players are a great place to start the conversation.

Conrad Parrish

A sophomore at Willamette University in Oregon, Conrad is majoring in Spanish but is also a writing center assistant for other students at Willamette. He has been a Padres die-hard his whole life and hopes to bring comprehensible statistical analysis to the site.