Down on the Farm: April 20

El Paso Chihuahuas

Dinelson Lamet 5.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 13 K
Look no further than the 13 strikeouts on the line, but Lamet showed what type of pitcher he can be on Thursday night. Even more impressive was the fact that Lamet struck out 13 batters in only five and a third innings. Considering Lamet only got 16 batters out, 13 strikeouts is very, very impressive.

In the process, Lamet became the first pitcher in Chihuahuas’ history to strike out more than 10 batters in a game, breaking a record previously held by Robbie Erlin and Jason Lane. Following the start, Lamet now has a 0.69 ERA on the season. The control is still a concern, but if Lamet keeps turning out performances like this, he should be in San Diego sooner rather than later.

BREAKING > Dinelson Lamet becomes 1st pitcher in Chihuahuas history to K more than 10 batters in a game! Has 12! Chihuahuas lead 5-0!

— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) April 21, 2017

Cory Spangenberg 3-5, 1 RBI, 2 K
It’s not every day you get to see a bona fide big leaguer play in Triple-A, but that’s just what Padres fans are getting with Spangenberg in El Paso to start the season. Spangenberg is clearly much better than the pitching he has faced, which shows with his .360 batting average and .400 on base percentage. It’s clear Spangenberg has no business being in the minor leagues, but the Padres don’t really have much choice at this point if they want both him and Ryan Schimpf to get every day playing time. In the meantime, the fans of El Paso will enjoy watching a real major league talent in El Paso every night.

San Antonio Missions

Enyel De Los Santos 3 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
After starting off the season with back-to-back strong six inning outings, in which he gave up only one earned run in total and earned Texas League Pitcher of the Week honors, De Los Santos struggled on Thursday night. De Los Santos has shown himself to be an impressive pitcher, but he has always had some kinks in his game, the most apparent of which is his control. That flaw reared it’s head on Thursday as De Los Santos walked four batters and threw 77 pitches in only three innings of work. On top of that, he quadrupled his earned runs allowed for the year, giving up three in the game. Hopefully this is just a blip on the radar, but De Los Santos showed the flaws he needs to work on going forward.

Luis Urias 4-5, 2 2B, 2 R, 1 RBI
There may not be another Padres prospect that impresses me more than 19-year-old Luis Urias. Not only is Urias playing in a league where he is three or four years younger than the average player, but he is also excelling in that league, walking more than he is striking out and making consistent contact. In fact, Urias is playing better so far this season than just about any other Padres prospect. Even more important for Padres fans, Urias has been playing shortstop in the absence of Jose Rondon due to injury, demonstrating that he is capable of playing shortstop if the Padres choose to fully transition him there. The Padres have no shortage of shortstop prospects in the minors, but Urias would immediately become the most interesting one. Only time will tell. Until that is decided, Urias will be sure to continue mashing at the plate.

Lake Elsinore Storm

Cal Quantrill 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 ER), 6 K
After a rough outing in his second start of the season, Quantrill got things back on track with a good outing on Thursday against Inland Empire. In that game, Quantrill struck out six, and more importantly, did not walk a single batter. He did give up five hits, but only one earned run came across during his time on the mound. Given he is still coming off injury, the Padres will likely take it slow with him going forward.

Josh Naylor 3-5, 3 RBI, 1 R, 2 SB
After a slow start, Naylor has come on strong over the last few games. In fact, over the last seven days, Naylor has hit two home runs, driven in six runs, and has put together an .875 OPS. With Wil Myers entrenched at first base for the Padres long-term, it’s unclear where that leaves Naylor going forward. Given his size, it’s hard to imagine Naylor playing anywhere but first base in the future, so he may not have a position on the Padres’ big league roster. But that’s still many years away.

Fort Wayne Tincaps

Logan Allen 5 IP, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K
There’s been no shortage of strong Padres pitching so far this season. At least in the minor leagues. Logan Allen may be the most impressive of all. In his third strong outing to start the season, Allen threw five shutout innings, striking out seven and not giving up a single hit. So far in 13 innings on the season, Allen has given up only three earned runs, striking out 20 batters in the process. It’s still early in the season, but Allen has been dominant. Between himself, Manuel Margot, and Carlos Asuaje, the struggles of Javier Guerra are a little less painful.

Reinaldo Ilarraza 3-5, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 SB
It’s been a bit of a slow start for Reinaldo Ilarraza this season. But given that he’s 18 years old and playing in full season ball, that’s to be forgiven. Between himself, Eguy Rosario, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Hudson Potts, the TinCaps have the youngest infield in the entire minor leagues. Given the age of all those guys, there will be plenty of struggles this season. However, Ilarraza showed his potential on Thursday with three hits in what was his most complete game of the season.

Patrick Brewer

Editorial and Prospect Writer for East Village Times. Twenty-five years young, Patrick has lived in San Diego for his entire life and has been a Padres fan nearly as long. Patrick lives for baseball and is always looking to learn new things about the game he loves through advanced stats.