Down on the Farm: August 10: Reggie Lawson Bounces Back
Josh Naylor– 1B, Double-A, San Antonio Missions
3-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 1 R
In a lot of ways, first baseman Josh Naylor is a prototypical first baseman without being a prototypical first baseman. Sure, Naylor has the big build and bat-first nature of what would be considered a common first baseman. However, Naylor’s hit tool is currently more advanced than his power tool, which makes him irregular. Currently, Naylor is slashing .286/.353/.429 in just under 100 at bats since joining the Missions after a strong start to his season in Lake Elsinore. Naylor still only has 10 home runs on the season in almost 400 at bats, but for a first baseman, Naylor has not only excellent control of the strike zone, but a patient eye to go along with it. It’s not often you see big first basemen with strikeout rates under 20 percent. Since joining the Missions, Naylor has been even better, with a 9.8 percent walk rate compared to just a 13.7 strikeout rate. He still needs to unlock more in-game power, but with that approach, Naylor can have a lot of success at the plate going forward.
Jacob Nix– RHP, Double-A, San Antonio Missions
6 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Lost in the shadow of the likes of Cal Quantrill, Joey Lucchesi, and Eric Lauer, right-hander Jacob Nix has actually quietly had his moments where he has looked just as good as those other three guys. However, Nix has lacked consistency in his command of his pitches in a way that none of those other three guys have. Even so, Nix still finds himself in the same rotation as those three in San Antonio. Going forward, Nix is going to have to work on the command of his changeup in order to be a viable starter, but his cleaner mechanics have really paid dividends so far for him in 2017.
Emmanuel Ramirez– RHP, High-A, Lake Elsinore Storm
6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
It’s been a bit of a slow go for Emmanuel Ramirez over the first several years of his professional career. After spending parts of two seasons with the DSL Padres, Ramirez joined the AZL Padres in 2015 following a third season with the DSL Padres. Ramirez joined the Dust Devils later in that season before splitting the 2016 season between the Dust Devils and TinCaps. After beginning this season with the Dust Devils and having a lot of success, Ramirez has quickly moved up to Lake Elsinore for the first time and has had a good amount of success. Ramirez is working more batters this season than in years past, but he has also unlocked more strikeout potential, which has led to him having a good degree of success.
Hudson Potts– 3B, Low-A, Fort Wayne TinCaps
3-4, 1 2B
The Padres shocked everyone when they selected shortstop Hudson Potts, who at the time was going by Hudson Sanchez, with the 24th selection in last year’s MLB Draft. After having a successful debut at the end of last season, Potts has had a bit of a rough go of things in Fort Wayne this year. The obvious caveat is that Potts is still just 18 years old, but he has not grown into his skill set as much as the Padres had hoped. Just about every tool Potts has is average or slightly above average, which could make him a complete player as he matures further. However, there are still questions about whether he will strike out too much to be a productive everyday hitter.
Reggie Lawson– RHP, Low-A, Fort Wayne TinCaps
5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
Let’s get this out of the way right from the start; right-hander Reggie Lawson is a bit of a project. Lawson can reach the low to mid 90s with his fastball, with a solid curveball to operate as his main secondary pitch. However, he is still working on developing a changeup as a solid third pitch. The biggest concern with Lawson was durability, although he added a lot of weight in the off-season in order to address those concerns. Right now, Lawson is going to have his ups and downs, but it’s clear he is getting better and getting a better feel for his pitches. The command has improved, which is a good sign for his development.
Luis Almanzar– SS, Short Season, Tri-City Dust Devils
2-3, 1 K
Just like most of the other young international players the Padres brought in last off-season, shortstop Luis Almanzar is as toolsy as they come. Almanzar has soft hands and a strong glove to go along with a good feel for hitting and solid speed. There’s some doubt as to whether Almanzar can stick at shortstop long term, but he does have the offensive profile to move off the position to third in the future if need be. He has had some downs in his debut with Tri-City this year, but he has shown enough potential.
Luis Campusano- C, Rookie League, AZL Padres
2-3, 1 2B
There were a lot of people questioning the Padres when they selected catcher Luis Campusano with a compensation pick at the end of the first round in this year’s draft. However, since being selected, Campusano has done nothing but mash, as he is now sporting a 174 wRC+ with the AZL Padres. Sure it is a small sample size, but Campusano is showing why he could be a real offensive threat long term. The big question with Campusano is still his glove, which is the opposite of other Padres draft pick Blake Hunt, but he has done enough offensively to lessen those worries so far.
Michell Miliano- RHP, Rookie League, AZL Padres
3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
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.