Down on the Farm: May 15

Carlos Asuaje– 2B, Triple-A, El Paso Chihuahuas
3-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB

It was Carlos Asuaje bobblehead night in El Paso, and Asuaje did not disappoint. After a wildly successful 2016 season, which earned him a late-season promotion to the big league club, Asuaje has struggled this year, slashing only .232/.336/.344. Despite those struggles, the high walk rate and low strikeout rate are encouraging signs for Asuaje’s long term prospects. He may never be a high end-type talent, but this is a guy who should get plenty of playing time on a big league roster.

Walker Lockett- RHP, Triple-A, El Paso Chihuahuas
7 IP, 6 H, 2 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 3 K

Walker Lockett has been nothing if not inconsistent so far this season. He’s had his fair share of bad starts, and his fair share of strong starts, like last night. He’s not the type of pitcher who overpowers hitters, and he isn’t collecting many strikeouts, but somehow, some way, he’s getting the job done in a hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

Michael Kelly– RHP, Double-A, San Antonio Missions
8 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 9 K

On a night filled with good pitching throughout the system, Michael Kelly was the best of all, tossing eight shutout innings and giving up only one hit in the process. It was no no-hitter a-la Kyle Lloyd, but it was still Kelly’s best start of the season. Like Lockett, Kelly doesn’t come with a high prospect ranking, but there are some positive signs there. Kelly still has to solve Triple-A hitters before he can prove himself to be a viable major leaguer, but so far his Double-A success is leading him in the right direction.

Austin Allen– C, High-A, Lake Elsinore Storm
2-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R

I finally caught my first Storm game of the season last Thursday and Austin Allen was not in the starting lineup. However, he has been hot in recent weeks, slashing .310/.414/.464 over his last 30 days. To this point in his professional career, Allen has shown himself to be an on-base percentage machine, as his career .350 OBP can attest. Allen still has to prove himself at the higher levels, and prove he can play good enough defense, but the bat certainly shows a lot to like.

Hudson Potts- 3B, Low-A, Fort Wayne TinCaps

4-5, 1 3B, 1 R, 2 RBI
It’s been a slow start to the season for Hudson Potts, but Monday night he had the first four-hit game of his professional career. Potts is going through the same growing pains as many of his fellow teenage teammates at Fort Wayne, although perhaps to a greater extent. While the likes of Ona and Tatis Jr. have flown some flashes of brilliance, Potts has kept relatively quiet. The biggest red flag for Potts has been his walk and strikeout rates, as Potts is walking in just over three percent of his at bats while striking out in just under 30 percent. That ratio will have to lessen if Potts hopes to maintain any sort of success going forward.

Jerry Keel– LHP, Low-A, Fort Wayne TinCaps

7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Another night and another strong start for Jerry Keel. Logan Allen may be the pitcher to watch at Fort Wayne, but Keel has shown himself to be no slouch either. Over his first seven starts, Keel has shown plenty to like. Take out his worst start, in which he gave up eight earned runs in four and two-thirds innings, and Keel has given up only eight earned runs in 37 innings. Even more important for Keel is that he’s missing bats, as he is striking out batters at a 23 percent rate.

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.