Down on the Farm: May 26- Jacob Nix is Back
Credit:MiLB.com
Matt Magill– RHP, Triple-A, El Paso Chihuahuas
7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
Over his first five starts, Matt Magill gave up only five earned runs in 29 innings pitched. Magill wasn’t overpowering in that stretch but he certainly showed he was capable of having success in the offense-heavy PCL. However, Magill soon hit a rough pitch, as the right-hander 18 runs over his next four starts, in just 20 and 2/3 innings. Coming off a start in which he gave up four earned runs, Magill looked a lot better on Friday night. Magill has had his share of struggles with his control, but he still got the job done even with the four walks. At this point, Magill is a 27-year-old pitching in Triple-A. If he doesn’t show more consistency, he may struggle to end up back in the big leagues with the Padres.
Christian Bethancourt– RHP, Triple-A, EL Paso Chihuahuas
0 IP, 1 H, 4 R (3 ER), 1 BB
Christian Bethancourt, what are we going to do with you? The Padres made headlines this offseason when they made clear their intention to try catcher Christian Bethancourt as a relief pitcher. After a horrid start to his 2017 season, the Padres gave Bethancourt a choice: go to the minor leagues and work out the kinks, or give up on pitching and return to catching full time. Obviously Bethancourt chose pitching, but he has yet to fix his previous issues. After another poor outing, Bethancourt now has given up 10 earned runs on 14 hits over his first 9 and 1/3 innings pitched in Triple-A. Even more worrisome, Bethancourt has already walked nine batters. It may be a matter of time before the Padres give up on the Bethancourt pitcher experiment. Or they could just let him try to work it out over the remainder of the season. Only time will tell.
Enyel De Los Santos– RHP, Double-A, San Antonio Missions
8 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
For some reason, Enyel De Los Santos is probably the most intriguing Padres prospect to me. Maybe it’s the potential for growth, but De Los Santos may also be one of the most maddening prospects as well. For every flash of brilliance he shows, De Los Santos shows just how raw he can be. He has some big velocity, but he has his share of struggles with the consistency of his off-speed pitches and with his overall control. If you follow De Los Santos line through the start of this season, he fairly consistently follows a good start with a not so good start and vice versa. With that being said, De Los Santos is only 21 years old and is playing at a level with a lot of older players. De Los Santos may be a work in progress, but there is a lot of potential there long-term.
Michael Gettys– CF, High-A, Lake Elsinore Storm
3-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB
It’s really so nice to see Michael Gettys do well. He has had his share of struggles in his professional career, but he has always been one of my favorite prospects because of the ceiling that comes with his impact tools. Gettys hit tool has always been the weakest part of his game, but Gettys still has his share of games where he looks good at the plate like he did on Friday night. Even more important for Gettys was the fact that he did not strikeout on Friday. If Gettys can figure out how to hit just a little, he could be a heck of a big leaguer. But that’s a pretty substantial if.
Jacob Nix– RHP, High-A, Lake Elsinore Storm
5 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
The long-awaited return of Jacob Nix is finally here. After starting the season off on the injured list, Nix had a strong debut on Friday night. Joining an absolutely loaded rotation in Lake Elsinore, Nix looked solid in his five innings. There was a few struggles here and there, but that is to be expected for a guy who is making his season debut after a long time on the shelf. Somehow the Storm rotation may have gotten even better.
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.