Down on the Farm: May 27- Pitching , Pitching, and More Pitching

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

Fresh off a short stint back in the big leagues with the Padres, Carlos Asuaje had a good showing for the Chihuahuas on Saturday night. Everyone knew Asuaje’s call up was going to be temporary given the Padres need for a starter for Thursday’s game, which ended up being Dinelson Lamet. Asuaje failed to get a hit in two at bats in the bigs, but he did pick up where he left off in El Paso. Asuaje has gotten off to a bit of a slow start this season, but he has picked things up a bit as of late. The biggest goal for Asuaje now is attempting to shake off the “utility player” label. There’s still potential for more there, but he needs to be a more consistent hitter in order to fulfill that potential. Regardless, the Padres have a bit of an infield log jam with Yangervis Solarte, Cory Spangenberg, and Ryan Schimpf all vying for playing time. Despite this jam, our own Benjamin Salom argues that Asuaje should remain in the big leagues.

Phil Maton– RHP, Triple-A, El Paso Chihuahuas
1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Somehow I haven’t written about Phil Maton this year. At least I don’t remember writing about him, but who knows? Anyway, Maton put together yet another solid outing on Saturday, his fifth consecutive outing without giving up a run. Maton has also struck out nine batters during those five and one-third innings. Maton has had a bit of an up and down start to his season, but he is still sporting a 3.54 ERA with a strikeout rate near 30 percent and a walk rate under 10 percent. Many see Maton as a guy who will make his major league debut at some point this year, and he hasn’t done anything to change that perception just yet. If he keeps pitching like this, he will definitely find himself in San Diego soon.

Jerry Keel– LHP, Double-A, San Antonio Missions
6.2 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K

Dang, Jerry Keel continues to be so impressive. Following a promotion, and skipping from Low-A all the way up to Double-A, Keel seemed unfazed on Saturday night, throwing six and two-thirds more shutout innings. Jumping a level is never easy, but looking so good at that new level is even more impressive. Keel has now given up only three earned runs over his last four starts since his worst outing of the season on May 4. Keel was drafted in the ninth round of the 2015 draft out of college, so he’s a bit more developed than some other prospects, but what he is doing is still impressive.

Javier Guerra– SS, High-A, Lake Elsinore Storm
2-4, 1 2B, 2 R

At this point, we really are taking all we can get from Javier Guerra. Whenever I see him get more than a hit, or whenever he doesn’t strikeout, I get the urge to write something on him, especially given how consistently bad he has been over the last year and a half. Guerra is now slashing .298/.298/.532 over the last 10 days. That wouldn’t really be noteworthy for anyone else, but Guerra is his own animal. Maybe, he can finally figure it out. Or maybe not.

Jesse Scholtens– RHP, High-A, Lake Elsinore Storm
6 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K

Despite the dominance of Logan Allen, both Jesse Scholtens and Jerry Keel saw promotions rather than Allen. However, Scholtens has so far shown that his own promotion was the right decision by the Padres organization. On Saturday night, Scholtens had not only his best start with the Storm, but perhaps his best start of his entire professional career. Scholtens now has 20 strikeouts over his first 17 innings in Lake Elsinore, and the 23-year-old has shown that he is more than capable of missing bats and getting outs.

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.