Down on the Farm Weekly Recap: April 24-30
Credit: MiLB
Nick Buss– OF, Triple-A, El Paso Chihuahuas
9-14, 4 2B, 4 RBI, 13 TB
A 30-year-old in Triple-A, Nick Buss isn’t the most conventional baseball player. With that being said, Buss has been hot in recent weeks and is now slashing .464/.515/.607 over his first 28 at bats this season. That’s clearly unsustainable, but if Buss keeps up his strong performance, maybe he can earn himself some big league playing time in a rebuilding year for the Padres.
Dinelson Lamet– RHP, Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas
7 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 9 K, 2 BB
Another week, another strong outing for Dinelson Lamet. Just 20 innings into his season, Lamet has given up only one earned run. There’s no doubt he will be in San Diego at some point this year, barring catastrophe.
Luis Urias– 2B/SS, Double-A, San Antonio Missions
8-28, 1 2B, 4 RBI
Compared to last week, Luis Urias was quiet this week. Even so, Urias is still tearing up the Texas League on the season. If Urias keeps up the performance, he may be joining the Pacific Coast League sooner rather than later.
Enyel De Los Santos– RHP, Double-A, San Antonio Missions
8.2 IP, 10 H, 10 ER, 8 K, 4 BB
For every good performance, there has to be some share of bad performance. Enyel De Los Santos had a little bit of both for the San Antonio Missions this week. After giving up only two earned runs in 4.2 innings earlier in the week, De Los Santos got rocked on Sunday, giving up eight earned runs on seven hits in only four innings. At times maddeningly inconsistent, De Los Santos still has the tools to be a good pitcher at the next level if he can maintain consistency through an entire start.
Josh Naylor– 1B, High-A, Lake Elsinore Storm
13-29, 2 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 9 RBI
No player in the Padres organization had a better week than first baseman, Josh Naylor. After a slow start to his Padres career at the end of last year and beginning of this year, Naylor appears to finally be putting it together. Not only is he making more frequent contact, but he is also driving the ball and hitting for more power. That’s a recipe for success for the big left-hander.
Eric Lauer/Cal Quantrill/Joey Lucchesi– LHP/RHP/LHP, High-A, Lake Elsinore Storm
23.2 IP, 21 H, 4 ER, 27 K, 6 BB
We all knew going into this season that Lake Elsinore would be the minor league team to watch in the Padres system because of their stacked pitching staff. Now one month into the season, we have seen plenty of great pitching, especially out of this trio. All three were effective this week, as Lauer gave up only three earned runs in 11.2 innings over his two starts this week, while Quantrill gave up only one earned in six innings while Lucchesi threw a six inning shutout. With these three, the Padres pitching future is looking very bright.
Marcus Greene Jr.- C, Low-A, Fort Wayne TinCaps
5-14, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Early on in the 2017 season, Marcus Greene Jr. has quietly been very effective at the plate. This week wasn’t anything flashy for the young catcher, but he is now slashing .308/.383/.442 on the season and is playing good defense behind the plate.
Jerry Keel– LHP, Low-A, Fort Wayne TinCaps
7 IP, 6 H, 2 R (0 ER), 5 K, 2 BB
Keel wasn’t dominant in his start this week, but it was another strong outing in a string of good performances. Keel has given up only five earned runs in his first four starts this season, and has gotten through at least five innings in all of them. After an up and down season split between three levels last season, this early season performance is an encouraging sign for the big left-hander.
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.