Down on the Farm Weekly Recap: May 8-14
Rocky Gale– C, Triple-A, El Paso Chihuahuas
10-19, 2 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 15 TB
A pair of Austins lead the Padres’ organizational catching depth chart, with one in the big leagues and one currently at High-A, but Rocky Gale continues to show a positive presence in the Triple-A clubhouse. At 29 years old, Gale isn’t going to wow anyone statistically, he is playing among players quite a few years younger than he is, but he is a valuable insurance policy to have at the upper levels of the system. Gale had a pretty impressive week at the plate and is now slashing .379/.419/.552 over the last ten days, with a .303/.343/.394 slash line over the last 30 days. Gale isn’t going to set the world on fire, but he sure is reliable at doing what he does.
Dinelson Lamet– RHP, Triple-A, El Paso Chihuahuas
4 IP, 7 H, 7 R (5 ER), 3 K, 3 BB
It seems like with each Jered Weaver start, more and more Padre fans clamor for a change in the rotation. At the top of the list of potential replacements is Dinelson Lamet, who grabbed attention with some early-season success, including a 13-strikeout performance a few weeks back. However, since following that start with seven shutout innings and nine more strikeouts, Lamet has given up 14 runs in as many innings, striking out only 13 and walking nine over his last three starts. In those three starts, Lamet has failed to go past five complete innings, and both his command and control have been all over the place. Despite his successes at missing bats, Lamet has made it pretty clear that he still is not ready for the major leagues.
Ty France– 3B, Double-A, San Antonio Missions
6-12, 1 RBI, 6 TB
It was a bit of a quiet week for the Missions, but newcomer Ty France certainly impressed in his first three games with his new team. Following his last game at Lake Elsinore on Friday, in which he had two hits and two runs batted in, France started off his Double-A career with an 0-3 showing on Friday. However, France followed with six hits over his next nine at bats, including a four hit performance on Sunday as well as a scoreless inning of relief, and a win, during that extra inning victory. They say you can’t fully evaluate a player until they reach Double-A, so we will see how France adjusts going forward.
Kyle Lloyd– RHP, Double-A, San Antonio Missions
9 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 K, 1 BB
It may be hard to believe, but all nine of Lloyd’s innings pitched this week came in one start, a start in which he did not give up a single hit. It was the first no-hitter for the Missions in over 30 years. Lloyd wasn’t dominant by any means, but a no-hitter is a no-hitter. Lloyd has now thrown 45 innings on the season, giving up only 16 earned runs on the season. Lloyd’s strikeout and walk rates aren’t too impressive, but he has gotten the job done. If he continues his impressive performance he could continue to draw more significant attention to himself going forward.
Josh Naylor– 1B, High-A, Lake Elsinore Storm
7-11, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 9 TB
Freshly off the 10-day disabled list following being hit in the face by a pickoff throw from Eric Lauer two weeks ago, Naylor has picked up where he left off. Over his last 30 days, Naylor is slashing an insane .425/.468/.726 with five home runs and 21 RBIs. Naylor is now slashing .339/.390/.560 on the season and is proving himself more every single day.
Michael Gettys– OF, High-A, Lake Elsinore Storm
8-21, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 12 TB
Another guy who is rebuilding prospect value is another Lake Elsinore Storm player, center fielder Michael Gettys. I have profiled Gettys struggles in the past here at East Village Times, but he seems to be slowly improving as the season wears on. Gettys has looked particularly impressive over the last ten days, slashing .353/.421/.529. However, Gettys still finds himself striking out in over 36 percent of his plate appearances, although that number has fallen from over 40 percent just two weeks ago. That plate discipline will still be Gettys’ biggest issue going forward, but all the tools are there for him to succeed long term.
Cal Quantrill– RHP, High-A, Lake Elsinore Storm
6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 5 K, 2 BB
This wasn’t the most dominating performance that Quantrill has had this year, but he is still getting outs and he is still looking healthy. Above all else, the Padres want Quantrill to prove that he is 100 percent healthy following his long layoff from Tommy John surgery. They may take it very easy with Quantrill this season because of it, but he will be given plenty of opportunity to impress nonetheless. And so far he has done just that, giving up only 10 earned runs on the season while striking out over a batter per inning (39 strikeouts in 33.1 innings pitched).
Fernando Tatis Jr.- IF, Low-A, Fort Wayne TinCaps
7-21, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 13 TB
It’s been a slow start for the former Chicago White Sox farmhand, but Tatis Jr. has picked it up in recent weeks. Tatis has shown subtle improvements at the plate over that time, improving his results at the plate. The strikeout rate is still over 30 percent on the year, but Tatis is also drawing walks 10 percent of the time, mitigating some of the issues with his free swinging style. If Tatis can keep getting on base while bringing down his walk rate slightly, he could be a huge threat at the plate. He’s still only 18 years old, so there is a lot of time for the Padres to work with here.
Jesse Scholtens– RHP, Low-A, Fort Wayne TinCaps
13 IP, 10 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 12 K
After a particularly impressive start earlier in the week, in which Scholtens threw eight innings with seven strikeouts and no earned runs, the right-hander found himself starting for the Lake Elsinore Storm on Sunday following a promotion. Scholtens was less impressive in his first start with the Storm this year, but he still got the job done, giving up only three earned in five innings of work. With a loaded Storm pitching staff, Scholtens may get lost in the shuffle a bit, but he still has plenty of talent to show.
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.