Down on the Farm: Weekly Review- August 21-27
Hunter Renfroe– RF, Triple-A, El Paso Chihuahuas
11-20, 5 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 8 R, 5 RBI, 17 TB
It’s been a week in the minors for Hunter Renfroe, and he hasn’t missed a beat from where he left off last time he was in Triple-A. Since returning to the minors, Renfroe is hitting .550 with seven extra base hits. Despite this success, it is still clear that Renfroe has serious plate discipline issues to work out before he can make a successful return to the Padres. With the Chihuahuas in the thick of the playoff hunt, the Padres may end up keeping Renfroe down in Triple-A longer if he doesn’t show serious signs of improvement. Through the first week, it is so far so good for Renfroe, as he has only struck out twice in 22 plate appearances.
Bryan Rodriguez– RHP, Triple-A, El Paso Chihuahuas
6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
At 26 years old, right-hander Bryan Rodriguez isn’t really a hot ticket prospect, but he’s very quietly been the best pitcher in what has been a bad Chihuahuas’ rotation. Since July 2, Rodriguez has started nine games, pitched 63 innings, and has been a model of consistency, as he has given up more than three earned runs just twice while pitching through the fifth in every start but one. He hasn’t been overpowering, as he is averaging just about four strikeouts per nine innings during that time, but he is getting the job done. Rodriguez seems like as good a candidate as any to eat some big league innings for the Padres over the next year or so until the team is ready to truly contend.
Fernando Tatis Jr.- SS, Double-A, San Antonio Missions
2-17, 1 RBI, 2 TB
It hasn’t been a great Double-A start for shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. Given how good he was in Fort Wayne, it’s hard to be too hard on him for his slow start against much better pitching. He has yet to walk and has struck out five times in his first 17 plate appearances. It remains to be seen how Tatis will adjust to facing better pitching, but he has surely been slow out of the gate, which is probably to be expected for an 18-year-old who skipped High-A ball.
Enyel De Los Santos– RHP, Double-A, San Antonio Missions
7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 7 K
For all the love that Cal Quantrill, Eric Lauer, Joey Lucchesi, and Jacob Nix get, right-hander Enyel De Los Santos tends to get overlooked. However, despite the sheer amount of talent the Padres have in the pitching department in their farm system, De Los Santos may be the Padres’ most consistent pitcher of the season. So far on the year he’s thrown 144 innings, struck out 134 batters, and pitched to a 3.69 ERA. He has still had some troubles with walks, which showed in his start this week, but he has done everything else he needed to do to progress this season. He will likely spend a good amount of next season in Triple-A before making the jump to the big leagues.
Michael Gettys– CF, High-A, Lake Elsinore Storm
0-19, 1 R
As hard as it is to say, Michael Gettys just hasn’t been progressing the way the organization wanted him to going into the season. At this point in the season, he sits at an even 100 wRC+ with a 37.4 percent strikeout rate. After spending all of last season in High-A and seeing some improvements in his game, Gettys has taken a notable step back this year, seeing rather significant drops in his batting average and on base percentage while seeing his strikeout rate balloon, while repeating the same level. That can be a positive sign for his future. At the same time, Gettys is still just 21 years old with all the talent in the world. But he won’t have forever to turn those tools into actual productivity.
Logan Allen– LHP, High-A, Lake Elsinore Storm
6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
All the things I said about Enyel De Los Santos being the most consistent Padres’ minor league pitcher could probably also be said about left-hander Logan Allen. Since being promoted to Lake Elsinore from Fort Wayne, Allen’s numbers haven’t been quite as good, but he has seen a solid decline in his walk rate to go along with his decrease in strikeouts over his 55 Lake Elsinore innings. He’s given up home runs at a bit of a higher rate in Elsinore, but his ground ball rate has also increased, allowing him to continue to have all sorts of success. So far in nine High-A starts, Allen has given up more than three earned runs just once.
Gabriel Arias– SS, Low-A, Fort Wayne TinCaps
8-27, 1 2B, 5 R, 3 RBI, 9 TB
Michel Baez- RHP, Low-A, Fort Wayne TinCaps
6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
Coming off a string of bad starts, Michel Baez bounced back in his one start this week. The numbers don’t jump off the page, but compared to his previous few starts, it was a notable improvement. Despite all the success Baez has had this season with the strikeouts and his control, he still is having issues with his fastball command. The walk rate is at just four percent, compared to his 38.5 percent strikeout rate, but his HR/FB rate hovers just above 14 percent, which is a rather significant negative in his column. However, that fastball is still one of the better ones in the Padres’ minor league system and should get Baez places if he is able to fine-tune his command of that pitch as he progresses through the minors.
Henry Henry– RHP, Short Season, Tri-City Dust Devils
6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Henry Henry has very consistently been really good for the Dust Devils this season, save for one poor outing at the beginning of the August. Following a brief stint back in the Arizona Rookie League, Henry has looked as good as ever with the Dust Devils. At 18 years old, Henry is already ahead of the game. He should start next year in Fort Wayne and could be a fast mover through the system if he continues to pitch as well as he has in stints this season.
Mason House- CF, Rookie League, AZL Padres
7-21, 1 3B, 3 R, 4 RBI, 8 TB
I didn’t know much about Mason House when the Padres drafted him in the third round of the 2017 MLB Draft, but I have been fairly impressed with how House has performed in the Arizona League so far. Through his first 130 plus at bats, House is sporting a 141 wRC+ with an on base percentage just shy of .400. I mean he’s still just an 18-year-old playing in the AZL, but his performance has been impressive nevertheless.
Luis Patino– RHP, Rookie League, AZL Padres
5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Martin Carrasco– RHP, DSL Padres
5 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
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.