Tirso Ornelas has been part of the Padres’ organization for nearly a decade. Is he finally ready to play a big role with the major league club?

The Padres, president of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller, signed a big international amateur free agent class in 2016. Adrian Morejon, Michel Baez, Ronald Bolaños, Gabriel Arias, Tucupita Marcano, and Luis Patiño were all signed in that 2016-2017 international class. Those players have broken into the big leagues, even briefly, for the Padres or another franchise.

One from that 2016 class who is yet to make it to The Show is outfielder Tirso Ornelas.

The Mexican native has spent parts of eight seasons playing in the Padres’ farm system. That is all without an appearance in a big league game to this point.

He is no longer a highly touted young prospect, now at almost 25 years old. That is evident by him not being protected three straight years in the Rule 5 Draft. MLB Pipeline currently ranks him as San Diego’s No. 18 prospect.

He will turn 25 in March. Will this finally be the year he joins the Padres’ big league club?

As it stands now, he might do so by default. FanGraphs projects Ornelas to be the starting left fielder for the 2025 Padres. San Diego has a gaping hole in the outfield left by Jurickson Profar, who still a free agent.

If the Padres do not make a sizable move or two in acquiring outfield bats, Ornelas is set to be the benefactor. In all likelihood, the Padres will at least hand out a few Spring Training invites to veterans who will compete for spots.  Last year, they did that with Óscar Mercado, Bryce Johnson, and Cal Mitchell. Eventually, the club signed Profar, who emphatically won the position battle.

Unless the Padres make several moves to address the outfield, it appears Ornelas will at least get an audition this spring. What does he bring to the table?

First, he is a left-handed bat. His presence in the lineup would further balance the attack. He would pair with fellow lefties Luis Arraez, Jackson Merrill, and Jake Cronenworth also slotted in. However, their names are in pen. Ornelas is currently written in light pencil.

Per MLB Pipeline, Ornelas “exhibits promising raw power” but “hits the ball on the ground too much to project for better-than-average in-game pop.” At six-foot-three, Ornelas is an imposing figure at the plate. FanGraphs gives him a 60 grade for raw power, which suggests he has 23 to 27-homer potential when he’s at his best.

After floundering through the minors for a spell, he finally put those kinds of numbers on the board in Triple-A El Paso this past season. In 128 games for the Chihuahuas, he batted .297, with 23 homers (10th most in the PCL), an .864 OPS, and 113 wRC+. Most of his offensive stats ranked in the top 20 of the Pacific Coast League.

Of course, there is the thing about the elevation. El Paso sits at over 3,800 feet above sea level. Most of the teams in the PCL play at some higher level of elevation, thus inflating hitting numbers.

Against slightly better competition in Spring Training with the Padres, he has appeared in 23 games. He is batting .143 and .310 OPS in 30 plate appearances.

The sample size against big league-level competition, be it at Spring Training or against the top of Triple-A, is very small. As shown by his 38 home runs over the last two seasons in the minors, he clearly has power. The big question is- can that translate to big-league pitching this season? What might translate is his solid 16 percent strikeout rate, which was third-best among hitters with at least 500 plate appearances in the PCL last year. If he can provide some power without being a major strikeout liability, he could bring some value to San Diego.

Unless the Padres make some big moves over the next month or two, Ornelas will get a fair shake at earning playing time in a Padres uniform. After over 3,000 plate appearances in seven years toiling in the minors, he may finally get his shot to prove himself.

Nick Lee

Native of Escondido, CA. Lived in San Diego area for 20 years. Padres fan since childhood (mid-90s). I have been writing since 2014. I currently live near Seattle, WA and am married to a Seattle sports girl. I wore #19 on my high school baseball team for Tony Gwynn. I am a stats and sports history nerd. I attended BYU on the Idaho campus. I also love Star Wars.