Padres Down on the Farm: April 16 (Bradgley Rodriguez save/Korb 6 Ks)
San Diego Padres affiliates were 2-2 on Tuesday.
Here is a recap of the day’s events.
Lake Elsinore Storm- Low Single-AÂ (11-5 Win v. Visalia Rawhide) (4-4 on the season)
- Romeo Sanabria: 3-for-4, 3 RBIs & inside-the-park home run
- Carlos Rodriguez: 2-for-4, 2 RBI,
- Isaiah Lowe: 1 IP, 2 walks, and 2 K’s
- Bradgley Rodriguez: 1 IP, 2K
The Lake Elsinore Storm coasted to an 11-4 win over the Visalia Rawhide. A four-run first, highlighted by RBI knocks from Romeo Sanabria, Rosman Verdugo, and Carlos Rodriguez, would set the tone offensively on Tuesday Night.Â
Sanabria would have the banner night for the Storm, going 3-for-4, recording 3 RBIs, and hitting an inside-the-park home run in the bottom half of the 5th inning. The night pushed is wRC+ north of 100 for the first time this season.Â
Young catcher Carlos Rodriguez also stepped up with a two-hit day that, like Sanabria, pushed his wRC+ north of 100. It’s a very small sample size, but San Diego fans should be pleased with what they have seen with Rodriguez to this point. A two-hit game tonight, a BB% north of 30% (yes, only 14 PAs). The slugging still needs to come along, as he’s posted a slug of only .111 to this point, but for the 21-year-old, it’s been an ok start to 2024.
On the bump, the star of the night was again closer, Bradgley Rodriguez. The pitcher again lit up the radar gun and only needed 14 pitches to hammer down the win against Visalia. He also recorded two K’s
Rodriguez recorded a 71% strike percentage, a 30% SwSrt%, and most impressively, a 37.5 Whiff%. His fastball continues to dominate with a ++ vertical rise in the zone. In 4 1/3 innings of work, Rodriguez owns a 43.7% K% and a FIP< 1.80.Â
He is quickly establishing himself as one of the most electric arms in the San Diego System.Â
Ft. Wayne Tin Caps- High Single-AÂ (4-1 Loss to Dayton ) (4-5 on the season)
- Ethan Salas: 1-for-4, 2B, CS behind the dish
- Emmanuel Pinales: 4 IP, 4 BB, 4K’s
- Tyler Robertson: 1-for-2 Home run & BB
The Fort Wayne Tin-Caps fell in their series opener to Dayton by the final of 4-1
Towing the rubber for Ft. Wayne was right-hander Emmanuel Pinales. It was Pinales’s first rough outing of the 2024 season, as he worked just four innings, allowing three runs on three hits and four walks.
The command was undoubtedly Pinales’s biggest issue on the night. As 30 of the 67 pitches he threw were balls, that’s a 44% ball percentage for those counting at home.
To his credit, the right-hander was able to limit the damage thanks to four strikeouts and generating 11 whiffs on the night, good for a 16.4% Whiff%
Offensively one of San Diego’s No.1 Prospect & the No.9 prospect in baseball per MLB Pipeline, Ethan Salas laced a double down the first baseline for his lone hit on a 1-for-4 night.
It’s been a bit of a slow start for Salas in High Single-A ball in 2024. He has posted 78 wRC+ while punching out 30% of the time this season. Still, at just age, there have been encoring signs such as a 12.9% BB%. Salas also threw out a runner from behind the dish.
Other strong offensive performances would come from Tyler Robertson, who had a 1-2 night, with the lone hit being a double. Robertson now has a wRC+ over 190 for the season, a 459 wOBA, and a .600 Slug%.
Devin Ortiz would also homer, a solo shot in the top of the 5th, in a 1-4 night. His wRC+ is now over 120 for the 2024 season.
San Antonio Missions- Double-A (Loss 3-2 to Corpus Christi Hooks) (6-2 on the season)
- Austin Korb, 5 IP, 3 Hits, 6 Ks, 1 ER
- Jakob Marsee: 2-for-5, 2B
- Nathan Martorella: 1-for-5
The San Antonio Missions would fall in walk-off fashion by the final of 3-2 to Corpus Christi Hooks.
Austin Korb started on the mound and turned in a quality pitching performance. The Padres’ No.15 prospect worked five innings, allowing one run on just three hits while fanning six. Korb registered a 16.2 SwSrt% and generated 12 Whiffs on the night. The high strikeout night is nothing new to Korb, who, going into Tuesday night’s start, claimed ownership of 28.6% K%.
Other top Padres prospects, Nathan Martorella & Jakob Marsee, would shine on the night. Marsee would go 2-for-5 on the night including a double in the top of the third inning.
It’s been a bit of a slower start for Marsee, as he has just a .655 OPS and 66 wRC+ to this point. Still, even with those struggles, he has managed to post a BB% of 17.8 percent in 41 PAs this season.
Meanwhile, for Martorella, the power-hitting first basemen would go 1-for-5. Martorella currently ranks third in the Texas League with a 217 wRC+ while also posting a 22.2% BB% and .532 wOBA, both of which are also in the top three among all Texas League hitters.
Both RBIs on the night would come from Connor Hollis, as the Mission’s Shortstop walked with the bases loaded in the top of 4th and recorded an RBI single in the top of the 6th inning.
El Paso Chihuahuas- Triple-A (12-4 win v. Albuquerque) (7-9 on the season)
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Graham Pauley, 3 BB’s & run scored
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Bryce Johnson, 2-for-3 HR & RBI
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Luke Bachar, 2 IP 1 H, 2 K’s
For our final stop along the Padres Tuesday night farm tour, we pull into Triple-A El Paso, where the Chihuahuas made light work of the Albuquerque Isotopes by the final of 12-4.
Padres No.9 Prospect Graham Pauley has continued to produce at a high level since his demotion. Tonight, he drew three walks and came around to score while batting in the cleanup spot. Since being sent down, Pauley has posted a wRC+ >145, an OPS of .994, a .632 Slug%, and a BB% over 10.0%.
In total, four Chihuahuas would have multi-RBI: Mason McCoy, Kevin Plawecki, Nate Mondou, and Bryce Johnson.
Of the group, Johnson had the most notable day, as his three-RBI performance featured a single and a towering solo home run to right field in the 1st.
On the pitching end of Tuesday night’s Affair, El Paso would employ the services of five different Chihuahua arms as Jay Groom, Nick Hernandez, Luke Bachar, Kevin Kopps, and Matt Festa would all work innings.
The group would combine to strike out eight and allow just four runs on the evening. A rather impressive feat at the launching pad that is Southwest University Park.
Bachar day would impress most as he would earn the win and lower his ERA to 0.90 in IPs this season in Triple-A.
Wednesday’s probable pitchers
El Paso- Ryan Carpenter
San Antonio-Â Jared Kollar
Fort Wayne- Jagger Haynes
Lake Elsinore- TBD
Proud San Diego Native. Attended Sonoma State University, where I received my bachelor’s degree in communications; following my graduation, I returned home to San Diego, where I have worked in the local San Diego media sports scene since 2020.