The San Diego Padres’ minor league affiliates had a plethora of strong performers through the first month of the season. 

Watching the Padres’ prospects develop and work to achieve the dream allows one to experience plenty of impressive performances.

With the opening month of the season in the books, let’s dive into the system’s best performers over April.

We shall begin with the monthly awards before diving into the All-April Team.

Player of the Month: Ryan Wideman, Outfielder, Lake Elsinore

April Stats – .301/.405/.516, .921 OPS, 3 HR, 21 RBI, 17 SB

On a Lake Elsinore team with plenty of standout performers, 2025 third-rounder Ryan Wideman takes the cake. Wideman put on quite a show in April, slashing .301/.405/.516 with three home runs, a whipping 21 RBI, and 17 stolen bases in 22 attempts. Wideman entered the professional ranks with concerns about how his ground-ball-heavy tendencies would translate to the pro ranks, which was evident in his first taste of minor league action last season. Wideman has worked on elevating the ball, and while his 51.2% ground ball rate as of May 4 is still somewhat high, he has made excellent quality of contact on balls in the air. His 28.7% fly ball rate this season is almost double his rate from a comparable sample in 2025. The right-handed hitting Wideman has always had above-average speed, but paired with his baserunning IQ, has taken his game to new heights. Wideman stole 17 bases in 22 attempts in April, the highest total on the Storm and the most in a calendar month in the system since Kasen Wells’ 16 steals last April. Wideman had several signature moments this month, but his multi-homer game against Visalia certainly stands out. 

An inside-the-park homer AND an over-the-wall homer in the same game?!

Yeah, @Padres prospect + @Storm_Baseball outfielder Ryan Wideman is like that ? pic.twitter.com/XhWEjNLufB

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) April 22, 2026

Other players under consideration – Bradley Frye, Lake Elsinore

Pitcher of the Month: Kash Mayfield, Left-handed Pitcher, Fort Wayne

April Stats – 4 GS, 16 IP, 1.69 ERA, 19 K, 7 BB, .082 BAA

This result comes as little surprise, as despite multiple strong performers in April, Kash Mayfield’s season-opening stretch was the stuff of legend. Mayfield allowed one hit over his first three starts of the season, fanning 16 against five walks in 12 innings. Mayfield did not surrender a run until his fourth start of the month against Wisconsin, and he only allowed three runs in the month of April. The left-hander has been able to incorporate his developing slider into his arsenal at a higher rate than last season, and it has allowed him to keep plugging his flat VAA fastball at or near the top of the zone, which has aided him in the whiff department. Mayfield’s standout performance this month came against the Lake County Captains on the road, as he struck out eight batters while walking none in five scoreless innings. 

Kash Mayfield was straight MONEY for @TinCaps today!

5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K
18 whiffs on 56 pitches

An ace-like outing for the Padres No. 3 prospect. pic.twitter.com/NhyWbfEJxK

— Diego Garcia (@StatNerd_Base) April 17, 2026

Reliever of the Month: Javier Chacon, Left-handed Pitcher, Lake Elsinore

April Stats – 6 G, 15 IP, 1.80 ERA, 21 K, 4 BB, .208 BAA

Chacon is an arm who has been with the organization for some time now, having signed with San Diego as an international amateur free agent back in January 2021. The left-hander pitched in six games out of the Storm bullpen, striking out 21 in 15 innings of work against four walks. Chacon has seen time as a multi-inning reliever throughout most of his career, and early on in 2026, he is excelling in that role. Chacon’s performance is all the more notable as he missed most of 2025 due to injury. The left-hander picked up more than three outs in all six of his appearances in April, earning wins in half of his outings. Chacon’s best outing is arguably his April 16 appearance against Stockton, where he struck out six batters in two innings of work. 

And now, onto the team of the month! Below is the breakdown of the All-April team, along with their April numbers. 

Position Players:

Catcher – Ethan Salas (San Antonio) – .308/.375/.508, .883 OPS, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 5 SB

First Base – Alex McCoy (Fort Wayne) – .354/.386/.683, 1.069 OPS, 5 HR, 14 RBI, 5 SB

Second Base – Samad Taylor (El Paso) – .346/.441/.692, 1.133 OPS, 6 HR, 18 RBI, 6 SB

Third Base – Bradley Frye (Lake Elsinore) – .366/.427/.535, .962 OPS, 2 HR, 17 RBI, 8 SB

Shortstop – Carson Tucker (San Antonio) – .320/.382/.460, .842 OPS, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 4 SB

Left Field – Conner Westenburg (Lake Elsinore) – .333/.403/.449, .852 OPS, 0 HR, 13 RBI, 14 SB

Center Field – Ryan Wideman (Lake Elsinore) – .301/.405/.516, .921 OPS, 3 HR, 21 RBI, 17 SB

Right Field – Jake Cunningham (Fort Wayne) – .318/.361/.621, .982 OPS, 5 HR, 21 RBI, 3 SB

Designated Hitter – Jase Bowen (El Paso) – .305/.352/.621, .973 OPS, 6 HR, 16 RBI, 0 SB

Pitching Staff:

Starting Pitcher 1 – Kash Mayfield (Fort Wayne) – 4 GS, 16 IP, 1.69 ERA, 19 K, 7 BB, .082 BAA

Starting Pitcher 2 – Evan Fitterer (El Paso) – 6 G (5 GS), 16.1 IP, 1.10 ERA, 17 K, 7 BB, .210 BAA

Starting Pitcher 3 – Winyer Chourio (Lake Elsinore) – 5 G (4 GS), 17 IP, 2.12 ERA, 26 K, 8 BB, .153 BAA

Starting Pitcher 4 – Carlos Medina (Lake Elsinore) – 6 G (2 GS), 16 IP, 2.25 ERA, 16 K, 2 BB, .230 BAA

Relief Pitcher 1 – Clay Edmondson (Fort Wayne) – 8 G, 9.2 IP, 0.93 ERA, 10 K, 3 BB, .139 BAA

Relief Pitcher 2 – Javier Chacon (Lake Elsinore) – 6 G, 15 IP, 1.80 ERA, 21 K, 4 BB, .208 BAA

Relief Pitcher 3 – Johan Moreno (San Antonio) – 8 G, 13.1 IP, 1.35 ERA, 13 K, 5 BB, .143 BAA

Relief Pitcher 4 – Nick Falter (Lake Elsinore) – 8 G, 14.1 IP, 1.88 ERA, 14 K, 4 BB, .216 BAA

Diego Garcia

A born and raised San Diegan, Diego Garcia is a lifetime Padres fan and self-proclaimed baseball nerd. Diego wrote about baseball on his own site between 2021-22 before joining the East Village Times team in 2024. He also posts baseball content on his YouTube channel “Stat Nerd Baseball”, creating content around trades, hypotheticals, player analyses, the San Diego Padres, and MLB as a whole.

A 2024 graduate of San Diego State, Diego aims to grow as a writer and content creator in the baseball community.