Padres Minors: Down on the Farm: Recap August 1st/2nd
Monday
Nick Torres, RF, Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas 2-4, 1 RBI, 1 K
With the promotion of Jabari Blash to the big league club following the trade of Matt Kemp, Nick Torres earned himself a promotion as well as the outfielder was sent from the Missions to the Chihuahuas. Torres has had a successful season and has moved quickly through the Padres organization. While Manuel Margot and Hunter Renfroe are the two guys to watch in terms of the next promotion to San Diego, Torres may not be far behind. The fourth outfielder label has long been attached to him, but this year he’s really done a lot to show his worth as a potential piece of the Padres future. Only time will tell.
Franchy Cordero, CF, Double-A San Antonio Missions 4-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Speaking of players who have done a lot to prove themselves this year, Franchy Cordero has really opened some eyes. Hitting .316 with the Missions, the shortstop turned center fielder has really built up his stock with his performance this season. Once Manuel Margot reaches the big leagues, likely in 2016, Cordero could be the next guy in line for the Triple-A team.
Brett Kennedy, RHP, High-A Lake Elsinore Storm 6 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K
To continue the theme here, Brett Kennedy is another player who has really emerged for the Padres this year. Drafted in the 11th round last year, Kennedy was promoted to High-A after only 28.1 IP in Low-A ball. So far with the Storm Kennedy has been just as good, accumulating a 3.39 ERA in just under 80 innings in High-A. It remains to be seen what his long-term future is, but Kennedy has certainly drawn some eyes with his performance so far.
Austin Smith, RHP, Low-A Fort Wayne Tincaps 3.1 IP, 10 H, 9 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Sadly the trend of exceeding expectations ends there, as Austin Smith had perhaps his worst start of the year for the Tincaps. Just when it seemed Smith was getting it together, with only 4 earned runs over his last six outings, Smith imploded on Monday night. Smith has had plenty of flashes of brilliance so far this season, but his poor performances have overshadowed those leading to his 5+ ERA. The talent is still there and Smith has the potential to be a long-term rotation piece if he can work out the kinks.
Tuesday
Austin Hedges, C, Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas 2-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI
With Derek Norris still a Padre and service time issues at the forefront, it now appears that Hedges will not see big league playing time until 2017. While this is sad for fans waiting to see him at the big league level, it is the best long-term strategy, like it or not. Although Hedges has cooled off significantly lately, if he continues to light up Triple-A pitching he’ll only solidify his position on the big league team next season.
Brad Wieck, LHP, Double-A San Antonio Missions 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 K
As of late it seems no Padres farm hand has been more dominant than left hander Brad Wieck. After giving up only seven earned runs in 41 innings to start the year with the Storm, Wieck has been even better with the Missions, giving up only one earned run over his first 13.2 innings. In 24 and a third innings since giving up two earned runs on June 12th, Wieck has given up only one earned run. If Wieck keeps up this performance, it may not be long before he is dominating batters in the Padres bullpen.
Franmil Reyes, RF, High-A Lake Elsinore Storm 4-6, 1 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI
Reyes got off to a bit of a poor start this season but he has picked it up as of late, slashing .351/.419/.622 over the last ten days. There’s still a lot of work to be done to draw some real attention to his performance, but Reyes finally seems to be on the right track again.
Jean Cosme, RHP, Low-A Fort Wayne Tincaps 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
When the San Diego Padres traded Odrisamer Despaigne to the Baltimore Orioles and got Jean Cosme in return, no one imagined Cosme would amount to much of anything. However, Cosme has surprised just about everyone, as he has excelled in just over 80 innings with the Tincaps this year. Cosme has done a strong job of limiting walks while accumulating strikeouts, keeping his ERA around 3.50 in the process. Cosme still isn’t much of a sterling prospect in traditional terms, but he could open up some more eyes if he continues to improve.
Fernando Tatis, SS, AZL Padres 2-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 SB
Cristian Machuca, LHP, DSL Padres 7 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 4 K
I can’t claim to know much about most of the players that play for the Padres Dominican Summer League affiliate, but this was a strong performance for Machuca, who has struggled with an ERA just shy of 6.00 over his 40 plus innings this year.
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.