Padres Minors: Down on the Farm- Recap August 3rd/4th
Credit: MiLB
Wednesday
Brandon Morrow, RHP, Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas 0.2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 K
Sadly it appears more and more likely that Brandon Morrow’s career as a major league pitcher is coming to an end. After a successful start to the 2015 season, Morrow got injured and did not pitch again for the remainder of the year. He has yet to see big league action since last May and may never see it again. His 7.50 ERA is bad by any standard, let alone for a player who is a former big leaguer looking to return to the show.
Dinelson Lamet, RHP, Double-A San Antonio Missions 4.1 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 10 K
Of all the Padres pitching prospects, Lamet may be the most frustrating because of his up and down performances. After a string of somewhat consistent starts, Lamet struggled on Wednesday, giving up four earned runs and walking three. However, as with almost every Lamet start, there were bright signs too, as the right hander struck out 10 batters in just over four innings of work. If he can cut down on the walks and mistakes in general, Lamet could be a good option out of the rotation long-term for the Padres.
Jerry Keel, LHP, High-A Lake Elsinore Storm 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
After getting off to a slow start in terms of innings this year, Keel has ramped up his work load quite significantly as of late. After a strong beginning of the season in Low-A Fort Wayne, and seven out of eight starts with two earned runs or fewer, Keel got the promotion to High-A. In his first start for the Storm Keel looked fairly impressive, surrendering only two earned runs and five hits over six innings. The walks are obviously somewhat of an issue, but Keel showed much better command in his time with the Tincaps. The profile may not be pretty, but there is some starter potential there long-term.
Blake Rogers, RHP, Low-A Fort Wayne Tincaps 4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 K
In what was probably his most impressive performance of the year, last year’s 37th round draft pick Blake Rogers looked strong in four innings in relief of Jacob Nix. There’s still quite a bit of work to do, but this marks a big step forward for a guy who has struggled this season.
Ben Sheckler, RHP, AZL Padres 3.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R (2 ER) , 2 BB, 4 K
Thursday
Manuel Margot, CF, Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas 5-6, 2 HR, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 4 R and Hunter Renfroe, RF, Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas 3-5 1 HR, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 4 R
The Padres outfield of the future looks very bright. Both Manny Margot and Hunter Renfroe had huge nights for the Chihuahuas, combining for three home runs, six runs batted in, and eight runs scored. The Chihuahuas may have lost on the night, but both Margot and Renfroe proved that Padres fans have a lot to look forward to in 2017. Both could, and really should, be All Star caliber players one day.
Walter Lockett, RHP, Double-A San Antonio Missions 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 5 K
Coming in relief, Walter Lockett was strong for the Missions. After three years of struggles between rookie ball, short season ball, and low-A, Lockett has finally put it together this season. After 45 innings of 3.00 ERA ball in Low-A, Lockett earned a promotion to High-A, where he put up an even better 2.98 ERA in 66.1 innings. Through his first 25 innings in Double-A the story has been much the same. After toiling in the Padres system for several years after being drafted in 2012, Lockett may finally be emerging as a real long term major league possibility.
Enyel De Los Santos, RHP, High-A Lake Elsinore Storm 3.2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Speaking of frustrating pitchers, Enyel De Los Santos may fall in the same boat as Dinelson Lamet. While the numbers may look strong on the night, De Los Santos was unable to get out of the fourth inning due to his high pitch count, 76 pitches in less than four innings of work. De Los Santos has shown lots of promise this season, but he needs to be more consistent if he’s going to crack a big league rotation one day.
Thomas Dorminy, LHP, Low-A Fort Wayne Tincaps 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Now speaking of pitchers who have stood out this year, Thomas Dorminy has taken a big step forward in a similar way that Walter Lockett has. Dorminy has struggled since being promoted to High-A, but his strong showing in Low-A was impressive. There’s obviously some kinks to work out for the 2014 10th round draft pick, but there are some encouraging signs in this performance.
Cal Quantrill, RHP, SS Tri-City Dust Devils 2.2 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 4 K
After getting hit around in a bit in the AZL, Cal Quantrill had a strong showing in his debut with the Tri-City Dust Devils. There’s still a lot of work to do in his bounce back from tommy john surgery, not to mention he’s still years away from being big league ready, but this was another important milestone checked off for the right hander.
Mason Thompson, RHP, AZL Padres 1 IP, 1 BB, 1 K
Dan Dallas, LHP, AZL Padres 1 IP, 2 H, 2 K
Reggie Lawson, RHP, AZL Padres 1 IP, 2K
All three 2016 Padres draft picks made their debuts on Thursday night, and all three looked effective in their single innings of work. While the Padres rotation may look kind of shaky at present, it certainly looks like it will have a very bright future indeed.
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.