Padres Organization Players of the Week: September 2-8
Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Here are the standout players from the Padres organization this week.
Farm batter: Ivan Castillo (AA)
| AVG | HR | XBH | RBI | OPS |
| .350 | 1 | 2 | 4 | .931 |
The Texas League playoffs are in full swing. The Sod Poodles are in the thick of things after winning the semifinals. That had a lot to do with the performance of shortstop Ivan Castillo. In the series-clinching Game 5, Castillo hit a three-run home run to seal the deal early, giving Amarillo a 7-0 lead in the second inning. He will lead the Sod Poodles in the Texas League finals against Tulsa. He had at least one hit in each game of the series and added a stolen base and three runs scored.
Your 2019 Texas League Batting Champion… Ivan Castillo
Photo by: @johnemoore3
Design by: @TM_Designs_ pic.twitter.com/YUCeNLHs6j— Austin Hartsfield (@HartsfieldPC) September 4, 2019
Castillo had a solid season overall, hitting .313, winning the Texas League batting title, with a .808 OPS and 124 wRC+. He adds to the list of a deep class of middle infielders the Padres have down on the farm. At age 24, he is more mature than some of the other top prospects San Diego boasts but he has put together a .300 average or better in three straight years.
Farm pitcher: Jesse Scholtens (AA)
| G | IP | ERA | K | BB |
| 1 | 5.2 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
Like Castillo, Scholtens help lead Amarillo into the Texas League finals which start later this week. Amarillo was down two games to one in this series against the Midland RockHounds before Scholtens took the mound. He shutout in Midland in 5 2/3 innings, with seven strikeouts, which boosted the Sod Poodles to the 5-1 win, tying the series which they eventually won. The Sod Poodles likely do not win this series without his effort.
We told y'all it wasn't over.
Jesse Scholtens tossed 5.2 scoreless innings. The bats did their part.
Amarillo forced a decisive Game 5 of the Texas League Division Series tomorrow afternoon in Midland. First pitch at 2 PM.
RECAP: https://t.co/qgeukn5tZm pic.twitter.com/Qd273jTT0W
— Amarillo Sod Poodles (@sodpoodles) September 8, 2019
Overall, it was an up-and-down year for Scholtens in Double-A. In 125 innings in the regular season, he posted a 5.40 ERA in 24 games, 20 of which were starts. His 3.98 FIP suggests he encountered a lot of bad luck this year, perhaps bloating his ERA. Having spent all of this season in Double-A, also with a brief stint in Triple-A last year, he may get his chance to start the 2020 season in Triple-A and earn a start at the big league level.
MLB batter: Wil Myers
| AVG | HR | XBH | RBI | OPS | wRC+ |
| .611 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1.611 | 324 |
What a week it was for the oft-embattled Wil Myers. He was on fire from start to finish. He had back-to-back three-hit games to finish the week, including the walk-off hit that led the Padres to victory on Sunday against the Rockies. In three games this week, he collected an extra-base hit, giving him an astronomical 1.611 OPS in those six games. He also added two stolen bases.
SEND US HOME, WIL!!
THE @PADRES WALK IT OFF!@Padres | #FriarFaithful pic.twitter.com/UDacPn4HMz
— Bally Sports San Diego (@BallySportsSD) September 8, 2019
This has been Myers’ most challenging season as a major league ballplayer. His .242 average and .748 OPS would be career lows in the four seasons he has played more than 87 games. However, it looks like he is finding his groove once again in September, as he is hitting .545 with a 1.455 OPS in seven games this month. He has largely been a disappointment this year, but he has seen his average rise from .211 on July 26th to now .242.
MLB pitcher: Chris Paddack
| G | IP | ERA | K | BB | FIP |
| 1 | 5.1 | 0.00 | 8 | 2 | 1.34 |
Paddack’s 2019 season is certainly drawing to a close, and it looks like he is set on finishing strong. He has allowed just one total run in his last two starts, in 12 1/3 innings pitched. The Padres lost the game to the Diamondbacks, but it was no fault of Paddack’s. According to Baseball-Reference.com’s “game score” metric, that was Paddack’s seventh-best start among his 24 starts this year.
Chris Paddack caps off his start with strikeout No. 8️⃣ on the night.
His final line: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 SO.
Stammen enters & retires the next two batters to keep the game scoreless. To the 7th! #FriarFaithful pic.twitter.com/QTYmpS6e86
— Bally Sports San Diego (@BallySportsSD) September 5, 2019
Paddack will likely only get one or two more starts this year, with his innings total at 129 2/3. Many speculate that his limit is between 130-150 innings. With an ERA+ of 121, he has been far and away the Friars’ best starting pitcher over the entire year, even with some bumps in the road. The 23-year-old Texan seems to be ending his season with a bang.
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.