Padres Organization Players of the Week: September 9-15

Here are the top performers of the week in the Padres organization.

Farm batter: Taylor Trammell (AA)

Were you expecting someone else? Trammell made headlines on Sunday with his go-ahead grand slam in the top of the ninth in the decisive Game 5 of the Texas League Championship. His salami aided the Sod Poodles in clinching that championship in their inaugural year of existence. It’s not very often a minor league moment gets its highlight on the Padres official Twitter account, but this was a special occasion.

Championship Series. Winner take all. Top 9. Down 2.

Taylor Trammell is THAT DUDE. #PadresOnDeck pic.twitter.com/fohHRWkSXK

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 15, 2019

Aside from the dramatic, game-winning grand slam, Trammell put together a solid week in the championship series, with a .941 OPS, a triple and another home run. Padres fans have high expectations for Trammell since he was acquired in exchange for Franmil Reyes, a fan favorite. It’s encouraging to see Trammell coming through in the clutch in high-pressure situations as a minor leaguer because the pressure will only increase as he fights for a big-league spot, perhaps sometime next season.

Farm pitcher: Luarbert Arias (A-)

If this is your first time seeing Luarbert Arias’ name, allow me to introduce you to the 18-year-old Venezuelan. The Padres signed him in July of 2017 and saw limited action last year down in Rookie ball. He started this season down in Arizona as well before a 3.68 ERA in 12 games earned himself a promotion to Short Season Tri-City. He made just one regular-season start for the Dust Devils, allowing one run in five innings.

On Monday, he started Game 3 Northwest League Championship Series. Tri-City fell to Hillsboro in that game and in that series, but it was no fault of Arias’. His six shutout innings was the best pitching performance this week by any minor league playoff team the Padres still had playing. He will likely start next year in Tri-City as well but don’t be surprised if he finds himself in Fort Wayne before too long.

MLB batter: Luis Urias

It’s about time. Luis Urias has languished in the big leagues this year for the better part of two months without much success. People were beginning to wonder if Urias had what it takes to succeed at the big league level. Those doubts are at least put on hold for the moment as Urias has come out swinging in September, hitting .375 with a .969 OPS. This week, he launched his third home run of the season and is in the midst of a nine-game hitting streak.

Wicho homer ✅

9-game hitting streak ✅@Padres lead ✅

Luis Urías making things happen!#FriarFaithful pic.twitter.com/jeZqjzx7k9

— Bally Sports San Diego (@BallySportsSD) September 15, 2019

This is a small sample size of success, but perhaps this is what Urias needed to boost his confidence and realize his potential as one of the best pure hitting prospects in baseball. With two weeks left in the year, Urias can build a lot of rapport with the fans by finishing strong heading into the offseason, before a possibly contentious battle for the second base spot next season.

MLB pitcher: Chris Paddack

For the second straight week, Paddack stood out above the rest of the starting pitchers. He has now put together three straight starts of one run or less while striking out at least seven each time. Baseball-Reference.com’s Game Score metric rated this start as Paddack’s fourth-best outing among his 25 starts. This start was also against the Chicago Cubs, with their talented lineup in the middle of a playoff hunt.

Paddack’s season is winding down, but he has become one of the best rookie starting pitchers in Padres history.

For those asking. This is an all-time list of #Padres rookie starting pitchers‘ ERA+ (min. 10 starts). Chris Paddack has the 7th-highest ERA+ in franchise history for a rookie SP. pic.twitter.com/yN4Ok5rQWc

— Nick Lee (@NickLee51) September 11, 2019

That stat was before his start against Chicago. His ERA+ is now at 125 which is good enough for sixth on this list of best seasons by a Padres rookie starter.

Nick Lee

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.