Fort Wayne, Indiana

The San Diego Padres‘ High Single-A team, the Fort Wayne TinCaps, defeated the South Bend Cubs 9-2 on Saturday.

The lineup for Fort Wayne featured three top 30 prospects in the Padres’ farm, as well as two others pitching. The battery included both Padres No. 1 prospect Ethan Salas and No. 3 prospect Dylan Lesko.

Star Padres Pitchers Turn in Dominant Performances

Right-handed pitcher Dylan Lesko looked elite in his five innings of work. The top prospect has struggled a bit recently with command but has been tough to hit when in the zone.

Lesko looked untouchable through the first four innings and ended up giving up three hits and four walks. However, the righty racked up seven strikeouts through five innings, showing off the dominant stuff that makes him such a highly touted prospect. Lesko features a 70-grade changeup that was instrumental in the 16 swings and misses from opposing hitters Saturday.

Another top-30 prospect that threw Saturday is flame-throwing righty Bradgley Rodriguez. Rodriguez is currently ranked No. 28 in the Padres’ top-30 list and appeared for two innings of relief. He threw two no-hit innings, walking two and fanning three while featuring a fastball running up to 99 miles per hour.

Pair of Top Padres Prospects Showed Off Power

Another two top-30 prospects showed off their easy power tonight. No. 27 prospect Jay Beshears was at shortstop Saturday night, and he, along with No. 1 prospect catcher Ethan Salas, had multiple hits.

Beshears combines high-level bat-to-ball skills with 50-grade power. The former Duke Blue Devil went 2-for-4 Saturday with a hard groundball single to left and a shot off the wall in left. Beshears has not missed a beat since getting to Fort Wayne. The infielder is hitting .400 and has an OPS of 1.138 since getting called up to Fort Wayne earlier this week.

Finally, the other half of an elite battery on Saturday night, Padres’ No. 1 and overall No. 6 prospect Ethan Salas. The 17-year-old went 2-for-4 Saturday as well. In the sixth, Salas roped a pitch down the right field line and shot a ball easily into the left-center field gap for another in the eighth.

Salas showcased an incredibly smooth swing allowing him to show pop to both sides of the field.

A solid sixth for the 'Caps! pic.twitter.com/oiKMeqdms9

— Fort Wayne TinCaps (@TinCaps) May 19, 2024

These prospects showcased many different tools that will hopefully allow them to become major contributors in San Diego. Saturday’s complete performance should give Padres fans plenty of hope moving forward.

Joseph Hartzell