With the Padres in need of some more thump in their lineup, an internal option is making noise. 

Sometimes the best trade acquisition comes from within the organization.

The San Diego Padres, in their quest for a consistent option in left field, have seen eight different players take reps at the position.

Veterans like Jason Heyward, young players like Tirso Ornelas and Brandon Lockridge, and utilitymen like Tyler Wade (and the one-game cameo from Jose Iglesias) have all seen time out there. The team’s most productive option has been Gavin Sheets, but Sheets probably should see more time at first base or DH, especially after his collision with the outfield wall on June 1. While the Padres aren’t necessarily in a mad dash to find a left fielder, why not give a strong performer at Triple-A a shot at the bigs. 

In El Paso, Trenton Brooks is having an impressive campaign after signing a minor league deal with the Padres back in November 2024. Brooks has been one of the Chihuahuas’ most potent bats in a playing environment that greatly benefits offense. In 56 games in El Paso, Brooks has posted a .312 batting average, .417 on-base percentage, and .615 slugging percentage for a 143 wRC+. By these measures, he has been 43% better than the average batter at Triple-A, even with the adjustment for park factor and league offensive environment. Brooks isn’t lacking in the power department either, having connected on 14 home runs and driven in 53 runs. 

Trenton Brooks serves up a bomb with a side of lime! pic.twitter.com/Hhr4wVj3A7

— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) May 23, 2025

So, who exactly is Trenton Brooks?

Born in Alpine, Brooks attended Granite Hills High School before playing his college ball at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Taken in the 17th round of the 2016 MLB Draft by Cleveland, Brooks didn’t see a full season of playing time until 2018, and even then, he remained a standout offensive performer. Brooks saw most playing time before the 2020 minor league shutdown in the corner outfield, while adding first base to his resume in 2021.

After a 2022 season in which he posted a 123 wRC+, Brooks was a minor league free agent and signed with the then-Oakland A’s, with whom he posted a .299/.405/.529 slash line for Triple-A Las Vegas before being traded to the Giants in exchange for Sean Newcomb. Brooks remained with the Giants through 2024, where he made his MLB debut. Brooks went 3-for-25 in his brief Giants tenure, walking four times and failing to connect on an extra-base hit.

Brooks signed with San Diego in November, and while he has seen more time as a first baseman/DH with El Paso, he has over 2546 innings of play in the outfield over his minor league career. Brooks has played in either right or left field over his career, and defensively, he has played well in a small sample of left field work with the Chihuahuas. 

The real calling card with Brooks is his plate discipline. His eye at the plate is one of the sharpest in the Padres’ minor league system this season. Brooks has drawn walks at a 14.7% rate, in the 88th percentile of all Triple-A batters this season. His strikeout rate sits at a measly 16.3%, which would put him in the 80th percentile of Triple-A batters.

In short, Brooks doesn’t strike out, walks a lot, and as if the offensive profile didn’t get better, he pulls the fly ball. Brooks has one of the highest pull rates and pulled fly ball rates in all of Triple-A, pulling the baseball on 47.1% of batted balls. He also pulls fly balls on a staggering 25.9% of batted balls, which has led to this impressive power surge he displayed against the Albuquerque Isotopes. In six games, Brooks slugged five home runs, drove in 16 runs, and reached base at a .500 clip.

A series for the history Brooks ??

Trenton Brooks is your Truly Nolen Player of the Week AND the Pacific Coast League Player of the Week. pic.twitter.com/7pnpDq4HUC

— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) June 9, 2025

So what does all of this mean? Brooks has a chance at being a Major League-caliber starting outfielder with good plate discipline and some thump in his bat. Yes, that does stay starting outfielder; Brooks has hit .321 with a 1.078 OPS against right-handed pitching this season in 140 at-bats, and he has held his own against left-handers as well, slashing .292/.392/.538 for a .930 OPS. Four of Brooks’ 14 home runs have come off left-handers, and he has walked 11 times compared to 13 strikeouts against southpaws. 

No we didn’t repost, BROOKS JUST HIT ANOTHER

Brooks now has back 2 back games with two homers pic.twitter.com/66VYf5Jukm

— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) June 9, 2025

The San Diego Padres are clearly looking for some more depth in their lineup to keep the impressive pace they have been on, despite their outfield being hit hard by the injury bug. With his strong performance over not only the start of the season, but also recent games, Trenton Brooks could be a temporary (or long-term) solution for his hometown team.

Diego Garcia

A born and raised San Diegan, Diego Garcia is a lifetime Padres fan and self-proclaimed baseball nerd. Diego wrote about baseball on his own site between 2021-22 before joining the East Village Times team in 2024. He also posts baseball content on his YouTube channel “Stat Nerd Baseball”, creating content around trades, hypotheticals, player analyses, the San Diego Padres, and MLB as a whole.

A 2024 graduate of San Diego State, Diego aims to grow as a writer and content creator in the baseball community.