San Diego Padres Top-100 Prospects
Credit: EVT
90- Dan Dallas
This left-handed hurler was drafted in the seventh round, in 2016, out of Canisius High School. He has decent size at 6′ 2″ and great stuff, but has issues with control. Last season Dallas went 1-2 in the AZL Rookie league with a 3.09 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP. He started three of his five appearances last season, throwing 11.2 total innings, striking out 16. He is on the roster once again for the AZL Rookie league, but could get a call to Tri-City later on this year. That depends on how well he harnesses his mechanics.
89-Denzel Gowdy
Gowdy was drafted in the 34th round of the 2016 draft out of Worth County High School. The 20-year-old third baseman has a decent glove, but needs work on his plate discipline. He played last year for the Padres AZL Rookie team, where he put up a .256/.359/.347 batting line in 121 at bats. He only hit one home run, as the adjustment to wood bat can be rough on some youngsters. At 5′ 11″ and 185 lbs, he is no physical specimen, but the right-handed hitter is someone to watch as he grows up.
88- Edwin Moreno
This 23-year-old has made some progression in the last year and a half, but still has some work to do. He slugged 14 homers last season in Lake Elsinore, but also struck out 126 times. The left-handed hitter is just too aggressive in the box. He has walked eight times this year in 182 at bats, while striking out 63 times. He has done that while only producing three home runs, so he clearly needs to adjust his approach.
87- Daniel De La Cruz
At 6′ 6″ and 208 lbs, this right-handed pitcher has a lot of ability. He has a dynamic fastball, but at the age of 19, sometimes has no idea where it is going. He needs to refine his motion and keep consistent with it, or he will always have trouble throwing strikes. De La Cruz has a very live arm and is an interesting prospect, but he is far from contributing at the upper levels of the minors. At 19, the Padres will hope he does just that eventually. He is currently throwing in the DSL.
86- Trevor Frank
The 25-year-old San Diegan is on this list simply because he has performed at virtually every stop in his pro career. Frank owns a career 2.41 ERA in 182 innings, while striking out 196 batters. He has also gone 43 out of 50 in saves chances, including 17 of 19 last year in Lynchburg of the Carolina League (Cle). He was acquired by the Padres during this season’s Rule 5 draft. He was recently a participant in the Cal League All-Star Game, representing the Lake Elsinore Storm.
85- Kyle Lloyd
The 26-year-old right-handed pitcher threw a no-hitter earlier this year, and has performed well in San Antonio. He has thrown well in spurts, but lacks the overall stuff to be considered a top prospect. His age is also a factor. Lloyd got knocked around in El Paso this year in three starts, so it remains to be seen if he can get major league-quality hitters out consistently.
84- T.J. Weir
In 2014, the Padres selected Weir with their 17th round pick. The right-handed pitcher out of Ball State has performed well and should be able to progress through the system as a reliever. He is currently in San Antonio, where he is 2-1 with a 2.66 ERA n 23 innings. After starting the year in Lake Elsinore, Weir is now 3-1 combined with a 2.30 ERA in 43 innings. In that time he has struck out 48 batters, while walking 11.
83- Nick Margevicius
With the 198th selection in the 2017 draft, the Padres took this lefty out of Rider University. His fastball sits at around 90-92 and has decent movement. He features an excellent change that he gets great tumble on. His arm speed on the pitch is advanced and the change is clearly his best pitch at the moment. He signed for $160,000 and is ready to start his pro career. He could advance quickly if he shows the ability to command his fastball against higher level hitters.
82- Alex Cunningham
The Padres selected another starting pitcher with their 9th-round pick, as they took Cunningham out of Coastal Carolina. The right-handed pitcher has an easy arm action and a smooth delivery. He is not a physical presence on the mound, but does challenge hitters with a low 90’s fastball with decent movement. He hides the ball really well and throws an above average change and a developing curve ball.
81- Trey Wingenter
The San Antonio Mission have three solid left-handed pitchers in their pen with Brad Wieck, Kyle McGrath, and Trey Wingenter. At the moment, Wingenter owns a 2.83 career ERA in 101 inning pitched. He has struck out 114 batters in that time and recorded 14 saves. This season he has struck out 33 in 24 innings pitched, featuring a mid 90’s fastball with excellent sink and a plus curve. At 6′ 7″, he is an imposing force on the mound.
PAGE 3 LINK BELOW
James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.
Well done! It would be amazing if this was an annual or semi-annual update. The potential staff arms we have in the system now make the prospects for the next 3-5 years pretty exciting.
This piece will be updated every 4 months… Next update will be in late September or early October… Thank you
I know these are supposed to be minor league players, but one with very good potential as a hitter is recent Rule 5 pick, Allen Cordoba, who probably should be in Lake Elsinore instead of the big league roster. Look for him to shine in the minors in 2018.
On the pitching side, you might have missed one big arm – Jose Galindo. Walk rate a little high, but he seems to have the tools to be an impressive pitcher.
I’d put both those guys within your top 100.
Galindo is a great call. He was on the radar… Cordoba will no longer be considered a prospect after this season even though he may start in the minor next year. Thank you for the comments.
Do you expect Paddack to get some innings late in the season?
Early reports have Espinoza throwing in Elsinore in late July, Any news on that?
Who do you see as the offensive centerpiece of this lineup in ’20, you could call the Correa/Bryant middle of the lineup masher, is he not in the system, or do the Padres get him in the ’18 draft with someone like Beer/Baker?
Never mind just him
I might have missed him but I did not see Reggie Lawson? Still, great piece James. Enjoyed reading it
thank you, he’s there…
James,
Very much enjoyed reading about the prospects. What has become of the pitcher from Taiwan
that was signed, Wen-Hua Sung ? I think he was at the Peoria Complex in the Fall…but, I
have not read anything lately. Also, he is not on either of the Arizona League teams ?
I think he is in the AZL, not sure… I’ll try to find out for you
Thanks for putting together such a comprehensive overview of the Padres farm system! It’s great to hear about the other guys not named Quantril, Morejon, Urias, etc. Avid listener of your podcast too!
Keep up the great work!
Thank you, we appreciate the support
Another great job by the hardest working Padres fan on the internet!
Thanks for your great work, Mr. Clark (once again).
Haha. Thank you.
Not sure what’s crazier, you going 100 prospects deep or me reading about them all? 🙂 Great job James, the prospects just keep coming!!!
Thank you… I’m crazy about the Padres and apparently so are you.
James … I just want to thank you far all that you do for EVT. I have been a Padre fan for many years and I appreciate the present and the hope for the future which you help to provide.
Thank you so much. Very much appreciated…