Down on the Farm: July 22- Schimpf Homers Twice & Ramirez Dominant in Tri-City

Ryan Schimpf– 3B, Triple-A, El Paso Chihuahuas
2-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K

Before being sent down to Triple-A way back in mid-May, Ryan Schimpf was probably the weirdest offensive player in baseball, as he seemed to walk, strike out, or hit a home run in more than half of his at bats. Prior to being sent down, Schimpf even had more long balls than singles, a feat which is really hard to accomplish over even part of a season. Since joining the Chihuahuas, it’s been much of the same for Schimpf. In five trips to the plate last night, four of them ended in one of the three true outcomes. On the season for the Chihuahuas, Schimpf has homered 12 times, walked 20 times, and struck out 51 times. He has actually singled five more times than he has homered, so he is a little less weird, but it seems like eventually the Padres will be forced to bring Schimpf and all his weirdness back to the majors.

Joey Lucchesi– LHP, Double-A, San Antonio Missions
8 IP, 6 H, 1 R (0 ER), 0 BB, 4 K

After a few solid, but not great, outings to start his run with the Missions, Lucchesi had perhaps his best start of the season last night. Lucchesi pitched through the seventh inning on three separate occasions this season, but this was the first time the left-hander made it into the eighth inning. The line doesn’t look dominant by any stretch, but the important thing is Lucchesi is getting the job done. He may lack the raw talent of Cal Quantrill and Eric Lauer, but Lucchesi’s deceptiveness from the left side really gives him an advantage that the other two don’t have, which allows his stuff to play up. Those three will be inextricably linked as they progress through the system, but so far Lucchesi is making his own name for himself.

Trey Wingenter– RHP, Double-A, San Antonio Missions
1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

No relief pitcher in the Padres’ system has been better than right-hander Trey Wingenter this season. And I’m including Brad Hand in that assessment as well. Through his first 34 and two-thirds innings with the Missions, Wingenter, who is 6’7” and over 200 pounds, has struck out 48 batters to just 15 walks, and more importantly, has given up just six earned runs all season. After having a strong season split between the TinCaps, Storm, and Missions last season, Wingenter is taking it to a whole new level this year. If this keeps up, the 23-year-old could be a very important part of the Padres’ future bullpen.

Austin Allen– C, High-A, Lake Elsinore Storm
1-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Another day, another home run by Austin Allen. The defense is still a work in progress behind the plate, but Allen just keeps excelling at the plate. He may be in San Antonio sooner than we think if he keeps up the hot play at the dish.

Mason Thompson– RHP, Low-A, Fort Wayne TinCaps
5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K

Just as the trio of Eric Lauer, Joey Lucchesi, and Cal Quantrill will also be linked together based on when they were drafted and where they pitched together, so too will the names of Reggie Lawson and Mason Thompson be linked together. While these two lacked the polish of the previous trio, most obviously because both were coming out of high school in last year’s draft rather than college, both Lawson and Thompson have made great strides as this season has progressed. The numbers don’t really jump out at you, but this is fairly obviously Thompson’s best start of the season, and also follows Lawson’s best start of the season. These two are certainly feeding off each other, which is a good thing for Padres fans who want to see both of these guys as big pieces of the team’s future.

Hansel Rodriguez– RHP, Low-A, Fort Wayne TinCaps
2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

It’s never a fun thing to watch a prospect fail in their position. Whether it’s a positional player who needs to change positions, or a starting pitcher who needs to be moved to the bullpen, it’s always a tough adjustment to make. The key as an organization is knowing when to make that sort of move, and the Padres have definitely made the right call in moving right-hander Hansel Rodriguez into the bullpen. Acquired from the Blue Jays in the Melvin Upton trade, Rodriguez began the season as a starter, but gave up bunches of runs and walked too many batters. After being moved into a bullpen role over the last month or so, Rodriguez has been lights out working in shorter stretches, striking out nearly two batters per inning over the last week or so. It’s unclear if Rodriguez remains in this role long term, but the Padres may have found themselves another relief ace.

Aldemar Burgos– LF, Short Season, Tri-City Dust Devils
1-4, 1 RBI

In what was a quiet night for the Dust Devils at the plate, left-fielder Aldemar Burgos got the game-winning single in the bottom of the 10th inning. Burgos is hitting below .200 over his last 30 days, but maybe this game-winning hit will trigger something for the young outfielder.

Emmanuel Ramirez– RHP, Short Season, Tri-City Dust Devils
9 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 10 K

What an outing by Emmanuel Ramirez last night. Sure, he’s a 23-year-old playing in short season ball, but it’s an impressive performance nevertheless. In 48 and a third innings with the Dust Devils, Ramirez has struck out 46 batters to just nine walks while giving up only 14 earned runs. Ramirez also saw some time with the TinCaps, although he had less success in that stint.

Sam Keating- RHP, AZL Padres
2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Nick Margevicius- LHP, AZL Padres
3 IP, 3 H, 3 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 6 K

Tucupita Marcano– 2B, DSL Padres
3-4, 3 RBI, 1 R

Other News and Notes

• San Antonio Missions second baseman Luis Urias left Saturday night’s game with an apparent ankle injury. Although nothing official has been announced, the Padres Director of Player Development was quoted as saying the injury could sideline Urias for around 10 days. And just when he was starting to get hot again.
• Javier Guerra got his first hit with the Missions last night, as the young shortstop hit a two-run home run that proved to be the difference in the Missions 3-1 victory. Guerra is now one for his first 13 in San Antonio.
• Travis Jankowski collected one hit in five at bats in his first rehab appearance with the El Paso Chihuahuas. It’s looking like Jankowski could be back in a Padres uniform either late this month or early August. In other Chihuahuas news, Christian Villanueva continues to hit well, as the minor league free agent signee collected three more hits to help the Chihuahuas to a 12-6 victory.
• Rod Boykin collected two more hits, including another home run, for the Lake Elsinore Storm. Boykin is now hitting just shy of .400 since joining the Storm.
• 27-year-old right-hander Cory Mazzoni threw yet another scoreless inning for the AZL Padres in his quest to return to a big league bullpen after a long injury layoff.

Patrick Brewer

Editorial and Prospect Writer for East Village Times. Twenty-five years young, Patrick has lived in San Diego for his entire life and has been a Padres fan nearly as long. Patrick lives for baseball and is always looking to learn new things about the game he loves through advanced stats.