Down on the Farm: June 15- The Dust Devils Are Back!
Ryan Schimpf– 3B, Triple-A, El Paso Chihuahuas
2-4, 1 HR
It’s June 15 and Ryan Schimpf is in Triple-A. If you asked me before the season, I would have said there was a pretty good chance that Schimpf would be playing for a team other than the Padres. I just didn’t think that team would be the Padres Triple-A affiliate in El Paso. With that being said, Schimpf hit another home run on Thursday, his second in his first week back with the Chihuahuas. Even more surprising, Schimpf got a single for a second straight night, and he also didn’t strike out, which are both positive developments for a guy who seemed to be about as much of a three true outcome guy as is possible.
Ty France– 3B, Double-A, San Antonio Missions
2-3, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB
In the Padres’ farm system, there are the top prospects and the “other guys”. So far this season, France is doing everything in his power to move from the latter category to the former. A 34th round pick in the 2015 draft, France has always had a lot to prove as a professional baseball player. With a somewhat odd profile and no real position on the diamond, France hasn’t drawn many eyes through his first two years of pro ball. With that being said, France is earning himself plenty of recognition with his solid play this year, first in Lake Elsinore and now in San Antonio. France is now hitting .328 since joining, and although he isn’t walking at all, he is doing plenty of damage at the dish.
Eric Yardley– RHP, Double-A, San Antonio Missions
1.1 IP, 1 K
Eric Yardley has very quietly been one of the best pitchers in the Padres’ organization, giving up only nine earned and striking out 30 batters in 34 and 2/3 innings this season. Yardley has parlayed this dominant performance into his first All Star appearance.
Ruddy Giron– 3B, High-A, Lake Elsinore Storm
2-5, 1 2B
After gaining a considerable amount of helium with a strong showing with the Fort Wayne TinCaps in 2015, Giron has just not been the same player for the last year and a half. At this point, Giron is trying to keep his head above water in Lake Elsinore, as the 20-year-old is slashing just .233/.307/.321 on the season. However, considering he is still so young, it’s difficult to be too hard on Giron, who still has a lot of time to develop and grow long-term.
Jesse Scholtens– RHP, High-A, Lake Elsinore Storm
9 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
For what it’s worth, Jesse Scholtens wasn’t supposed to be this good. Originally drafted in the 9th round, Scholtens has been impressive over his first 60-plus innings split between Fort Wayne and Lake Elsinore. After earning a promotion to Elsinore, Scholtens hasn’t skipped a beat, accumulating an ERA between 3.00 with over a strikeout per inning. It remains to be seen if Scholtens has rotation potential long-term, but he has been one of the more surprising performers early in the season.
Marcus Greene Jr.- C, Low-A, Fort Wayne TinCaps
2-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI
I have an irrational love for Marcus Greene behind the plate. The bat is nice too. He may get lost in the Jorge Ona, Fernando Tatis, Hudson Potts, etc. hype, but he’s a pretty good prospect himself.
Ronald Bolanos– RHP, Low-A, Fort Wayne TinCaps
6.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
At just 20 years old and pitching in full season ball, Ronald Bolanos has had his ups and downs early. With that being said, he has been impressive of late, pitching at least five innings and giving up two earned runs or fewer in each of his last three starts. Last night was his most impressive start yet, as the right-hander went deeper in the game than he ever has and maintained his consistency throughout the evening.
Josh Magee– LF, SS, Tri-City Dust Devils
2-4, 1 2B, 1 3B, 4 RBI
The Tri-City Dust Devils are back and the kids wasted no time putting on an offensive show. Led by Josh Magee, who had a two RBI double and a two RBI triple, the Dust Devils put up six eighth inning runs on their way to a 10-4 victory. Luis Asuncion had three hits and a home run while Justin Lopez had two hits and two RBI himself. In total, the Dust Devils collected fifteen knocks, which included five players with multi-hit games. All in all it was a successful season debut for the Devils, who will see Adrian Morejon make his professional debut tomorrow night.
Emmanuel Ramirez– RHP, SS, Tri-City Dust Devils
5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Speaking of the Dust Devils looking good on Thursday night, right-hander Emmanuel Ramirez got the opening game nod and did not disappoint. Sadly he didn’t get the win due to the Dust Devils’ late inning comeback, that honor went to Austin Smith, but he still had a good showing overall. Ramirez has had some ups and downs over his first few years in the Padres organization, but hopefully this is the start of a solid string of successes going forward.
Bryan Torres– SS, DSL Padres
2-4, 2 R, 1 3B, 1 RBI
Carlos Valenzuela- RHP, DSL Padres
5 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 8 K
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.
I find it interesting, guys like Ty France. Yes, he can be considered an “other guy” compared to the top prospects. But there are guys like France do appear and do well. How much consideration does the organization give him in terms of a future at the big league level. Do they think of his potential as utility player-type.