Down on the Farm Weekly Review: August 7-13- Tatis, Lauer & Ruiz Developing
Franchy Cordero– CF, Triple-A, El Paso Chihuahuas
11-30, 1 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 6 R, 9 RBI, 20 TB
It seems like I write about Franchy Cordero every few days, and nothing has really changed. The strikeout problem is still readily apparent, but Cordero is continuing to do his part at the plate. Depending on the Chihuahuas’ playoff position, Cordero should get a good amount of time on the big league roster as a September call-up. However, with so many outfielders and so little playing time, I would be surprised if Cordero gets much playing time in the big leagues this year. Despite this, Cordero still has a shot at playing time in 2018 if he can make the necessary improvements at the plate in his next big league stint. The defense and speed are there, and there’s potential in the bat if he can cut down on his strikeout problem.
Cory Mazzoni– RHP, Triple-A, El Paso Chihuahuas
4.1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
Right-hander Cory Mazzoni has very quietly come back from injury and has looked great in the process. After falling off the face of the earth following a poor 2015 season, Mazzoni threw only one inning in 2016 before making his 2017 debut in the AZL in late June. After striking out 17 batters in 10 innings pitched with the AZL Padres two affiliates, Mazzoni saw himself moved up to Triple-A. So far since that move, Mazzoni has not given up a run in 10 and a third stellar innings. More importantly, Mazzoni has struck out 16 hitters while walking just two hitters. It remains to be seen where Mazzoni goes in 2018 and beyond, but he has September call-up written all over him.
Eric Lauer– LHP, Double-A, San Antonio Missions
6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
It would be easy to write about Enyel De Los Santos a second time after his stellar outing this weekend, but I thought I would give a shout-out to left-hander Eric Lauer. Things haven’t been easy for Lauer since his Double-A promotion, with 22 earned runs and five home runs given up in just 39 innings pitched. Despite his struggles, Lauer has looked solid in his last two outings, combining for just one earned run and seven strikeouts over the last 11 innings. Since joining the Missions, Lauer’s walk rate has risen while his strikeout rate has sharply fallen, as he is clearly struggling against better competition. Lauer still looks like he has a future as a big league starter, but it’s clear he is more back-end starter than anything else.
Fernando Perez– DH, High-A, Lake Elsinore Storm
10-26, 1 3B, 2 HR, 4 R, 10 RBI, 18 TB
I just had to write about Fernando Perez for two reasons: 1) there wasn’t much else going on offensively in Lake Elsinore this last week, and 2) he hit two home runs and drove in seven runs during Sunday’s comeback win by the Storm. That’s impressive even for a player who is probably a non-prospect.
Fernando Tatis Jr.- SS, Low-A, Fort Wayne TinCaps
8-20, 1 2B, 2 HR, 5 R, 5 RBI, 15 TB
No surprises here, Fernando Tatis Jr. continues to impress. It’s hard not to get excited about Tatis at this point, as he not only set the TinCaps’ franchise record for home runs this week, but he also became just the second player in the entire minor leagues to hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases this season. Despite all this success, he’s still just 18 years old and playing in Low-A. There is a lot of time between now and when he is in San Diego.
Pedro Avila– RHP, Low-A, Fort Wayne TinCaps
8 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 17 K
Holy crap, did Pedro Avila come out of nowhere this week. Sure, he’s sported strong strikeout rates all season and has put together a string of strong starts, but I don’t think anyone expected a 17 strikeout performance from Avila this week. In fact, Avila single-handedly broke Padres Twitter with his performance, as we all collectively ignored the big league team for a while to discuss his performance. Avila hadn’t done much to raise his prospect stock before this outing, but you have to think 17 strikeouts at least moves the needle a little bit.
Tre Carter– OF, Short Season, Tri-City Dust Devils
7-24, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 R, 2 RBI, 10 TB
The Padres have their fair share of toolsy outfielders; Buddy Reed, Michael Gettys, and several others spring to mind, but Tre Carter may be the most electric of them all. If there was one cliche to describe Carter the best, it would be athlete. Not only does Carter have great speed, but he also plays solid defense in the outfield with some good potential at the plate. He’s still a pretty raw talent, but he’s had his flashes of brilliance this season.
Osvaldo Hernandez– LHP, Short Season, Tri-City Dust Devils
6 IP, 4 H, 1 R (0 ER), 0 BB, 6 K
Although Adrian Morejon was clearly the better talent on the international market during last year’s signing period, I like fellow left-hander Osvaldo Hernandez a lot. Despite having some success with the Dust Devils to start the season, Hernandez found himself in the AZL, where he made two decent starts before earning his way back to Tri-City. Hernandez looked great in his first start back in what was probably his best start of the year. He’s a little behind Morejon now, but he could find himself following in his footsteps if he can put up more consistent performances going forward.
Esteury Ruiz– 2B, Rookie League, AZL Padres 2
9-20, 2 3B, 1 HR, 4 R, 5 RBI, 15 TB
There was a lot of hype attached to Esteury Ruiz when he was first acquired from the Kansas City Royals last month, but it was necessary to keep expectations grounded given the fact that he 18 years old and in Rookie ball. After struggling in his first several games with the team, Ruiz has caught fire in recent weeks. He has shown great potential at the plate, both in his hit tool and in his power. Expectations will remain high given who he was traded for, but Ruiz has lived up to expectations to this point.
Luis Patino– RHP, Rookie League AZL Padres
5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 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.
Not sure how you can say that Lauer is “clearly” a backend of the rotation guy based on a handful of starts after a promotion, considering he’s obviously figured it out over the last couple of starts. I don’t think it’s a good idea to be using definitive statements on this blog.
Just going based off of all the things I have heard from scouts and evaluators I have talked to and read. Is there a possibility for more? Sure. But the likely result is Lauer as more of a backend starter than anything higher. And that’s not a bad thing or a knock. Just realistic.