Listing teenage prospects within the Padres’ system
Credit: Bill Mitchell/Baseball America
18-year-old prospects
Hudson Head- (OF) Born: 04/08/2001
The Padres got first-round value from Head when the selected him in the third round of the June draft and paid him well beyond his slot value. He has gap power from the left side of the plate, where he has shown impressive ability early. Head is a terrific athlete who could remain in centerfield moving forward.
Joshua Mears- (OF) Born: 02/21/2001
Mears is built very well and provides plenty of power from the right side of the batter’s box. He is a work in progress with his swing, which can be a bit long and unorthodox. The outfielder needs help with route-running and recognition but has decent arm strength.
Junior Perez- (OF) Born: 07/04/2001
The Padres are starting to get excited about this young outfielder. He put up a .861 OPS in 51 games for the AZL Padres. He slugged 11 homers in that time and also stole 11 bases. The right-handed hitter does swing and miss a lot, and has some plate discipline issues, but there are some real positives to his future abilities.
Bodi Rascon- (LHP) Born: 02/03/2001
In the 14th-round of this year’s draft, the Padres paid over slot value to sign this talented young pitcher out of Texas. He has a terrific fastball and plus size. There are reports he has an edge about his game, and it sounds like he may be a quick riser through the organization.
Angel Solarte- (OF) Born: 03/29/2001
The Padres have patiently been waiting for this right-handed hitter to blossom. 2019 may have been a minor step in that direction as he unlocked some of the power from his frame, slugging four homers in 53 games for the AZL Padres 2. He is not a speed burner, though he can play centerfield. There is a long way to go for this prospect, who is really raw.
Charlis Aquino- (INF) Born: 11/18/2001
This Dominican youngster presently brings little power to the ballpark, despite being 6-foot-2. The right-handed hitter is showing decent hand-eye coordination with his swing though he can be a bit aggressive. There are defensive concerns with this young infielder who need a lot of work.
Frank Lopez- (RHP) Born: 04/23/2001
Armed with a terrific fastball and a decent idea of how to pitch is this young pitcher from Venezuela. He should get a taste of full-season ball this summer and could be a player who grows with better coaching. He does not have great size for a pitcher but does have impressive arm speed with his delivery.
Miguel Rondon- (RHP) Born: 01/26/2001
Right-handed pitcher Miguel Rondon is showing excellent arm speed and control at an early age. He is not the biggest pitcher (5-foot-11) but still gets the most from his motion. He has struck out 98 batters in 90.1 career innings in the minors. Rondon spent last season with the AZL Padres, where he was 3-2 with a 3.79 ERA and a 1.338 WHIP.
Jesus Gonzalez- (LHP) Born: 06/12/2001
This left-handed pitcher from Venezuela throws strikes, and that is very useful. He is a small pitcher (5-foot-10), but he keeps the ball down. He has only allowed two homers in 99 career innings at the minor league level. Gonzalez spent most of last season in Peoria but did get a taste of Fort Wayne, going 1-0 in his lone start by allowing one run in five innings pitched.
Edgar Martinez- (RHP) Born: 02/26/2001
In 92.1 career inning at the minor league level, this Cuban pitcher has struck out 94 batters and maintained a 3.12 ERA. He generally gets ahead of hitters and could be a factor for the team soon at the upper levels. He has blossomed but still is slightly rough around the edges.
Carlos Guarate- (RHP) Born: 03/30/2001
This young pitcher is showing great poise. The 6-foot-2 pitcher got a taste of full-season baseball last year with the TinCaps and impressed some in the organization. He is a strike-thrower, which is a common theme with most of these young teenage arms.
Cristian Heredia- (OF) Born: 04/12/2001
Prospects from Spain are rare, and Heredia is one to keep an eye on for the future. He has some power to his bat but does need to refine his approach at the plate. The outfielder recorded a .339 on-base percentage in 366 at-bats since coming to the States. With plus arm strength, he projects as a right fielder.
Wilfredo Tovar- (C) Born: 11/13/2001
Signed in July of 2018, this catcher has some serious offensive ability. He put up a .892 OPS last year in the DSL in only 65 at-bats. The right-handed hitter just turned 18 and will likely start the 2020 season in Peoria. He only adds to the Padres’ incredible catching depth.
Willmert Paula- (INF/OF) Born: 09/30/2001
This left-handed hitter stands in at 6-foot-2 and can play multiple positions, which is valuable in itself. The Dominican has performed all over the infield as well as the outfield. He shows some power from his swing and also will steal a base when needed. Paula should rise in time through the ranks.
Axcel Peralta- (1B/OF) Born: 10/24/2001
Blessed with great size (6-foot-4) power is not an issue for this left-handed hitter from the D.R. Peralta has some swing and miss to his game, but the power threat is legit. He is very raw with the bat and with the glove and will likely need to repeat the DSL in 2020 as he just turned 18.
Jairo Iriarte- (RHP) Born: 12/15/2001
He just turned 18 and has already put up respectable numbers in the minors. Iriarte went 1-2 last year with a 3.31 ERA in 12 games, and 35 innings pitched at the DSL level. He struggles with command slightly and will need to refine that to be considered a prospect.
Enrique Page– (RHP) Born: 01/07/2001
At 6-foot-7, this Dominican has excellent size and a plus arm. He has battled arm issues and has yet to make his debut for the Padres since he was signed in August of 2018. The big pitcher should debut in 2020 if all breaks correctly for him.
Anthony Nunez- (INF) Born: 07/10/2001
29th-round pick this past June out of a high school in Miami, Nunez played decent in his first taste of pro ball. He put up a .364 on-base percentage in 38 games and 117 at-bats for the AZL Padres 2 team. He has a long way to go but is showing some potential early.
Yerry Landinez– (INF) Born: 01/20/2001
This 6-foot-1 switch-hitter has plenty of power, but also swings and misses a lot. The Venezuelan outfielder struck out 75 times last year in only 163 at-bats in the AZL. He is a long shot to progress unless he makes some significant amendments to his swing.
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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.
Mr.dodge is right we need to be patient .stop trading guys like turner away .pods have called up alot of young talent,so have the cubs ,dodgers.rizzo was a padre.i believe that its more as bout the owners being patient .but if you want betts ,you will hsve to give up a yates and hosmer salary to sign him.maybe move richards to the pen and let castillo start.there are a few guys still ou th there.is cashner still available.
How many of the 16-year-olds from 2016 (or ’17, or ’18) did you think should have stuck by now?
It’s nice to see such a young crop of talent coming up… But seriously, we’ve been talking about prospects their talents for years now. When is SOMEONE (homegrown) gonna stick???
Lowell! Ole Miss = “Olay Miss” If you get what I’m saying ; )
I could not agree with you more. All we have heard the past few seasons is prospects and the best farm system in the major leagues. Where is the hitting? We traded away 60 plus home runs. For what? We traded away a young second baseball for another 213 hitter
San Diego get ready for a 75 win season with the pitching staff you currently have.
Tatis stuck.
Paddack stuck.
Luchessi stuck.
Lamet stuck.
Reyes stuck and helped us get Trammell.
Munoz stuck.
Quantrill, Baez, Naylor, France, Bednar, Bolanos, and possibly Gore and Patino are all positioned to produce next year.
Prospects are a numbers game. You need 10 good ones to yield 1 good major leaguer. Not sure where people get their expectations.
Love reading about the young talented Padres! Keep the pipeline going! Credit to the GREAT scouts who, while behind the scenes, are making the organization better every day! Keep working young Padres! You will be in the Big League soon!
Intriguing topic, and article. Thanks
You are welcome. Thank you for the support to the site.
James,
What ever happened to a young pitcher named Partida? I dont see him listed in any of your prospect lists, but it seems like he had a lot of promise at one time.
He was hurt all of last year… I like him very much. I probably should have included the 19-year-old left-handed pitcher. Good call.