Padres Down On the Farm: June 26 (Valenzuela Hot June Continues)
San Diego Padres affiliates went 3-1 on Wednesday.
Here is a recap of the day’s events.
El Paso Def. Round Rock Express 2-0 (33-44, 4th PCL West)
*Gabe Mosser: 6 IP, 2 Hits, 5 Ks
Gabe Mosser has continued to put together an impressive month-plus on the mound for El Paso. The 2018 27th-round pick from Shippensburg University worked six innings on Wednesday night, allowing just two hits while punching out five.
Mosser has owned a 3.45 ERA and 4.01 FIP in his past five starts while punching out 17.4% of hitters. Those numbers will only improve after tonight’s outing.
No, Mosser does not possess blow it by your stuff, as shown by his low K%, 9.0% SwSrt%, and 29.8% O-Swing%. However, he has excelled at getting ground balls.
El Paso Mosser has posted a 44.3% GB% this season while keeping hitters from elevating with a 30% FB%—a very solid number for a pitcher in the PCL.
Alek Jacob would come in for relief following Mosser and have another quality outing. The right-hander would work 1 ⅔ innings, allowing two hits but punching out two. Jacob owns a solid 24% K% in 2024.
With a number of Padres bullpen arms continuing to struggle, Jacob may once again get a chance at the big leagues sooner rather than later.
At the Plate, Cal Mitchell’s strong 2024 would continue has he peppered the ball for a three for four day at the dish. Mitchell has pieced together a solid season with a 117 wRC+ and .478 wOBA. He has also done a better job of elevating the ball this year, increasing his FB% by 2% this season.
Mitchell has also shown strong plate discipline numbers, rarely casing or swinging and missing, with a 9.7 SwSrt% and a BB% of 13.5%, all while posting a Z-Contact% of 85.2%.
When balls are in the zone he attacks, but he is still seeing the ball well enough to take his walks and not chase outside the zone.
San Antonio Missions Win 2-1 Over Rockhounds (33-37, 2nd TEX South)
*Omar Cruz: 4 2/3 IPs, 1 ER, 9Ks
2024 has been a good season for Mission’s left-hander Omar Cruz.
That strong 2024 season would continue on Thursday night for the south-paw as he would work four ⅔ IPs in relief, allowing one run on one hit, but would strike out nine.
The strikeout has the backbone of Cruz’s strong year, as he has punched out 32.7% of hitters he has faced this season while posting just a 6.4% BB%.
Cruz’s nasty-ness can also be explained by his ability to get hitters to chase, as he owns a 21.4% Chase%, 32.7% Chase Swing%, and 33.6% Whiff%.
Cruz had been on a bit of a rough patch in his last four outings, as in his last four outings, he had an ERA of 5.84. So, Thursday night’s performance steered things back in the right direction.
Padres No.11 Prospect Brandon Valenzuela would continue his slug-filled June, as he would go one for four with a double. Since June 1, Valenzuela has posted a 177 wRC+, .452 wOBA, and .591 Slug%.
It’s a complete 360 from what the first two months of his season looked like, as From April 1 to May 31, he had just an 82 wRC+ and .302 wOBA.
Lake Elsinore Storm Def. Quakes 7-5 (35-34, 1st CAL South)
* Jacob Campbell: 2 for 4, 3-Run Home Run, 2 Runs Scored
For the Lake Elsinore Storm, Jacob Campbell shined at the dish, helping lead the storm to a 7-5 win.
The Craig High School Alum would go two for four, two for four RBIs and two runs scored, with three of the RBIs coming off a long three-run home run to left in the bottom of the 6th inning.
At 24, Campbell is on the older side for a Single-A player, but he has been impressive this season, swatting six home runs while posting a 117 wRC+, .377 wOBA, and .179 ISO.
Campbell often looks to elevate, as he owns a 43% FB%. However, selling out for fly balls has been rewarded with a HR-FB% of 11.8%
Campbell also possesses some serious slugging capabilities and has shown a strong eye for the dish, posting a 14.2% BB%.
Ethan Long would also chip in with a solid day at the plate, as the ASU alum would go two for four to win a run scored; while Chase Valentine would also post a two hit day two for three day at the plate with an RBI and two runs scored.
For Valentine the two hit day hopeful signals the end of what has been a tough month of June that has seen the 22-year old post just a 75 wRC+, and .308 wOBA.
The silver lining? Even if that cold stretch his plate discipline has remained intact, as he has registered a 16.7% BB% in June.
DSL Padres Brown 7-5 Loss to DSL Twins (3-13 Overall Record)
*Shurland Smith: 2 1/3 IP & 0 ERs
*Jesmaylin Arias: 1 for 3, 2 RBIs
The DSL Padres Brown would fall on Wednesday by the final of 7-5 to the DSL Twins, it was not a game to remember for the DSL Padres Brown offense as they would log just four hits in the loss.
Ramses Velazquez and Jesmaylin Arias would be the only ones to spark the line up, with both coming away with two RBIs knocks in the loss.
On the pitching side of things, it would not be much better. Starter Rordy Mejia would two the rubber to start but would last just three innings, allowing five runs on six hits. It has been a tough start for Mejia in 2024, as his ERA sits at 9.45
In relief, Shurland Smith would try to keep DSL Padres Brown in the fight as he would go 2 ⅓ IP, allowing just one hit and no earned runs.
Tomorrow’s Probable Pitchers:
El Paso: Miguel Cienfuegos
San Antonio: Robby Snelling
Fort Wayne: TBD
Lake Elsinore: TBD
ACL: TBD
DSL Gold: TBD
DSL Brown: OFF
Proud San Diego Native. Attended Sonoma State University, where I received my bachelor’s degree in communications; following my graduation, I returned home to San Diego, where I have worked in the local San Diego media sports scene since 2020.