Padres Organization Players of the Week: August 5-11

Here are the top performers of the week in the Padres organization.

Farm batter: Ty France (AAA)

France has been lightning the PCL on fire all season putting up numbers you might see on “easy mode” in the video game MLB The Show. His batting average for the season is now at an astonishing .403 with a 1.267 OPS, both of which lead the Pacific Coast League. This week, he hit an absurd .500 with two separate four-hit days. On Saturday, he went 4-for-5 with two doubles, a home run, and three RBI.

We'd say Ty France is putting up video game numbers, but we're not even this good at video games. 🎮

The @epchihuahuas slugger now has 27 homers in 73 @MiLB games this year, and he's batting .403 with 87 RBIs.

Check him out on the @Padres Top 30: https://t.co/z72mEGzFCU pic.twitter.com/bKdl9J1xnT

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 11, 2019

France is one of the most feared sluggers in Triple-A this season, also with 27 home runs and a 199 wRC+. Surely the only reason why he is still in Triple-A is that the Padres have a player named Manny Machado. France is having one of the best minor league seasons you will ever see.

Farm pitcher: Javy Guerra (A+)

It’s time to give Javy Guerra some credit. He came to the Padres as a touted shortstop prospect from Boston and never realized his potential at the plate. He was a shortstop in the Padres organization as recently as last season with El Paso, where he hit .223 with a .666 OPS, less than inspiring numbers. Now, Guerra is trying to reinvent himself as a pitcher as he has always had an electric arm. So far, the results have been encouraging with a 4.50 ERA in 14 appearances for Lake Elsinore.

FINAL: STORM 4 | 66ERS 1

Storm get back in the win column as LHP Aaron Leasher picks up his 10th Win of the season and OF Jeisson Rosario hits his 2nd HR. To make it even better RHP Javy Guerra records his 1st Save! #TheLake pic.twitter.com/U3krpXCZGr

— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) August 10, 2019

This week, he tossed two shutout innings amid a four-game scoreless streak, and he has allowed just one run in his last eight appearances. He notched his first professional save in the Storm’s win on Friday night. His fastball flirts with 100 MPH, and if he can hone his control, he could quickly become a valuable asset to the Padres in some form. Kudos to Guerra for taking the leap of faith to switch to pitching and so far, it has panned out.

MLB batter: Francisco Mejia 

The Padres’ catching situation constantly seems in flux. Mejia is starting to separate himself, especially with the week he had. He had multi-hit games and scored a run in every game he played in, including two three-hit days. Since returning to the Padres on June 18, he is batting .336 with six home runs, 13 RBI and a .981 OPS. For the season, his average is now at .280 with a 100 wRC+ and a 0.6 WAR (via FanGraphs).

"It's a beautiful summer day, so why not take a trip to the beach?" 💣

-Francisco Mejia#FriarFaithful | @Padres pic.twitter.com/u6sOhzC2YE

— Bally Sports San Diego (@BallySportsSD) August 11, 2019

He is slowly taking playing time away from Austin Hedges, who appeared in three games this week. It seems as if the Padres are going to give Mejia a fair evaluation and so far, it is paying off. He shows abilities at the plate that Hedges is yet to display. His defense still a work-in-progress, but his bat is starting to come to life in a big way.

MLB pitcher: Dinelson Lamet

Lamet has had a rocky start to his comeback campaign from Tommy John surgery. In his first five starts, he owned a 5.09 ERA. On Tuesday night in Seattle, he nearly made Padres history, taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning before allowing a single after 6 1/3 innings of no-hit ball. He ended up getting the victory thanks to his career-high 12 strikeouts with zero earned runs in seven innings. He is the latest of several Padres recently to flirt with the franchise’s first no-hitter.

Dinelson Lamet, 12Ks in 25 Seconds. pic.twitter.com/10KVpV4IG3

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 7, 2019

On Sunday, it did not start well but Lamet managed to navigate through five innings without a run against the Rockies. Unfortunately, he allowed a two-run homer in the sixth innings, spoiling what was turning into a second straight stellar start. He still struck out seven with just two earned runs but the Padres were not able to pick up his mess in the sixth as the Friars lost. Despite the disappointing ending, Lamet now has a 1.50 ERA in two August starts.

Nick Lee

Native of Escondido, CA. Lived in San Diego area for 20 years. Padres fan since childhood (mid-90s). I have been writing since 2014. I currently live near Seattle, WA and am married to a Seattle sports girl. I wore #19 on my high school baseball team for Tony Gwynn. I am a stats and sports history nerd. I attended BYU on the Idaho campus. I also love Star Wars.