Organizational Talent Rankings via Baseball America
2012 (8) | 2011 (8) | 2010 (20) | 2009 (29) | 2008 (13)
2012 Affiliate Records
MLB: [76-86] NL West
AAA: [56-88] Pacific Coast League – Tucson
AA: [60-80] Texas League – San Antonio
A+: [69-71] California League – Lake Elsinore
A: [69-71] Midwest League – Fort Wayne
A(ss): [47-29] Northwest League — Eugene
Graduated Prospects
Yonder Alonso (1B); Yasmani Grandal (C); Anthony Bass (RHP); Brad Brach (RHP); Dale Thayer (RHP)
The Run Down
Pitching depth is the best asset of this San Deigo farm system. From the upper levels down to the complex leagues, the Padres’ farm is flush with quality arms. There are high-ceiling arms, and there are safe, high-floor guys, too. That sort of depth is hugely important — strength in numbers usually prevails in the volatile practice of developing pitchers. This top ten, however, is headlined by hitters. Rymer Liriano, Jedd Gyorko, and Austin Hedges all bring high-impact upside for the fantasy game, and Gyorko could be providing plenty of value this season. It might not be the best system in baseball, but it’s a damn good one. We can look forward to this San Diego organization churning out fantasy-relevant talent in bulk for the next few years.
Top Ten Prospects
1. Rymer Liriano, OF: Liriano isn’t the safest prospect in this San Diego system, but his ceiling is the highest, and his fantasy upside is significant. In 2012, the five-tool outfielder hit .298/.360/.443 in 74 games at High-A, before regressing to .251/.335/.377 down the stretch at Double-A San Antonio. Liriano is an impressive athlete, but he’s yet to truly translate his raw tools into big time production on the field. The 21-year-old will return to Double-A in April, where the Padres hope to see developmental strides early on in the 2013 season. Once things start to click for an athlete as gifted as Liriano, it won’t be long before he’s big league ready. ETA: 2014
2. Jedd Gyorko, 3B/2B: Gyorko already has three homers in big league camp this spring. He’s battling Logan Forsythe for the 2B job, and it’s going to be tough for the Padres to keep him down if the continues blasting homers at this rate. Still, questions remain about whether or not Gyorko, a natural third baseman, can cut it up the middle at the major league level. If he can, he’ll be a great fantasy asset at 2B, with the potential to hit 20 homers and post good AVG. If he arrives at third, however, he’ll be painfully average for the hot corner. This is definitely a positional battle worth keeping an eye on for fantasy purposes. Gyroko ranked #21 in my Top 25 Prospects for 2013 post. ETA: 2013
3. Austin Hedges, C: Hedges is a glove-first catcher, which bodes well for his overall baseball future, but not necessarily so well for his fantasy future. Fortunately, his tools at the plate aren’t for naught — in his first year of full-season ball, Hedges showed unexpected pop, hitting 10 homers and posting a .172 ISO. There’s upside here, but it might be several years before Hedges peaks as a hitter. I’ve said it before: be patient with catching prospects. ETA: 2015
4. Casey Kelly, LHP: Kelly is battling with Freddy Garcia for the Padres’ last rotation spot this spring. I wrote about him a few weeks ago in my Top 50 Prospects for 2013 post, where he ranked #37. Click that link for more on Kelly. ETA: 2013
5. Robbie Erlin, RHP: Also on that Top 50 list? Robbie Erlin at #40. The 22-year-old isn’t flashy, but his command is top-notch, and his approach to pitching simply wonderful. Erlin should reach San Diego this year. ETA: 2013
6. Max Fried, LHP: Fried brings the highest ceiling among the pitchers in this system, but he’s yet to throw a professional pitch outside of instructional league, so there’s plenty of uncertainty here. The 19-year-old will bring his impressive frame and arsenal to the Midwest League for full-season baseball in 2013. We’ll have a much better feel for his prospect status after he settles in. ETA: 2016
7. Joe Ross, RHP: Like Fried, Ross brings a higher ceiling than either Kelly or Erlin, but he’s nowhere near as safe. After destroying short-season hitters, Ross stepped up to Low-A Fort Wayne and lost all command of his arsenal. Speaking of that arsenal, the raw stuff is quite good — three potential plus offerings (fastball, curve, change) have Ross looking like a front-end starter. ETA: 2016
8. Matt Wisler, RHP: In a full season at Fort Wayne in 2013, Wisler was awesome: 2.53 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 113/28 K/BB in 114 IP. He doesn’t quite offer the high-impact potential that we look for, but he’s extremely polished and he commands a deep repertoire. Wisler could reach Double-A at age 20, and looks like a good bet to develop into a solid mid-rotation arm. ETA: 2015
9. Cory Spangenberg, 2B: The 2011 first-rounder had a frustrating year at High-A, hitting .271/.324/.352 in only 98 games thanks to injury. A year ago, many saw him as the best 2B prospect in the minors. Now, he’s a few bad months away from dropping off the radar. A quality hit tool and plus speed are Spangenberg’s best assets. He’ll look to get back on track at Double-A in 2013. ETA: 2014
10. Donn Roach, RHP: Roach’s two-seamer is a weapon. With heavy sink and good location, Roach draws loads of groundball contact (3.53 GO/AO between High- and Double-A in 2012). If he continues to pound the lower half of the zone with that sinker, the Padres could find him useful as soon as this season. ETA: 2013