Format = Position Player | Age on 4/1/2027 | Highest Level Played | Estimated Time of Arrival
1. C Ethan Salas | 20 | MLB | 2026
A defensive wunderkind behind the dish who signed for $5.6 million as a 16-year-old, Salas erupted with the bat in 2026 and wound up in the majors about six weeks after he turned 20. San Diego’s is often among the most work-intensive reports to write because there’s so much turnover within the system, but Salas has been a cornerstone in the pipeline. This should be his last time on the list. He might even push for rookie of the year in a class that could be a little light on guys who earn early playing time.
2. SS Elliot Lascelles | 19 | A | 2031
Canadian prospects can present unique scouting challenges that sometimes help them slide in the draft, and San Diego would likely argue that’s what happened with Lascelles considering they signed him for about $2.8 million, almost double the slot value of $1.56 million. A left-handed hitter at 6’1” 181 pounds, he debuted in Low-A and flashed his fast hands (and feet) in slashing .321/.406/.429 with six stolen bases in 15 games. AJ Preller’s approach to roster building kind of demands that he find gems like these, but his front office is so good at the finding part of the job that it’s a totally realistic way to run an organization.
3. RHP Coleman Borthwick | 18 | NA | 2031
A corner-infield thumper at 6’6” 245 pounds, Borthwick has a legitimate two-way path if pitching doesn’t work out for him. San Diego clearly thinks it will, having selected him 21st overall and signing him for $3.8 million. He was up to 98 mph with the fastball before the draft, breaking off 85 mph sliders to get late-count whiffs. We haven’t seen his pro debut yet, but he was dominant against high-end competition on the draft circuit and has ace-level upside.
4. OF Alex McCoy | 25 | AA | 2027
AJ Preller has a few types. One of them is enormous people with surprising athleticism for their size. Enter McCoy, an undrafted free agent who played one year at Hofstra after spending two with Maryland-Eastern Shore, a school that plays in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. At 6’6” 260 pounds from the right side, McCoy will have to mash every step of the way to keep his name in the conversation. So far so good on that front, as he debuted by slashing .315/.393/.521 with seven home runs and 14 steals in 58 games across two levels and followed that up with 19 homers and 24 stolen bases in 123 games across High-A and Double-A, where he slashed .314/.360/.467 with four home runs and three steals in 25 games. There’s a water-finding-its-level feel to this guy; I’m not sure we’ve seen his best yet.
5. OF Ricardo De La Paz | 17 | DSL | 2032
Another off-the-bus all-star at 6’4” 235 pounds, De La Paz signed for $325,000 and slashed .375/.596/.563 with just ten strikeouts in 15 games before a labrum injury ended his season early. Look, it’s never great to overreact to a couple weeks of baseball, but if that labrum issue doesn’t linger, De La Paz will wind up on a lot of my rosters next season.
6. SS Jorge Quintana | 18 | A | 2030
Signed for $1.7 million with Milwaukee in 2024 as the highest paid player in their class then got dealt to San Diego along with Nestor Cortes and cash in exchange for Brandon Lockridge. Kind of an odd trade, but Milwaukee had a pile of pitchers and wanted to shuffle the deck. It’s a little concerning to see the Brewers cash in their chips this early regarding Quintana, but he remains a high upside teenage infielder at 6’2” 183 pounds, and he’s playing against older guys in Low-A, where he’s about two years younger than the league-average age. He played shortstop just about every day in 2026 and stole 29 bases while slashing .234/.328/.367 with a 28.2 percent strikeout rate. I’m not sure he makes any other top ten list, but here he is at the six.
7. 2B OF Gabriel Teran | 19 | DSL | 2031
At 5’8” 160 pounds with a signing bonus of REDACTED (seriously, I cannot find this, but it’s probably not a lot), Teran doesn’t have the highest upside on the face of the earth, but he looked the part of a pop-up prospect this year in the Dominican Summer League, slashing .323/.558/.455 with three home runs and six stolen bases in 43 games. If he can maintain anything close to those plate skills (43 BB v 28 K) in full-season ball, he’ll move through this system as fast as his physicality allows.
8. LHP Kruz Schoolcraft | 19 | A | 2030
With the 25th pick in the 2025 draft, San Diego took another towering pitcher with good velocity and an excellent changeup. At 6’8” 229 pounds, Schoolcraft has the frame to be incredibly deceptive if he can find the right delivery in terms of extension and balance. His debut season in Low-A was no walk in the park (1.828 WHIP in 79.1 IP), but he was three years younger than league average and could just as easily have spent the season on the complex. Tall guys take longer. High school kids with big velocity take longer. This might be a slow ride, is all I’m saying. Not the kind of prospects who’s best evaluated by outcomes, at least for the near term.
9. 3B Abraham Bastidas | 20 | CPX | 2031
Another guy who signed for a bonus that wasn’t publicly disclosed (is that street-legal?) Bastidas hit right away, posting a 135 wRC+ in his debut season and slashing .262/.489/.459 with three home runs and five steals in 20 games during a follow-up season that was cut short by injury. At 6’0” 175 pounds with smooth athleticism, he features the kind of profile you could imagine landing just about anywhere on the infield.
10. 2B Nu’u Contrades | 23 | A | 2029
If you’re not enormous and athletic, you can catch the Padres’ eyes by being an undersized right-handed infielder who hits the ball more than he misses it, and that’s presumably why San Diego selected Contrades in the sixth round this year. A contact hitter with plate skills and four years of college experience, he figures to climb the system in a hurry and may open 2027 in High-A after posting a 102 wRC+ in 24 Low-A games this summer.
Thanks for reading!
