Padres Have Some Hope Going Forward On Prospect Front

The San Diego Padres are known for having a thin farm system, although they did have noteworthy success with catcher Ethan Salas, who blazed through their minor league system, then contributed at the major-league level and into the playoffs. 

The Padres got their draft report card from Carlos Collazo of Baseball America, and it reflects an ongoing level to bolster different positions and areas to compensate for the trades made by GM A.J. Preller. It’s an ongoing, uphill battle that never stops, as Preller once agains depleted the system to acquire starters Casey Mize and Robbie Ray at the deadline, even though both came up small in some of the team’s biggest moments. 

Best Hitter: Elliot Lascelles SS

Lascelles was one of the more unusual prospect stories for the Padres this year, as he’s a native of Canada, which isn’t exactly a hotbed for young prospects. 

No matter. Lascelles showed his hitting chops in the MLB Draft League, per Collazo, and he also stood out against the pro arms he faced before the draft. He has a “pure, direct swing with very few moving parts,” the writer added, and Lascelle proved the Padres made a good choice by hitting .321 at Low-A Lake Elsinore, where he hit .321 with a 94.6 percent contact rate at pitches in the zone. 

Finally, he also has plus speed, which put him in good company with a couple of other prominent Pads prospects. Not unexpectedly, Collazo also named Lascelles as making the best pro debut among all of San Diego's prospects.

Best Pitcher: Coleman Borthwick RHP

Borthwick was named as having the best fastball, best secondary pitch and best athlete, so we’ll go a level up there and call him the best overall pitcher. The Florida prep star has already thrown at 100 mph, and he’s shown what Collazo called an elite sense of when to dial it back and throwing the fastball for strikes as well. 

He adds a slider as his power pitch in the mid-80s, and the writer also labeled it a plus pitch. Borthwick was also an outstanding two-way player in high school who showed the ability to move well and hit for power when he wasn’t mowing down hitters from the mound. 

Best Power Hitter: Nu’u Contrades SS

The Arizona State product has been regarded as a hit-first offensive player during his career so far, but he added power this spring by hitting 21 home runs in 53 games.