Padres Prospects Show Potential In AFL All-Star Game

The San Diego Padres may have a thin farm system, but that didn’t prevent a trio of key  prospects from playing in the Arizona Fall League All-Star game and doing reasonably well, according to a followup report from Jesse Borek and Tim Cowley of MLB.com. 

The three prospects in question were right-hander Kannon Kemp, outfielder Alex McCoy and shortstop Justin DeCriscio, per the writers. 

Kemp got a fairly long look for this kind of game, as he pitched for 1-1/3 innings. He entered the game in the third inning with the bases loaded, and he yielded what the writers called a “loud and deep” fly ball to get out of the inning. 

He then turned in a 1-2-3 fourth inning in which the 22-year old prospect showcased his velocity and power pitching. He touched 99.3 mph, according to the writeup, and got three strikeouts with a total of eight swings.

McCoy has been showcasing his power, and he participated in the league’s home run derby over the weekend before the game. His results were mixed, as he grounded into a double play in his first at-bat, then singled in the ninth to improve his line for the game. 

DeCriscio was perhaps the most impressive in the fundamentals department, as he laid down a perfect squeeze bunt in the eighth inning to give the NL squad a lead they wouldn’t relinquish as they went on to get a 7-4 win. The RBI single came off his bat at 15.1 mph, per the writers, and he also flied out to right in the ninth inning. 

It was a satisfying overall performance from a team that needs them. The Padres’ prospect buzz basically ended when catcher Ethan Salas was promoted, but Salas made the team’s minor league season a success as he proceeded to show he belonged once he blazed through the upper levels and got to Petco Park. 

One interesting footnote to this game is about the farm system as a whole and effect the new ownership group will have on this. The Padres have mostly been working the margins with their minor league approach to date, going all in on prospects like Salas but failing to sign players to provide depth from there. 

GM A.J. Preller has been successful with this as he trades for big-league talent at the deadline, but it would be nice to see the new owners give him more ammunition going forward after the lockout.