Padres Triple-A Struggles Reflect Poor Prospect Development

The San Diego Padres has a rough year at the Triple-A level, as the El Paso Chihuahuas finished with one of the worst records across the upper level at 60-90. Their record was particularly bad in the second half, as the Chihuahuas dropped to 25-50 after finishing the first half within shouting distance of .500 at 35-40. 

This isn’t necessarily a disaster, but it’s certainly not good. Most good teams like to maintain at least some semblance of a winning mindset in the minors, but that’s not integral to how the Padres roll. 

San Diego is about trading prospects, and El Paso reflects this mindset. The offense actually wasn’t that bad, which isn’t surprising given that the PCL is a league where hitters go to flourish. The Padres afflliate finished sixth in the league in OPS, fifth in runs scored and sixth in home runs, with Nick Solak leading the way with 80 RBIs. 

Then there’s the pitching. The Chihuahuas allowed 1,025 runs while scoring 882, which was a -143 run differential. The staff as a whole pitched to an ERA of 6.28, with Oklahoma City leading the PCL at 4.30, which says a lot.

That leaves us with the prospects, and there were some positive developments there. Catcher Ethan Salas was the big name, as the backstop completed his successful run through the minor leagues after standing out at Double-A San Antonio. 

Salas needed just 24 games at El Paso to show he was ready. His slash line was .326/.410/.539, with three home runs and 24 RBIs. Salas also reached base in 22 of his 24 games, and he quickly started hitting with the Padres after a brief slump when he first settled in. 

The catcher’s defense has always been there, but he used Triple-A as a brief proving ground by gunning down nine potential base stealers in 17 games behind the plate. Salas did look a little overwhelmed at the highest level in playoff competition, but that’s mostly a matter of time and experience.

The only other significant prospect consistently mentioned in reports is Braedon Karpathios, the Padres’ No. 19 prospect who was promoted after hitting well for San Antonio. Karpathios wasn’t added until late in the season, but he did show potential by hitting 268 with 17 home runs and 73 RBIs in 120 games. 

Outfielders Samad Taylor and Jase Bowen did use El Paso as a stepping stone, with Taylor standing out for the Padres and Bowen proving to be a reliable defensive outfielder. That's not great, but at least it's something.