The Padres system is thin. I will not use any negative terms like stinks or sucks because every time I think that, several players emerge. No team in Major League Baseball has used their minor league rosters as trade assets more than the Padres. Has it worked? Maybe a little bit. But wouldn’t CJ Abrams, James Woods, and MacKenzie Gore look good on their Major League roster now? What about Trea Turner, Max Fried, Josh Naylor, Emmanuel Clase, Ty France, and Brent Rooker? All of these players were traded by AJ Preller. I’m unsure what to say, so I’ll leave it as written.
There are a few players left who I think have the potential to make it to the Major Leagues. Leo De Vries looks like the real deal, and while Ethan Salas really struggled in 2024, the talent is there. I also like Henry Baez. He performed very well this season. Tirso Ornelas is underrated. I liked their draft, but many of the players they selected are high school kids.
In the end, the job of the GM is to get to the playoffs with a chance to win a Championship. Preller has had a decade and plenty of money to make that happen. He’s made it to three post-seasons, including 2024. The furthest he made was the NLCS in 2022. He spent 1.376 billion dollars in the process.
Prospect Snapshot
- Top Prospect: Leo De Vries
- Biggest Mover: Henry Baez
- Biggest Disappointment: Ethan Salas – This might not be fair given his age and assignment, but he hit .206 with a .311 SLG.
- Emerging Prospect: Kale Fountain
1. Leodalis De Vries (SS)
- Highest Level: Low-A ETA: 2026 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 10 SS
- Last Updated: 12/24/2024
- Tools Summary: While he’s only 17, De Vries has star potential with plus power and a natural feel to hit.
As the Padres did with Ethan Salas in 2023, they were equally as aggressive with their 2024 big international signee, Leo De Vries. The 17-year-old shortstop signed for $4.2 million in January and started his professional career not in the DSL or ACL but in Lake Elsinore of the California League.
Leo De Vries is a player with immense potential. His excellent understanding of the strike zone and his discipline in not chasing pitches are signs of a mature player. With his plus bat speed and the promise of future over-the-fence power, Leo could be a force to reckon with as he adds strength. While he may not be a huge stolen base threat, he could post an impressive .280/.350/.475 slash line with 25 plus home runs. The best comparison is Carlos Correa, with Corey Seager being the dream.
The only blemish on De Vries’ season was being placed on the IL with a shoulder strain in mid-August and missed the last three weeks. He should be a full go for spring training in 2025.
2. Ethan Salas (C)
- Highest Level: High-A ETA: 2026-27 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 15 Catcher
- Last Updated: 12/24/2024
- Tools Summary: He was overmatched offensively, and his contact quality indicates that he needs to get stronger.
Ethan Salas was the talk of 2023. Not so much in 2024.
I think we can officially say that he was not ready for High-A. It’s understandable. He turned 18 on June 2 and was the youngest full-time player in the league. In 469 plate appearances, he slashed .206/.288/.311. He slugged 20 points below his OBP! Why they didn’t demote him to Low-A is a head-scratcher. His BABIP indicates that the contact quality is problematic. He is getting the ball in the air, further pointing out that he needs to get stronger.
If you’re looking for positives, he showed solid strike zone control. He struck out 21% of the time while walking 10% of the time. He’s not physically ready for the velocity and the location that High-A pitchers can command.
The raw tools continue to be alluring, but it’s clear that he has a long way to go.
3. Kash Mayfield (LHP, #25)
- Highest Level: DNP ETA: 2027+ Fantasy Ceiling: Top 45 SP with extreme risk
- Last Updated: 12/24/2024
- Tools Summary: He can touch the upper nineties from the left side with a repeatable delivery. He’s a typical high-risk, high-reward player that the Padres like to acquire.
I look forward to the Padres’ first five picks every year. They are just good at finding and acquiring players, particularly young players. That played out in the 2024 Draft when they selected Kash Mayfield. At 6-foot-4, he has the size to log innings and can touch the upper 90s from the left side. His two primary secondary pitches are his slider and change-up, which both flash plus (meaning, he can snap each pitch occasionally, but by no means is he consistent). Plus, he’s athletic with a simple delivery. On paper, it looks great, but it looks even better now that the Padres have drafted him.
Before I get too carried away, he’s still a high school left-handed pitcher. That phylum has one of the worst success records in drafts. I’m unsure why, but the blowout rate has been high. We likely will not honestly know what we have until 2025, so I might jump on him if he falls to the third round in an FYPD.
4. Henry Baez (RHP)
- Highest Level: Double-A ETA: 2025-26 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 50 SP or Closer
- Last Updated: 12/24/2024
- Tools Summary: Baez has good stuff, but his delivery requires some effort, which might suggest a bullpen role.
The Padres signed Henry Baez in 2021, and he started to put things together in 2024, throwing more strikes with an improved curveball and splitter. His fastball, which sits 93 to 95 MPH (T 96), has an excellent ride through the zone. His best secondary pitch is currently his curveball, but once he can throw his splitter for strikes, it’s believed that this will be his principal out pitch, a potential game-changer for his future performance.
His delivery shows effort, and I’m torn about whether he can stay in the rotation. The stuff is good, but he could easily sit in the 96 to 97 range and be dominant in a shorter burst.
Baez is under the radar in most Dynasty Leagues and has a good arm. While there’s a lot still to work on, there could be something here.
5. Tirso Ornelas (OF)
- Highest Level: Triple-A ETA: 2024-25 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 60 OF with upside
- Last Updated: 12/24/2024
- Tools Summary: He hits the ball hard with excellent contact skills. For some reason, nobody talks about him, including the Padres.
I continue to like Tirso Ornelas. He hits the ball hard and continues to make excellent contact and control the strike zone (16.1% strikeout and 9.7% walk rate). He’s been on the Padres taxi squad several times but has yet to make his MLB debut. He turns 25 in March and needs a shot.
I think he could develop into a number four outfielder in fantasy with a chance to hit 20 home runs with a solid batting average and OBP. It bothers me that few people talk about him, including the Padres. Could it simply be prospect fatigue? He was signed in 2016.
6. Victor Lizarraga (RHP)
- Highest Level: Double-A ETA: 2025-26 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 70 SP or Reliever
- Last Updated: 12/24/2024
- Tools Summary: He lacks a plus arsenal and has never had above-average control.
Victor Lizarraga was signed by the Padres in 2021 and has already made it to Double-A. The arsenal is pretty ordinary. His fastball sits in the low 90s, and his curveball and change-up don’t miss as many bats as you would like. He does have funk in his delivery, causing hitters not to pick up his pitches well.
I think the upside is that of a back-of-the-rotation starter or a reliever.
7. Jagger Haynes (LHP)
- Highest Level: High-A ETA: 2026 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 60 SP with upside
- Last Updated: 12/24/2024
- Tools Summary: He’s athletic with raw stuff.
Jagger Haynes was taken in the fifth round of the 2020 draft, had TJS the following season, and did not make his professional debut until 2023. Believe it or not, he’ll be eligible for the 40-man roster at the end of 2024, so the Padres are pushing him hard to see what he has.
Despite a 4.64 ERA, he was pretty good this season. He’s athletic with a fastball that sits 93 to 94 (T 95) with a decent slider and change-up. He just hasn’t pitched much and is still learning the finer points. The delivery is sound and he could even add velocity as he fills out.
Haynes is the type of player AJ Preller drafts—an athletic kid with upside. He then lets their excellent farm system do its job, and then, of course, he moves them. He’s an exciting player and someone who should be monitored.
8. Boston Bateman (LHP, #52)
- Highest Level: DNP ETA: 2027 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 60 SP or bullpen arm with extreme risk
- Last Updated: 12/24/2024
- Tools Summary: He’s a physical left-handed pitcher with a solid fastball and a potential plus curveball. He has a long way to go.
Boston Bateman was the Padres’ second-round pick in the 2024 draft (Pick #52) and signed for well over slot money ($2.5 million on a $1.76 slot). He’s a teenager who is 6-foot-8 and weighs 240 pounds. Mercy!
He’s a left-handed pitcher with a fastball that he can run up to 95 MPH and a curveball that looks pretty good from the video I’ve seen. He did not debut professionally in 2024 and will likely start the 2025 season in Low-A. There’s likely no projection with him, so it will be improving his current stuff and getting him to throw strikes.
He would make an interesting late-round gamble in a FYPD next spring.
9. Ryan Bergert (RHP)
- Highest Level: Double-A ETA: 2025 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 75 SP or bullpen arm
- Last Updated: 12/24/2024
- Tools Summary: He showed better control and an improved slider in 2024. He’s still searching for a pitch to get LHB out consistently.
Ryan Bergert was the Padres’ sixth-round pick in 2021 and signed for slightly over slot money. He repeated Double-A in 2024, showing better overall stuff with much-improved control. He has a three-pitch arsenal with a fastball that sits 92 to 94 MPH (T 95), a slider that looks more like a sweeper, his primary out pitch, and a change-up that needs a lot of work. Left-handed batters are hitting .320, so the pitch is not doing its job.
He’s improved his control to the point that I think he could be a back-of-the-rotation starter or a reliever at the highest level.
10. Cobb Hightower (SS, #88)
- Highest Level: DNP ETA: 2028 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 20 SS/2B with extreme risk
- Last Updated: 12/24/2024
- Tools Summary: He has intriguing speed and power but will not play his first professional game until age 20.
Cobb Hightower was the Padres’ third-round pick last July. He was one of the oldest high school players taken at the draft. He turns 20 in March, and based on the lack of the Complex League as an option, he’ll play in his first professional game at age 20 in 2025.
He’s a good athlete with plus bat speed and projects being a power-speed player once he gets his career going. As usual, it will come down to how much he hits. His swing looks sound in YouTube videos of him in high school. Take that for what it’s worth.
Despite his age, Hightower looks good on paper, and he’s the type of player the Padres always seem to hit on. I might take a flier on him late in FYPDs. After all, I need a Cobb on my team!
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