San Diego Padres witnessing big jump from Hunter Renfroe
A San Diego Padres prospect living up to his draft pick and bright spots in weak farm systems are highlighted in the week’s minor league rundown.
Hunter Renfroe didn’t deserve to play in the Texas League All Star Game last season. After a 0-for-4 day with two strikeouts on June 26, 2015, the San Diego Padres outfield prospect was hitting .236 with a .300 on-base percentage and was slugging a measly .370 with two days until the All Star break.
The next day, Renfroe hit a home run and had 10 hits over the next five games. He hit 17 home runs the rest of the season, including three in the Pacific Coast League playoffs after a promotion to Triple-A, and had a .392 weighted on-base average. It’s as if a light bulb came on inside him.
Since that home run last June 26, Renfroe has been the hitter the Padres expected him to be when they drafted him 13th overall in the 2013 draft. Over that span, he’s hit .310/.340/.571 with 26 home runs and a .396 wOBA (through play Tuesday).
Most pundits expected the Padres to struggle this season, and their starting outfield was a big reason why. Aside from subpar defense, the Padres outfield of Matt Kemp, Jon Jay and Melvin Upton was ranked 27th in OBP, 22nd in slugging and 26th in wOBA entering play Wednesday despite an uprising from Upton.
Renfroe won’t be much of a salve this season, but he certainly provides hope for the Padres’ future. If he continues to show the improvements he’s made are legitimate, he could take over in right field next season. Unfortunately, Kemp and his titanic contract will be lodged there until the end of time unless General Manager A.J. Preller conjures up another creative trade.
Renfroe has the lowest strikeout rate (18.9%) of his career, and even though he has a low walk rate (3.9%) to go with it, his future is promising. Place him alongside new Padres prospect Manuel Margot, whom the Padres received from the Boston Red Sox in November’s trade of Craig Kimbrel, and the Padres could have a really good outfield in the near future.
That gets another minor league notes column off and running. This week, rather than focusing on different levels of the minors, the focus will be on teams that haven’t been discussed in previous posts. The reason they’ve been overlooked: the farm systems are terrible.
Next: Trouble in Florida