(Photo Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE)
The Padres have grabbed headlines this off season with their complete overhaul of their big league roster. The major overhaul unfortunately came at the expense of their minor league system. Grading on the Curve’s co-editor Devin Sparks took a look at the all of sudden barren system a week ago.
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That doesn’t mean they don’t have impressive prospects still in their system, even with the mass exodus of many top prospects. In 2014 they were plenty of guys who found ways to turn heads. Many of those players were included on MiLB.com’s Padres’ organizational All Stars for 2014. The Padres and new GM A.J. Preller will have to start to rebuild their system, but these five MiLB All Stars should help them along the way.
Trea Turner is still a Padre as of today, but there’s a very strong probability that he won’t be for much longer. He was widely reported to be heading to the Nationals in the three team deal that brought Wil Myers to San Diego. The only issue with this is that Turner was drafted in the 2014 draft and draft picks have to be with the organization they are drafted by for a least one year before they are eligible to be traded. With that being the case the Nationals are receiving a Player to be Named Later from the Padres, who in all likelihood would be Turner. That being said, he’s still a Padre, and possibly their best one at that.
The reason he’s able to make this list even with the questions about his future is because of how terrific he was last season. After being drafted 13th overall Turner joined the Eugene Emeralds where he struggled. Regardless he must have shown something to impress the higher ups, because after 23 games he joined the Fort Wayne TinCaps. That was where Turner began to shine.
In 46 games Turner hit .369/.467/.529. I wrote several minor league recaps for FanSided’s Padres site Friars on Base, and every single time I went through the TinCaps’ box score I’d see another monster game from Turner. It is a very small sample, but when all you see is success, it’s hard not to be impressed. The Nationals are acquiring him to replace Ian Desmond who is a free agent at the end of the season, and they have to be pleased with he’s progress thus far.
Gabriel Quintana is ranked as the Padres 13th best prospect according to MLB.com, and he backed up that ranking with a monster 2014. An MiLB.com organizational All Star in 2013, Quintana had a tough act to follow, but he followed up his great campaign with an even greater one.
He spent the entire season with High-A Lake Elsinore where he hit .263/.302/.431 with 18 home runs, 84 RBI and 35 doubles. He was third among Padres’ prospects in homers and second in RBI and had the third most doubles in the California League. The 22 year old showed he has the ability to be a middle of the order power bat.
The Padres current third base options are Will Middlebrooks, Yangervis Solarte and Cory Spangenberg. Middlebrooks and Solarte don’t inspire much confidence and third base isn’t Spangenberg’s natural position. With this opening Quintana could be in line for the team’s starting third base job a couple years down the road.
Mandatory Credit: canusasportsdesk.com
Cody Decker is more known for his off field antics than his on field performance, but he actually is a pretty good player. He was good enough to be named the Padres Minor League All Star for first base. Decker has seemingly become a minor league lifer. He made his AAA debut in 2012 and has established a home there, playing all but 10 games there since. After 279 games at you’d think Decker would at least be a late season call up at some point, but that has never been the case and it’s something our Billy Brost feels passionately about.
Decker didn’t let his lack of opportunity bother him. He hit .261/.337/.514 with 27 homers and 79 RBI. He led all Padres minor leaguers in homers while tying for third in RBI. He also ranked highly in the Pacific Coast League leader boards, tying for 4th in homers and placing 19th in RBI. That’s pretty impressive in an offensive dominated league.
Now at 27 years old, he’s running out of time. Yonder Alonso is the incumbent first baseman and Tommy Medica is behind him. Neither have been all that impressive in the majors, but will they fail enough to give Decker a shot? Likely not. Decker isn’t on the 40 man roster, so the Padres would need someone to land on the 60 day DL or DFA somebody. Neither outcome is something the Padres want. Also the Padres righty dominant lineup while playing in a park that stifles right handed power makes Decker a bad fit regardless. Decker’s a great story and a great AAA hitter, but if has success in the majors don’t expect it to be in San Diego.
James Needy was one of the Texas League’s best pitchers in 2014. His 2.90 ERA was the fourth lowest among qualified pitchers and was also the lowest in the Padres’ system. His 3.26 FIP also suggests it wasn’t just getting the lucky bounces that propelled him through his fantastic campaign.
The former 6th round pick has battled through injuries throughout his career, including a torn knee ligament that caused him to miss the 2010 season and limited him in 2011. Since then he’s battled back and put up solid numbers year after year.
Needy will likely get his first shot at AAA this coming season. Pitching in the hitter friendly PCL parks as well facing a higher level of competition Needy will be forced to make some adjustments. The 23 year old is at least a year away from being big league ready, but he’ll a guy to keep an eye on.
Frank Garces made the transition to full time reliever this season and it couldn’t have gone better for the lefty. Garces dominated the Texas League out of the pen posting a 1.93 ERA with a strikeout rate of 10.3 in 51 games.
Garces was so dominant that he leapfrogged past AAA and went straight to the majors, finishing out the season in the Padres bullpen. There he was just as good allowing only 2 runs over 15 appearances. With Alex Torres as the only definite lefty penciled into the Padres pen for 2015 Garces will likely get a pretty good chance to make the team out of camp, although they did carry just one lefty for a large portion of the season.
Only 24 years of age Garces has a chance to establish himself as one of the top lefty specialists in the game. While it’s a limited role, a good bullpen is a vital part of any contending team and sometimes adding a guy like Garces can play huge dividends down the stretch.