5. San Diego Padres
At 27-42 on the season with Matt Kemp struggling and a weak farm system, the Padres come in last in these rankings. While they haven’t been disastrous this season, their major league roster is bogged down with underperforming veterans and a weak pitching staff sans Tyson Ross.
The offense isn’t horrible, but it’s really just mediocre. The Friars rank 19th in baseball with 278 runs scored – which is actually better than the Kansas City Royals – but only have a collective .239 team batting average.
Wil Myers has thrived in his move to first base, both at the plate and on the field. The 25-year-old is slashing .284/.328/.515 with 15 home runs and 41 RBI, all while striking out less than seasons past. Outside of Myers, things don’t look great. Kemp has 15 homers but has an OBP under .300, Melvin Upton Jr. has come back down to Earth after a hot start, and the infield has been brutal.
With Ross on the disabled list, the starting rotation has been the team’s real weak point. They rank 25th in the league with a 4.58 ERA, and only have one solid starter with Drew Pomeranz putting together a spectacular season. The trio of Colin Rea, Luis Perdomo and Erik Johnson has been collectively terrible, but Rea could put things together eventually as he’s only 25 and a former top prospect in the organization.
Down in the minors, the Padres only have three players in MLB.com’s top 100 prospect list. Manny Margot is the team’s top prospect, and he looks to be the only candidate to be a valuable everyday starter. Javier Guerra has struggled in Class A Advanced, but Hunter Renfroe is hitting the ball well enough to make a contribution this season.
Outside of that trio, the Padres don’t have much young talent rising through the ranks. Logan Allen, a 19-year-old southpaw, has solid command but will take a while before he’s ready to join the major league club.
If San Diego hopes to make any sort of leap in the NL West in the next few seasons, they’ll have to trade off any expendable player and hope to land a solid prospect in the process.
Next: Pitching Woes in Ohio