2017 Acquisition: Sam Keating, RHP
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 8/31/1998 (19)
2017 teams/levels played for: Arizona Rookie League Padres
2017 Stats: 7 GS, 18 1/3 IP, 6.87 ERA, 2.02 WHIP, 5.5% BB, 17.6% K
Info: Built with a long-limbed frame and projection, Keating took a step forward in his performance as he filled in some of that frame this spring, but he has plenty yet to go, which is why the San Diego Padres grabbed the Florida prep righty in the 4th round of the June draft.
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Keating won’t likely make the top 30 of the Padres on many rankings, but that has less to do with his skill level than it does with the tremendous depth in the San Diego Padres system. He certainly didn’t put up amazing numbers in his pro debut, but there were certainly signs that indicated that this is a guy to follow going forward.
Working with a four pitch mix, Keating isn’t a big velocity guy, with a fastball sitting in the low-90s and touching 94-95. He has two very solid breaking pitches, both of which flash plus grades. His curve has a looping break and comes in in the upper 70s, while his slider has a late, sharp break and runs in the mid-80s. His change is his least-used pitch currently, but he gets excellent late movement low in the zone on the pitch when he does use it.
Currently, Keating is growing into his frame, and as he grows, he takes some time to adapt his new size to his delivery, losing his command/control for a bit on the mound until he becomes more comfortable again. He added strength in coming into the Padres organization, and while he was able to keep the ball in the zone, as evidenced by his low walk rate, he struggled to locate pitches exactly where he wanted them, leading to some hanging pitches that were hit fairly hard.
The San Diego Padres will likely work to build up Keating’s arm strength and hope to coax another couple ticks of velocity out of a pro conditioning and strength program along with a throwing program. He will likely open 2018 in extended spring and head out to a short-season league from there, but could end up in low-A by the end of the year.
Next: CTTP's Top 150 prospects
So that is the San Diego Padres top 10 prospects for 2018. Who is too high? Too low? Missing entirely from the list? Comment below!!