San Diego Padres: 2018 minor league awards
The San Diego Padres are now universally considered to have the top farm system in the game. Who were the top performers in that farm system in 2018?
As part of our continuing coverage at Call to the Pen of the minor leagues, we will be covering each organization’s top players for 2018. The coverage will go in reverse order of record. Today, we will look at the San Diego Padres.
We are going to review the system’s leaders for each organization statistically, then choose one hitter and one pitcher to honor for every team. This will be primarily based on statistical performance, though some “age relative to level” could come into play, so a very impressive season from a 28-year-old in AA will rank below a nearly as impressive season from a 20-year-old at the same level.
After we review each organization’s hitter and pitcher of the year, we will close out October with Call To The Pen’s Minor League team of the year. That will lead into November starting our team top 10 prospect lists. In other words, there will be plenty of minor league content on the way at CTTP, so keep coming back for more each day this offseason!!
San Diego Padres minor leagues
When the San Diego Padres chose to go into a rebuild mode after the 2015 season, they went in with both feet, to say the least. The Padres tore down their team, bringing in a host of prospects and then went in heavy into the international market in a way unmatched by any team previous in the depth of international class on top of quality.
The team has been building onto that jump start ever since, and with the Atlanta Braves graduating a few players in 2018 to the major leagues, the Padres have now moved into the position as the top farm system in all of baseball as the 2018/2019 offseason begins.
Before we offer up awards on the season, let’s take a look at the system’s statistical leaders:
Organization Leaders (min. 150 PA, 50 IP)
BA: Tucupita Marcano .366
OBP: Xavier Edwards .453
SLG: Franmil Reyes .614
OPS: Franmil Reyes 1.042
R: Ty France 84
H: Josh Naylor 149
2B: Luis Torrens 36
3B: Edward Oliveras and Agustin Ruiz 10
HR: Ty France and Austin Allen 22
RBI: Ty France 96
SB: Buddy Reed 51
TB: Ty France 236
W: Logan Allen 14
G: Rowan Wick 49
GS: Cal Quantrill 28
IP: Jerry Keel and Logan Allen 148 2/3
SV: Travis Radke 16
K: Logan Allen 151
ERA: Osvaldo Hernandez 1.81
WHIP: Chris Paddack 0.82
K/9: Dauris Valdez 12.8
K/BB: Chris Paddack 15.00
San Diego Padres Minor League Hitter of the Year: Franmil Reyes
Level(s): AAA El Paso, MLB Padres
Stats: Minors: .324/.428/.614/1.042, 58 G, 250 PA, 16 HR, 37/59 BB/K; Majors: .280/.340/.498/.838, 87 G, 285 PA, 16 HR, 24/80 BB/K
After spending five seasons in the San Diego Padres system with plenty of raw talent, Franmil had a big breakout in 2017 in AA, hitting 25 home runs and driving in 102 runs. At 6’5″ and 270+ pounds, Reyes had always had the physique of a power hitter, but he was never able to match results to the raw talent.
In 2018, he took another step forward, adding tremendous contact ability that caught the attention of anyone paying notice in the early season in AAA, as he pounded out his statistics that earned him this award in AAA in just 58 games, and he was also able to show control of the strike zone in a new way as well, with a 14.8% walk rate and 23.6% strikeout rate in AAA before going to the majors.
If you were to combine his numbers between AAA and San Diego, he would have a slash line of .299/.381/.550 over 535 plate appearances, with 86 runs, 20 doubles, 32 home runs, 83 RBI, 11.4% walk rate, and 26% strikeout rate. That includes missing a few weeks due to injury as well.
His overall line is absolutely breathtaking on the year, especially for a guy who was not expected to be a major piece of the San Diego Padres future. Reyes will be in the outfield for the Padres in 2019, swinging his bat in the middle of the lineup.
Runners-up
The Padres drafted Ty France in the 34th round of the 2015 draft, and they likely did not imagine that the San Diego State product would end up leading their organization in so many statistical categories in 2018 while splitting time between AA and AAA. The 23-year-old third baseman hit a combined .267/.355/.464 with 30 doubles, 22 home runs, and 96 RBI, posting a 46/89 BB/K over 589 plate appearances.
Part of the package that the San Diego Padres received when trading away longtime Padres infielder Yangervis Solarte to Toronto, Oliveras produced beyond even what the most optimistic observer could have thought. He spent his entire season at high-A, hitting .277/.321/.429 with 25 doubles, 10 triples, 12 home runs, and 21 stolen bases. Oliveras has a depth of raw talent, but he’s still unpolished at 22, so how he finishes as a prospect starting in 2019 in AA will be interesting to watch.
Most guys coming out of a top college program like Florida are ready to move quickly, but Buddy Reed was still very unpolished when the Padres nabbed him in the 2nd round. Reed struggled in 2016 and 2017, but he flashed his raw ability. In 2018, that raw ability broke out, even with a bit of struggle in AA after he was promoted. Overall, Reed hit .271/.319/.435 with 28 doubles, 7 triples, 13 home runs, and 51 stolen bases.
It is a rare thing to find a catcher with a bat that is truly impressive that can also work behind the plate. Austin Allen is that kind of catcher, though the defense is more “passable” than elite. His offensive ability, though is tremendous, as he had the exact same number of doubles (31) and home runs (22) for the second year as he moved up to AA, slashing .290/.351/.506 on the year.