10. Hudson Potts, 3B
Birthday: 10/28/1998 (20)
Acquired: Draft, 1st round, 2016
Level(s): high-A Lake Elsinore, AA San Antonio
Statistics: .260/.335/.455, 128 G, 542 PA, 35 2B, 19 HR, 8.7% BB, 26.8% K
The incredible part with the San Diego Padres system is that I could easily select a dozen players for this spot and very few would have an argument. I do think the 1-9 in the system is fairly set, and some may have different orders for those guys, but those are generally the top 9 in the system.
I went with the 2016 1st rounder Hudson Potts after getting a number of looks at Potts this season. After having played shortstop for most of his draft season, he transitioned to third base in 2017, and some had mixed reviews of his work at third in 2018, but in the games I saw, Potts had an ample arm for the position and was intentionally working on things at the position (positioning, coming in on balls, etc.) in each game, which sometimes led to him looking out of position, but if you note that he’s seemingly intentionally doing his positioning, you get a better idea of what’s going on.
Potts has filled out a bunch since being drafted, and that is a concern in his position going forward, but he showed excellent instincts that should allow him to handle the position.
At the plate, there’s much less concern to me. Potts has an impressive swing that generates “leap” off of the bat. He’s not going to likely be a guy who generates 30 home runs (though in the majors, that’s feasible based on the ball), but he should be a guy that pounds gaps and works more in the 15-20 home run range.
What I’ve loved about Potts throughout his minor league time thus far is his baseball acumen, which is incredibly high. He should open at AA in 2019, but if he can show he’s ready, the San Diego Padres have an opening currently at third base that he could certainly fill into.