Since A.J. Preller has been in control of the Padres’ front office, San Diego has not been shy to make the aggressive move. The Padres made several of those in-season last year, which helped the MLB roster but depleted the farm system. Still, there are several big-name prospects within the San Diego organization.
Lake Elsinore Storm
Lake Elsinore has been a hotbed of Padres Minor League talent over the past few years, and that didn’t change in 2025.
We’ll start with the pitching staff, which included two of the top starting pitcher prospects in San Diego’s system for much of 2025: Boston Bateman and Kash Mayfield.
Bateman was the Padres’ second-round pick in 2024 and given a hefty bonus ($2.5MM) to sign. Heavy groundball pitcher (50% GB%), and one who only gave up one home run over 68.1 IP. Additionally, a modest Whiff% (28.6%), as the fastball played well up in the zone.
However, Bateman is now an Orioles prospect, as he was one of several players traded in the Ramon Laureano/Ryan O’Hearn trade last July.
Kash Mayfield, taken 25th overall in July 2024, was very impressive. Mayfield struck out 88 over 60.2 IP. As noted in our California League numbers recap, he had one of the highest swing-and-miss rates among pitchers in the circuit.
The young left-hander showed a very good changeup, one that had running action to the glove side. Also, Mayfield showed the ability to command, impressive for a pitcher one year removed from high school ball.
Humberto Cruz, a 19-year-old and one of San Diego’s big-ticket amateur free agent signees from 2024, was hit hard in limited action. Cruz gave up five home runs over 20 innings.
As for the offense, it included several of the Padres’ top MLB Draft picks from 2024, including Cobb Hightower (3rd), Kavares Tears (4th), and big corner infielder Kale Fountain (5th).
We’ll start with Hightower (22.3% Whiff%), who spent 40 games with the Storm. Hightower, given $852.3K by the Padres in the second round, didn’t hit for too much power. He posted a high GB% (51.6%) and walked (28) almost as many times as he struck out (31). Hightower was one of the players in the Laureano/O’Hearn trade.
Fountain played 34 games for the Storm after the 6’5” third baseman played 31 with the ACL. The right-hander didn’t whiff much (24.5%), although he did walk (11.5%) plenty of times in his abbreviated sample size. Still, he posted a .571 OPS in limited action.
Tears, a former standout with the Tennessee Volunteers, hit a team-best 13 home runs. However, he also sported a 37.2% Whiff% that ranked among the circuit’s worst.
Fort Wayne Tincaps
We won’t harp too much on Leo De Vries here, as we covered him more extensively in our Athletics’ farm review recap. However, it is worth noting again how impressive De Vries performed in the Midwest League.
De Vries ranked above the league median in cumulative Whiff% (24.1%), walked 52 times, and posted a .767 OPS with Fort Wayne. All of that was done as an 18-year-old, an age when many are just starting out in pro ball.
As for the rest of the group, the Tincaps had two of the more egregious swing-and-miss hitters: Rosman Verdugo (35.7% Whiff%) and Braedon Karpathios (30.0%). Both are notable power-hitting prospects in the system.
As for the pitching staff, it included former KSU standout reliever Tyson Neighbors, who had a ridiculous 46.4% Whiff% that would have ranked as the top one among Midwest League pitchers had he thrown enough innings. However, he, too, was in the Laureano/O’Hearn trade.
Eric Yost, the team’s leading strikeout man (87), was a high-groundball pitcher. Clark Candiotti, a 2024 draft pick and the son of Tom Candiotti, struck out 65 over 48 and posted a high Whiff% (37.0%).
Arguably, though, the breakout star on this team was Miguel Mendez. Mendez (35.1% Whiff%) was nearly unhittable in Fort Wayne, hence the 1.32 ERA and .180 opponents’ AVG.
For Mendez, it’s a simple arsenal. The right-hander possesses a hard fastball that can jump to the upper-90s, plus a mid-to-upper-80s gyro slider, and a low-90s changeup.
While there are still weaknesses in his game, primarily the command, Mendez’s stuff pops. Hence, the Padres added him to the 40-man roster in November, even though his Double-A numbers weren’t impressive (we’ll get to that later).
San Antonio Missions
The Padres saw growth from catcher Brandon Valenzuela, the 25-year-old who has a history of gunning down runners. Valenzuela posted a 35% CS% with San Antonio, posted a sub-30% Whiff%, and notched 27 extra-base hits over 87 games with the Missions.
He was tied for the team lead in home runs, alongside Marcos Castanon and 23-year-old Romeo Sanabria. And, he received plenty of playing time, notable given that Ethan Salas only played 10 games.
However, Valenzuela was used to acquire infielder Will Wagner from the Blue Jays in July.
As for the pitching staff, we suppose it’s not appropriate to harp too much on Braden Nett and Henry Baez. Both were two of San Antonio’s best pitchers and two of the Padres’ best prospects in 2025. However, those two, along with Leo De Vries, were used to acquire Mason Miller and JP Sears.
We will, however, harp on Jagger Haynes. Haynes, a 2020 MLB Draft pick, was not protected from the Rule 5 Draft but had a good year with the Missions. Haynes ranked above the league median in GB% and 27th in Whiff% (28.7%) among pitchers who induced at least 400 swings last season.
One last note: the Missions’ bullpen had two of the better Texas League swing-and-miss relievers in Tyson Neihgbors (33.6% Whiff%) and Bradgley Rodriguez (34.5% Whiff%). Rodriguez, a flamethrower, was called up straight up from Double-A in late May.
El Paso Chihuahuas
The 2026 season will be decision time for Luis Campusano.
Campusano hit 25 home runs for El Paso, a team-high, as well as 51 total extra-base hits. It marked a good year for the 27-year-old, who’s spent most of his MLB career as a backup. Now, the question is whether he takes an Opening Day roster spot for 2026. San Diego’s 40-man roster includes him and Freddy Fermin as the only two catchers on it.
Tirso Ornelas (2.3% Barrel%) didn’t tear the cover off the ball. On the other hand, he walked 46 times over 82 games and made consistent contact.
Early Projected Top 5 for 2026
- Ethan Salas
- Kash Mayfield
- Kruz Schoolcraft
- Bradgley Rodriguez
- Ty Harvey
Ranking the top three wasn’t particularly hard here. Salas, even though he hasn’t been able to hit Double-A pitching well yet, is still incredibly young. The catcher will head into 2026 as a 19-year-old, which is very important to keep in mind.
After that, pick whichever left-handed starter you like more: Mayfield or Schoolcraft. For now, we’ll go with Mayfield, who performed as advertised last season with Lake Elsinore.
From there, it’s a thinner group than we’ve become accustomed to. Miguel Mendez has high upside, as indicated by the numbers he put up in High-A. However, that violent delivery of his, coupled with command problems, could push him into a relief role.
When one thinks about it that way, it’s not hard to see why the Padres protected him from the Rule 5 Draft this past year, even though his success past High-A was limited.
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