Format = Position Player | Age on 4/1/2024 | Highest Level Played | Estimated Time of Arrival
1. SS Leodalis De Vries | 18 | A | 2027
Considered by some scouts to be the best international amateur prospect in a decade, De Vries is a 6’0” 183 lb switch hitter who is currently standing on business in the Arizona Fall League against much older players. That’s nothing new to De Vries, who slashed .231/.361/.441 with 11 home runs and 13 steals in 75 Low-A games this season despite an ice cold start after skipping several levels. Over his final 36 games, his line was .288/.407/.582 with ten home runs and eight steals, putting him on a trajectory toward the top of your prospect lists.
2. C Ethan Salas | 18 | AA | 2026
At 6’2” 185 lbs, Salas moves smoothly behind the dish while receiving and framing with a deft touch that’s a decade beyond his years. With a bat in his hands, he’s a dangerous lefty power hitter with a discerning eye. He’s an impressive prospect for the real game. Just not an ideal building block for us after slashing .206/.288/.311 with four home runs in 111 High-A games.
3. OF Tirso Ornelas | 25 | AAA | 2025
I play in a lot of deep leagues, and guys like Tirso have value there. I wrote about Ornelas a few times in 2024 for the stash list because I thought San Diego might as well give him a shot in their depleted outfield. David Peralta started hitting eventually and put the kibosh on that, but the 6’3” 200 lb Ornelas should be on the field a lot this spring after slashing .297/.367/.497 with 23 home runs and just 88 strikeouts in 128 Triple-A games. His chances to break camp as a lefty power bat who’s a solid corner defender will be in the balance as all off-season as San Diego navigates the market. Smart money suggests they’ll re-sign Jurickson Profar to handle left field, but it might still make sense to roster someone who costs nothing but can spell Profar and Tatis and mix in at DH once in a while.
4. LHP Kash Mayfield | 20 | NA | 2029
The 25th overall pick this year, Mayfield checks in at 6’4” 200 lbs with a mid-90’s fastball and excellent changeup alongside a serviceable breaking ball. That’s a lot of stuff for a lefty starter, and Mayfield dominated with it throughout high school, winning his state’s (Oklahoma) Gatorade Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons leading up to the draft.
5. RHP Bradgley Rodriguez | 21 | AA | 2025
The Padres traded eight of the ten players on this list last season, so we’re building most of this list atop fresh powder. AJ Preller has restocked the system as he does with a lot of promising long-term projects in the lower minors, but I’m looking at near-term functionality with this spot. Rodriguez posted excellent numbers across three levels in 2024 on the strength of two plus pitches in his fastball and changeup alongside a developing slider. He’s listed at 6’1” 160 lbs, and while he’s a little heavier than that at a glance, he’s still got room on the frame for good weight, muscle, and perhaps, velocity.
6. 3B Kale Fountain | 19 | NA | 2029
A fifth-round pick in this year’s draft, Fountain signed for a deal that was well over-slot at $1.7 million to buy him out of a commitment to LSU. His carrying tool is easy power in a 6’5” 225 lb frame, and while we didn’t get to see him in a pro league down the stretch, I’m optimistic that he’ll follow a path well-worn by Padres’ prospects in looking a little more athletic and skilled once he’s been in the building than people thought he was before the draft.
7. OF Kavares Tears | 22 | NA | 2027
Tears made SEC pitchers cry all season at Tennessee after riding the pine in his first year with the Vols. In 71 games as a junior, Tears contributed to the title push by slashing .324/.427/.643 with 20 home runs due to plus bat speed and torque from the left side at 6’0” 200 lbs.
8. RHP Francis Pena | 24 | AAA | 2025
You only have to see Pena pitch once to get the idea. At 6’1” 170 lbs, he hits 99 on the regular and sits around 97 with his heater from a whippy three-quarters delivery that adds a little deception and helps his cutter play up as hitters struggle to pick it out from the fastball until it’s too late. The delivery and release point suggest he could add a circle-change, but he hasn’t gotten into that yet. Here’s hoping that’s part of the off-season focus after his ERA went from 0.86 to 2.05 to 5.17 as he climbed the system.
9. SS Cobb Hightower | 20 | NA | 2029
A solid athlete across the board at 6’0” 180 lbs, Hightower was the second over-age high schooler taken by San Diego this year when the Padres popped him in the third round. He hasn’t taken a pro at bat yet, but he’s got the skills to stuff the stat sheet when he gets on the field.
10. RHP Humberto Cruz | 18 | CPX | 2029
Cruz signed for $750,000 as one of the top arms in his J15 class. He features a plus fastball along with a solid slider and changeup, and at 6’1” 170 lbs with an athletic delivery, he’s got some room on the frame for strength and velocity. He’s pitched just two innings as a professional, but hey, he’s got a 0.00 ERA for now.
Thanks for reading!
