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Padres Press Clips Monday, November 19, 2018

Article Source Author Pg. Padres' Franmil Reyes remains hot in winter ball SD Union Tribune Sanders 2 Padres release game start times for 2019 SD Union Tribune Sanders 4 Baseball Prospectus goes deep into Padres farm system SD Union Tribune Sanders 5 3 prospects from '18 Draft starting strong Padres.com Center 9 Diaz strikes out five in AFL championship MLB.com Callis 11 Padres super-prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a massive home run and Cut4 Clair 13 flipped his bat with impunity 30 ROY candidates for 2019 -- 1 for each team MLB.com Callis/Mayo 14 Rosenbaum Sod Poodles a Hit with Amarillo’s Baseball Fans FriarWire Center 19 Post-2018 Farm System Rankings FanGraphs Edwards 22 Padres Pedal the Cause unites against cancer: One survivor's story SD Union Tribune Fikes 26 MadFriars’ Player of the Year: Fernando Tatis, Jr. FSSD.com Conniff 29

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Padres' Franmil Reyes remains hot in winter ball Jeff Sanders

The Padres have too many outfielders for two few spots, a conundrum they could solve on the trade market this winter.

One asset – Franmil Reyes – isn’t hurting his stock one bit in the Dominican Republic.

Fresh off an eye-opening rookie campaign, the 23-year-old Reyes is continuing to trend in the right direction in winter ball as he’s homered three times in first 13 games with Escogido.

Over that span, the 6-foot-5, 275-pound Reyes is hitting .444/.510/.689 with six homers and 11 strikeouts against six walks.

He was 1-for-3 Saturday after collecting two or more hits in his previous five games.

Reyes started the 2018 campaign at Triple-A El Paso before pairing 16 homers with a 1.042 OPS in 58 games to force his way to San Diego.

In the majors, Reyes hit .280/.340/.498 with 16 more homers, 31 RBIs and 80 strikeouts against 24 walks in 87 games.

Reyes is vying for playing time in San Diego with Wil Myers, Hunter Renfroe, Manuel Margot, Travis Jankowski and Franchy Cordero, who has returned from his season-ending elbow surgery to join Reyes with Escogido.

The Dominican Republic league’s MVP last year, Cordero is hitting .238/.238/.429 with one homer and nine strikeouts against zero walks in his first five games.

ROUNDUP

Arizona Fall League

• RHP Miguel Diaz (San Diego) started Peoria’s 3-2, 10-inning win in Saturday’s Arizona Fall League championship, striking out five over 3 2/3 innings. He allowed two runs – one earned – on three hits and two walks. He’d posted a 4.87 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings before the start.

• CF Buddy Reed (San Antonio) was 1-for-4 with a walk in the game and 3B Hudson Potts (San Antonio) was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and a walk. Reed paired a .333/.397/.485 batting line with five homers and a steal in the regular season and Potts hit .228/.330/.367 with two homers and 13 RBIs.

• Austin Allen (San Antonio) served as the DH in the game, going 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. Allen hit .263/.358/.421 with two homers and 13 RBIs.

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Dominican winter league

• SS Fernando Tatis Jr. (San Antonio) has homered twice in his first four games with Estrellas, in his first at-bat and again in Sunday’s game. The latter was a three-run shot. Tatis, coming off a season-ending thumb injury, is hitting .231/.412/.692 with two homers, four RBIs and two steals. He has struck out three times and walked twice.

• Also with Estellas, C Francisco Mejia (San Diego) is 5-for-15 with two RBIs, three strikeouts and no walks in his first four games.

• C Manuel Margot (San Diego) is 2-for-8 in his first two games with Este. • RHP Eric Yardley (El Paso) bounced back from allowing four runs in an inning last

week with a scoreless frame on Sunday. He has a 3.38 ERA in 13 1/3 innings with Cibao.

Venezuelan winter league

• OF Edward Olivares (Lake Elsinore) is hitting .340/.404/.479 with two homers, five steals and 14 RBIs in 26 games for Aragua. Olivares was acquired from the Blue Jays in the Yangervis Solarte trade last winter and is eligible for next month’s Rule 5 draft.

• C Luis Torrens (Lake Elsinore) is 2-for-12 through his first four games with Magallanes. Torrens spent all of 2018 in the California League after sticking in the organization as a Rule-5 selection.

• SS Gabrial Aras (Fort Wayne) is hitting .263/.333/.298 with 14 strikeouts and six walks in 22 games for La Guaira. He is 2-for-2 in steal attempts.

Mexican winter league

• 3B Christian Villanueva (San Diego) is hitting .188/.297/.313 with one homer, four RBIs and seven strikeouts against five walks in nine games for Obregon.

• RHP Gerardo Reyes (San Antonio) is up to 13 scoreless innings for Obregon. He has struck out 16, walked five and scattered seven hits over 14 relief appearances.

• RHP Chris Huffman (El Paso) has allowed 10 earned runs over his last 9 1/3 innings, raising his ERA to 5.23 in 31 innings this winter with Los Mochis.

Puerto Rican winter league

• RHP Colby Blueberg (El Paso) has turned in three scoreless innings, striking out two and walking two in his two appearances with Mayaguez.

• OF Aldemar Burgos (Fort Wayne) is 5-for-15 with a double in his first four games with Carolina.

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Padres release game start times for 2019 Jeff Sanders

The regular start times for Padres home games, outside a handful of exceptions, will remain unchanged in 2019.

Friday games will start at 7:10 p.m., Saturdays at 5:40 p.m. and 7:10 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 1:10 p.m.

Weekday games will start at 7:10 p.m. while Wednesday day games and Thursday getaway days will start at 12:40 p.m.

The Padres’ home opener on March 28 against the Giants will start at 1:10 p.m.

The start times for home dates with the Pirates (May 18) and Cardinals (June 28) and road games at the Rockies (June 15), at the Dodgers (July 6-7 and Aug. 3-4), at the Cubs (July 20-21) and at the Giants (Aug. 31) have not been determined.

Visit Padres.com for full details for both home and away games.

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Baseball Prospectus goes deep into Padres farm system Jeff Sanders

Baseball Prospectus generally reviews an organization’s top-10 prospects each offseason. The Padres’ system is so deep that they doubled the size of the overview released Friday.

As you’d expect, Fernando Tatis Jr. leads a contingent of usual suspects at the top. Real movers include right-hander Luis Patino and third baseman Hudson Potts cracking the top-10, 2018 first-rounder Ryan Weathers debuting at No. 12 and the Rule 5-eligible Edward Olivares rounding out the list.

A subscription is required for the full, lengthy write-up but here’s a taste while we await the first significant moves of the offseason.

1. SS Fernando Tatis Jr.

• “With a plus bat and average defense, Tatis should be an all-star caliber shortstop, with a real chance at superstardom if he can refine his approach.”

2. INF Luis Urias

• “He might walk less if pitchers think they can challenge him. He’s not gonna offer a ton of athletic/defensive value. We think he’s really gonna hit though.”

3. C Francisco Mejia

• “(The) projection for Mejia is ‘major league catcher.’ Not a plus one by any means, but a perfectly adequate backstop. He has quite a good arm, and his receiving has improved. He’s a bit on the slight side, so durability back there is a fair concern.”

4. LHP MacKenzie Gore

• “Gore made three trips to the DL during his first full professional season. He has top-shelf ingredients but the blisters could hinder his progress.”

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5. RHP Chris Paddack

• “He’s got TJ on his resumé, and three-and-a-half years after he got drafted he hasn’t proven that he’ll hold up over the long rigor of a full season. The heater’s not overpowering and he still needs to develop some consistency with the hook.”

6. LHP Adrian Morejon

• “There are some health question marks here, as his two-year stateside career now includes multiple minor-but-nagging injuries, including a hip issue that sidelined him for a couple weeks over the summer. His delivery is still inconsistent, and he struggles with his timing enough to suggest that he’ll always have much better control than command.”

7. RHP Luis Patino

• “His change-up is his best present pitch. Although it can be a bit firm at times, it shows swing-and-miss potential with good tumble.”

8. LHP Logan Allen

• “Allen dispatched his upper minors assignments without issue, but has had vague elbow problems in the past and it’s not exactly plus stuff across the board here.”

9. RHP Michel Baez

• “While he indeed flashed better-than-most ability to repeat, the sheer length of his delivery combined with a top-heavy frame lead to periodic struggles maintaining balance and timing through his delivery.”

10. 3B Hudson Potts

• “While his swing was relatively flat and compact this year, he’ll take his lift-and-separate hacks in turn, and there’s reason to think he could hit for more power than he’s shown down the line.”

11. RHP Cal Quantrill

• “He has an above-average fastball and a plus change-up, and the minors aren’t really supposed to be a challenge for that kind of advanced arm. But his control outpaces his command at present and that was an issue for him at higher levels this year.”

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12. LHP Ryan Weathers

• “Weathers’ fastball sits in the low-90s, but with enough armside movement to keep it off barrels. His curve flashes good 1-7 action, although the shape isn’t always consistent, and it can get shorter and flatter. The change is advanced for his age.”

13. 1B/OF Josh Naylor

• “The 21-year-old showed signs of finally starting to consistently tap into his plus raw power, with more loft in his swing than he had previously. He managed to do that without compromising his high-end bat-to-ball ability, striking out barely more often than he took an increasingly frequent free pass.”

14. RHP Jacob Nix

• “The fastball has some late run down in the zone, but he tends to leave it up. The curve shows good tight downer action, but he can struggle to start it in the zone. The change tends to play below-average. It’s a solid fourth-starter profile.”

15. OF Buddy Reed

• “A switch hitter with prototypical swing plane differences — more length and loft from the left — his bat crashed back to Earth after a midseason promotion to Double-A.”

16. OF Tirso Ornelas

• “His smooth left-handed swing produces plus raw power. Ornelas has an advanced approach at the plate, and shows an ability to recognize secondaries that many young players lack.”

17. OF Jeisson Rosario

• “His youth and rawness showed at times during the season and his power hasn’t materialized yet. However, he’s a quick-twitch athlete with plus speed.”

18. 2B Esteury Ruiz

• “Always aggressive, his strikeout rate climbed to nearly 30 percent and the bat to ball skills that had Arizona League evaluators buzzing disappeared.”

19. SS Gabriel Arias

• “Arias is already one of the best defensive players in the organization. Thin and athletic, he has plus range, soft hands, and lightning-quick transfers.”

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20. OF Edward Olivares

• “At the dish there’s a nice baseline of hand-eye and directness to the point of contact, and he’ll turn around some hellacious line drives along the way. The approach is highly aggressive, however, and he may never get on base enough for everything to come together.”

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3 prospects from '18 Draft starting strong By Bill Center San Diego Padres Nov. 16th, 2018

As long as a player puts on a professional uniform, the dream of reaching the Major Leagues can come true.

Just ask Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza. He was the Dodgers' 62nd-round pick in the 1988 draft.

There are no longer more than 60 rounds to the annual MLB Draft. But there are still lower-round picks.

Three position players -- infielders Lee Solomon and Sean Guilbe and outfielder Jawuan Harris -- taken by the Padres outside the first five rounds of the 2018 Draft put themselves on the radar this summer with strong starts in Arizona.

The trio of right-handed hitters now rank among the top 90 prospects in the Padres' system. A deeper look at the three:

- Harris was the Padres' seventh-round pick (201st overall) out of Rutgers University in New Jersey. Harris, 22, was a two-sport star at Rutgers -- a center fielder in baseball and a safety in football after being recruited as a wide receiver.

A 5-foot-9, 195-pound native of Pembroke Pines, Fla., Harris spent his first professional summer in the Arizona Rookie League.

Although he hit only .225 (36-for-160), Harris drew 29 walks and finished with a .360 on-base percentage over 49 games. He also stole 14 bases and had seven doubles, four triples and three homers for a .375 slugging percentage and .735 OPS. He scored 23 runs with 20 RBIs.

- Guilbe was the Padres' 12th-round pick out of Muhlenberg High School in Reading, Pa. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound second baseman played 40 games in Arizona after signing.

Like Harris, Guilbe had some interesting splits in his first professional summer. He finished with a .218 batting average (29-for-133) and struck out 62 times, but he also drew 40 walks for a .409 on-base percentage and had 10 doubles, a triple and five homers for a .421 slugging percentage resulting in a .830 OPS.

Guilbe scored 19 runs and drove in 15 runs with six steals.

- Solomon, the Padres' 25th-round draft pick out of Lipscomb University in Tennessee, had the most successful all-around summer of the trio. The 5-foot-10, 202-pound second baseman spent the summer with the Padres-1 in Arizona while the younger Guilbe played the same position for the Padres-2.

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Solomon hit .298 (45-for-151) in 41 games with eight doubles, two triples and seven home runs with 27 runs scored and 30 RBIs. He also drew 15 walks with six steals. Solomon had a .365 slugging percentage and a .517 slugging percentage for a .882 OPS.

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Diaz strikes out five in AFL championship By Jim Callis MLB.com @JimCallisMLB Nov. 17th, 2018

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Braxton Davidson delivered one of the most dramatic home runs in Arizona Fall League history, propelling the Peoria Javelinas to their second consecutive championship Saturday afternoon.

The Braves first baseman hammered a 2-1 pitch up in the strike zone from Salt River Rafters left-hander Taylor Guilbeau (Nationals) to give Peoria a 3-2 victory in the bottom of the 10th inning. Davidson's blast cleared the picnic area above the right-field bullpen at Scottsdale Stadium, making the Javelinas the only team to successfully defend their AFL title besides the 2004-08 Phoenix Desert Dogs. He apparently injured himself as he celebrated while rounding the bases and was taken to a nearby hospital to check on a possible fracture in his left foot.

A first-round pick in 2014, Davidson struggled mightily during the regular season in High Class A. He homered 20 times but also batted just .171 and struck out 213 times (second in the Minors) with a whiff rate of 44 percent. His feast-or-famine results continued in Arizona, where he tied for the regular-season home run lead with six but also ranked second with 31 strikeouts while batting .227.

The only other walkoff in AFL championship game history also came from a Braves first-base prospect. Mike Hessman hit a grand slam to cap a seven-run rally in the ninth in 2001, providing the Desert Dogs with their first title. Hessman retired in 2015 with a Minor League-record 433 homers, and also went deep 14 times in 109 big league games over five seasons.

While Davidson was the biggest hero for the Javelinas, he wasn't the only standout in the Fall League finale. Here are seven more:

Miguel Diaz, RHP, Peoria (Padres): Diaz didn't produce the cleanest line as the Javelina's starter, giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks over 3 2/3 innings. But he did strike out five, pitched at 94-98 mph with his fastball and also recorded strikeouts with his slider and changeup. While he doesn't look like he has the command to stick in a rotation, he could make for an interesting bullpen weapon.th, 2018

Lucius Fox, SS, Peoria (Rays): Fox is still a work in progress but shows the potential to become a top-of-the-order catalyst. He drew two walks and used his well above-average speed to steal a base, then laced a pitch from nasty sidearming right-hander Justin Lawrence (Rockies) into the left-center gap for an opposite-field double during the game-tying two-run rally in the bottom of the ninth.

Monte Harrison, OF, Salt River (Marlins): After topping the Minors with 215 strikeouts during the regular season, Harrison toned down his approach throughout the fall. He fell behind 1-2 in the count during his first at-bat against Diaz but didn't panic or try to do too much, grounding a single up the middle to drive in the game's first run. He went hitless in his next three plate appearances but saw 17 pitches while doing so.

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Keston Hiura, 2B, Peoria (Brewers): The league MVP and one of the best pure hitting prospects in the game, Hiura managed only a walk in his first four trips to the plate. Then he displayed his measured approach in the ninth, grounding a single up the middle against Lawrence to score Fox and tie the game 2-2.

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Carter Kieboom, 2B, Salt River (Nationals): Another of baseball's best hitting prospects, Kieboom had a hand in both of Salt River's runs, scoring after getting hit by a pitch in the second and singling to set up a run in the fourth. Normally a shortstop, he displayed a strong arm while turning two double plays at second.

Jesus Tinoco, RHP, Salt River (Rockies): Tinoco had the most effective fastball among the game's 11 relievers. He relied almost solely on his heat, working from 94-98 mph with good life and retiring six of the seven batters he faced. He needed just 19 pitches to breeze through two innings and fanned Hudson Potts (Padres) on a 97-mph fastball.

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Jordan Yamamoto, RHP, Salt River (Marlins): Yamamoto blanked Peoria for five innings on Monday and again for four innings in the championship game. As usual, his best pitch was his curveball, and he also spotted his fastball (which sat around 90 mph) and mixed in some effective sliders and changeups. He walked five, including three in a row in the third, but allowed just two hits and struck out six (four on curves).

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Padres super-prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a massive home run and flipped his bat with impunity By Michael Clair @michaelsclair November 19, 2018 at 11:25am Nineteen-year-olds are supposed to be skateboarding in abandoned parking lots and filming terrible YouTube vlogs. The Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr., the No. 2 prospect in baseball, is out there crushing pitchers instead. After bashing 16 home runs in Double-A during the regular season, Tatis headed to the Dominican Winter League to play for Estrellas Orientales.

Looks like he'll need a bigger challenge.

On Sunday night, Tatis unleashed a massive go-ahead three-run blast over the left-field wall. He then followed it with the kind of bat flip you see from a seasoned veteran instead of a teenager:

We'll all have something very exciting to look forward to at Padres' Spring Training this year. I mean, he already looked pretty good last year:

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30 ROY candidates for 2019 -- 1 for each team By Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Mike Rosenbaum MLB.com Nov. 16th, 2018

On Monday, Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuna Jr. were named Rookie of the Year in the American and National Leagues, respectively. But they were far from the only first-year players to make an impact in the big leagues in 2018.

It would be difficult to find a team in the history of the modern game who went through an entire season without needing to use its farm system. Sometimes, jobs are given to rookies on Opening Day, as was the case with Ohtani and the Angels. Other times, a player has to wait to be called up to make an impact, just like Acuna did with the Braves.

In 2018, both prospects entered the season as Rookie of the Year contenders, if not front-runners, in each league. But sometimes Rookies of the Year come on unexpectedly. With that in mind, here is a potential ROY candidate from each organization.

AL East

Blue Jays: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 3B There's a strong case to made that Guerrero, MLB Pipeline's No. 1 overall prospect, should have reached the Majors last season, even with the Blue Jays' struggles. But he didn't and ultimately finished with an absurd .381/.437/.636 line and 20 home runs while reaching Triple-A at age 19. His bat is 100 percent ready for the highest level, and once there, Guerrero is a candidate to run away with top rookie honors in the AL, regardless of when he arrives.

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Orioles: Yusniel Diaz, OF The Orioles' key acquisition in the deadline deal that sent Manny Machado to Hollywood, Diaz is yet to tap into his above-average raw power but has a good idea of what he's doing at the plate, as evidenced by his .285/.392/.449 slash line and 11-homer last season in Double-A. Some other internal options may get first crack in either right or left field as the Orioles rebuild, but Diaz should become an everyday guy for them before long.

Rays: Brandon Lowe, 2B Lowe struggled initially upon reaching the Majors, going 0-for-19 following his debut on Aug. 5. After that, however, he slashed .273/.357/.527 with six homers in 37 games to finish the year with a career-high 28 home runs between Double-A, Triple-A and MLB. He also finished with 129 at-bats, leaving him two ABs short of exhausting his rookie eligibility. Like so many young Rays players, Lowe has the defensive versatility that could make him a near regular for Tampa Bay in 2019.

Red Sox: Michael Chavis, 3B The defending World Series champions have a depleted farm system and few opportunities at the big league level. One of the better power-hitting prospects in the upper Minors, Chavis could contribute if Rafael Devers struggles again or the need for a right-handed-hitting first baseman arises.

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Yankees: Justus Sheffield, LHP The Yankees' greatest need is starting pitching, and Sheffield should crack the Opening Day rotation. His fastball, slider and changeup all can be three plus pitches, so it won't be a shock if he's New York's second-best starter after Luis Severino.

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AL Central

Indians: Yu Chang, SS Though he continues to face an uphill battle towards carving out a spot in Cleveland's infield, Chang, a member of the Tribe's 40-man roster, saw increased reps at third base during the regular season and regular time there in the Arizona Fall League, suggesting the hot corner could be his path of least resistance. He has the hitting ability and raw power to profile there, as well as the defensive versatility to handle a utility role.

Royals: Nicky Lopez, SS/2B Lopez is blocked at the moment by Whit Merrifield and Adalberto Mondesi, but he's also sound in all phases of the game and has nothing left to prove in Triple-A. He should open the season in nothing less than a utility role and should claim at least semi-regular at-bats.

Tigers: Christin Stewart, OF He's hit at least 25 homers in each of his three full seasons of pro ball and hit a pair of homers in 60 big league at-bats this past September. Stewart has improved his overall approach, drawing a lot more walks, while still hitting balls out of the park, something that should continue with a full-time gig in Detroit next season.

Twins: Stephen Gonsalves, RHP The left-hander didn't fare well during his first taste of the big leagues in 2018, but he had a fantastic year, mostly in Triple-A, finishing second in the system in ERA and fifth in strikeouts, while keeping hitters to a combined .184 BAA. Gonsalves' upside might be limited, but he's ready to be a mid-rotation starter.

White Sox: Eloy Jimenez, OF If anyone can challenge Blue Jays third baseman Vladimir Guerrero for the title of best offensive prospect in baseball, it's Jimenez. Ready last summer but kept in the Minors for service-time

considerations, he'll be the foundation the White Sox build their lineup around.one out

AL West

Athletics: Jesus Luzardo, LHP Luzardo nearly reached the Majors in 2018 in what was his first full pro campaign as well as his first fully healthy, unimpeded season since his Tommy John surgery in mid-2016. Altogether, the left-hander (in his age-20 season) compiled a 2.88 ERA and 1.09 WHIP with 129 strikeouts and 30 walks in 109 1/3 innings while ascending from Class A Advanced to Triple-A. The A's will be without many of the starting pitchers that were lost due to injuries last season, so expect Luzardo to receive an earnest look during spring training.

Angels: Griffin Canning, RHP The UCLA product projected as an advanced college arm and lived up to that advanced billing,

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racing all the way to Triple-A in his first full season. His four-pitch mix with excellent command allowed him to miss bats all the way up the ladder and is why he is just about ready to hit the Angels' rotation.

Astros: Kyle Tucker, OF The No. 5 overall pick in the 2015 Draft, Tucker has recorded back-to-back 20-20 seasons in the upper Minors. His Triple-A line (.332/.400/.590) is much more representative of his upside than the numbers from his big league debut (.141/.236/.203).

Mariners: Wyatt Mills, RHP Viewed by scouts as a potential fast-riser when the Mariners took him in the third round of the 2017 Draft, Mills, 23, was just that in his first full season as he reached Double-A and followed it with an impressive turn in the Arizona Fall League. With right-handed delivery and profile that resembles Steve Cisheck's as well as comparable stuff, Mills has all the ingredients needed to become an impactful bullpen piece in 2019.

Rangers: Yohander Mendez, LHP Mendez's prospect luster has dimmed a bit over the last two years, yet that won't prevent him from fitting in the middle of the Rangers' rotation. He still has a quality changeup but needs to refine his command and breaking ball.

NL East

Braves: Touki Tousssaint, RHP The Braves have scores of young pitchers who could contend for Rookie of the Year honors next season. Toussaint gets the nod because of the pure stuff that helped him lead the system in ERA and strikeouts and because of how well his big league debut went, earning him a spot on the postseason roster.

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Marlins: Victor Mesa, OF While there currently are quite a few unknowns with Mesa, whom Miami signed for $5.5 million on Oct. 22, the consensus is that the 22-year-old outfielder shouldn't require all too much seasoning in the Minor Leagues after his success in Cuba's Serie Nacional. His plus defense in center field gives him a high floor in the big leagues, and any offensive contributions that surpass expectations could make him a ROY candidate.

Phillies: Ranger Suarez, LHP Suarez made four uneven appearances with Philadelphia in 2018, reaching the big leagues before he turned 23, and he's the kind of smart left-hander who will learn and make adjustments. He's moved very quickly since starting the 2017 season in A ball and should fit nicely into the back end of the young Phillies rotation.

Nationals: Victor Robles, OF Robles has taken second chair to teenage superstar Juan Soto in the Nationals' long-term outfield outlook with good reason. Yet, the future remains incredibly bright for the now 21-year-old center fielder, who hit .288/.348/.525 with three homers and three steals over 21 games with the Nats after a right elbow injury cost him much of the Minor League season. That Robles is

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the club's projected Opening Day center fielder at the moment makes him a preseason ROY

favorite in the NL. triples on four-hit night

Mets: Peter Alonso, 1B New Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen has said he isn't opposed to having Alonso start the year in New York, and for good reason. All the first baseman did in 2018 is tie for the Minor League lead in homers, while leading it outright in RBIs. More power was on display in the AFL, and he has nothing left to prove in the Minors.

NL Central

Brewers: Keston Hiura, 2B The best hitter from the 2017 Draft class raked his way up to Double-A in his first full season, ultimately hitting .293/.357/.464 with 52 extra-base hits including 13 homers, and has been equally impressive in the Arizona Fall League, seemingly leaving him on the cusp of entering the Majors in'19. His knack for squaring up the baseball with authority to all fields is a truly special trait -- one that could make him a key Brewers run producer for a long time.

Cardinals: Dakota Hudson, RHP Aside from some command issues (18 BB in 27 1/3 IP), Hudson was effective in relief for the big league club in 2018. It's a crowded rotation in St. Louis, so a relief gig might be his best full-time entry for the time being where his extreme ground-ball rate (2.03 GO/AO in his Minor League career) would play well.

Cubs: Duane Underwood, RHP Underwood still needs some polish but was more aggressive and consistent in 2018 than he had been in years past. With a 92-97 mph fastball and a curveball that shows flashes of becoming a plus pitch, he could contribute in the bullpen and possibly the rotation.

Pirates: Mitch Keller, RHP The Pirates often are cautious with their young pitching prospects, but look for Keller to push them hard in 2019. After struggling upon first reaching Triple-A at age 22, the right-hander then had a 2.86 ERA in August. Room will have to be made in Pittsburgh's rotation, but Keller will be

ready to jump through it once the door is opened.10th K

Reds: Nick Senzel, INF A finger injury, not to mention a bout with vertigo, greatly shortened his 2018 season, and that likely kept the No. 2 pick in the 2016 Draft from getting called up this past season. He's played several positions and was working on the outfield at instructs this fall to make sure there's a spot for his advanced bat in the big league lineup in 2019.

NL West

D-backs: Taylor Widener, RHP Widener has made a very successful transition from reliever to starter and has put his 2015 elbow surgery in his rear-view mirror with two successful, and healthy, seasons in 2017 and 2018. This last year was his first with the D-backs and he led the system in ERA and strikeouts, while holding Southern League hitters to a .197 batting average against.

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Dodgers: Alex Verdugo, OF One of the best pure hitters in the Minors, Verdugo also offers developing power, a strong arm and the ability to play anywhere in the outfield. The only thing holding him back from being a slam-dunk Rookie of the Year candidate is a clear opening in the crowded Dodgers lineup.

Giants: Chris Shaw, OF The best power hitter in the Giants system, Shaw made his first big league home run a tape-measure shot: 468 feet off a Seunghwan Oh slider. As of now, he looks like the frontrunner to start in left field for San Francisco.

Padres: Luis Urias, 2B/SS Urias reached the Majors late in August and showed that he can do a little bit of everything before a groin injury prematurely ended his season after just 12 games. Assuming he's on the Padres' Opening Day roster, the 21-year-old could have an early advantage in the ROY based his ability to hit near the top of an order and make everyday contributions on both sides of the ball.

Rockies: Brendan Rodgers, SS With DJ LeMahieu set to depart as a free agent, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 Draft is ready to replace him at second base. He has more offensive potential than most middle infielders and the versatility to play anywhere in the infield that he's needed.

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Sod Poodles a Hit with Amarillo’s

Baseball Fans By Bill Center

What’s in a name?

A lot if you are a new minor league baseball team seeking a fun identity.

Welcome to the Amarillo Sod Poodles, the Padres new Texas League affiliate who came into existence after the San Antonio Missions moved up from Double-A to the Triple-A Pacific Coast League.

Shortly after the Padres announced they were returning their Double-A operation to Amarillo — the Texas Panhandle city was home to the Padres’ Double-A operation from 1976–82 — the leaders of the Amarillo ballclub opened a competition to choose a nickname.

Now maybe that’s not №1 on the to-do list. After all, the Sod Poodles are also building a new, 7,000-seat, downtown ballpark — off the main thoroughfare of the city of 300,000 — that will be ready for Opening Day of the 2019 season. There are season tickets to sell and people to hire.

But choosing a nickname took off with Amarillo baseball fans, who hadn’t had an affiliated minor league team since the Padres departed after the 1982 season.

“We originally received 3,000 name ideas,” said Amarillo general manager Tony Ensor.

Club officials narrowed the list to five finalists— Jerky, Long Haulers, Bronc Busters and Boot Scooters in addition to Sod Poodles.

“To be honest, none of the five final names were very popular when we started voting on the nickname,” said Ensor. “Sod Poodles was not a favorite.”

Then a groundswell of support grew for Sod Poodles. Two local dignitaries wrote Sod Poodles songs. A Chick-Fil-A outlet put “Chicken tastes better than Sod Poodles” on its marquee.

“All of a sudden, people started talking about Sod Poodles,” said Ensor. “It became a subject on radio. Someone created Sod Poodle T-shirts. We didn’t push Sod Poodles. It did become an

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organic groundswell, just kind of a fun name that grabs you. And minor league baseball is the best of both worlds, baseball and fun.”

Actually, Sod Poodles was not the original submission. That was Prairie Dogs. But early pioneers in the area called prairie dogs — which are really squirrels — Sod Poodles.

After two weeks of voting, Sod Poodles was favored by 40 percent of the voters.

Since Sod Poodles was announced as the official nickname on Tuesday, the name has taken the country by storm.

“We’ve already sold merchandise in 33 states,” said Ensor. “There have been steady sales at the store we’ve opened outside our temporary offices.

The Sod Poodles logo was the work of Brandiose, a San Diego-based design company who has designed logos for a number of minor league baseball teams. The Texas state colors are prevalent in the logos and the featured Sod Poodles have an attitude. Each is wearing a cowboy hat.

“The logo is our first home run,” said Ensor. “It has taken off with fans.”

As for the Sod Poodles new home, it is over 50 percent completed and will look a bit like Parkview Field in Fort Wayne, Ind., which is the home of the Padres’ Single-A Midwest League affiliate.

“What Fort Wayne built gave us a great lead-in for what we are building here,” said Ensor. “We’ll have a 360-degree walk-around concourse and great hospitality areas . . . six field-level dugout suites, 20 suites on top and an outfield hospitality area.”

The Sod Poodles will remain in the Texas League’s Southern Division with Midland, Frisco and Corpus Christi. The Double-A affiliates for the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros are in the same division.

“It’s perfect for us,” said Ensor. “We’ll have players from the Padres’ top-rated system in the minors. And our fans will be able to see the to[p prospects from the Astros and Rangers. We’re excited about the Padres prospects and the other opportunities.’

Ensor said the Sod Poodles have met 85 percent of the original goal for full-season ticket sales with some buyers being a three-hour drive away.

Ensor said he has already encountered fans in the Amarillo area who remember when the Padres were there for seven seasons.

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Members of the 1984 National League champion Padres who played in Amarillo included Hall of Fame outfielder Tony Gwynn (he hit .462 in 23 games in 1981) and center fielder Kevin McReynolds and starting pitchers Eric Show, Andy Hawkins, Mark Thurmond and Dave Dravecky.

“It’s been 38 seasons since affiliated, professional baseball has been in Amarillo,” said Ensor. “We’re excited about what the future holds. It’s going to be a special park in a special town . . . a good baseball town.”

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Post-2018 Farm System Rankings by Craig Edwards November 12, 2018

Today, I’ve published a pair of posts in which I attempt to estimate the present-day value of prospects, both in terms of WAR and dollars. With that work complete, the logical next step is to turn away from the value of specific prospects and towards farm systems as a whole.

One can get a sense of the stronger and weaker systems just by eyeballing the rankings produced by Eric Longenhagen and Kiley McDaniel. What the prospect-valuation data allows us to do, however, is to place a figure on baseball’s top-800 or so prospects, creating a more objective ranking based on the grades assessed to each player here at FanGraphs.

These rankings provide a current snapshot of the farm systems before Longenhagen and McDaniel embark on their winter-long reveal of team prospect rankings. (The first post in their offseason series will appear this week.) As noted, the methodology for valuing prospects based on their grades is explained in my last two posts on the subjects:

Keep in mind, these values are based on the current CBA, where players receive a minimum salary for roughly three years and then have three (or four) years of arbitration before reaching free agency after six full MLB seasons. Players are generally underpaid compared to their value on the field during these seasons, which is what creates the high present-day values and partially justifies the high value placed by teams on prospects when executing trades.

These values are also based on an approximate $9 million per WAR that MLB teams pay players in free agency. The actual cost per win when all players are considered is closer to half that figure. Prior to free agency, however, salaries are artificially depressed, so comparing value when players are freely available to all teams provides a better benchmark for determining actual value. The overall dollar-per-win mark varies depending on the study, so my own estimate might be considered too high or low. Teams have different budgets that requires different valuations on a team-by-team basis, but looking at a figure close to the overall average allows for good comparisons — not only with the farm systems below, but with comparing value in potential trades, like this one with J.T. Realmuto, or in actual trades like the one involving Chris Archer last season.

The table below indicates the number of players each team has at each grade level from 40 (where there are nearly 500 players) all the way up to 70, where Vlad Guerrero Jr. sits all alone. The individual values for all of these players are then added up to provide one single total.

Here is that table:

Farm System Rankings Post-2018

Team 70 65 60 55 50 45 40 Total

Prospects Present-Day WAR

Value

SDP 1 4 7 8 26 46 50.9 $458 M

ATL 1 5 6 2 13 27 45.0 $405 M

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Team 70 65 60 55 50 45 40 Total

Prospects Present-Day WAR

Value

CHW 1 1 2 7 2 15 28 41.0 $369 M

TBR 2 1 6 10 17 36 39.6 $356 M

TOR 1 1 3 7 20 32 33.1 $298 M

CIN 2 0 4 9 7 22 28.4 $256 M

MIN 2 3 7 24 36 28.2 $254 M

DET 3 4 10 14 31 27.8 $250 M

HOU 2 2 3 21 28 23.5 $212 M

LAD 2 3 6 13 24 23.1 $208 M

PIT 2 3 5 14 24 22.4 $202 M

LAA 1 3 7 11 22 19.7 $177 M

PHI 1 1 1 5 18 26 19.7 $177 M

OAK 2 1 9 11 23 19.5 $176 M

TEX 1 4 4 26 35 19.0 $171 M

CLE 4 8 15 27 18.5 $167 M

NYM 1 4 3 15 23 17.8 $160 M

WSN 1 1 4 11 17 17.8 $160 M

STL 1 2 6 20 29 16.1 $145 M

MIA 5 7 14 26 16.0 $144 M

NYY 3 6 22 31 16.0 $144 M

MIL 1 2 4 14 21 15.0 $135 M

COL 1 1 8 16 26 14.5 $131 M

SFG 2 4 17 23 10.6 $95 M

CHC 3 6 18 27 10.4 $94 M

ARI 2 3 18 23 10.0 $90 M

KCR 1 6 18 25 9.1 $82 M

BAL 7 24 31 8.5 $77 M

BOS 7 13 20 6.1 $55 M

SEA 4 13 17 4.8 $43 M Most prospects at a grade

1st

2nd

3rd

The Padres have amassed a large number of prospects at nearly every grade level and feature an incredible amount of depth. When looking at that 50.9 WAR, consider this thought experiment:

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would you rather have the current Cleveland roster for 2019 with every player becoming a free agent at the end of next season or would you rather have the Padres farm system? If you choose the major-league team, you essentially end up with an expansion team in 2020 without the benefit of an expansion draft, and you likely end up terrible for years. Choose the latter and you presumably have a bright future, though the outlook for 2019 isn’t so good. Maybe it is an easy choice given the opportunity to win this season, but it’s a hypothetical for purposes of assessing value without real-world constraints.

It’s worth noting that the Blue Jays would be more middle of the road than top-five if Vlad Jr. had been called up at the All-Star break. If the Braves hadn’t called up Ronald Acuña, they would have the best farm system in baseball right now. They’d also have won fewer games and maybe missed the playoffs. Winning games and making the playoffs is more important than farm-system rankings, and the latter doesn’t account for young players in the majors or the overall health and strength of a farm system. That said, Boston and Seattle look pretty barren when it comes to prospects. For a look at all of the individual prospects, look to THE BOARD and the FanGraphs Prospects page.

For those more visually inclined, here are the farm rankings by WAR in graph form.

And here are those same rankings in terms of free-agent dollars.

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Enjoy!

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Padres Pedal the Cause unites against cancer: One survivor's story Bradley J. Fikes

Muscular and possessing a killer handshake, Bradley Couch fit right in with the athletic set of bicyclists taking part in Saturday’s Padres Pedal the Cause, an annual fundraiser to support cancer patients and research in San Diego.

Surprisingly, Couch was one of those cancer patients. And while every one of the thousands of people taking part in the event has been directly or indirectly affected by cancer, his story is more unusual than most.

He’s in remission from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a blood cancer that has a median age of diagnosis of 67. Couch was diagnosed three years ago, at the age of 17.

Couch’s tale is one reason that more than 2,500 people rode or walked in support.

Pedal the Cause was founded by cancer survivor Bill Koman in St. Louis. San Diego began its own event in 2013, specifying from the beginning that all money raised would be spent locally.

More than $2.2 million is estimated to have been raised this year. Proceeds go to Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health; Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute; the Salk Institute; and Rady Children’s Hospital.

It was a sunny, brisk morning at Petco Park when waves of jersey-clad cyclists showed up for their rides.

Before each group set off, community leaders cheered them on, including San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and Peter Seidler, general partner of the Padres. The event is in its third year of sponsorship by the Padres.

“We want to make it the event in San Diego in November,” Seidler said on a podium as cyclists arrayed in lines to reach the starting gate. “We’re on our way.”

One wave of riders took off at 9 a.m. for the Coronado Classic, a 25-mile spin crossing the Coronado Bridge. Among them: Dr. David Brenner, vice chancellor for health sciences at University of California San Diego.

“I’ve always wanted to ride across the Coronado Bridge,” Brenner said. “Now I’m going to get to do it.”

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The bridge was closed while the cyclists crossed it.

Along with Brenner, the Couch family took that ride.

Couch rode with Winward Academy, which provided him with important academic help as he faced the world of cancer.

It was only a few years ago that that world reached Couch without warning.

Unexpected journey

“I wasn't feeling fatigued, I wasn't feeling nauseous, I was just a normal 15-year-old kid,” he said when his health problems began.

Couch first needed treatment for injuries to his left and right anterior cruciate ligaments, sustained while playing basketball.

“So at this point I have two torn ACLs and during my second tear, through an MRI actually, they found these little lesions in both of my knees.”

“My original doctor pretty much goes, ‘You have cancer, you're going to lose all your hair, you can go through chemo,’” Couch said of the blunt and unsparing message.

And while he was shocked and scared, Couch said he was also frustrated about the threat cancer posed to his plans for a smooth take-off into adult life.

“I might have to drop out of high school and might not be able to go to college,” Couch remembered thinking.

“They told me that when you're going through your chemo cycles as a child, they don't let you go in and out,” for fear of infection. “It kind of messes up your social life and your academic life, and then what do you do?”

The answer came from Couch’s best friend, Michael Rosen. He recommended Jennifer Winward, a University of California San Diego instructor and a family friend.

Winward said Couch’s dilemma struck a chord with her, inspiring her to found an online education program, Winward Academy.

“When people think about underserved youth or youth who need more support with academics, they don't typically think of teens battling cancer,” she said. “He was already feeling lonely and isolated, understandably, because he was missing school because of his chemo treatment and his suppressed immune system.”

By completing the online program from home, Couch managed to keep up academically while going through chemotherapy.

Couch said he worked to keep his mood up even during the hair loss, nausea, and other chemo effects, knowing it was important to survival.

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“If you're not doing that, and you're just being negative all the time, you're screwed,” he said.

So Couch focused on what he would do after successfully competing treatment.

“Once I get this done, I'm going to get a job after college,” he told himself. “I want to continue to grow as a person.”

Rebounding

And Couch found new friends in SOMBFAB (Some of My Best Friends Are Bald), a support group for teens battling cancer. Facing similar struggles, they gave each other advice and reinforced a positive outlook.

Meanwhile, his parents, Susan and Damon Couch, and older sister Morgan Couch, rallied to support him. Damon arranged with his employer to work some hours at home. Morgan, then in college, flew home to help.

Unsatisfied with his original doctor, Couch’s parents looked for another. He was treated at Rady Children’s Hospital by Dr. Dennis Kuo. The family found him through a recommendation from Couch’s college counselor, who used to be a surgeon.

“He understood Bradley, he understood our family dynamics,” she said of Kuo.

Friends and work associates also helped, Susan Couch said.

“Thanks to the outstanding village and community that we had, with my employer, with my husband’s employer; with our school, La Jolla Country Day; with our synagogue, Temple Beth Israel; with our friends, our family and our community, we were able to get through the experience as a community,” she said.

After several rounds of treatment with no evidence of recurrence, Couch was pronounced in remission. He ceased therapy, his hair regrew.

Now at the University of Arizona, Couch is preparing for a career in commercial real estate. He’s already interned for three San Diego-area companies.

And to ensure his life path progresses, Couch continues to get regular checkups, at steadily longer intervals, just to be sure the cancer hasn’t returned.

For more information about Padres Pedal the Cause, go to https://www.gopedal.org.

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MadFriars’ Player of the Year: Fernando Tatis, Jr. John Conniff, MadFriars FOX Sports San Diego Nov 19, 2018 at 12:55p ET

At the end of April, Fernando Tatis, Jr. – the consensus top prospect in the San Diego Padres’ organization – was batting.177, had an on-base percentage of .231 and had struck out 34 times in his first 102 plate appearances in Double-A San Antonio.

Many thought the Padres had pushed the 19-year old Dominican shortstop too far and too fast since his breakout year in Low-A Fort Wayne where he set team records for home runs in a season and left at the end of the season on top of most of the Midwest League offensive categories.

It seemed like everyone was worried except for Tatis.

“I think you have to believe in yourself and know that you can play this game,” he said at the All-Star Future’s Game on his first-month struggles. “I know I wasn’t really doing that much different but sometimes you don’t have success even when you are doing things that are correct, so I wasn’t panicking – that’s just baseball.”

“I knew that someday it was going to click, and it did.”

After April, Tatis Jr. hit .331, with an on-base percentage of .359 and a slugging percentage of .572 and according to Mike Saeger, the Missions’ play-by-play announcer, he was not only the best player in the Texas League but the “best player in the Texas League in a long time.”

Although for some 75 strikeouts in 290 plate appearances is still high, his manager Phillip Wellman pointed out that “most of his strikeouts come in his first at-bat. He makes immediate adjustments and then he doesn’t chase the same pitches that he did at that at-bat. If he’s seen the guy, he’s ok.”

“The only time he really gets himself in trouble is when he hasn’t seen certain pitchers, and that’s experience.”

Unfortunately, Tatis, Jr.’s season ended in mid-July when he fractured his left thumb sliding head first into second base on a steal attempt, but the numbers he put up on the offensive side of the ball along with plus defense at shortstop was still enough for him to be named the MadFriars Player of the Year for 2018. Tatis also took home the award in 2017, for his breakout year playing with the TinCaps.

He finished with 42 extra-base hits in 88 games, to go along with 16 stolen bases in 21 attempts and a slash line of .286/.355/.507 while being the youngest player in the Texas League.

How important was Tatis to the Missions this year? With him, the team was 57-39, after his injury, they finished out the regular season at 14-28. Although the team advanced to the final round of the Texas League playoffs, Tatis’ injury probably cost them a championship.

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Tatis is the Padres’ best prospect since Sean Burroughs in 2002, and even that isn’t a fair comparison. While Burroughs also produced gaudy hit totals in the minor leagues before he was 21, he didn’t have Tatis’ ceiling, particularly for power and defense; where many pundits have speculated that the six-foot-four 205-pound player might outgrow the position.

“Zero,” said Sam Geaney, the Padres’ Director of Player Development when asked if he had any concerns about his ability to stay at shortstop.” He’s a very gifted player offensively, and one of the more unique things about him is that he has gotten bigger and stronger he’s also gotten faster and quicker. For a big man, he moves incredibly well and can make all the plays.”

Saeger echoed Ganey’s remarks, “To do what he did as a 19-year old in Double-A cannot be overstated. And forget about anyone who before the season doubted his ability to play shortstop in the big leagues. This kid is legit in the field.

“He’s going to be a big-time impact guy in San Diego.”

Tatis is playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic and will be ready to go for Spring Training. He is expected to begin the year in Triple-A El Paso and should be up in the major leagues by June.

His ceiling is what Padres’ fans have been dreaming on for fifty years.