Thursday, May 15

Last summer, as they traded a handful of upper-level prospects amid a flurry of moves, the Padres were tasked with rebuilding their farm system from the lower levels.

They’ve done it before, and they might be doing it again. A number of early-season standouts in San Diego's farm system come from the lower levels of the Minor Leagues. A few were selected in last July’s Draft.

With one month of Minor League Baseball in the books, here’s a look at six Padres standout prospects (with all stats entering play Sunday):

1. SS Leo De Vries (Padres No. 1 prospect, No. 16 overall)

What a start. Before the season there was buzz about the 18-year-old De Vries emerging as a candidate to be the sport’s top overall prospect entering 2026. He’s done nothing to discourage that buzz. De Vries turned in perhaps the Minor League game of the season, hitting for the cycle with two home runs a couple weeks ago in Lansing. He’s batting .308 with a .998 OPS at High-A Fort Wayne. The Padres held tightly to De Vries through numerous trade possibilities -- and they might soon reap the rewards of that decision.

2. LHP Boston Bateman (Padres No. 5 prospect)

The 6-foot-8 Bateman was selected in the second round of last summer’s Draft and didn’t appear in games last year. He’s making his pro debut this season at Single-A Lake Elsinore -- and he’s off to quite a start. In four outings, Bateman has a 3.86 ERA with 21 strikeouts over 18 2/3 innings. In his latest start, he twirled six scoreless innings with five strikeouts and only two hits allowed. His fastball/slider combo already looks lethal.

3. RHP Henry Baez (Padres No. 12 prospect)

Baez was added to the 40-man roster in November, protecting him from the Rule 5 Draft. He’s justified that decision already this season. In five starts with Double-A San Antonio, Baez has a 3.18 ERA with a 0.84 WHIP and 27 strikeouts over 22 2/3 innings. Recent reports are that his fastball is hitting 98 mph. More of that, and the 22-year-old righty will put himself in the mix as a depth option for a callup this season. (After all, the three others who were Rule 5 protected last year -- Omar Cruz, Ryan Bergert and Tirso Ornelas -- have already received callups in 2025.)

4. RHP Tyson Neighbors (Padres No. 15 prospect)

Another Padres Draft pick from last summer, Neighbors has been brilliant for High-A Fort Wayne. He has only made nine appearances, spanning 11 2/3 innings -- and he’s already punched out 22 hitters. Drafted out of Kansas State in the fourth round last year, Neighbors has been given save opportunities with Fort Wayne -- and Padres evaluators have come away hugely impressed with his demeanor in that role.

5. RHP Enmanuel Pinales (unranked)

A 24-year-old in High-A, Pinales is easily overlooked. But he’s been dominant all season -- and probably won’t be at High-A much longer. The right-hander has made five starts for the TinCaps, posting a 1.40 ERA while limiting opposing hitters to a .184 batting average against. His ascension started last year, when he posted a 3.49 mark with Fort Wayne. But he’s taken further steps this year -- with his fastball velocity up a tick or two and two distinct breaking pitches which have kept High-A hitters off-balance. It's probably time for his next challenge.

6. RHP David Morgan (unranked)

Morgan’s excellent start to the season earned him a callup to the big league bullpen, though he was sent down on Sunday as the Padres returned to their five-man rotation by calling up Stephen Kolek. Morgan made seven appearances with Double-A San Antonio, spanning 8 2/3 innings with a whopping 19-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio in that span. He didn’t get a chance for his big league debut in his brief stint in the Majors. But now that he’s been added to the 40-man roster, the hard-throwing 25-year-old right-hander will presumably be back soon enough.

Which player homered twice in Game 1 of the 1998 World Series at Yankee Stadium?

A. Ken Caminiti
B. Tony Gwynn
C. Jim Leyritz
D. Greg Vaughn

The Yankees always figured Michael King was poised to develop into an excellent starting pitcher after he broke into their rotation late in the 2023 season. But his ascension to ace-dom came in San Diego instead, after New York sent him to the Padres as the centerpiece of a trade package for Juan Soto.

King makes his return to Yankee Stadium this week, slated to start the second game of the Padres’ series in the Bronx. He’s off to an excellent start to the season, having posted a 2.09 ERA through seven starts.

"I feel like if you get caught up in the emotion of it all or the theatrics of it all, then it takes away from the actual performance," King said of his return. "So, just treat it like another start and then hopefully look up after the game with a W."

Probably easier said than done, though King has said there's no bitterness at being dealt. He also called the trade "mutually beneficial" for both teams last summer. Still, there's no doubt this start will take on a bit of extra meaning for King.

• Kolek joined the rotation in style, as the Padres completed their sweep of the Pirates.

• Fernando Tatis Jr. is a five-tool superstar. He won Saturday's game with his speed -- and baserunning instincts.

• With Rookie ball getting underway, our Sam Dykstra looks at 14 prospects to watch, including the Padres' No. 4 prospect.

PADRES.TV is back for the 2025 season, allowing fans to stream regular-season games in the San Diego area without blackouts. (That offer -- available now for $89.99 or $19.99 per month -- is only for fans in the Padres’ home TV territory and a separate service from the MLB.TV out-of-market package.)

D. Vaughn homered twice off David Wells; Gwynn famously went deep as well.

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