San Diego Padres Sleeper Prospects

By Guest Writer
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Updated: January 30, 2015

(Via @lelandmaxpreps)

Believe it or not, the Padres do still have some depth on the farm, even though AJ Preller traded much of it away because somehow San Diego is in “win now” mode. This is still weird to me. Anyway. CaliSports News has already ranked the friars top 5 prospects here, so this is a list of five Padres prospects with breakout potential. There are several quality prospects in the Padres system that will get promoted before most of these guys, but the guys on this list have higher ceilings. Conversely, they also have lower floors as their talent is raw and they are young. If you’re looking to add prospects with star potential to your dynasty league fantasy baseball team or just want to know if there is any premium young talent that A.J. Preller hasn’t traded away yet, this is the list to check out.

Michael Gettys
Age: 19
2014 Level: Rookie Ball
Position: OF

The pre-A.J. Preller Padres picked him in the 2nd round of the 2014 draft, but his tools and high ceiling make him the prototypical Preller prospect. He has plus speed and a plus arm, and generates above average power when he makes contact. Making contact, however, is his weakness. Jim Callis at mlb.com wrote an article about Gettys here before the 2014 draft and profiled Gettys as having the all-around tools worthy of a top ten pick, but because of his inability to hit quality pitching he would probably not get picked until after the first round. Sure enough, he fell to the Padres in round two. So what’s the deal with Gettys at the plate? According to a scout that Callis spoke with, Gettys doesn’t have a fundamentally flawed swing, but he seems like “an anxious hitter, and anxious hitters tend not to perform.” Perhaps the Padres can address his hitting anxiety and he can become true 5-tool star at the big league level. Gettys is definitely a high risk/high reward prospect. He could become an All-Star, or he could flame out in the minor leagues. Not to make an unfair comparison, but the same thing was said about Yasiel Puig. ETA 2018

Jordan Paroubeck
Age: 20
2014 Level: Rookie Ball
Position: OF

Drafted by the Padres in the 2nd round of the 2013 draft. Like Gettys, Paroubeck has the speed and arm to be a very useful defensive outfielder. He also happens to have Barry Bonds as his hitting coach (Bonds is a family friend). He is a switch hitter with a swing that scouts like from both sides of the plate, and they expect him to generate legit power as a lefty and a righty in the future. (Below is a video of him taking batting practice). Also like Gettys, scouts grade his hit tool as being below average, so the Padres minor league hitting coaches will have some work to do. He will need time to refine his considerable raw talent, but his versatility at the plate, all around tools, and high ceiling make him another exciting high risk/high reward prospect, and I expect A.J. Preller to hang on to him. ETA 2018

Zechariah Lemond
Age:22
2014 Levels: Low-A, Double-A
Position: Pitcher

Drafted from Rice by the Padres in the 3rd round of the 2014 draft. He was moved from the bullpen to the starting rotation in college and did well until he had elbow inflammation issues and was shut down in early 2014. He was able to pitch 42 innings after being drafted, mostly in Low-A, and only walked 5 batters in that time. His fastball has good velocity; his curveball has a lot of movement, and his change-up projects as being at least average. If he gains consistency with his curveball and change-up he has mid rotation potential, or he could be moved back to the bullpen where he’d have the chance to become a high leverage reliever. As is the case with many pitching prospects, his ability to develop his secondary pitches will determine if his future is in the starting rotation or the bullpen. Also like with many pitching prospects, there is no guarantee he will avoid elbow issues. If he does stay healthy, though, he could be pitching at Petco sometime in 2016 or early 2017.

Franmil Reyes
Age:19
2014 Level: Single-A
Position: OF

Signed as a 16-year-old for $700,000 in 2011, he spent all of 2014 in Single-A and hit 11 home runs in 128 games, while striking out a whopping 118 times compared to just 38 walks. With those numbers he is another prospect that would fit right in with the free swinging prospects A.J. Preller helped assemble in the Texas Rangers minor league system. He’s probably never going to hit for a particularly high average, and at 6’5’’ 240 he’s better suited to play defense for the Chargers than play the field for Padres. Ok maybe not. Either way, his path to the majors is through his bat and with that size his bat could take him a long way. His ability, or inability, to make enough contact against the improved breaking pitches he’ll face in the upper minor leagues will be telling. ETA 2017

Tayron Guerrero
Age: 24
2014 Levels: Low-A, High-A
Position: Relief Pitcher

Signed by the Padres from Columbia in 2009, Guerrero is a hard thrower that can reach triple digits with his fastball, but has a history of command issues. He made improvements with his slider and change-up in 2014, leading to an improved stat line. He struck out 56 while only walking 20 batters in 50 innings pitched split between Low-A and High-A. His breakout season earned him a spot in the 2014 All-Star Futures game, where he struck out the only batter he faced. It will be interesting to see if he is able to keep his walk rate down, and his strikeout rate up, as he transitions to Double-A this season. If he can continue his command improvements he could be in the bullpen at Petco in late 2015 or 2016.

Looking ahead four years:

A Padres outfield of Gettys, Paroubeck and Wil Myers could be dynamic in the field and at the plate. Of course, it’s dangerous to put high expectations on young players, as there is no guarantee that Gettys and Paroubeck will make it to the majors. It’s equally dangerous to speculate as to what trades A.J. Preller will make next, but if he targets the same type of players he did while he was in Texas, Gettys and Paroubeck will be on his shortlist of “keepers”. Lemond and Guerrero have the potential to be valuable members of the Padres pitching staff, and Reyes has a chance to become a legit masher. So, even though a lot of the Padres minor league depth was traded this offseason for major league star power, there are still several potential stars in the Padres farm system.

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