Once a desolate wasteland of a prospect farm, the San Diego Padres have been reviving their dead roots from within as of late. With a combination of trade deadline deals, the continued development of those within the chain, and a solid 2007 draft class, the Padres appear poised to keep their formerly lackluster farm system a thing of the past.
| Our Top 5 San Diego Padres Prospects at the end of the 2007 Season | ||||||||||
| No. | Player | Pos | Notes | Age | Level | |||||
| 1 | Will Inman | RHP | Stolen from MIL because of and unexciting build; top-of-the-rotation potential | 20 | AA | |||||
| 2 | Matt Antonelli | 2B | Wake Forest product controls the zone well and has shown signs of power | 22 | AA | |||||
| 3 | Chase Headley | 3B | Still has a fair amount to prove above Triple-A before we consider him elite | 23 | MLB | |||||
| 4 | Matt Latos | RHP | One of the last DNFs ever; dominated SS ball; could emerge as elite in 2008 | 19 | SS | |||||
| 5 | Kyle Blanks | 1B | Giant of a ball player (6'6'', 281); needs to prove himself in the upper minors | 21 | A+ | |||||
| * Ages are as of 10/14/07 | ||||||||||
| ** Level is the highest level the player has reached | ||||||||||
| *** Our rankings combine a player's ceiling with the odds that he'll reach it and favor recent production | ||||||||||
| <<< Discuss these rankings | ||||||||||
1. Will Inman, RHP (2/6/87)
Standing exactly 6-feet-tall and weighing in at 200 pounds, Will Inman had no business putting up the second-most strikeouts in all of the minors this year. But after striking out 180 would-be hitters in 159.2 innings, Inman did just that, posting a combined 3.10 K/BB rate across two levels. Things got interesting for the Danville, Va. native after being dealt by the Brewers to the Padres for Scott Linebrink. Posting a 50% groundball rate in 39.2 Double-A frames of work with the Brewers’ Double-A affiliate, Inman had issues finding any kind of grounders in the Texas League, putting up a meager 25% rate in 41.0 IP with San Antonio. If he can answer his groundball critics in a way that rivals his strikeout prowess and command (1.16 WHIP), Will Inman will only continue his assault up our Top 25 charts.
2. Matt Antonelli, 2B (4/8/85)
Playing at the game’s scarcest position on the prospect front, Matt Antonelli’s efforts in 2007 switched his forecast from solid second base prospect to solid prospect overall. After going .314/.409/.499 in the hitter’s haven known as the California League, the success of the 6-foot, 203-pounder followed suit with a promotion to the Texas League (.294/.395/.476). Throughout the process, Antonelli maintained a stellar 83:94 BB to K rate, yielding a very solid combination of power (21 HR) and patience. With a strong start to the 2008 season, the Wake Forest product could be kicking in the doors to both the Top 25 and the Majors sooner rather than later.
3. Chase Headley, 3B (5/9/84)
After posting a .291/.389/.434 vital in the California League in 2006, Chase Headley started to turn a few heads his way. With a .330/.437/.580 showing in Double-A this campaign, all faces have become squarely focused on the 6-foot-2, 195-pounder and his future. With the 146-point spike in slugging, Headley was able to maintain a similar showing in the patience department: 75:96 BB to K in ’06 vs. 74:114 in ’07. If he can show that the sudden slugging impulse can be replicated at the Triple-A level – or even the big leagues – Chase Headley could hear his name mentioned amongst the top third base prospects in all of baseball.
4. Matt Latos, RHP, (12/9/87)
One of baseball’s last of a dying breed, Matt Latos is putting the draft-and-follow notion to rest with dignity. The potential sandwich round selection was tabbed in the 11th round in 2006, and has been living up the billing of the former ever since. A 6-foot-5, 210-pounder, Latos dominated in 2007, posting a 30.1% strikeout rate (74 K in 56.1 IP) with an equally impressive 3.36 K/BB clip in short-season ball. If Latos can learn to keep the ball on the ground a little more (47% groundball rate) and continue to miss bats at a ridiculous rate, he could become a household name.
5. Kyle Blanks, 1B (9/11/86)
The proud owner of a 6-foot-6, 281-pound frame, Kyle Blanks has basically landed himself on the prospect radar by default. While his size may be impressive enough in itself, a .301/.380/.540 vital – paired with a 42.1% XBH rate –suggests that Blanks has more to bring to the dinner table than his mass alone. Though the Sellersville, Pa. product packs plenty to be excited about, it’s not all fun and games for Blanks. The 21-year-old has only advanced through High-A to date (California League), and after posting a 44:98 BB to K rate this season, Kyle Blanks still has some serious developing to do – and fast.
Honorable Mentions:
Adam Loberstein can be reached at aloberstein@projectprospect.com.