Some bright spots among a lot of losses

The first full week of games for three of the four Padres minor league affiliates was less than successful with all teams having losing records thus far. There are some bright spots in these early results with pitching being the biggest issue at the start of the year.

There were a lot of lopsided results as well, with Low-A Lake Elsinore winning 21-0 and Triple-A El Paso losing 19-12 as examples. Several of the top prospects, and a few of the players to watch for this year, have started in an inconsistent manner as well. The small sample size indicates that time (and some better weather) will reveal what these players of capable of in 2026.

El Paso Chihuahuas (6-10 record, 4th in Pacific Coast League, South Division)

The Triple-A Chihuahuas went 1-5 for the week, with five games against the Albuquerque Isotopes and one against the Round Rock Express. Outfielders Samad Taylor and Jase Bowen lead the team offensively, Taylor has a .277 average with a .689 OPS. Bowen has a .603 slug while hitting .259 with four homers but also has 18 strikeouts in 58 at-bats. Swing-and-miss continues to be the big issue with Bowen despite his power and speed. Getting a better contact rate would really improve his chances of getting to the big leagues.

LHP JP Sears has a 4.73 ERA in three games and 13.1 innings pitched with 11 strikeouts and three walks. RHP Matt Waldron excelled early in the Chihuahuas season but has been called up to the Padres with the injury to Nick Pivetta.

LHP Jackson Wolf has been moved into the bullpen this season and has largely pitched well. He has started one game with five relief appearances over 8.2 innings with a 5.19 ERA and 12 strikeouts. Reliever Garrett Hawkins (40-man roster) has four appearances and 4.1 innings pitched with two hits allowed and five strikeouts. Reliever Evan Fitterer has appeared in four games with eight innings pitched, a 1.13 ERA and has 10 strikeouts.

San Antonio Missions (3-7 record, 4th in Texas League, South Division)

The Double-A Missions had a 2-3-1 record for the week while playing the Corpus Christi Hooks and the Midland Rock Hounds. New Padres minor leaguer IF Carson Tucker, 24, leads the Missions with a .412 average and a 1.029 OPS in 17 at-bats. He also leads the team with a .529 slug. First baseman Romeo Sanabria has five RBI and is one of the four players on the team with a home run.

LHP Luis Gutierrez leads the starters with two games and nine innings pitched and has a 1.00 ERA with 11 strikeouts and two walks. RHP Miguel Mendez (40-man roster) has also started two games with 7.2 innings pitched with a 1.17 ERA. Reliever Johan Moreno has appeared in four games and 6.1 innings pitched allowing no runs. Harry Gustin has six innings pitched over three games with a 1.50 ERA and six strikeouts.

Fort Wayne TinCaps (3-7 record, last in Midwest League, East Division)

The High-A TinCaps went 2-4 against the Lansing Lugnuts and Lake County Captains for the week. OF Alex McCoy has started the season on a streak. He is hitting .323 with a .995 OPS, with two home runs with three doubles and has four RBI. He has two walks and six strikeouts in 31 at-bats. The concern with McCoy since his signing was his swing and miss and contact ability. The power has always been there and if he can continue to make consistent contact then the sky is the limit for the 6-5 and 260-pound prospect.

LHP Kash Mayfield has had two starts so far with seven innings pitched and no runs allowed. He has eight strikeouts and five walks. RHP Maikel Miralles has started two games with eight innings pitched and 12 strikeouts with five walks but has a 5.63 ERA. RHP Carson Montgomery, who missed all of last season with injuries, started his first game and threw four innings. He has three strikeouts and a walk without allowing a run.

Lake Elsinore Storm (4-6 record, 3rd in the California League, South Division)

The Low-A Storm went 3-3 for the week versus the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes and the Stockton Ports. Left Fielder Connor Westenburg, an undrafted free agent from last year, has played in 10 games and 29 at-bats with a .517 average, a .621 slug and a 1.196 OPS. He also leads the team with eight RBI. CF Ryan Wideman, drafted in the third round last year, is another high-upside outfielder who has speed and power, but contact has been the big question. He has started with a .244 average and .378 slug with nine RBI to lead the team.

RHP Bryan Balzer, signed from Japan and had an inconsistent debut last season, has started two games and nine innings pitched with a 1.00 ERA and 11 strikeouts and five walks. RHP Winyer Chourio has started two games with eight innings pitched and has a 1.13 ERA with 12 strikeouts.

The Padres top draft pick last year, LHP Kruz Schoolcraft, has had a disastrous start to the season. With Lake Elsinore, Schoolcraft has yet to make it past the first inning of his two starts. He has pitched a total of 1.1 innings with nine earned runs, one strikeout and six walks for a 60.75 ERA.