The Real Value Of A No. 1 Farm System
Headlined by Fernando Tatis Jr., the Padres entered 2019 with the No. 1 farm system in baseball. In 2020, they had one of the most dynamic, young, talented teams in the major leagues.
While it might appear that the Padres’ prospects developed together as big leaguers to form the core of a playoff team, the reality is quite different.
Following the 2019 season and continuing through the 2020 trade deadline, the Padres dealt more than a dozen players from their farm system, including one-time top 10 prospects Luis Urias, Taylor Trammell and Josh Naylor. They also traded Cal Quantrill, Hudson Potts, Eric Lauer and Xavier Edwards, all of whom had recently been top 50 overall draft picks.
San Diego turned those prospects—and many others—into big leaguers who directly impacted the 2020 team. The most prominent examples were starting pitchers Mike Clevinger and Zach Davies, closer Trevor Rosenthal and regular position players Trent Grisham, Jake Cronenworth, Tommy Pham, Jurickson Profar, Austin Nola and Mitch Moreland.
Last fall, following his club’s third last-place finish in five years, Padres general manager A.J. Preller and his staff gathered in a freezing, sub-level meeting room beneath Petco Park.
The Padres normally hold their end-of-season staff meetings in a spacious auditorium on the upper floors of the ballpark. But this time, for reasons no one can quite remember, the auditorium was unavailable.
Instead, members of the Padres front office, pro scouting department and research and development group put on their winter wear, walked down a ramp to below field level and took their seats in a frigid room with no direct sunlight. There, they plotted the course for the 2020 season.
This story is from the October 2020 edition of Baseball America.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 2020 edition of Baseball America.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
NOBODY'S PERFECT
No. 1 prospect Jackson Holliday has one flaw in an otherwise airtight profile
ORGANIZATION REPORTS
At nearly every level of his professional career, outfielder Colton Cowser has taken time to acclimate. His major league debut last season was no different.
ORGANIZATION TALENT RANKINGS
For the second consecutive year, the Orioles enter the season with the best farm system in baseball.
WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN WITH NEW ROSTER LIMITS
No one can fully predict what will happen with the reduced 165-player minor league roster limits, but baseball officials weighed in with predictions for 2024, some of which we heard repeatedly.
NO MORE SLACK IN THE SYSTEM
The in domestic minor leagues creates consternation for farm directors
INTERNATIONAL TREASURES
Why MLB teams value foreign professionals more than ever
HIGH-FLYING BIRDS
Learning from past success and failure in Houston, Mike Elias and his united front office remade the Orioles into winners— and they got there ahead of schedule
ARIZONA COMPLEX LEAGUE TOP 10
Early promotions of star prospects led to a bit of a down season for the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League.
FLORIDA COMPLEX LEAGUE TOP 10
Even before the Rookie-level Florida Complex League season began, scouts who saw extended spring training gushed over the Yankees' talent, starting with shortstop Roderick Arias and 6-foot7 pitchers Henry Lalane and Carlos Lagrange. Outfielder John Cruz mashed 10 home runs as a 17-year-old.
SALAS COULD BE SPECIAL
When Ethan Salas arrived in the California League on May 30, he immediately displayed talent well beyond his years.