Minors: Center fielders to watch in Padres’ farm system

Sept. 24, 2018 6 AM PT

After Manuel Margot’s disappointing second full year in the majors, the Padres enter the offseason with a number of questions at the position?

Is Margot the long-term answer? Is it Franchy Cordero when he come back from his season-ending elbow surgery? How much of a role does Travis Jankowski deserve?

Whatever the answers, the position is rather healthy at the minor league level as several intriguing prospects took steps forward in 2018.

1. Buddy Reed

Age: 23
Team(s): High Single-A Lake Elsinore, Double-A San Antonio
2018 stats: .271 avg., .319 OBP, .435 SLG, 13 HRs, 62 RBIs, 75 runs, 51 steals, 36 walks, 147 strikeouts (122 games, 494 at-bats)
Height/weight: 6-foot-4 / 210 pounds
Bats/Throws: B / R
How acquired: Second round in 2016 (Florida)
Need to know: Five minor league players in 2018 swiped at least 50 bases and the switch-hitting Reed hit for more homers than the other four players combined, beginning to realize his potential as one of the more intriguing power-speed prospects in the game. After powering up for the first time this winter in Australia (10 homers in 31 games), Reed paired a .324/.371/.549 batting line with 12 homers and 33 steals in a half-season in the California League to earn an invite to the All-Star Futures Game alongside Fernando Tatis Jr. and Luis Urias. He was excellent against right-handers (.942 OPS) and improved against leftes (.828) and then hit a wall after his promotion to Double-A San Antonio, where he hit .179/.227/.235 with 63 strikeouts in 43 games. Although some considered him a bit on the older side for the California League – he turned 23 in April – Reed’s extensive history on youth soccer fields and hockey rinks means he’s still rather young in terms of his baseball development. He was an upside play as a second-rounder in 2016 and he should return to Double-A in 2019 to continue his progression.

Padres minor league outfielder Jeisson Rosario started the 2018 season with the low Single-A Fort Wayne TinCaps.

2. Jeisson Rosario

Age: 18
Team(s): Low Single-A Fort Wayne
2018 stats: .271 avg., .368 OBP, .353 SLG, 3 HRs, 34 RBIs, 79 runs, 18 steals, 66 walks, 108 strikeouts (117 games, 436 at-bats)
Height/weight: 6-foot-1 / 191 pounds
Bats/Throws: L / L
How acquired: Non-drafted free agent in July 2016 (Dominican Republic)
Need to know: Tabbed the best athlete in the Padres system by Baseball America after 2017, Rosario originally signed for $1.85 million as part of the famed 2016-2017 international class. He batted .299/.404/.369 in 52 games in the rookie-level Arizona League his first summer as a pro and opened 2018 as the fourth-youngest player in the Midwest League, behind Fort Wayne teammates Justin Lopez, Tirso Ornelas and Gabriel Arias. The strikeouts ticked upward – from 36 in 52 games to 108 in 117 games – but Rosario continued to take his walks as his .368 on-base percentage ranked seventh in the league. He’s also one of the fastest players in the system – his 6.5-second 60-yard dash is a plus-plus time as Baseball America notes – but he’s been caught on 18 of his 44 steal attempts, an example of the strides Rosario still has to take to translate his extraordinary skills into game results.

3. Edward Olivares

Age: 22
Team(s): High Single-A Lake Elsinore
2018 stats: .277 avg., .321 OBP, .429 SLG, 12 HRs, 62 RBIs, 79 runs, 21 steals, 29 walks, 102 strikeouts (129 games, 531 at-bats)
Height/weight: 6-foot-2 / 186 pounds
Bats/Throws: R / R
How acquired: Trade with Blue Jays in January 2018
Need to know: Acquired for Yangervis Solarte a month before spring training, Olivares often took a back seat to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette on Toronto’s Midwest League affiliate in 2017. The Padres minor league staff in the circuit, however, certainly took notice of the .795 OPS he paired with 17 homers and 20 steals across two levels that year. His power and on-base skills dipped in his first year in the organization, but Storm manager Edwin Rodriguez raved about the outfield defense he was able to field when he had both Olivares and Buddy Reed in the lineup. That Olivares played so often in center (115 games) even with the fleet-footed Reed at his disposal says something about his defensive value. Olivares also closed strong, lifting his OPS from .700 to .807 after the all-star break to put him in line for a promotion to Double-A next spring.

The Storm's Michael Gettys runs toward second base during the Storm's game against the 66ers at Diamond Stadium in Lake Elsinore on Monday. Aug. 15, 2016.

4. Michael Gettys

Age: 21
Team(s): Double-A San Antonio
2018 stats: .230 avg., .290 OBP, .399 SLG, 15 HRs, 53 RBIs, 51 runs, 17 steals, 31 walks, 160 strikeouts (125 games, 431 at-bats)
Height/weight: 6-foot-1 / 203 pounds
Bats/Throws: R / R
How acquired: Second round in 2014 (Gainsville HS, Ga.)
Need to know: A plus defender in the outfield, Gettys was the ranked No. 37 in his draft class only to see a down senior year and questions about his ability to make contact drag him down into the second round. The Padres jumped at the chance to gamble on his upside, signing him away from a commitment to Georgia for $1.3 million. As scouts predicted, strikeouts have been a big part of his game as he’s climbed the ladder, although he reduced his rate from 37.2 percent last year in the California League to 33.8 percent in his first taste of Double-A ball. Gettys repeated low Single-A before moving on to the California League and spent parts of two season with Lake Elsinore, so he’s likely in line for another year in the Texas League, assuming he remains in the organization. Gettys is eligible for the Rule 5 draft for the first time in his career.

Texas Tech left fielder Grant Little tumbles after making a catch at the wall on a fly ball hit by Florida's Deacon Liput during the third inning of an NCAA College World Series baseball elimination game in Omaha, Neb., Thursday, June 21, 2018.

5. Grant Little

Age: 21
Team(s): Short-season Tri-City
2018 stats: .262 avg., .351 OBP, .315 SLG, 0 HRs, 17 RBIs, 16 runs, 9 steals, 20 walks, 28 strikeouts (39 games, 149 at-bats)
Height/weight: 6-foot-1 / 185 pounds
Bats/Throws: R / R
How acquired: Competitive Balance B pick in 2018 (Texas Tech)
Need to know: Drafted No. 74 overall, the pick received in the Phil Hughes trade, Little signed for $800,000 after a College World Series run. He paired a .370/.462/.642 batting line with 12 homers, 77 RBIs and 11 steals as a draft-eligible sophomore and held his own in his first summer in pro ball, albeit without much power. Little spent most of the summer in center field, but his athleticism could translate to other places on the diamond as General Manager A.J. Preller said after the draft: “Our scouts like the fact that he has played shortstop. He played high school basketball. He’s an athlete. I think we’ve talked about, could he play center field? Could he play left field? That’s what we’re going to see here in pro baseball. He’s a guy who’s very versatile, he’s athletic, he’s got some twitch and some athleticism to him. He’s made some tremendous catches in left field, some diving catches that have been on SportsCenter.”

Other names to know: Nick Schulz (AAA, .626 OPS), Rod Boykin (AA, .588 OPS), Hunter Jarmon (A+, .617), Tre Carter (A, .600 OPS), Jawuan Harris (AZL, .735 OPS), Angel Solarte (SS, .590 OPS), Junior Perez (DSL, .623 OPS).

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