The San Diego Padres benefited from the ongoing ascension of Jackson Merrill over the weekend as the rookie center fielder, who hit three home runs in his first 67 games, launched his fourth home run in three games. The team also endured more early growing pains from Adam Mazur as the right-hander issued six walks in 3 2/3 innings and somehow limited the damage by the New York Mets to a pair of runs.
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With the graduation of Merrill and the trades of a few others, Mazur is the Padres’ No. 4 prospect, according to Keith Law. The 23-year-old is a clear work in progress and, ostensibly not as ready for the majors as the organization had believed. In parts of two minor-league seasons, Mazur had compiled a 3.18 ERA, nearly a strikeout per inning and a walk rate below five percent. In three starts for San Diego, he has posted a 7.82 ERA, tallied only eight strikeouts and walked 21.3 percent of his opponents, showing none of the control that propelled him through the farm system.
With veteran Yu Darvish nearing his return from a groin strain, Mazur’s next start seems likely to come back at Triple-A El Paso. More time in the upper minors should allow Mazur to hone his command and continue working on each of his four pitches, especially his curveball and changeup. (Big-league hitters have gone 2-for-5 against the former and 2-for-3 against the latter.)
In the meantime, the Padres may be compelled to turn elsewhere when they next need to draw from their starting-pitching depth. The current pickings appear slim. San Diego could look to stretch out Jhony Brito, who has pitched to a 3.62 ERA and recorded as many as 10 outs in an appearance this season. Besides Mazur, the organization’s only top-20 starting pitching prospect at El Paso or Double-A San Antonio with an ERA below 5.00 is 20-year-old Victor Lizarraga.
That places additional importance on the health of Darvish and Joe Musgrove, and Mazur’s development over the coming weeks.
Jayvien Sandridge promoted to Triple A
Impressed by a stint in the Arizona Fall League, the Padres signed left-hander Sandridge to a minor-league deal in November. A few weeks later, the team traded left-hander Ray Kerr to the Atlanta Braves as part of the price to jettison Matt Carpenter. Kerr logged a 4.33 ERA for the Padres last season as an interesting middle reliever with good velocity. The organization views Sandridge, 25, as a potential replacement.
There's no way the Missions win in the 11th without Jayvien Sandridge locking it down in the 9th and 10th. With his two scoreless innings and five strikeouts, @Jay_Sandy16 picks up the win and is tonight's @FrostBank Player of the Game! @MiLB @Padres pic.twitter.com/0UWozpcve7
— San Antonio Missions Baseball (@missionsmilb) June 6, 2024
After striking out 39 batters (and walking 14) in 21 1/3 innings with San Antonio, Sandridge last week received his first promotion to Triple A. His first two appearances in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League yielded a pair of home runs. Sandridge also averaged 95.6 mph with his fastball and got eight swings-and-misses with 35 pitches.
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If the Padres seek relief help from El Paso, Sandridge could be the first call. He leads the system in strikeout rate (42.3 percent) and Expected Fielding Independent Pitching (2.28).
Dylan Lesko sets a career high
A week after surrendering a career-worst seven runs, top pitching prospect Lesko went a career-best six innings Saturday for High-A Fort Wayne. Lesko, who has been plagued by a lack of control, issued three walks, but the right-hander permitted no runs and just one hit.
Lesko also threw one fewer strike (50 in 83 pitches) than he did a week earlier (51 in 82 pitches), and his strikeout-to-walk ratio on the season sits at 46 to 37. As Law wrote recently, Lesko has been “barely using either breaking ball at this point because he’s having so much trouble throwing strikes.”
Still, Lesko continues to display fine velocity and the best changeup in the system. The Padres can be encouraged by his latest outing.
Jagger Haynes strikes out 11
Last week, in the best of his 21 professional starts, left-hander Haynes took a no-hit bid into the seventh and finished with a career-high 11 strikeouts (against three walks and two hits) in 6 2/3 innings for Fort Wayne. Along with Low-A starter Isaiah Lowe,Haynes has been the Padres’ hottest pitching prospect of late; after recording a 21.21 ERA in three April starts, the 21-year-old has since logged a 2.45 ERA in seven starts. Over his past two outings, he has totaled 17 strikeouts against four walks. (His strikeout-to-walk ratio across his first eight starts was 22-to-24.)
A season-high 11 strikeouts for Jagger Haynes in the win!
Career high for the lefty, and the most for any TinCap this season🔥 pic.twitter.com/h4NbaiTElB
— Fort Wayne TinCaps (@TinCaps) June 12, 2024
Haynes, the Padres’ fifth-round pick in an abbreviated 2020 draft, didn’t make his organizational debut until last April because of Tommy John surgery. Limited by blister and shoulder problems, he ended the 2023 season with only 25 1/3 innings pitched. He has since completed at least six innings on five occasions, including four of his past five starts.
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Robby Snelling provides welcome quality
Like Lesko, left-hander Snelling has struggled this season, albeit more because of the quality of his stuff. Like Lesko, the Padres’ second-ranked pitching prospect was better Saturday: Snelling held Double-A Corpus Christi scoreless for five innings before surrendering three runs in his sixth and final frame.
It marked the 20-year-old’s second consecutive quality start and his fourth since May 10. However, Snelling continues to yield significantly more hard contact than a year ago. Opponents are hitting .285 and slugging .469 against him; last season, those numbers were .216 and .319.
Snelling remains advanced for his age, but until he regains some velocity, he will be at greater risk of becoming more of a back-end starter or swingman than a mid-rotation type.
(Photo of Adam Mazur: Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)
Dennis Lin is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the San Diego Padres. He previously covered the Padres for the San Diego Union-Tribune. He is a graduate of USC. Follow Dennis on Twitter @dennistlin
