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MLB Network Prospect Rankings Come Out Today. Where will Padres Renfroe, Hedges Rank?

By Mark "Wisco" Whelan|

On Friday, January 30, MLBpipeline.com will reveal its rankings of the top 100 prospects in baseball. The top 50 will be broadcast simultaneously on MLB.com and the MLB Network at 6:00 PM Pacific Time. (That’s 9:00 PM for any math-challenged east coasters out there.)

The Padres, while doing a massive rebuild of their major league team this year, managed to keep their top three prospects, catcher Austin Hedges, outfielder Hunter Renfroe, and right-handed starting pitcher Matt Wisler.

Two current Padres minor leaguers were ranked in last year’s Top 100. Prior to the 2014 season, Hedges was ranked 24, Wisler was 78. Renfroe, while unranked by MLB, was seeded 80th by Baseball America.

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It will be interesting to see where those players rank this year, after having different levels of success in 2014. Hedges, considered major-league ready as a receiver, hit only .225 in his first full season at AA San Antonio. Will his stock drop a bit this year? Wisler, after putting up a 2.10 ERA in six AA starts to start the season, failed to find the same success in the hitter-friendly PCL, struggling to a 5.01 ERA, but still managed a winning 9-5 record.

Renfroe tore up High A ball in Lake Elsinore, slugging .565 while batting .295 with 16 homers in 69 games. He stuggled a bit after being promoted to San Antonio, but then regained his stroke in the Arizona Fall League, hitting .284 with six homers, nine doubles and a triple in 102 AB. Renfroe is likely to find his way onto the list this year, and may crack the top 50. He is already ranked ninth among outfield prospects for the coming season.

We’ll also get to see if any of the players obtained in trades over the last year make the list, with second baseman Taylor Lindsey, who came in the Huston Street trade, being a strong possibility.

Perhaps the rankings will also discuss the special case of shortstop Trea Turner, still in the Padres organization, but who everyone assumes will be the player to be named later, going to the Nationals in the 3-way deal that brought Wil Myers to San Diego. If ranked, will he be a Padres prospect, or one for the Nationals?

Tune in to find out.

Next: Padres Bring Back The Brown?

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