Ranking the Padres Lefty Starters in the Minors

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9. Griffin Russell, Tri-City Dust Devils

The 20 year-old has pitched in 36 professional games and made 8 starts. He has mostly been used out of the bullpen but can start if called upon. He actually has a lower career ERA as a starter than a reliever. He has struggled a lot but seems to be on the incline. Lefties only hit .192 off of him last year. He is from Wichita Falls, TX and was drafted in the 28th round in 2012 by San Diego.

8. Brandon Alger, Lake Elsinore Storm

Alger was drafted the same year as Russell, in round 26. He went to Indiana Tech before getting drafted. He too has spent most of his time in the bullpen but has been a sporadic starter. In 3 seasons, he has made 14 starts. He has a career ERA of 3.99 in 196 innings. Opponents hit .191 off of him last year. He finished 2014 very strong with 13 strikeouts and only 2 earned runs in his last 11 innings pitched.

7. Travis Radke, Tri-City Dust Devils

Radke was drafted last summer out of Portland. He had an impressive showing in his first brief professional season. He started 2 games and appeared in 17 games overall. He posted a 3.12 ERA in 34 2/3 innings. He also had 44 strikeouts. He had a strong finish to the season with a 2.75 ERA in his last 8 games.