Ranking the Padres Lefty Starters in the Minors

2. Jose Castillo, Fort Wayne TinCaps

Castillo was a moving piece in the deal that also brought Wil Myers to San Diego from the Rays in December. He is a bigger arm at 6’4″ 200lbs. with plus velocity. He has only started in 3 of the 15 games he has pitched in professionally. Hitters had only a .188 average against him in the 4 2/3 innings pitched last year. He is only 19 years old so there is a lot of time and room for improvement. He has struggled early but that should not concern those who scan the lower levels of the Padres farm system. He has big upside. He was one of the most coveted international pitching prospects of 2012.

1. Thomas Dorminy, Tri-City Dust Devils

Dorminy seems to be the left-handed starter in the Padres farm system with the most potential to break out. The 22 year-old out of Alabama was drafted by the Padres in the 10th round of last year’s draft. He had 139 strikeouts in 109 innings for his NAIA college last year, while holding opposing hitters to a .222 average. He got 7 starts last season for Eugene (Single-A short season) and had 24 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings. He definitely has that strikeout pitch. He finished with a 3.72 ERA in 11 total appearances for Eugene in 2014. He will most likely get a shot to promote to higher Single-A or Double-A ball this year. The Padres do not have a ton of depth down on the farm but Dorminy seems to be the lefty starter Padres fans should be excited about in the years to come.