San Diego Padres: Ranked Fourth Best Farm System

There is hope for the San Diego Padres. According to mlb.com, the organization’s farm system is among the best in baseball.

The list is out, and according to mlb.com, the San Diego Padres have the fourth best farm system in all of baseball. San Diego follows the top three, which include the Braves, Yankees, and White Sox.

The rankings were composed partially based on a points system compiled through a series of evaluations of all the cub’s prospects. San Diego earned 217 points, and top ranked Atlanta was given 363.

Noted in the mlb.com article was left-handed pitching prospect Anderson Espinoza, rookie outfielders Manuel Margot and Hunter Renfroe, and 2016’s eighth overall draft pick Cal Quantrill.

The article emphasized some of the lesser known prospects the Padres have as well, including first baseman Josh Naylor, shortstop Fernando Tatis, and right-hander Chris Paddack. While each of these prospects are multiple seasons away from the majors, they still contribute to one of the top systems in baseball.

An excerpt from the article published on mlb.com:

"One of baseball’s biggest sellers in 2016, the Padres acquired a slew of promising youngsters through trades, including Espinoza, Chris Paddack, Josh Naylor and Fernando Tatis Jr. San Diego also made a haul in the Draft, selecting right-hander Quantrill with the first of five picks on Day 1, and then made a huge splash during the 2016-17 international signing period by spending roughly $60 million — including penalties and taxes — to land some of the top international amateurs."

Margot is the top ranked prospect on the list of top 30 prospects on the team’s official website. Espinoza ranks second, followed by Renfroe and Quantrill. Each are major reasons the Padres rank so high when it comes to minor league systems.

It is worth noting though that two of the top four prospects are already in the major leagues, and are projected to start this season. For a rebuilding club, this is extremely promising. It would seem to indicate that help is on the way sooner than many realize, and in some cases it may already be here.

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While Renfroe and Margot will make up 2/3 of the outfield this season, pitching prospects and shortstop hopefuls are also what makes the farm system one to be reckoned with. Since the the young Padres who are just entering the big league stage full time this season will have a couple of years of experience under their belts when the new wave of prospects are ready, the team will be established enough to contend even when some of their top prospects are rookies.

In other words, the timing of San Diego’s minor league development is ideal. Since they undoubtedly have a strong system, and they have already devoted themselves to this next wave of players by cleaning house, the Padres have a clear direction.

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While fans may not notice the difference at the major league level for several seasons, the release of these rankings provides yet another reason to be confident that the club is moving in the right direction. Thanks to a series of offseason acquisitions and the continued development of promising minor leaguers, the Padres are in a favorable position to find themselves back in contention in the coming seasons.