San Diego Padres: Austin Allen And The Catcher Position

It wouldn’t hurt the San Diego Padres to take a look at catcher Austin Allen.

As the calendar turns to June, we know where this San Diego Padres team is heading. While the destination looks bleak, there are still major storylines to follow closely as the season continues to play out. Will Manuel Margot ever break out? Can Joey Lucchesi continue his solid rookie season, once he returns from injury? How does Franchy Cordero end the year? Can Austin Hedges hit a baseball?

That last question serves as the inspiration for this piece. Not whether or not Hedges has a future role on this team, but what should the Padres do in his absence? Should the San Diego Padres take a look at San Antonio Missions’ catcher Austin Allen? It wouldn’t hurt.

Allen, a 24-year-old former fourth-round pick out of the Florida Institute of Technology (Division II), is one of the hottest-performing prospects down on the farm through the first two months of the season.

In 45 games for the Missions, Allen is hitting .314 with a .373 on-base percentage and .933 OPS. He’s driven in nine home runs and has already collected 16 doubles, well above pace to break his career-high mark of 31, set last season.

Last season was a breakout year for Allen. As a member of the High-A Lake Elsinore Storm, he hit .283 with a .353 OBP, 31 doubles, and 22 home runs.

His production hasn’t slowed down since making the jump to Double-A. As of Tuesday morning, Allen has posted a 145 wRC+ and a .407 wOBA. His strikeout rate is down almost 2% from last year and he’s hitting fewer ground balls and more line-drives.

San Diego Padres would have to make a number of moves

Austin Hedges attempted to return last week but took himself out of batting practice after feeling discomfort. Let’s face it, we may not see Hedges for a while.

More from Friars on Base

• Padres barely missed out on high-end veteran starting pitcher
• This veteran DH target seems ideal for contending Padres roster
• Padres got steal with Xander Bogaerts after Carlos Correa’s mega-deal
• Failed Padres top prospect makes stunning return with minor league deal
• Padres fail to land ideal Xander Bogaerts teammate at catcher

While Raffy Lopez is an above-average defender, he can’t hit the baseball. He is 8-50 since being called up with six walks and 22 strikeouts. Lopez has options remaining, so returning him to El Paso would not be an issue.

AJ Ellis is playing great baseball. He is hitting .357 over his last 15 games with six walks and six strikeouts. Ellis handles left-handed pitching fairly well, going 9-27 against them this season, with a .400 on-base percentage.

Austin Allen struggles against lefties (.193 BA this season), however, he owns righties with a .373 batting average and .440 OBP. A platoon situation could work well while Allen gets to learn from the veteran Ellis.

The big knock on Allen is his defense. If this team has no chance of winning the NL West, sacrificing the defense of Raffy Lopez for that of Allen has zero effect on the Padres.

To make this move, San Diego would need to remove someone from the 40-man roster. Walker Lockett has spent over a year on the 40-man without making his MLB debut. Over 10 starts in El Paso, Lockett is 2-5 with a 5.31 ERA and 1.45 WHIP. He has given up 68 hits in 59 innings. How much are the Padres risking by taking Lockett off the 40-man?

Next: Padres Draft Wishlist For First Four Picks

If this team is going to lose, wouldn’t you rather watch them lose by seeing what the younger prospects have? Should Austin Hedges continue to miss time, make the move, San Diego. Let the fans see what Austin Allen has.