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San Diego Padres: Fort Wayne TinCaps Players Of The Year

ByNick Stevens|
MILWAUKEE, WI - MAY 13: A San Diego Padres hat sits in the dugout during the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on May 13, 2016 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI - MAY 13: A San Diego Padres hat sits in the dugout during the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on May 13, 2016 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
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San Diego Padres
ST. LOUIS, MO – APRIL 25: Baseballs sit in the St. Louis Cardinals dugout prior to a game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on April 25, 2014 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by David Welker/Getty Images)

Is there anyone more exciting than San Diego Padres prospect Luis Patino?

On Monday, Fangraphs released their latest prospect update piece, highlighting a few adjusted prospect grades based on more recent evaluations. Included in that list was Fort Wayne TinCaps pitcher, Luis Patino. Here’s what they had to say about the 18-year-old pitching prospect.

"We believe Patiño to be the best 18-year-old pitching prospect on the planet. He has a mid-90s fastball, plus breaking ball, and the kind of premium athleticism indicative of growth in other areas."

Extremely high praise for a teenager with just 139 innings under his belt as a minor leaguer. The fun-loving RHP put up video game-like numbers in Fort Wayne, capturing the eyes of national evaluators and the hearts of fans across the country.

In 17 Midwest League starts, Patino finished 6-3 with a 2.16 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. He gave up just 65 hits across 83 innings, only one of those hits finding its way over the fence. Just under 30% of hitters fell victim to a Luis Patino strikeout, finishing second on the team with 98 total punchouts (Tom Cosgrove‘s 122 led the team).

While Osvaldo Hernandez certainly made a convincing case (stats below), this year’s Pitcher of the Year in Fort Wayne was a fairly easy choice.

Other notable 2018 performances in Fort Wayne.

OF Jeisson Rosario: .368 OBP, 25 extra-base hits, 66 walks, 18 stolen bases

P Osvaldo Hernandez: 11-4, 1.81 ERA, 94/27 K/BB ratio, 1.19 WHIP, 3 HR allowed

P Nick Margevicius: 5-5, 3.07 ERA, 87/9 K/BB ratio, 1.15 WHIP

P MacKenzie Gore: 2-5, 4.45 ERA, 74 strikeouts in 60 innings (blister issues led to numerous trips to the disabled list.

Make sure you plan a trip to Fort Wayne, Indiana next season for what is sure to be another year of elite talent taking over the Hoosier State. The San Diego Padres will again feature one of the top ranked farm systems in all of baseball, meaning the next Luis Patino or Esteury Ruiz will surely find their way on to this roster.

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