San Diego Padres promote CJ Abrams to Class A Fort Wayne TinCaps

First-round pick CJ Abrams made his debut with the Fort Wayne TinCaps on Wednesday, moving up through the minor leagues at a rocket pace.

CJ Abrams will not be ignored.

The 18-year-old prospect was promoted to Class A ball with the Fort Wayne TinCaps, making his full-season affiliate debut quicker than expected.

While his first game was less than stellar (he went 0-for-4 leading off the lineup as the designated hitter), the fact that he’s already there is impressive enough. Abrams absolutely destroyed the Arizona League, hitting .401/.442/.662 in 32 games with the Rookie-level Padres. At his departure, he led the rookie league in batting average as the sole player hitting above .400.

Promoting the Georgia native was really the only option available. The sixth overall pick in the 2019 MLB draft, Abrams became the first player from that draft to play at the Class A level.

CJ Abrams ranks fifth in the San Diego Padres minor league system and projects as the number 48 prospect in all of baseball. Even with the arrivals of Fernando Tatis Jr., Chris Paddack, and Francisco Mejía to the majors, the Padres farm still ranks as the best in the MLB.

San Diego has done a stellar job cultivating talent both from the draft and via international signings. Abrams will join other top Padres prospects at Fort Wayne, including LHP Ryan Weathers, infielder Tucupita Marcano, and LHP Joey Cantillo.

Abrams projects as a shortstop but with the position already locked down by Tatis Jr., San Diego will likely try to play him elsewhere. Second base is a tantalizing option, but he’s previously stated that he wants to be a shortstop moving forward:

“I see myself as a shortstop and staying there. I take a lot of pride in my defense.”

The Padres have some time to figure that out. Boasting a potent combination of speed, range, and a left-handed bat, one thing’s for sure though — the kid has a high ceiling in the majors and a bright future with this team.

For complete coverage of the San Diego Padres 2019 season, continue following Friars on Base all season long.