3 San Diego Padres prospects that should be untouchable

Luis Patino

While it’s wildly known that Gore is untouchable, that doesn’t seem to be the case with Luis Patino.

When we did our FanSided Mock Winter Meetings a while back, almost every team expert I talked to wanted Patino in trade talks.

Patino just turned 20 years old and is ranked as the 30th best prospect in all of baseball and the eighth best right-handed pitcher.

The Colombian had a big 2019 by posting a 2.57 ERA in 94.2 innings with 123 strikeouts, a WHIP of 1.13, a BB/9 of 3.6, and a K/9 of 11.7.

His walk rate is a bit concerning and is probably what holds him back from being on par with Gore as a prospect.

But his stuff is right there with the best prospects throwing a fastball that reaches the upper 90s and a power slider in the upper 80s to go along with a curveball and change-up that are above average.

He’s really on the same path as Gore only having made 2 starts at Double-A in 2019.

We probably see him start 2020 at Double-A, but unlike with Gore, I think we see Patino stay in Double-A most of the season with possibly a late season promotion to Triple-A.

It’s possible Patino makes the jump to the big leagues this year if he just continues to dominate, but with him being a tab bit younger and a little behind command-wise compared to Gore, it’s probably wise to give him another full Minor League season.

But either way, Patino should be untouchable as he and Gore have the potential to be a great 1-2 punch in the rotation for a long time.