3 San Diego Padres prospects that should be untouchable

We look at three San Diego Padres prospects who should be untouchable as the team looks to upgrade through trades this offseason.

The San Diego Padres still have one of the best farm systems in all of baseball and A.J. Preller has shown this offseason that he will use that depth in order to upgrade this team.

But there are three prospects I would consider untouchable for this team.

I do believe that you have to let go of some of that depth to improve your team, especially when you’re a team like the Padres, and especially when you have a chance to win.

However, it still seems like San Diego is at least a year away from making that big trade in order to put the team over the top.

We need to see this team prove on the field that they are capable of being a winning team that can make the postseason and win.

I do believe that happens in 2020 and we see Preller make some moves during the season to improve this team.

Back in August Jim Callis of MLB.com ranked the Padres farm system as the best in baseball with seven players ranked in the top 100.

Since then, Luis Urias and Xavier Edwards have both been traded, leaving the Padres with five top 100 prospects.

But as we go forward and Preller continues to look at the trade market for upgrades, here are three players that I believe should be part of the future in San Diego.

MacKenzie Gore

We’ll start with the obvious in starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore who many believe could become the ace for the San Diego pitching staff as soon as 2021.

MLB.com ranks him as the fourth best prospect in all of baseball and the top left-handed pitching prospect.

The 20-year-old (will turn 21 in February) was the third overall pick in 2017 by San Diego.

In 43 Minor League starts he’s posted a 2.56 ERA with 243 strikeouts in 183 innings to go along with a WHIP of 1.01, a BB/9 of 2.6, and K/9 of 12.

He was named the MiLB Pitcher of the Year in 2019 after posting a 1.69 ERA in 101 innings with 135 strikeouts and a WHIP of 0.83.

Some believe Gore could compete for a rotation spot during Spring Training, but let’s pump the breaks on that a bit.

He’s only made 5 starts at Double-A and posted a 4.15 ERA in those starts.

I still think we could see him make his debut in 2020, but that’s not likely to happen before mid-season.

We probably see him start the year in Double-A with a quick promotion to Triple-A if he gets out to a good start.

He has a fastball that sits 93-95 MPH with a 76 MPH curveball being his top secondary pitch. But he also throws a slider and a change-up that are effective pitches.

Gore is so untouchable that teams already seem to know not to ask for him in trade discussions.

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.