San Diego Padres: Preseason Top 30 Prospects going into 2020

San Diego Padres Prospects # 5-1

5) Taylor Trammell, OF, Double-A Amarillo Sod Poodles, 2020-21. (NR)

Signed by the Cincinnati Reds for 3.2 million at # 35 overall in the 2016 draft. The former Georgia high school star impressed at every stop of his development until stumbling a bit at Double-A in 2019. He stood out on a national stage when he won MVP honors at the Futures Game in ’18 after homering and tripling. Trammell was then traded to the Padres in the three-team deal that sent Trevor Bauer from the Indians to the Reds in a deadline deal last year.

4) Luis Campusano, C, Double-A Amarillo Sod Poodles, 2021-22. (10)

Campusano became the first catcher picked in 2017, going to the Padres in the second round with the No. 39 overall pick and signing for 1.3 million. With potential on both offense and defense, he caught 70 games in the Midwest League with strong numbers on offense and an impressive showing behind the plate in ’18, before his season ended due to a concussion. He then came back to have a co-MVP season for Lake Elsinore in ’19 winning a Cal league batting title, hitting .325 with 15 HR and 81 RBI.

3) CJ Abrams, SS, High-A Lake Elsinore Storm, 2022-23. (9)

Abrams’ speed and athleticism set him apart from most others in the 2019 Draft, and he was also viewed as one of the better prep hitters in the class. Those qualities and Abrams’ overall high ceiling made him the Padres’ top target, and they signed Gatorade’s 2019 Georgia high school player of the year for below slot value at $5.2 million, after selecting him with the No. 6 overall pick. He quickly rewarded the organization with a torrid start to his career in the Rookie Arizona League and eight at-bats after a promotion to low-A Fort Wayne. He hit a combined .393 with 3 HR 22 RBI 15 SB 8 3B with an OPS of 1.038.

2) Luis Patino, RHP, Double-A Amarillo Sod Poodles, 2020-21. (5) 

Patino may not have come with the type of fanfare like the other players signed by the Padres during their 2016-17 international spending spree, but the Colombian right-hander could end up being the best of the bunch. After finishing his 2017 pro debut as a 17-year-old in the Rookie-level Arizona League, Patino made the jump straight to the Class A Midwest League and dominated against older hitters before hitting his workload limit and being shut down for the season late in August. He then followed that up with an outstanding 2019 going a combined 6-8 with an ERA of 2.57 while striking out 123 batters in only 94.2 innings between High-A and Double-A.

1) MacKenzie Gore, LHP, Double-A Amarillo Sod Poodles, 2020. (1)

The Padres viewed Gore as the top prospect in his class in 2017 and were ecstatic to land the southpaw with the No. 3 overall pick, signing him for $6.7 million. After suffering through multiple blister issues in his debut in ’18, Gore dominated hitters in two stops last year going 9-2 overall with an incredible ERA of 1.69 in 20 starts between High-A and Double-A. He struck out a whopping 135 batters in just 101 innings pitched and looked every bit like the “Ace” they were hoping for. He will be in his first big league spring training to start 2020 with an outside chance to make the opening day rotation should he have a spring close to what Chris Paddack had last year.

And there are your San Diego Padres Preseason top 30 prospects to start 2020.

For more coverage of the San Diego Padres’ prospects and minor league farm system, check out the Minors category at Friars on Base all season long.