San Diego Padres: The Silent Assassin and Baby Rattlesnake

Baby Rattlesnake

Luis Patino came into the Padres organization with the 2016 international prospect bonanza. Signing for $130,000, Patino was undersized with an 80’s fastball and a projectable arm. Concentrating his development on mechanics and strength and conditioning, the Friars have watched him bloom into the number three prospect in the organization as well as the 27th best prospect in baseball and the eighth-best RHP prospect (per MLBPipeline).

While still only 6′ and 192 pounds, Patino has drawn comparisons to Pedro Martinez. His fastball reaches 99 mph with a power slider, plus curve and developing changeup. He holds that velocity deep into his starts with explosive late life due to the whip motion of his arm. This gives his fastball natural cutting action.

Labeled the baby rattlesnake by Lake Elsinore pitching coach Pete Zamora in 2017, Patino was known for his power pitches but an inability to control location. He was a thrower and not a pitcher. Much has changed since then. His command and control are much improved, as witnessed by his 2019 stats.

2.69 ERA, 87 innings pitched with a .192 batting average against in Single-A. 1.17 ERA in 7.2 innings pitched and .258 average against in AA in his 19 years of age season. The numbers are encouraging but very limited. With his non-roster invitation to 2020 major league spring training, Patino has the opportunity to show the coaches and staff, as well as the fans, what he is capable of.

We all got a sneak peek of his ability.

Pitching to top prospects invited to the 2019 All-Star Futures Game, Patino pitched two shutout innings to finish the game, stranding runners and securing a 2-2 tie after the 8th inning. His composure under pressure, in a major league ballpark, with a lot of attention focused on him, bodes well for his ability to perform at the major league level.

After the first few weeks of spring training, it is likely he will be sent back to minors camp to hone his command and control, along with building his workload. The 2017 pitching coach for Lake Elsinore, Pete Zamora, is the pitching coach for AAA El Paso this season, and it would seem a properly completed circle to allow him to further assist with polishing the budding ace.

No matter whether we see Luis Patino pitch for the Padres this season or not, there is little doubt that his talent will propel him to the major leagues soon. Barring a major injury, Patino will have the opportunity to demonstrate to the believers and the doubters whether he can follow in the footsteps of the great Pedro Martinez.

Final Thoughts

While all Padres fans eagerly anticipate the arrival of Gore and Patino to the major league roster, it serves to remember that they are only two of the cogs needed to build a championship team. Hopefully, they will be the last two cogs of the starting rotation that will lead this team into the ‘decade of winning’ that the organization has promised to provide San Diego.

While watching the organization develop the players we expect will lead us to the championship, we need to enjoy experiencing their development, maturing talent, and progressing success to that goal.

General Manager AJ Preller has built this team over the past four to five years while proving his skills with identifying talent and acquiring that talent. What remains to be seen is if the development team in the organization has been successful in propelling these athletes to major league success.

Whether 2020 gives us a playoff-contending team or not, we should be able to assess if the next two or three years project us toward that goal.

A lot will hinge on the success of the Silent Assassin and Baby Rattlesnake.