Skip to main content
Friars On Base
Fansided

Padres have two rising outfield prospects turning Fort Wayne into a must-watch

A dynamic duo is forming.
ByPJ Potter|
Share on FacebookShare on XShare on Reddit
Google Discover
Baseball fans enjoy a game at Parkview Field in Fort Wayne's central business district. Home to the Class A Fort Wayne TinCaps, an affiliate of Major League Baseball s San Diego Padres, Parkview Field has been recognized numerous times as one of the best minor-league ballparks in the United States. It also is the site of more than 400 non-baseball events each year.12 Parkview Field Fort Wayne
Baseball fans enjoy a game at Parkview Field in Fort Wayne's central business district. Home to the Class A Fort Wayne TinCaps, an affiliate of Major League Baseball s San Diego Padres, Parkview Field has been recognized numerous times as one of the best minor-league ballparks in the United States. It also is the site of more than 400 non-baseball events each year.12 Parkview Field Fort Wayne | Jeffrey Nycz, Visit Fort Wayne, Palm Springs Desert Sun via Imagn Content Services, LLC

It's difficult for San Diego Padres fans to get excited about the team's prospects. It makes sense. AJ Preller is bound to trade them, right?

Though that might be true, it's still fun to track who is doing well and developing enough to potentially earn a promotion. With High-A Fort Wayne, there is a pair of outfielders who are starting to demand your attention.

Alex McCoy, the team's 19th ranked prospect, and Jake Cunningham have been a monstrous power-hitting duo. Yes, they are not close to playing in the big leagues (yet), but their output should bring relevancy to High-A baseball for the casual Padres fan.

Alex McCoy, Jake Cunningham have been on a tear for Padres' High-A affiliate in 2026

McCoy and Cunningham are tied for second in the Midwest League with 10 home runs apiece, trailing only Andrew Fischer's 14 round-trippers — a first-round draft pick by the Brewers last year.

Cunningham's .987 OPS is seventh-best in the league. McCoy sports a .969 OPS, which is eighth-highest. These guys are atop several hitting categories, which is easy to overlook for Padres fans. Normally, when we think of outfield prospects — which is rare for this organization — it starts with trying to come to terms with Tirso Ornelas being too good for minor league ball, but not good enough for the bigs.

It kind of stops there.

This streaking duo also physically stands out. Cunningham, who is batting .300 this season, stands at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds. McCoy, a .299 hitter, is 6-foot-5, 260 pounds. That is some serious size for High-A ball, which should make going to those games even more exciting.

Who knows where these players can land by the end of the season. It's difficult to piece together each roster affiliate-by-affiliate, but who knows. Triple-A El Paso's Jase Bowen is another outfielder on fire. If he moves up to the big leagues, that could make room for someone like Cunningham or McCoy to move up the ladder.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Home/Padres Prospects