Padres’ prized pitching prospect notches first pro win after injury setback

Kash Mayfield, the Padres’ No. 4 ranked prospect and No. 2 on the Friars On Base bigboard picked up his first win as a member of the organization. The southpaw spun five shutout innings, allowing only one hit while striking out seven batters for the Lake Elsinore Storm on Wednesday.

The 20-year-old had been looking for that first win for quite some time, as it took him 16 starts to earn a winning decision. In that same timeframe, Mayfield earned only a total of five decisions, with four losses to his name. This largely has to do with him getting very little run support, as his individual stats had been solid.

Padres' top pitching prospect Kash Mayfield is adjusting to pro ball well

The first six starts for Mayfield were rather shaky, as he wasn’t able to pitch deep into games and had a relatively high ERA of 4.87. In his sixth start, he exited the game with an injury. It was then revealed that he was dealing with pain in his left shoulder, forcing him to be shut down for almost a full month.

Since returning from the shoulder injury, the left-hander has seen big-time improvements. In his next ten starts, he posted a 1.55 ERA with a .178 batting average against. While walks have been an issue for Mayfield, he has made up for it with an improved strikeout rate.

Coming off his longest start since his return from injury, it will be interesting to see if manager Tony Gwynn Jr. gives Mayfield a longer leash and lets him pitch deeper into games. It wouldn’t hurt to give him longer starts, as he has been absolutely cooking at the Single-A level.

According to MLB Pipeline, four of the team's top five prospects are pitchers, meaning the team has an exciting future ahead at the position. However, a lot of these guys are still in A-Ball, so they have a bit of a way to go before they get on the big-league squad’s radar. It is still something to be excited about, nonetheless.