Padres Prospects: Justin DeCriscio, Kannon Kemp and Alex McCoy should take huge 2027 leaps

The Padres sent a guy who hit a ball 118.2 mph this fall and a pitcher who touched 99.3 mph to the Nov. 8 Fall Stars Game. So of course, the biggest play from a San Diego prospect came off the bat at 15.1 mph. 

Justin DeCriscio, the shortstop who got into the game through the Final 2 vote, dropped an eighth-inning squeeze bunt that put the National League ahead for good in a 7-4 win. Kannon Kemp had already pitched out of a bases-loaded jam, and Alex McCoy added a single in the ninth. Three Padres prospects got on the field, and each gave us a different reason to check back in on them in 2027.

Justin DeCriscio’s path to a utility role with the Padres

DeCriscio had to win a fan vote to even get into the game. Interesting that in an exhibition game where everybody had a reason to swing for the fences, the guy who took what the situation gave him ended up with the go-ahead RBI.

Two days after the squeeze, DeCriscio singled three times for Peoria against Salt River. He played five positions in his first full pro season, so the question for 2027 is whether he can get on base often enough to make that versatility count for something the Padres could use in the future. If he does, we can start talking about what a utility role might look like for him down the road.

What Kannon Kemp needs to show to stick as a starter

Kemp came in with the bases loaded and two outs, got a deep flyout to end the threat, then retired the side in order in the fourth. His fastball topped out at 99.3 mph, but the at-bat worth going back to was his seven-pitch battle with Zion Rose. Kemp finished the No. 6 overall pick with a pretty nasty slider.

We know he can reach back for velocity in a short outing. Over a full season, we’ll get a better sense of how consistently he can locate his secondary offerings and how his stuff holds up deeper into starts.

Alex McCoy’s power is already there. Can the contact catch up?

McCoy singled in the ninth of the Fall Stars Game, but his loudest swing came earlier in the fall. The undrafted outfielder out of Hofstra hit a 118.2 mph homer after going deep 19 times across High-A and Double-A during the regular season. He also struck out in 26.2 percent of his plate appearances and posted a 44.1 percent ground-ball rate.

Those are the numbers we’ll be watching next year. Can McCoy make more contact and get the ball in the air more often? It’ll be hard to continue moving through the system if not. We’ve already seen what happens when he catches one flush. How often he gives himself the chance to do it will tell us more about his future in San Diego than another eye-popping radar reading.

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