This Padres top prospect deserves a promotion after dominant pitching stretch

With MLB.com deservingly pushing for Padres prospect Braden Nett to get a promotion, there is another Friars arm in the farm system who deserves a bump up in the organization.

Henry Baez, a 22-year-old right-hander, has proven that Double-A might be a bit too easy for him. Rearing back for a fastball that can hit 98 MPH, mixed in with a devastating split-change, the young pitcher could be in for a promotion to Triple-A soon, putting him on a fast track to the bigs sooner rather than later.

Ranked No. 12 in the Padres' system, and sixth among pitchers, Baez was the club's Minor League Pitcher of the Year last season, and has only built off of that successful campaign.

In 14 starts, Baez boasts a 2.06 ERA with 69 strikeouts in 70 innings. Opponents are hitting just .202 against him, but most importantly, he is only getting better as the season goes on.

In 22 1/3 innings in June, Baez has surrendered just three runs on 14 hits with 22 punch-outs. This tirade spans four starts, which includes three scoreless outings. His most recent performance came on June 20 against Frisco, dialing up a season-high 10 strikeouts in 5 2/3 scoreless innings.

Half of his starts have gone scoreless, and the most earned runs he has given up in a single outing is four (which happened once). Who knows, with the Padres continuing to pile up pitching injuries, San Diego may need him much sooner than anticipated, especially if he is proving himself to be ready.

Michael King, Joe Musgrove, Yu Darvish, and Matt Waldron have all been derailed by injuries in 2025. Musgrove is done for the year. Darvish and Waldron have not pitched in the bigs yet, and we have no idea when King will return. Opting to promote Baez now could set himself up for a big league start in September if they wind up really needing him.