Tirso Ornelas is making himself known with an impressive spring training campaign

Tirso Ornelas has been the Padres' brightest spot this spring. The 24-year-old outfielder is doing everything he can to make an impression on San Diego's coaching staff, and judging by the way he has performed through seven spring contests, he is making it difficult for them to not notice him.

Entering Monday, Ornelas is tied for the most doubles among all National League players this spring. He roped his fourth against the Reds on March 1 as part of a two-hit performance, which Manager Mike Shildt is loving right now.

Tirso Ornelas is making himself known with an impressive spring training campaign

Through seven games, he is batting 7-for-15 with five extra-base hits and three walks. Normally, we see pitchers being far ahead of the hitters entering March, but Ornelas has not only flexed his power, but his plate discipline, too. An all-encompassing effort this spring, Ornelas is not the only Padres player who is off to a strong start, but he might be the most locked in among the young crop across each facet of the game.

A .297 hitter with 23 home runs last year with Triple-A El Paso, it's becoming clearer each day that Ornelas might be ready for the big leagues. They don't need to rush him, considering Jackson Merrill, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Jason Heyward essentially have the everyday outfield positions held down. However, San Diego should not be hesitant to promote him just for this reason. If he's good enough for the majors, then he should probably have a spot on the roster.

Ideally, Heyward is here to act as a stopgap before Ornelas is given clearance. From the 2023 season to last year, Ornelas climbed the organization prospect rankings, going from 29th to 18th. But now, through seven very strong efforts in spring training, it doesn't seem likely that Ornelas will need to continue waiting his turn. He is the undisputed most MLB-ready outfielder in San Diego's farm, so perhaps, Padres fans won't need to wait much longer for Ornelas to suit up at Petco Park this season.