Robert Hassell III, Jackson Merrill, James Wood among names to watch as Padres' minor league system, ravaged by trades in recent years, looks for young talent to come of age
Indeed a lot of eyes will be on Hassell, simultaneously the face of the next wave of Padres’ top-tier prospects and, let’s face it, a trade chip for the ever-active A.J. Preller.brought the total number of bodies shipped out of town to 52 since the offseason leading into 2020. The majority of the bodies moved have been prospects, taking a farm system that perennially ranked as one of the best in the game as Fernando Tatis Jr. was coming of age to the middle of the pack.
The ranking slide was to be expected with so many of the organization’s second- and third-tier prospects helping Preller build an entire starting rotation — Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, Joe Musgrove, Mike Clevinger and now Manaea — as well as acquire catcher Austin Nola, second baseman Jake Cronenworth and new designated hitter Luke Voit.
The Padres still have four players in the latter group: CJ Abrams , Luis Campusano and MacKenzie Gore are vying for spots on the big-league roster and Hassell appears on the fast track after rising from low Single-A Lake Elsinore to high Single-A Fort Wayne in his first full year of pro ball. Shortstop Victor Acosta and outfielder Samuel Zavala, both given seven-figure bonuses, are good bets to jump the rookie-level Arizona Complex League after pushing their on-base percentages and slugging percentages past .400 and .450, respectively, last year in the Dominican Summer League. Likewise, first-round shortstop Jackson Merrill and second-rounder James Wood have parlayed productive stints in Arizona into spots at low Single-A Lake Elsinore to start 2021.
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