Padres Make Wise Investment In Michel Baez

The Padres made significantly bigger investments in the 2016 international free agent market than the $3 million they gave to Cuban righthander Michel Baez, most notably the $11 million it took to sign Cuban lefthander Adrian Morejon.

To date, none of the acquisitions look as prudent as the 21-year-old Baez.

Through his first six starts at low Class A Fort Wayne, Baez struck out 56 and walked four in 36.2 innings, while going 5-0, 0.74 and allowing a .148 opponent average. His Midwest League introduction put him squarely on the prospect map.

Baez, who signed last December, ranked No. 7 on the Padres’ midseason prospect update. Given his tools, he could soar even higher before long.

“It’s a fastball-dominant attack,” minor league pitching instructor Eric Junge said. “He is a big, physical kid with plus stuff. He comes right at you and attacks. He comes in hot and has a pretty good breaking ball and a changeup. He’s got a feel to pitch and knows when to put the foot on the accelerator.”

A 6-foot-8, 220-pound frame provides the horsepower for a classic riding fastball, a four-seamer that has gained life as Baez, relatively unheralded while on Cuba’s 18U team, streamlined his mechanics after defecting.

In fact, Baez’s arm slot was higher than depicted in the Padres’ archived video when international scouting director Chris Kemp was turned on to Baez in the spring of 2016.

Kemp was sure there was more velocity than the 93-94 mph that Baez flashed initially. By the time general manager A.J. Preller traveled to the Dominican Republic to see Baez, the righthander held 95 mph into the sixth inning.

“By the time A.J. came down,” Kemp said, “we’d pretty much been ringing the bell for (Baez) as a scouting group . . . It was at that point we said, ‘This is our guy. Let’s get this done.’ ”

The Padres’ pursuit outlasted the likes of the Astros and Cardinals. Under the stewardship of pitching coordinator Mark Prior and the Padres’ player-development staff, Baez has whittled down his repertoire to a fastball that grades as a 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale, a mid-80s changeup that flashes plus and an 11-to-5 curve that serves as an out pitch. A slider also is part of his four-pitch mix.

“He’s not a one-trick pony rearing back and throwing velo,” Kemp said after perusing a recent box score. “He’s got some ability to manipulate the ball, which is different. He’s a 6-foot-8 monster who reaches back for upper 90s, but also has feel for multiple weapons.”