Teenager Fernando Tatis Jr. Climbs To Double-A

Tatis opened the year as one of the youngest players in full-season ball. He closed the year as the youngest player in the Double-A Texas League. In between, he set a low Class A Fort Wayne franchise record with 21 home runs, became the first 18-year-old to go 20-20 in the Midwest League and saw his OPS balloon from .658 in April to 1.262 in August.

Including 14 games in the Texas League, Tatis hit .278/.379/.498 with 22 homers, 75 RBIs and 32 stolen bases. His 242 total bases led all Padres minor leaguers.

“He knows how to self-evaluate,” Fort Wayne hitting coach Doug Banks said. “He knows how to go about breaking down an opposing pitcher and what they’re trying to do to him. His ability to learn throughout the season just really progressed. It just started to slow down—what the league was trying to do to him.”

Best Pitcher: LHP Joey Lucchesi

From start to finish, Lucchesi served as the organization’s most consistent pitcher as he rose from high high Class A Lake Elsinore to Double-A San Antonio in his first full season.

A 2016 fourth-rounder from Southeast Missouri State, Lucchesi finished the season leading Padres minor league starters (min. 80 innings) with a 2.20 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. His 148 strikeouts in 139 innings ranked second in the system to righthander Pedro Avila (170).

“His stuff is good,” San Antonio manager Phillip Wellman said. “He’s the one pitcher who showed up from A ball with a good feel for his secondary pitches. His changeup is good, his curveball is good. From a pitching aspect, he jumped in and was fine.”

Keep An Eye On: SS Gabriel Arias

The Padres didn’t leave playoff-bound Fort Wayne high and dry when they promoted Tatis to the Texas League. That move was paired with an aggressive promotion for the 17-year-old shortstop Arias, a Venezuelan who signed for $1.9 million in 2016.

Arias hit .265/.312/.326 in 53 games in the Rookie-level Arizona League and Fort Wayne in a pro debut that has the organization bullish on his ceiling as an up-the-middle defender with budding pop.

“He has elite, elite defensive skills,” farm director Sam Geaney said. “He’s a guy we think has a chance to be a very gifted defensive shortstop, play the position long-term without a doubt, and we’ve seen tremendous offensive growth in the year we’ve had him.”