Many fans might think more about who's not in the Padres farm system anymore than who still is. After all, last year's aggressive moves at the Trade Deadline, which notably included moving No. 4 overall prospect Leo De Vries to the A's in a deal for all-world reliever Mason Miller, hurt the talent level and depth of the pipeline headed toward San Diego. At the same time, the Padres had to draft, sign and develop prospects others would seek out in trades for MLB-quality talent.
That work -- particularly on the developmental side -- starts again with the Padres' Top 30 Prospects list, as released by MLB Pipeline on Wednesday.
At the top is the club's lone Top 100 talent in left-hander Kruz Schoolcraft. Last year's 25th overall pick was a two-way player in high school, but standing at 6-foot-8, he has the most potential on the mound and could take off with a singular focus there. He already pumps his fastball into the upper 90s and shows a changeup that looks like a future plus pitch.
On name recognition alone, Ethan Salas might be most identifiable here as formerly one of the top catching prospects in the sport. A down 2024 season at High-A was followed by a 2025 campaign that was limited to only 10 Double-A games due to a stress reaction in his back. Still only 19, Salas remains a gifted defender behind the plate and is back healthy this spring while working to prove he has enough bat to get back into the Top 100 and become San Diego's backstop of the near future.
For anyone looking for evidence that the Padres can develop breakout stars, look no further than No. 3 prospect Miguel Mendez, who wasn't in the Top 30 at all this time one year ago. Now he's on the 40-man roster, one short call away from contributing to the San Diego pitching staff. Also, No. 6 Bradgley Rodriguez, whose launch onto the scene came in 2024, looks like he could pitch high-leverage innings for the Friars bullpen this summer. Developing the next Mendezes and Rodriguezes will be the goal up and down the San Diego system in 2026.
COMPLETE PADRES PROSPECT COVERAGE
Here's a look at the Padres' top prospects:
1. Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP (MLB No. 88)
2. Ethan Salas, C
3. Miguel Mendez, RHP
4. Kash Mayfield, LHP
5. Humberto Cruz, RHP
Complete Top 30 list »
Biggest jump/fall
Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the 2025 preseason list to the 2026 preseason list:
Jump: Miguel Mendez, RHP (2025: NR | 2026: 3)
Just a $10,000 signing in February 2021, Mendez couldn't break past Single-A in his first four seasons but looked electric as he surged three levels in a breakout 2025. The 6-foot-2 right-hander finished with a 3.22 ERA and 118 strikeouts over 95 innings across Single-A, High-A and Double-A, all while showing a 95-98 mph fastball and a plus mid-80s slider.
Fall: Isaiah Lowe, RHP (2025: 10 | 2026: NR)
Lowe showed strong strikeout rates in his first two professional seasons but just didn't miss many bats while spending the 2025 campaign with High-A Fort Wayne. He posted a 5.69 ERA with 70 K's and 51 walks in 91 1/3 frames in the Midwest League. His fastball only sat 92-94 mph while his low-80s slider wasn't nearly as dominant as it had been a year earlier, causing him to fall out of the Top 30 rankings completely.
More from MLB Pipeline:
• Top 100 prospects | Stats | Video | Podcast | Complete coverage
Best tools
Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools -- 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is plus and 70-80 is well above average. Players in parentheses have the same grade.
Hit: 45 -- Jhoan De La Cruz (Ethan Salas, Ty Harvey, Ryan Wideman, Lamar King Jr., Joniel Hernandez, Tirso Ornelas, Romeo Sanabria)
Power: 60 -- Alex McCoy
Run: 70 -- Wideman
Arm: 60 -- Salas (Kavares Tears)
Defense: 70 -- Salas
Fastball: 70 -- Tucker Musgrove
Curveball: 55 -- Lan-Hong Su (Jaxon Dalena)
Slider: 60 -- Miguel Mendez (Bryan Balzer)
Changeup: 70 -- Bradgley Rodriguez
Control: 55 -- Luis Gutierrez (Diego Serna)
How they were built
Draft: 16 | International: 12 | Trade: 1 | NDFA: 1
Breakdown by ETA
2026: 5 | 2027: 6 | 2028: 8 | 2029: 7 | 2030: 2 | 2031: 2
Breakdown by position
C: 4 | 1B: 2 | 3B: 1 | SS: 3 | OF: 5 | RHP: 10 | LHP: 5