It's been a tough year on the pitching front for the Padres. With more than half a dozen starters already on the injured list, and now Matt Waldron joining them, their depth is being tested.
But down on the farm, some prospect performances suggest there are sunnier times ahead. Most recently, San Diego’s No. 4 prospect Kash Mayfield put together a five-inning, one-hit performance at High-A, continuing an impressive stretch to start his sophomore season.
COMPLETE PADRES PROSPECT COVERAGE
Mayfield matched a career high with nine strikeouts in the TinCaps’ 12-3 win over the Cedar Rapids Kernels at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Friday night.
The lefty cruised through his first four innings of work -- particularly the second, when he struck out the side. With no walks allowed, his only blemish came in the bottom of the fifth when he gave up a single to Yasser Mercedes (Twins), who subsequently stole second. Notably, Mayfield was perfect against the top three spots in the Kernels’ order, all of whom occupy a spot on the Twins’ Top 30 Prospects list.
The Padres’ 2024 first-round Draft pick, Mayfield spent the entirety of last year at Single-A, where he was fairly consistent over 19 starts. He posted a 2.97 ERA, while striking out 88 batters. His 34.1 percent strikeout and 23.3 percent K-BB rates ranked second and third, respectively, among 163 Single-A pitchers with at least 60 innings pitched.
Now in his age-21 season, Mayfield has taken another step forward despite the improved competition of High-A ball. Through seven starts, he has a 1.52 ERA, which ranks second in the Midwest League. He leads the league in batting average against with a miniscule figure of .099.
Meanwhile, his first-round successor, Kruz Schoolcraft, is making waves at Single-A. The 6-foot-8 southpaw twirled three hitless innings of his own, although the journey to get there wasn’t quite as picture-perfect. He walked five while striking out four in a 14-0 Lake Elsinore shutout over Rancho Cucamonga at The Diamond.
It might take some time for the two hurlers to make an impact in the Major Leagues, but for now, they are a promising case study of pitching development.