Bill Center, longtime sportswriter for U-T San Diego, is an employee of the Padres.
Three pitchers selected in the first 10 rounds of last week's amateur will soon be making their professional debuts for short-season Class A Tri-City.
The Dust Devils open the Northwest League season Friday night at home with an Opening Day roster that includes 11 players selected in the 2016 Draft plus Dust Devil returnees and graduates of the Padres' Dominican Republic academy.
Ben Fritz will manage Tri-City with Oscar Bernard, the hitting coach, and Shaun Cole, the pitching coach. In their first season as a Padres affiliate, the Dust Devils posted a 42-34 record and lost in the finals of the Northwest League Championship Series.
The highest player from the 2016 Draft is left-handed pitcher Joseph Lucchesi, who was selected in the fourth round. Right-handed pitchers Will Stillman and Jesse Scholtens were picked, respectively, in the sixth and ninth rounds.
In Thursday's games, Triple-A left fielder Alex Dickerson had three hits to push his Pacific Coast League-leading batting average back above .400 while center fielder Franchy Cordero and right-handed starter Enyel De Los Santos had big games for high Class A Lake Elsinore.
El Paso pitching coach Bronswell Patrick was named the pitching coach for the PCL team in the Triple-A All-Star Game. There was one move in the organization Thursday. Catcher Ryan Miller was activated from the seven-day disabled list with Double-A San Antonio.
AROUND THE FARM:
TRIPLE-A EL PASO (39-27) - Albuquerque 6, CHIHUAHUAS 5: Dickerson (.407) was 3-for-4 with two RBIs. CF Manuel Margot (.299) was 1-for-3 with a walk, his 17th steal and two runs scored. 3B Rocky Gale (.302) was 2-for-4 with a run scored. C Austin Hedges (.283) homered in four at-bats. Starting RHP Bryan Rodriguez (2-1, 3.31 earned run average) allowed six runs on eight hits and three walks with two strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. RHP Eric Yardley (2.03 ERA) allowed three hits with a strikeout in 2 1/3 scoreless innings. LHP Daniel Moskos (2.12) allowed a hit with two strikeouts in a scoreless inning.
DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (20-45) - Missions 4, MIDLAND 2: Starting RHP Aaron Northcraft (1-0, 2.31 ERA) allowed two runs on eight hits and two walks with two strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings as he continued his transition from the bullpen to a starter. RHP Tayron Guerrero (3.86) allowed a hit in 1 1/3 scoreless innings. RHP Jason Jester (2.05) allowed a hit and a walk with two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth to get his eighth save. SS River Stevens (.298) hit a two-run homer in four at-bats. LF Nick Torres (.311) was 2-for-4 with a double and a RBI. SS Jose Rondon (.281) was 1-for-2 with a RBI and a run scored. Miller (.222) was 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored.
HIGH CLASS A LAKE ELSINORE (30-37) - Storm 4, VISALIA 1: Cordero (.286) was 3-for-3 with a RBI and a run scored. 3B Luis Urias (.314) was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. RF Franmil Reyes (.242) had a double un three at-bats with two RBIs. LF Edwin Moreno (.242) was 2-for-4 with a double. De Los Santos (1-1, 6.30 ERA) allowed a run on six hits and three walks with seven strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. RHP Trey Wingenter (4.15) allowed a walk with a strikeout in an otherwise perfect 1 2/3 innings. RHP Ben Paullus (1.93) allowed two hits in a scoreless inning. RHP Colby Blueberg (0.93) allowed a hit with a strikeout in a scoreless ninth to earn his 10th save.
LOW CLASS A FORT WAYNE (36-31) - Bowling Green 14, TIN CAPS 7 - 1B Ty France (.246) was 3-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored. Then the San Diego State grad finished the game on the mound, allowing a hit with a strikeout in a scoreless ninth. DH-1B Brad Zunica (.253) was 2-for-5 with his sixth homer and two RBIs. LF Tyler Moore (.182) was 2-for-3 with a RBI. Starting LHP Thomas Dorminy (0-1, 3.78 ERA) allowed seven runs (four earned) on seven hits and three walks with three strikeouts in five innings. LHP Nathan Foriest (5.68) allowed three runs on four walks with three strikeouts without allowing a hit in 1 2/3 innings. RHP Corey Kimber (7.11) allowed four runs on three hits and three walks in 1 1/3 innings.
DSL Padres (5-6) - PADRES 7, White Sox 6 - CF Angel Santos (.462) was 2-for-3 with his third double, three walks and a stolen base for three RBIs and two runs scored. 1B Elvis Sabala (.281) was 1-for-3 with two walks, two RBIs and a run scored. Starting LHP Omar Fernandez (0.00 ERA) allowed three hits and a walk with three strikeouts in five scoreless innings. RHP Adonis Santana (1-0, 2.25 ERA) allowed a run on a hit and a walk with a strikeout in 1 1/3 innings.