Patiño looks to build on standout '19 season

January 13th, 2020

put the baseball world on notice last July while representing the Padres in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Cleveland’s Progressive Field, pitching 1 2/3 perfect innings with three strikeouts -- including a punchout of Angels top prospect Jo Adell (No. 5 on MLB Pipeline’s list for all of baseball) with a 98.2 mph four-seam fastball.

That performance was part of a 2019 season that saw Patiño register an overall ERA of 2.57 and 123 strikeouts in 94 2/3 innings between Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore and Double-A Amarillo.

“That was a marvelous experience, something that every player would like to participate in,” said Patiño, signed by San Diego out of Colombia in 2016, about his experience in Cleveland. “It’s like a day in the big leagues for us Minor Leaguers, a beautiful event that all of us want to experience. I feel blessed to have been there with great players and to have spent that time with the group.”

Towards the end of the Minor League season, Patiño, the Padres’ No. 3 prospect on MLB Pipeline’s 2019 list, was promoted to Amarillo, where he gave up one earned run in 7 2/3 innings, with 10 strikeouts.

“2019 was a year I enjoyed a lot. I learned a lot,” Patiño said last week in Miami while taking part in this year’s Rookie Career Development Program organized by MLB and the MLB Players Association. “It was a year of blessings and challenges, because I had some good moments and also some bad ones. But thanks to God and the work I put in, I was able to bring out the best in me and get past those ups and downs. That’s why I think 2019 was a good year and beneficial to my career.”

Patiño, who turned 20 on October 26, is listed at 6 feet and 192 pounds. One of the Padres’ goals has been to build up the young right-hander’s body in their strength and conditioning program, in order to have him prepared for the rigors of a full season as a starter, most likely at Triple-A to open 2020.

“More than anything, I’ve been doing physical training this offseason, working on all the little things I maybe didn’t do as well on in order to get to 2020 a little better,” said Patiño, who combines a fastball that has reached the high 90s with a slider, curveball and changeup. “So, I want to get to the Padres’ Spring Training in good shape and prepared for whatever they have in store for me.”