SAN DIEGO -- Petco Park will host the "Padres On Deck Game" next month, the second year in a row in which the club's top prospects will compete in San Diego once the big league club has concluded its home slate.
The 2017 edition of the game will take place on Sept. 30 at 5:40 p.m. PT. Like last year's event, Padres prospects will face their counterparts from the Rangers' organization. San Diego won, 5-1, last October.
The game will feature the top Padres youngsters who are taking part in instructional ball this fall. Rosters for that league haven't been announced.
Josh Naylor, ranked by MLBPipeline.com as the Padres' No. 10 prospect, was the star of last year's game, with a double and a three-run homer. Other Padres prospects who competed last October were Cal Quantrill (ranked No. 2 in the San Diego system) and Fernando Tatis Jr. (No. 4).
MacKenzie Gore, the No. 3 overall Draft pick in June and the club's current top prospect, is the most prominent candidate for this year's game. He owns a 0.90 ERA in six starts in rookie ball.
The Padres will again host workouts at Petco Park in the week leading up to the contest, though those will not be available to the public. Ticket details for the game are expected to be released this week.