PEORIA, Ariz. -- The Padres' deep and talented farm system once again wreaked havoc on the Cactus League Friday night -- this time courtesy of 19-year-old infield prospect Hudson Potts.
Potts swatted an inside-the-park three-run homer, tying the game in the seventh inning of San Diego's 9-7 victory over Texas. In one at-bat, he showcased his unique combination of power and athleticism, sending a missile off the center-field wall. When the ball caromed away from Rangers center fielder Leody Taveras, Potts scored standing up.
It was the second homer in as many games for Potts, who also went deep on March 21 against the White Sox. Friday's inside-the-parker carried a bit of extra weight. A native of Southlake, Texas, Potts grew up a Rangers fan, and his family owned a ticket plan.
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Potts, ranked as the club's No. 17 prospect by MLB Pipeline, was drafted by the Padres in 2016 with the compensatory pick they received for losing Ian Kennedy to free agency. He's 4-for-8 with a sac fly and a walk in 10 big league plate appearances this spring.
"You learn a lot, just listening to guys and just being around those guys," Potts said of his experience with the big league club. "This is definitely something that I can build off of."
Earlier this month, MLB Pipeline rated the San Diego farm system as the best in the sport. Potts now joins Franchy Cordero, Franmil Reyes, Josh Naylor and Fernando Tatis Jr. as Padres prospects to homer for the big league club this spring.
"Me and my teammates in the Minors are working hard," Potts said. "There are a lot of really good young guys, and I feel like we're doing everything we can to progress and make it up to San Diego and help out the team."
Potts batted .253 with 20 homers for Class-A Fort Wayne last season. After his first-half OPS dipped to .619, Potts responded with 14 second-half dingers and a .278/.325/.512 slash line. All the while, Padres skipper Andy Green kept a close eye on his progress.
"You're an 18-year-old kid in the Midwest League -- that's a tough draw," Green said. "It's mostly kids from colleges, it's freezing weather for a kid from Texas, and you get off to a really rough start. Numbers weren't good at all. You find out what somebody's made of in those moments.
"That kid turned his year around, ends up hitting 20 home runs, turns himself into one of the better players Fort Wayne's had. That's impressive. The game's going to crush you at times. To see a kid respond like that, it's fun."