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Future Friars: Padres Top 25 Prospects

Here, finally, are the Padres top 25 prospects as envisioned by one follower of the organization. I've tried to balance upside with proximity to the big leagues. Many worthy names are not on this list, including LHP Cliff Bartosh, OF Jeremy Owens, RHP Andy Shibilo, RHP J.J. Trujillo, and others.

Finally, I'd like to mention the recent untimely death of RHP Gerik Baxter, who would have ranked #14 on this list, between Junior Herndon and Vince Faison, and who was only that low due to the fact that he was rehabbing from off-season surgery and hadn't pitched this season. Baxter had a promising future, one that tragically will not be realized. My condolences go out to the Baxter family.

Rank	Player	Pos	DOB	Drafted	Level	Stats (through 7/27/01)	Comment
1	Sean Burroughs	3B	9/12/80	98-1	AAA	274 AB, .343 BA, .412 OBP, .485 SLG, 31 BB, 38 SO	as good a hitting prospect as you'll find in the minors; power is finally starting to show
2	Xavier Nady	1B	11/14/78	00-2	A+	387, .292, .373, .522, 44, 81	will move to 2B in the AFL; could be another Jeff Kent
3	Dennis Tankersley	RHP	2/24/79	98-38	A+/AA	117.0 IP, 70 H, 34 BB, 153 SO, 1.38 ERA	stolen from the Red Sox in Ed Sprague trade last summer; future #2 starter
4	Jake Peavy	RHP	5/31/81	99-15	A+	100.1, 72, 32, 137, 2.96	knows how to pitch; he has advanced quickly and is adding velocity
5	Ben Johnson	RF	6/18/81	99-4	A+	378, .270, .355, .434, 44, 105	stolen from the Cardinals for Carlos Hernandez; raw but has enormous upside
6	Wascar Serrano	RHP	6/2/78	95-FA	AAA/maj	73.1, 78, 29, 50, 4.66	good stuff, erratic command; might be better off in bullpen
7	Mike Bynum	LHP	3/20/78	99-1	AA	81.1, 82, 31, 66, 4.43	started slowly this year but should move quickly
8	Mark Phillips	LHP	12/30/81	00-1	A-/A	41.0, 26, 16, 36, 2.41	upside rivals that of Tankersley and Peavy; very far away
9	Jake Gautreau	3B	11/14/79	01-1	A-	73, .301, .366, .466, 7, 18	terrific hitter; probably won't remain at 3B because of Burroughs
10	Jason Middlebrook	RHP	6/26/75	96-9	AA/AAA	110.0, 89, 27, 87, 2.21	late-bloomer still has electric stuff
11	Ben Howard	RHP	1/15/79	97-2	A+/AA	112.2, 91, 37, 118, 2.72	making the transformation from thrower to pitcher
12	Oliver Perez	LHP	8/15/81	99-FA	A/A+	107.1, 90, 45, 105, 3.52	good arm for a lefty and may add velocity as he matures; advanced understanding of pitching
13	Junior Herndon	RHP	9/11/78	97-9	AAA	110.0, 126, 38, 47, 4.66	short on stuff, long on guts; must make the most of a very narrow window of opportunity
14	Vince Faison	CF	1/22/81	99-1	A/A+	269, .212, .296, .338, 29, 84	great athlete; slowly turning tools into skills but still unrefined
15	Josh Barfield	2B/SS		01-4	R+	152, .296, .343, .401, 10, 26	father Jesse starred for Blue Jays in 1980s; turned down scholarship to Baylor
16	Eric Cyr	LHP	2/11/79	98-30	A+	59.2, 40, 12, 71, 1.36	throws hard, lacks experience; as much upside as any lefty in organization not named Phillips
17	Greg Sain	C/3B	12/26/79	01-5	A-	125, .328, .386, .648, 8, 36	compact swing, drives ball to all fields; needs to work on plate discipline
18	Nobuaki Yoshida	LHP	8/10/80	00-FA	A/A-	24.1, 23, 13, 14, 3.70	similar to, if slightly less advanced than, Perez
19	Omar Falcon	C	9/1/82	00-3	R+	41, .171, .393, .366, 15, 15	intriguing skills set; very far away
20	Mewelde Moore	CF	7/24/82	00-4	R+	89, .236, .313, .281, 6, 29	similar to Faison, with a little less power; very raw
21	Brett Jodie	RHP	3/25/77	98-6	AA/AAA	133.0, 132, 26, 73, 2.64	control artist thrives despite overpowering stuff; future #4 or #5 starter
22	Kevin Reese	CF	3/11/78	00-27	A	360, .328, .402, .508, 44, 43	sweet lefty stroke; a shade old for the Midwest League
23	Kevin Eberwein	1B/3B	4/30/77	98-5	A+/AAA	123, .276, .369, .512, 15, 28	slowed by injuries this year; decent plate discipline, gaps power
24	Justin Germano	RHP	8/6/82	00-13	A-/A	106.2, 124, 21, 91, 4.56	lack of overpowering fastball offset by good secondary pitches; projectable
25	Bobby Scales	2B/OF	10/4/77	99-14	A+	279, .269, .356, .416, 33, 67	no single outstanding tool; versatility could lead to a Tony Phillips-like career