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MINOR LEAGUE REPORT - Huffman could hit his way into Padres' plans by Jason Martinez sdpadrefan.com posted 5/23/08 When Chase Headley is finally called up to be part of the Padres' everyday lineup, left fielder Chad Huffman could take his spot on the Portland team soon after. If he continues to hit in Portland like he has at every other minor league level, the Padres might end up with a pretty good dilemma at some point in 2009. Three good, young players to fill two positions. Unless Headley or Kevin Kouzmanoff is traded, which is still a possibility, Headley will be the starting left fielder for the Padres while their top hitting prospect is waiting in the wings. I suppose that Huffman, a second baseman in college, could give right field a shot but that would be a tough move in the spacious outfield of Petco Park. After destroying Cal League pitching in 2007 (.307-15-76), Huffman was promoted to San Antonio, where he struggled initially before finishing strong (.269-7-28). He has had no trouble at all in his second season with the Missions. In 44 games, the 23 year-old is batting .333 with five homers, 24 RBI's, 13 doubles, and a very impressive 27 to 29 walk-to-strikeout ratio. Compare that to Headley's season in 2007, in which he was named the Texas League Player of the Year, and you have very similar numbers. Huffman could hit a few less home runs but is on pace to strikeout less and walk more. Going into 2009, I could see Huffman rated as high as the #2 prospect for the Padres, and he could be pushing for a roster spot as early as June. AAA PORTLAND - After Headley, the next outfielder in line for a promotion to the big leagues could be 25 year-old Will Venable, who is off to a good start in his first season in AAA. After a blazing start in April (.340 BA), Venable was put on the DL with shoulder pain. Since his return, Venable's average has dipped (.271 in May) but he is starting to show some power, as he has slugged four homers in the last nine games, to go along with 13 RBI's. The knock on Venable in the past was that he wasn't very good in center field and he was wasn't going to hit with enough power to play at a corner. Supposedly, his CF defense has improved and the recent power surge is also encouraging. At the least, Venable should be a fourth outfielder on a major league roster by next season. AA SAN ANTONIO - Manny Ayala has returned from the DL. Why is this important? Ayala, 23, was only the best pitcher in the farm system for most of last season, while pitching for Lake Elsinore. In 17 starts, the right-hander was 11-3 with a 2.22 ERA. That is impressive, especially considering this was done in the hitter-friendly Cal League. After debuting with one inning in relief, allowing a run and a hit, Ayala started his first game of 2008 and threw four shutout innings, allowing only one hit and striking out five. Considered a future #4 or 5 starterin the majors, Ayala features one of the best changeups in the organization, according to MadFriars.com. HI A LAKE ELSINORE - While the Lake Elsinore rotation features hard-throwing Drew Miller, the more impressive pitcher has been left-hander Nate Culp, who is 3-2 with a 3.06 ERA. The 23 year-old has yet to give up more than three earned runs in any of his nine starts and has walked just seven batters in 53 innings. Culp has an assortment of pitches, including an above average curve and above average changeup. LO A FORT WAYNE - After not pitching for the Padres at all in 2007, 21 year-old Wynn Pelzer is starting to open some eyes in his first professional season with Fort Wayne. After getting roughed up in his first two outings of the season, the right-hander has gone 4-0 with a 2.03 ERA over his last eight games. During that span, he has given up just 21 hits and nine walks in 31 innings. The Padres' 10th round pick in 2007, Pelzer suffered a broken kneecap that kept him out of action until this season. Based on how he's pitching, it seems like he's recovered just fine. |