Category: Padres

Padres prospects a hit in Missions debuts after Ethan Salas’ walk-off double

San Diego Padres prospect and new San Antonio Missions catcher Ethan Salas ended Tuesday's game with a walk-off double in the 10th inning. The Missions beat the Amarillo Sod Poodles 8-7 on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023, at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
San Diego Padres prospect and new San Antonio Missions catcher Ethan Salas ended Tuesday’s game with a walk-off double in the 10th inning.

The No. 1 prospect in the San Diego Padres organization had a memorable conclusion to his first game in Double-A ball.

Ethan Salas had a walk-off double to deep right-center field in the 10th inning.

The 17-year-old catcher drove in Connor Hollis with the winning run in the San Antonio Missions’ 8-7 victory over the Amarillo Sod Poodles on Tuesday at Wolff Stadium.

Salas was one of four players in the Missions’ lineup for the first time after being promoted from the Class A Fort Wayne TinCaps.

Jakob Marsee, Graham Pauley, Nathan Martorella and Salas all saw their first action at Wolff Stadium on Tuesday and all recorded their first Double-A hits.

– Martorella played first base and had three hits and three RBIs. After producing an RBI single in the 10th inning that tied the game 7-7, he was replaced by Hollis as the pinch-runner who scored the game-ending run.

– Marsee played center field and batted in the leadoff spot and had a hit, a walk and scored twice.

– Pauley played left field and had a hit, an RBI and scored a run.

Marcos Castanon, a relative veteran with the Missions after being promoted from Fort Wayne on July 14, had three hits including a double and an RBI and scored a run.

Missions reliever Lake Bachar (4-0) pitched the final two innings to earn the win.

Jakob Marsee's first hit with the Missions. The Missions beat the Amarillo Sod Poodles 8-7 on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023, at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Jakob Marsee’s first hit with the Missions.
Graham Pauley's first hit with the Missions. The Missions beat the Amarillo Sod Poodles 8-7 on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023, at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Graham Pauley’s first hit with the Missions.
Nathan Martorella's first hit with the Missions. The Missions beat the Amarillo Sod Poodles 8-7 on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023, at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Nathan Martorella’s first hit with the Missions.

Missions roster gets makeover as baseball draft looms

Chandler Seagle. The Midland RockHounds beat the San Antonio Missions 10-8 on Thursday, June 22, 2023, at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
San Antonio Missions catcher Chandler Seagle.
The San Antonio Missions lost four players over the weekend – at least temporarily – and added reinforcements as the San Diego Padres rebalance their minor league rosters with the baseball draft now less than two weeks away.

On Sunday, the Missions placed pitchers Brian Gonzalez and Michel Baez on the 7-day injured list, pitcher Jose Espada on the temporarily inactive list and catcher Chandler Seagle on the 7-day injured list.

Michel Baez. The San Antonio Missions beat the Corpus Christi Hooks 4-3 in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday, May 13, 2023, at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Michel Baez – Missions
– Baez had a 3-0 record and 6.28 ERA in 12 relief appearances with the Missions. Earlier in the season he made seven relief appearances with the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas.


Brian Gonzalez of the San Antonio Missions and San Diego Padres organization pitching against Monclova of the Mexican league in an exhibition game on Saturday, May 1, 2023, at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Brian Gonzalez – Missions
– Gonzalez appeared in six games with the Missions and made three starts. He had a 6.14 ERA and 2-0 record.


San Antonio reliever Jose Espada pitched four innings and held Frisco hitless and scoreless over that stretch in the RockHounds' 8-1 victory over the Missions on Thursday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Jose Espada – Missions
– Espada pitched in 19 games for the Missions and made five starts. He had a 0-2 record with a 3.27 ERA.

– Seagle went on the injured list retroactive to June 24. He was in his third season with the Missions. He was batting .206 this season with one home run and 13 RBIs in 40 games.

The Missions added five players who should be with them for their six-game series against the Frisco RoughRiders, which opens Wednesday night at Wolff Stadium.

Pitchers Raul Brito, Jared Kollar, catcher Brandon Valenzuela and outfielder Justin Farmer were promoted from the High Class A Fort Wayne TinCaps. Pitcher Blake Cederlind moved up from the Arizona Complex league. All of the new Missions pitchers are right-handers.

– Cederlind had a 1-1 record and a 13.50 ERA in seven relief appearances this summer in Arizona.

– Brito had a 2-0 record with one save and 2.45 ERA in 10 relief appearances at Fort Wayne.

– Kollar had a 5-0 record and one save with a 1.67 ERA in nine appearances including seven starts at Fort Wayne.

– Valenzuela batted .279 with four home runs and 15 RBIs in 39 games for Fort Wayne. He is listed as the No. 29 prospect in the Padres organization (via MLB.com).

– Farmer batted .233 with three home runs and 28 RBIs in 64 games for Fort Wayne.

The baseball draft is Sunday, July 9 – Tuesday, July 11. The first round will be televised on ESPN and MLB Network at 6 p.m. (Central time) on July 9. The remaining rounds will be on MLB Network.

Korry Howell of the San Antonio Missions – photo gallery

Korry Howell playing for the San Antonio Missions in an exhibition game against Monclova of the Mexican league on Saturday, April 1, 2023, at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Korry Howell playing for the Missions in an exhibition game against Monclova of the Mexican league on April 1, 2023
Korry Howell played in 48 games for the San Antonio Missions last summer. He batted .253 with 20 RBIs and six home runs in an injury-shortened season.

Howell hit 16 home runs and stole 24 bases between High A and Double-A in 2021.

The 24-year-old outfielder enters this season as the No. 13 prospect in the San Diego Padres’ system, according to MLB.com. He can also play infield and saw action at six different positions in the summer of 2021.

Howell was a 12th-round draft pick by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2018. He came to the Padres organization in the April 2022 trade that sent catcher Victor Caratini to the Brewers.

The Missions play their 2023 season home opener at Wolff Stadium on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. against the Frisco Rough Riders.

Former Missions invited to Padres’ spring training

San Antonio Missions starter Aaron Leasher pitched six innings and got the win in Saturday's victory over the Midland RockHounds at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Missions left-hander Aaron Leasher pitching at Wolff Stadium.
The San Diego Padres on Wednesday announced the players not on their 40-man roster who have been invited to major league spring training.

The list includes several players who have recently been with the San Antonio Missions, including:

– Moises Lugo, right-handed pitcher

– Matt Waldron, right-handed pitcher

– Aaron Leasher, left-handed pitcher

– Juan Fernandez, catcher

– Chandler Seagle, catcher

– Taylor Kohlwey, outfielder

– Tirso Ornelas, outfielder

Padres prospects to watch for on San Antonio Missions

Former Arkansas star Kevin Kopps pitched the ninth inning for the San Antonio Missions on Saturday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Former Arkansas star Kevin Kopps, pitching in relief for the San Antonio Missions in September 2021, is one of the San Diego Padres’ top 30 prospects.
The San Diego Padres are just days away from opening 2023 spring training at their Cactus League headquarters at the Peoria Sports Complex in the Phoenix area.

The current San Antonio Missions roster, which will see changes between now and their Texas League opener on April 6, shows five players listed as Padres prospects:

Top 30 prospects (with 2022 rankings):

No. 9 Korry Howell OF/INF

No. 13 Jackson Wolf LHP

No. 14 Joshua Mears OF

No. 24 Kevin Kopps RHP

No. 25 Alek Jacob RHP

The Padres also have four players listed on their Class A+ (High A) roster. These players could make their way up to Double-A San Antonio in the near future:

No. 11 Noel Vela LHP

No. 15 Garrett Hawkins RHP

No. 19 Ryan Bergert RHP

No. 28 Brandon Valenzuela C

The official San Antonio Missions roster is here:
milb.com/san-antonio/roster

The Padres’ Triple-A team is the El Paso Chihuahuas. Their roster is loaded with former San Antonio Missions players:
milb.com/el-paso/roster

Missions announce 2023 staff; former manager Wellman promoted to Triple-A

San Antonio Missions manager at San Diego Padres 2022 spring training on a back field at the Padres' facility in Peoria, Arizona. - photo by Joe Alexander
Phillip Wellman, shown at 2022 San Diego Padres’ spring training, spent five seasons as the San Antonio Missions’ manager – photo by Joe Alexander
The San Diego Padres on Wednesday announced the field staff for the 2023 San Antonio Missions.

Former Missions manager Phillip Wellman will be the 2023 manager for the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas. He spent five seasons at the helm in Double-A San Antonio.

Luke Montz will take over as manager of the Missions. He spent the last season as a manager in the Red Sox organization. Montz spent 13 seasons as a professional catcher.

Jeff Andrews is the Missions’ new pitching coach. He spent the last two seasons as pitching coach with the Double-A Frisco Rough Riders. He was the pitching coach of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2008.

Pat O’Sullivan is San Antonio’s new hitting coach. This is his sixth season coaching in the Padres’ organization. He spent the last two seasons as hitting coach at Class A Lake Elsinore.

Former Missions player Felipe Blanco returns to the team as bench coach. He saw action in San Antonio in parts of 2016 and 2017. He was part of the coaching staff at Lake Elsinore the last three seasons.

San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr.’s second rehab game with San Antonio Missions

Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres played shortstop and batted leadoff for the San Antonio Missions against the Wichita Wind Surge on Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022, at Wolff Stadium. It was his second rehab game.

Tatis finished 0-for-3. He grounded out hard to first base in the first inning. He flied out to center in the third inning. He grounded out to third in the fifth inning after hitting a very long line drive foul down the left-field line.

His most notable defensive play was an over-the-shoulder catch on a fly ball in short left field.

He was replaced in the sixth inning.

Tatis is expected to travel with the Missions on their upcoming road trip, which begins Tuesday in Frisco, Texas.

Former Missions shortstop CJ Abrams impressive at Padres spring training

Former San Antonio Missions shortstop CJ Abrams playing for the San Diego Padres in a spring training game against the San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale Stadium on Tuesday, March 29, 2022. - photo by Joe Alexander
Former San Antonio Missions shortstop CJ Abrams signs autographs before a San Diego Padres spring training game last week in Arizona.
CJ Abrams is the top prospect in the San Diego Padres’ organization – although he appears to be on the verge of outgrowing “prospect” status.

Abrams spent part of last summer as the starting shortstop for the Double-A Antonio Missions. His season was cut short by an injury.

Abrams has seen plenty of action with the Padres during the current spring training and has impressed with both his defense and batting. With the Padres’ regular shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. currently out with an injury, Abrams could find himself on San Diego’s opening day roster.

Abrams is capable of playing both shortstop and second base. There have also been media reports that the Padres have given thought to him being used as a backup in center field.

The 6-foot-2, 21-year-old Abrams was a first-round pick by the Padres in the 2019 baseball amateur draft.

The next Tatis? Abrams may solve SS dilemma
story by AJ Cassavell on MLB.com

Missions’ shortstop CJ Abrams – photo gallery from Wednesday night

San Antonio Missions shortstop and San Diego Padres prospect CJ Abrams playing against the Corpus Christi Hooks on Wednesday, June 30, 2021, at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
San Antonio Missions shortstop and San Diego Padres prospect CJ Abrams playing against the Corpus Christi Hooks on Wednesday at Wolff Stadium.
CJ Abrams made highlight plays this season as a batter, base stealer and infielder for the San Antonio Missions.

Abrams left Wednesday night’s game at Wolff Stadium after colliding with teammate Eguy Rosario while both were going after a ground ball up the middle.

It appears that was Abrams’ final game of the summer. Media covering the San Diego Padres reported on Sunday that he was diagnosed with a season-ending injury.

Missions pitcher Joe Beimel: a first look

Joe Beimel, a 44-year-old who has pitched in 676 games in the majors, made his season debut on Wednesday, June 30, 2021, with the San Antonio Missions at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Joe Beimel, a 44-year-old who has pitched in 676 games in the majors, made his season debut on Wednesday night with the Missions at Wolff Stadium.
Joe Beimel was drafted as a college player by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1998 – before some of his current San Antonio Missions teammates were born.

The 6-foot-3 left-hander pitched 917 games over his career in the minors and majors that ended in 2016 – until this week. The San Diego Padres signed Beimel to a minor-league contract on June 13 and assigned him to the Missions on Monday.

Wednesday night in the eighth inning at Wolff Stadium, Beimel walked out to the mound as part of a major league organization for the first time in five years. The 44-year-old pitched a 1-2-3 inning with one strikeout in a Double-A game, a Missions loss to the Corpus Christi Hooks.

Wednesday’s game was a possible first step back to the majors.

Beimel orignally made his pro debut in the minor leagues in rookie league in 1998 and made his Major League debut with the Pirates in 2001.

Over the next 15 years, he pitched in 676 games in the majors, all but 23 of those in relief. He spent time with the Pirates, Twins, Rays, Dodgers, Rockies, Nationals, Pirates (again) and Mariners. Beimel has a 29-34 record with five saves and a 4.06 ERA for his career.

Beimel’s final season in the majors was 2015, when he pitched in 53 games in relief with the Mariners.

In 2016 he pitched in 12 games for Triple-A Omaha. And that is where his career statistics ended – until Wednesday night.