Padres News: 2 Friars Prospects Land in Top 10, 4 in Top 100 on MLB Pipeline’s Rankings
MLB Pipeline just released its updated Top 100 prospect rankings, and the Friars landed two Top-10 prospects in baseball.
The Padres have had recent prospects come up and help the team win in names like Jake Cronenworth and Fernando Tatis Jr., while other prospects have been used to acquire MLB-ready talent such as C.J. Abrams and Mackenzie Gore, who brought over Juan Soto.
This year, the Friars have done a great job of developing talent, and it shows in the MLB Pipeline's new Top 100 rankings where two Padres land in the top 10 and two more in the top 100.
Padres in MLB Pipeline's Top 100
- Ethan Salas - 5
- Jackson Merrill - 9
- Robby Snelling - 65
- Dylan Lesko - 68
Starting from the top, the 17-year-old phenom Ethan Salas comes in at the fifth spot in the rankings. Signing with the Padres in January, the catching prospect has quickly shot his way up prospect rankings and through baseball.
Making media news when the then 16-year-old kid was catching big-league spring training games, he's already been promoted to the Padres High-A affiliate in Fort Wayne. The top 5 prospect became the youngest to appear at the level this season.
The young kid is making a name for himself quickly, and Padres fans should expect to see his name in the lineup for years to come.
Jackson Merill was selected 27th overall in the 2021 Draft by the Padres and has looked promising ever since. The 6-foot-3 shortstop is looking much improved on the field and his 65-grade hit tool will contribute meaningful at-bats for the Padres possibly as soon as next year.
Robby Snelling is a left-handed pitcher that has a 55-grade fastball to pair with his 60-grade slider. The once two-sport athlete attacks batters with these two pitches and, given his athletic background, projects to be an average strike-thrower at the very least. Snelling is the Padres' top pitching prospect and, at 19 years old, has a lot of time to grow into a big-league arm.
Dylan Lesko was the 15th overall pick in 2022. Many believed he could have been the top arm drafted that year until the pitcher needed Tommy John Surgery causing him to stumble on draft boards. Still taken 15th, the right-handed pitcher will look to recover from the surgery and regain his 60-grade fastball that touched 97 mph and his 70-grade changeup that was scouted as arguably the best of the Draft.
The Padres have a bright future with these four prospects. Look for them to contribute wins for the Friars in the next coming years.