Padres Could Have Future Hard-Throwing Closer in Single-A

While the overall farm system of the San Diego Padres isn't ranked highly around baseball, there are still a few potential gems lurking for the team. San Diego has done a good job in recent years of scouting and drafting well, giving the front office a chance to use players in trades to add to the big league roster.

The team has made a lot of blockbuster trades, gutting the prospect depth, but there is still optimism around the club. San Diego needs some of this youth to help the big league roster, and some guys have been making waves.

The last major trade for the Padres was for closer Mason Miller, giving the team a star closer for the future. But there are others within the farm system that could be interesting to follow, including some that could be future closers for San Diego.

A few writers at MLB.com ranked each team's most promising prospect who could become a future closer in the league, and the Padres' pitcher is very intriguing. This would be right-hander Tucker Musgrove, who the team drafted in 2023 in the seventh round.

"The 2023 seventh-rounder returned from Tommy John surgery last year and showed big-time stuff as a reliever with Single-A Lake Elsinore and in the Arizona Fall League. The stars of the show are his 97-99 mph four-seamer and sinker, which play up with seven feet of extension, and he throws in a cutter for the fastball trifecta. A mid-80s sweeper also looks like an above-average pitch.

"He’s struggled with control at High-A Fort Wayne out of the gate in ‘26 (seven walks in six innings), but Musgrove has the pure stuff that could make him a Padres trademark quick mover once he finds the zone with more regularity."

Musgrove is the Padres No. 9 prospect in the farm system, and he has strong stuff on the mound. The hard-throwing righty can get his pitches up to triple-digits, showing a similar structure to Miller.

On the year, Musgrove has posted an ERA of 5.40 over 8.1 innings of work. The control has been an issue for the right-hander, and this is something he will need to work on going forward.

But he could be a high riser in the organization if he were to settle down, and he has the type of pitch sequence that tends to work in the big leagues. San Diego will work with him to hone in his skill set, and he will be someone to watch as the seasons go by.

Musgrove is a long way away from getting to the big leagues, with his projected ETA being in 2027 at the earliest. So for now, the right-hander will continue to work at his craft, and if he can perform well, maybe he will rise up the ranks to be called up over the next few seasons to help San Diego's strong bullpen.

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