Strike-throwing lefty gives Friars a prospect to watch in upper levels

As the Padres have overhauled their big league roster over the past few seasons, they mostly dealt from the upper levels of their system to acquire those pieces. That's left their farm in something of a state of imbalance.

At the lower levels, the Padres feel they are perhaps better equipped than the baseball world realizes. But in terms of upper-level prospects -- the type of prospects ready to make an impact in the next year or two -- well, that's a weakness.

None of the Padres' top seven prospects has reached Double-A, and 23 of their top 30 overall are at High-A or lower. As such, the Padres sure could use a few breakouts at the upper levels of their system. And Jackson Wolf is giving them one.

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Wolf, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Padres’ No. 16 prospect, has been on a tear. In his past five starts for Double-A San Antonio, the 6-foot-7 left-hander has a 1.84 ERA. In each of his past three outings, Wolf has pitched six innings and allowed just two hits.

Most impressive? His consistency in the strike zone. Wolf was a strikeout artist when the Padres drafted him in the fourth round out of the West Virginia University in 2021. But he's pairing that high strikeout rate -- 68 across 51 innings this season -- with a miniscule walk rate. Wolf, while inducing plenty of swings and misses, has walked only 14 hitters.

Despite the size, Wolf is not a velocity monster. His fastball sits mostly in the low 90s. But he comes from an unusual arm slot, making for an uncomfortable at-bat.

On his current trajectory, Wolf might prove to be precisely the upper-level depth the Padres have been searching for.

Here's a look at what's going on around the farm:

Triple-A El Paso
If the Padres don't have fresh young prospects to fill the upper levels of their system, they're getting useful contributions from 28-year-old Tim Lopes and 32-year-old Preston Tucker. Lopes' solid season has continued. He impressed during Spring Training, and he's hitting .306 with a .383 on-base percentage through the season's first two months. Tucker, meanwhile, continues to rake, hitting .364 with a 1.191 OPS. Should the need arise, both could serve as big league bench pieces. Meanwhile, newly signed catcher Kevin Plawecki, 32, is off to a .279/.354/.512 start through 12 games with the Chihuahuas.

Double-A San Antonio
Outfielder Tirso Ornelas, the organization’s No. 28 prospect has not always had a straightforward trajectory. But he is starting to heat up, posting a .295/.340/.432 slash line across his past 10 games. Meanwhile, righty reliever Alek Jacob, the Padres' No. 26 prospect, has a 0.93 ERA across 13 outings.

High-A Fort Wayne
It’s difficult to imagine a better start to Adam Mazur's pro career. The Padres drafted the right-hander in the second round out of Iowa last summer, and they started him at Fort Wayne this season. The team's No. 6 prospect, Mazur has proven up to the challenge, posting a 1.95 ERA across eight outings (seven starts). Jairo Iriarte and Ryan Bergert join Mazur in a formidable Fort Wayne rotation. Catching that rotation is Brandon Valenzuela, the Padres' No. 30 prospect and one of the organizational standouts this season. Valenzuela has a .901 OPS across 30 games with his usual solid work behind the plate.

Single-A Lake Elsinore
These days, the story at Lake Elsinore is Ethan Salas, the Padres’ No. 3 prospect who turned 17 just last week and has acclimated nicely to the California League. Meanwhile, fellow catcher Anthony Vilar has been rock solid, reaching at a .403 clip while backstopping an excellent rotation -- one featuring Robby Snelling and Austin Krob at the top. Across nine outings apiece, both Snelling and Krob have posted sub-2 ERAs.