SD's top 5 international prospects of all time

SAN DIEGO -- With one of the youngest rosters in baseball and one of the sport's top farm systems, the Padres envision a bright future for themselves. That bright future, in no uncertain terms, is linked to their international signings.

Prospect Luis Patiño and Luis Urías recently netted important pieces in trades. Pitchers Adrian Morejon and Michel Baez have already cracked the big leagues. Infielder Tucupita Marcano and outfielder Tirso Ornelas might join them.

If all goes according to plan, the Padres should have several noteworthy international signings who will make an impact over the next few seasons. They might one day even crack this list of the franchise's top 5 international prospects of all time:

1) Roberto Alomar
Alomar signed with the Padres in 1985 -- two years after the club had inked his older brother, Sandy Alomar Jr. The younger Alomar wasted no time making his ascent to the big leagues, and he debuted three years later as the youngest infielder in franchise history. Alomar spent three excellent seasons in San Diego, including the first of 12 consecutive All-Star campaigns in '90. But Alomar's best seasons would come outside San Diego after he was dealt to the Blue Jays in the four-player blockbuster that sent Tony Fernandez and Fred McGriff to the Padres.

2) Benito Santiago
Like Alomar, Santiago signed out of Puerto Rico and made an instant impact in San Diego. Four years after signing as a 17-year-old international free agent, Santiago made his big league debut. The following season, he took home National League Rookie of the Year honors with arguably the best rookie season in franchise history. As a premium defensive catcher, Santiago posted an absurd .300/.324/.467 slash line at age 22. He continued to star in San Diego over the next five seasons, winning three National League Gold Glove Awards and four NL Silver Slugger Awards before leaving via free agency after the 1992 season.

3) Akinori Otsuka
Otsuka wasn't a prototypical big league rookie when he debuted in 2004 at age 32. But he's without question one of the franchise's most impactful international signings. After spending seven seasons as a lockdown closer in Japan, Otsuka agreed to a three-year contract with the Padres in December 2003. His '04 campaign is one of the best by a Padres reliever this century (no small feat, considering company like Trevor Hoffman, Heath Bell and Kirby Yates). Otsuka finished third in NL Rookie of the Year Award voting after posting a 1.75 ERA while setting up Hoffman. He didn't quite reach those heights in '05, but he was rock-solid nonetheless, as the Padres won the NL West. Otsuka was traded to Texas that offseason in the deal that brought Adrián González and Chris Young to San Diego.

4) Franmil Reyes
Reyes is unquestionably one of the Padres' best player-development success stories. He barely registered as a prospect when he signed out of the Dominican Republic in November 2011, and he was famously left unprotected during the '17 Rule 5 Draft. But Reyes made some monumental strides around that time, harnessing his immense power and cutting down his strikeouts. A year later, a 22-year-old Reyes earned a callup, and he was beloved among Padres fans for his big power and bigger personality. Reyes mashed 16 homers in '18, then 27 for the Padres in '19 before he was shipped to Cleveland in the three-team trade that netted Taylor Trammell.

5) Oliver Pérez
Signed as a 17-year-old out of Mexico in 1999, Pérez would debut three years later in San Diego. He put forth a strong rookie campaign in 2002, posting a 3.50 ERA with more than a strikeout per inning. But control often eluded Pérez as a young left-hander. His walk rate ticked up in '03, and so did his ERA, and he was dealt to Pittsburgh along with Jason Bay in exchange for Brian Giles. Still, Pérez went on to a very respectable 17-year big league career, split fairly evenly between the rotation and the bullpen.