MadFriars

MadFriars Top 20 for 2026 One year ago, we lamented that, even with consensus top prospects shortstop Leo De Vries and catcher Ethan Salas, the Padres were a bottom-10 system in the game. Fast forward one year, De Vries is

Our combined MadFriars Top 20 ranking for 2026.
madfriars.com/2026/03/03/m...

Always fun & Derek was a trooper playing “hurt”.

MadFriars Top 30 for 2026 – Jay Edition Going into the 2025 season, I wrote that the system had more questions than answers. Twelve months later, that's even more true. At least a year ago, the organization had two clear top-50 prospects. N...

With just under 40 days left before big league camp opens, we continue our individual top 30 Padres prospects series for subscribers with @davidmjay.bsky.social's list.
As always, feel free to direct questions or taunts to him! madfriars.com/2026/01/06/m...

Opposites Attract For El Paso’s Tirso Ornelas, it was easy. Mom hit from the left side. “Everyone in my family is right-handed, but my mom is the only one who is a lefty, and I’ve always been kind

Ever wonder why certain players throw from one side and hit from another? We have a quick look at some of the players in the Padres system, past and present, who did and why. madfriars.com/2026/01/05/o...

MadFriars Top 30 for 2026 – Davey Edition I led my top 30 list last year with the comment, “eventually Preller will run out of prospects to trade.” I thought that, after trading Dylan Lesko, Robby Snelling, Adam Mazur, and Jakob Marsee, among

For our subscribers: We continue to work through our personal Top 30 lists for subscribers with Ben Davey banking on a healthy back for Ethan Salas. madfriars.com/2025/12/16/m...

Tucker Musgrove turns heads at Arizona Fall League SURPRISE, Ariz.— Coming into 2025, little was truly known about right-hander Tucker Musgrove. The original plan was for the 2023 seventh-round pick, who was more of an outfielder in college, was to be...

madfriars.com/2025/12/09/t... For our subscribers: Clark takes a look at one of the more interesting arms in the system for next season.

MadFriars Road Food 2025 El Paso Winner:  L&J Cafe This El Paso landmark has been around since 1927, in one form or another, and serves classic Mexican Sonoran border cuisine. It’s one of the rare places that's ...

While Ben Davey is finalizing his Top 30, catch up with the annual MadFriars Dining Guide for the affiliates - and no, it was not an oversight that we left off Peoria. madfriars.com/2025/11/24/m...

Mendez Headlines Padres Rule 5 Decisions There were years over the last the decade when the Padres faced many difficult decisions about which players to add to the 40-player roster in advance of the Rule 5 draft. As this year's deadline

Today's the deadline for teams to decide who they'll protect from the Rule 5 draft. For the Padres, the decisions aren't as difficult as they've been in past years.
madfriars.com/2025/11/18/m...

MadFriars Top 30 – Conniff Edition Going into 2026, most national rankings will have the Padres’ farm system at the bottom of the league. What will soon follow is a standard refrain that Padres President A.J. Preller went “all-in” at t...

For our subscribers: We kick off the first of our five Top 30 Padres prospect rankings, and we made the Old Man lead off. Read @johnconniff.bsky.social's breakdown of what is and isn't in the system and how the rapidly closing window at the MLB level could affect it. madfriars.com/2025/11/14/m...

Padres Prospect Interview: Braedon Karpathios SURPRISE, Ariz. -- It's the top of the ninth inning at Surprise Stadium. Braedon Karpathios digs into the box—the 22-year-old spits on a changeup to start the at-bat. One pitch later, he laces a fastb...

For our subscribers: Clark Fahrenhold catches up with Braedon Karpathios, a rising star in the San Diego Padres organization from the Arizona Fall League. madfriars.com/2025/11/11/b...

Padres make first offseason acquisition as 22 become minor league free agents Hours after the offseason officially got underway Thursday, the San Diego Padres made their first addition of the winter, signing journeyman utility player Pablo Lopez to a minor league deal. The 3...

As the offseason progresses, @davidmjay.bsky.social examines the San Diego Padres' recent minor league transactions. madfriars.com/2025/11/10/p...

When I talked to him, he did seem genuinely excited about the opportunity to develop one.

Padres Prospect Interview: Romeo Sanabria SAN ANTONIO -- To minimize travel in the sprawling Double-A Texas League, teams only play one series a year against the five teams outside their division. That means 108 of a team's 138 contests are

For our subscribers: We spoke with one of the Padres' top preseason prospects, Romeo Sanabria, about the biggest adjustments in the minors, specifically the jump from A-ball to Double-A. madfriars.com/2025/09/26/p...

Padres Farm System Manager Interview: Brian Burres LAKE ELSINORE — Brian Burres, 44, is in his third year with the San Diego Padres organization and has just completed his first season as the manager of the Lake Elsinore Storm.  Burres is from ...

For our subscribers: In the last of our system managerial interviews, we chat with first-year Lake Elsinore Storm manager Brian Burres about some of the prospects that were at the Diamond in 2025. madfriars.com/2025/09/25/p...

San Diego Padres Week in Review: September 16 – September 21 El Paso Chihuahuas (Won series at Sugar Land Space Cowboys, 4-2) Players of the Week: Francisco Acuna, 25, spent most of the year with the Double-A San Antonio, where he had a rather pedestrian...

We take a look at the final series of the last team standing, the El Paso Chihuahuas, for our final week in review segment of the 2025 season. madfriars.com/2025/09/23/s...

Padres Prospect Interview: Cardell Thibodeaux LAKE ELSINORE – At the end of the 2024 season, Cardell Thibodeaux was a 20-year-old undersized left fielder coming off a bad sophomore year at the University of Louisiana-Monroe, where he batted just ...

For our subscribers: Catch up with Cardell Thibodeaux, who went from hitting .143 as a sophomore to .439 as a junior and getting drafted. madfriars.com/2025/09/22/p...

San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: September 21 Sugar Land Space Cowboys 12, Chihuahuas 6 (8 innings) Key Stats: 2B Ripken Reyes 1-for-5, 3B, 2 RBI; RF Tirso Ornelas 2-for-4, BB; CF Trenton Brooks 2-for-4, 2B, BB; SS Francisco Acuña 3-for-4, 2 R...

Luis Gutierrez shows well in his first PCL outing, and Tirso Ornelas finishes strong, while the final game of the year in the Padres' minor league system is cut short by rain.
We've got all the details in the Daily:
madfriars.com/2025/09/22/p...

San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: September 20 Chihuahuas 5, Sugar Land Space Cowboys 3 Key Statistics: 1B Tim Locastro 1-for-4, BB; RF Yonathan Perlaza 1-for-4, BB; DH Luis Campusano 1-for-2; 3B Marcos Castañon 1-for-3, 3B, BB; LHP Jackson...

Jackson Wolf turns in a strong outing to pick up his seventh win of the year as the Chihuahuas go into the final day of the year hot. We've got the details in the Daily:
madfriars.com/2025/09/21/p...

Padres Prospect Interview: Dylan Grego LAKE ELSINORE – The Padres drafted switch-hitting middle infielder Dylan Grego in the 13th round of this year's draft out of Ball State University. Grego, a Kansas City native, had entered the transf...

For our subscribers: Between innings, read about Dylan Grego, a switch-hitting infielder from Ball State, who the Padres selected in the 13th round of this year's draft. madfriars.com/2025/09/20/p...

San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: September 18 Sugar Land Space Cowboys 8, Chihuahuas 5 Key Statistics: RF Yonathan Perlaza 2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI; CF Tirso Ornelas 2-for-3, 2 BB; 2B Ripken Reyes 1-for-2, R, BB, 2 RBI; RHP Matt Waldron 5 IP, 5

Yonathan Perlaza is on the verge of a feat that hasn't been accomplished in nearly 20 years, but his performance wasn't enough to get El Paso a victory. We've got the details in the Daily:
madfriars.com/2025/09/20/p...

San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: September 18 Chihuahuas 5, Sugar Land Space Cowboys 1 Key Stats: LHP JP Sears 4 IP, ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 6 K; LHP Omar Cruz (W, 5-5) 2 IP, H, 4 BB, 2 K; RHP Sean Reynolds,

JP Sears stays sharp and Luis Campusano continues to excel down the stretch. That and more in the Daily:
madfriars.com/2025/09/19/s...

Padres Prospect Interview: Kannon Kemp LAKE ELSINORE —  Kannon Kemp may have been the Padres' eighth-round pick in the 2023 draft, but that doesn't fully tell the story of how he was seen coming out of high school in Texas. Then

For our subscribers: Continuing with our look at the Lake Elsinore Storm "basketball team", we chat with Kannon Kemp - an outstanding name for a pitcher and one of the Padres' top draft picks in 2023 - about his first full season on the mound. madfriars.com/2025/09/18/p...

San Diego padres Daily Farm Report: September 17 Chihuahuas 13, Sugar Land Space Cowboys 2 Key Stats: DH Luis Campusano 2-for-5, R, RBI, BB; 2B Clay Dungan 2-for-6, 2B; RF Yonathan Perlaza 3-for-5, R, 2 RBI, BB; CF Tirso Ornelas 2-for-5, HR (10) ...

Victor Lizarraga delivers five solid innings and Tirso Ornelas launches a grand slam to turn the Chihuahuas win into a laugher. We've got that and more in the Daily:
madfriars.com/2025/09/18/p...

Padres Prospect Interview: Alex McCoy LAKE ELSINORE -- In an organization that has become renowned for finding talent in the ranks of undrafted free agents, Alex McCoy, 23, has the potential to emerge as one of the Padres' scouting depart...

For our subscribers: Between innings, catch up with one of the Padres' better undrafted free agent signings, 6-foot-7, 275-pound outfielder Alex McCoy, who led the Storm with a .903 OPS in 2025. madfriars.com/2025/09/17/p...

San Diego Padres Week in Review: September 9 – 14 With the two Single-A teams already done for the year and instructional league work getting underway in the desert, we've still got plenty going on across the site. Subscribers have a profile on Jagge...

Garrett Hawkins finished a strong campaign with another stellar week, Rodolfo Durán stays hot down the stretch, and another bullpen arm is emerging. That and plenty more in the weekly review: madfriars.com/2025/09/16/s...

San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: September 13 Chihuahuas 16, Albuquerque Isotopes 3 Key Statistics: 2B Clay Dungan 1-for-4, BB, SB (30); DH Luis Campusano 1-for-4, 4 BB, 3 R; C Rodolfo Durán 4-for-5, 2B, 3B, GS HR (14) BB, 7 RBI; LF Tim

Rodolfo Durán hits for the cycle, Matt Waldron leans on the knuckleball in a victory, and Eguy Rosario homers again. That and more in the Daily:

madfriars.com/2025/09/14/p...

Jagger Haynes: Making the Jump SAN ANTONIO -- For years, people in minor league baseball said the toughest leap for a young player was from High-A to Double-A. Shifts in league alignments and smaller rosters that force players to m...

For our subscribers: We catch up with our old friend Jagger Haynes on making the jump to Double-A with the Missions this season. madfriars.com/2025/09/13/j...

San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: September 12 Albuquerque Isotopes 9, Chihuahuas 0 (6 innings) Key Statistics: RF Yonathan Perlaza 1-for-2; LF Trenton Brooks 1-for-2; RHP Logan Gillaspie (L, 1-3) 3.1 IP, 6 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 2 K; RHP Clay Edmondso...

The Chihuahuas drop a rain-shortened contest with Albuquerque while the Missions fall in Miguel Mendez's final start of the year. That and more in the Daily madfriars.com/2025/09/13/p...

Some people even prefer the color in watermelon.

The Padres' affiliates' gear can make everyone look good. Go to the links on our website and choose what our San Diego celebrity models do.