Padres invite Tatis to big league camp
A day after helping his Estrellas to their first Dominican Winter League crown in 51 years, Fernando Tatis Jr. earned another prize.The Padres invited their top prospect to big league camp along with No. 8 prospect Logan Allen, Cal Quantrill (No. 11), Buddy Reed (No. 13), Josh Naylor (No. 15),
A day after helping his Estrellas to their first Dominican Winter League crown in 51 years,
The Padres invited their top prospect to big league camp along with No. 8 prospect
Last year, in his third pro season, Tatis got off to a flying start with Double-A San Antonio, hitting .286/.355/.507 with 16 homers, 43 RBIs and 16 stolen bases over 88 games. But on July 19, baseball's No. 2 overall prospect fractured his thumb, which eventually required season-ending surgery.
In November, Tatis began playing for his hometown Estrellas Orientales with his father, Fernando Tatis Sr., managing the team. The 20-year-old shortstop hit .263 with 11 extra-base hits, eight RBIs and seven swipes in nine attempts over 23 regular season games. In the postseason, Tatis collected 12 RBIs and 15 runs scored.
Allen is coming off his best season as a pro. The No. 76 overall prospect notched career highs of 14 wins and 151 strikeouts over 148 2/3 innings in 25 games (24 starts) for San Antonio and Triple-A El Paso. Allen's 2.54 ERA was his lowest since playing short-season ball in 2015. The 21-year-old southpaw will be making his first appearance at Major League camp.
After a tough beginning to his 2018 season with the Missions -- 5.15 ERA in 22 starts -- Quantrill was promoted to the Chihuahuas. The 2016 first-rounder was able to settle in with El Paso, going 3-1 with a 3.48 ERA in six starts. Quantrill's plus fastball, which can reach 97, headlines a four-pitch arsenal.
Reed, Naylor and Potts all finished the season with the Missions. The switch-hitting Reed drew national attention in the All-Star Futures Game before an impressive performance in the Arizona Fall League. Naylor, who added playing the outfield to his repertoire, hit a non-complex-personal-best .287 with a career-high 17 homers for San Antonio. Potts continued showing impressive power with 19 homers in 2018 after slugging 20 the year before.
The Padres also invited right-handed pitchers
Kelsie Heneghan is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow her on Twitter @Kelsie_Heneghan.