Padres Minor Leaguers to Keep an Eye On 

A New Season Means Familiar Faces and New Ones

SAN ANTONIO – Throughout the offseason, minor league front offices are trying to gather information to figure out what their roster might look like. With players leaving through free agency, by way of trades, or progressing through the system, it can be difficult to gauge who will play where.

For the average fan, it can be nearly impossible to keep track with every minor league free agent signing, every player that gets acquired, or following along with what the High-A club did the year before. Below are some players that have either been acquired by the Padres this offseason or spent the previous season at High-A or Single and who MIGHT play a key role for the Missions in 2024.

This is a speculative story based on the players' previous experiences and has been approved by the San Diego Padres Media Relations Department. In no way should this story be seen as breaking news.

Drew Campbell, OF

The 26-year-old is entering his sixth professional season and first with the Padres. He was acquired from Atlanta on December 15th, 2023, in exchange for Matt Carpenter and Ray Kerr. Campbell was originally selected by Atlanta in the 23rd round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Louisville.

Campbell spent the 2023 season with Double-A Mississippi. Limited to 78 games, he batted .254 with nine home runs, 14 doubles and 30 RBI. He was named an MLB.com Organization All-Star following his 2022 campaign. That season, Campbell batted .271 with seven home runs, four triples, 10 doubles and 50 RBI with High-A Rome.

“He was one of my favorites on the squad last year,” said Braves Director of Communications, Chris Harris. “He is a great character and clubhouse guy. In MiLB, Mississippi is one of the toughest places to hit, so numbers don’t often tell the whole story. He has sneaky power and above-average speed. I can see [him] with another year in Double-A and more consistent playing time, putting together an excellent year.”

Miguel Cienfuegos, LHP

The 27-year-old is entering his second professional season after signing a minor league contract with the Padres prior to the 2023 season. The Canadian southpaw played collegiately at Northwest Florida State Junior College before joining Quebec in the Frontier League.

In 2023, Cienfuegos made 18 appearances (16 starts) between ACL, Single-A and High-A. He combined to go 3-7 with a 4.04 ERA while striking out 62 batters across 78.0 innings pitched.

“Miguel is a great teammate,” said Fort Wayne broadcaster John Nolan. “Even though last season was his first in San Diego’s organization, as someone who’s tri-lingual and brings multiple years of professional and international playing experience, he still served as a leader for younger players in the clubhouse.”

Omar Cruz, LHP

The 25-year-old is entering his eighth professional season and second stint with the Padres organization. Cruz was originally signed by San Diego on July 3rd, 2017, as an international free agent out of Mexico. He was acquired by Pittsburgh on January 19th, 2021, as part of a three-team, seven player deal including the Mets. The Padres acquired Cruz in the Rule 5 Draft on December 6th, 2023.

The southpaw has spent parts of three seasons with Double-A Altoona dating back to 2021. After recording a 5.03 ERA in 2022, Cruz bounced back with a 3.94 ERA in 27 outings last season. He was named an MLB.com Organization All-Star in 2021 after going 6-7 with a 3.44 ERA between High-A Greensboro and Altoona.

“Omar has a very distinct delivery on the mound where he taps his feet back and forth before he starts his delivery from the windup and showed an ability to pitch as a starter, length reliever or short reliever toward the end of games in his three seasons with Altoona,” said Jon Mozes, the Director of Communications & Broadcasting with the Curve. “Every day Omar showed up to the ballpark he had a smile on his face. With his mastery of English and Spanish, he is an easy person for everyone in the clubhouse to connect with and I imagine he’ll see some familiar faces around the Padres organization that’ll help his career ascend to San Diego one day.”

Drew Thorpe, RHP

The 23-year-old is entering his third professional season and first with the Padres organization. Thorpe was acquired by San Diego on December 7th, 2023, as part of the Juan Soto deal with the Yankees. He was originally selected by New York in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Cal Poly.

The right-hander did not make his professional debut until the 2023 season and all he did was dominate across High-A Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset. In 23 combined starts, he went 14-2 with a 2.52 ERA while striking out 182 batters across 139.1 innings pitched.

The Utah native filled up his trophy case with two Pitcher of the Month honors, three Pitcher of the Week honors, South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Year, and MiLB Awards Pitching Prospect of the Year.

When asked about his early success last season, Thorpe credited his day-to-day development. “I think just continuing to development and get better each day,” he explained. “The development of different pitches and stuff. Just continuing to do what I know how to do.”

The Missions have had their fair share of exciting prospects over the last few seasons from CJ Abrams and Matt Waldron to Ripken Reyes and Robby Snelling. The initial rosters will be announced in late March. Until then, fans can speculate about where Campbell, Cienfuegos, Cruz and Thorpe will spend their 2024 campaign.

The Missions 2024 season gets underway on Friday, April 5th on the road against the Amarillo Sod Poodles. The home opener is scheduled for Tuesday, April 9th against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. The club will play two exhibition games against Saltillo (Mexican League) on March 29th and 30th.

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The San Antonio Missions are the Double-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. The 2024 season will be the 122nd professional season for the San Antonio Missions. Season seat memberships, as well as group tickets, for the 2024 season are available now. Call 210-675-PARK to discuss pricing for season tickets, group tickets and hospitality. Single-game tickets will go on sale on March 11th. The Missions Box Office is cashless, and fans can purchase tickets using credit cards. For more information, call 210-675-PARK (7275) or visit samissions.com.