We are proud to announce The San Diego Padres Top 30 Prospects for 2012. Peter Friberg has been studying minor league and amateur baseball players for nearly 10 years and has been writing about Padres minor leaguers for approximately eight. Peter has compiled his top 30 prospects in the Padres system for 2012, we are now into the top 10, continuing with #7 James Darnell

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2011 San Diego Padres Top 30 Prospects

6. James Darnell, 3B/OF, 6’2” 195, Born: Jan. 19, 1997
Good: Offensively, Darnell is ready for the big leagues. He hits for average. He hits for power. He even controls the strike zone. Physically, he has the ideal athleticism and stature you look for in an athlete. If he cannot handle 3B he has the athleticism to handle either corner OF spot and the arm strength to handle RF.

Bad: One big strike against Darnell according to most prospect mavens is that he’ll turn 25 in January. He’s essentially done developing. Another negative with James is his defense at the hot corner. He’s not bad and he has the athleticism to do it, but he continuously makes more errors and/or mistakes than you want your everyday 3B to make.

Outlook: Darnell will likely get a shot this Spring Training to take RF away from Will Venable. Or, if the Padres trade Chase Headley, Darnell will likely get a shot at 3B at least until Gyorko is ready. At worst, the Padres will send James back to Tucson for some AAA batting practice before a mid-season promotion.