We are proud to announce The San Diego Padres Top 30 Prospects for 2011.  Peter Friberg has been studying minor league and amateur baseball players for nearly 10 years and has been writing about minor leaguers for approximately seven.  Peter has compiled his top 30 prospects in the Padres system and we in our second installment of the three part series starts with...

11. Adys Portillo, RHP, 6’2” 185, Born: Dec. 21, 1991

Adys Portillo was the crown jewel of the Padres 2008 internal free agent signees. The young Venezuelan has yet to put up eye-popping numbers (he walks too many, otherwise stellar outings fell apart in the fourth or fifth innings, etc.). But keep in mind that as an 18 year old, he competed against mostly collegians and maintained a better-than-okay K/9 rate (9.0) and wasn’t exactly easy to hit (.243 BAA). If you look back at the career of Simon Castro, you see a similar career path. Castro advanced very slowly through the short-season leagues then exploded once he got to Low-A. Portillo should be in Fort Wayne for 2011 – albeit much younger than Castro was. He needs to maintain his composure and stuff deeper into games and reduce his walks. Once he does that he will rise quickly up this list.

2010 Statistics:

SS Eugene: 2-6, 4.79 ERA in 62.0 IP, 55 H, 2 HR, 40/62 BB/SO ratio, .241 BAA

Low-A Fort Wayne: 0-0, 4.50 ERA in 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 HR, 1/1 BB/SO ratio, .286 BAA

Overall: 2-6, 4.78 ERA in 64.0 IP, 57 H, 3 HR, 41/63 BB/SO ratio, .243 BAA

12. Logan Forsythe, 2B/3B, 6’1” 205, Born: Jan. 14, 1987

Forsythe was drafted ahead of teammate James Darnell in the 2008 draft. Like most players ahead of him on this list, Logan missed time in 2010 due to injuries. Like Darnell, Logan was drafted as a third baseman, but due to sublime hands and footwork and the Padres’ desire to get both Forsythe and Darnell on the field at the same time, Forsythe was moved to 2B. Forsythe has above average hitting skills and elite plate discipline. In 2009 he hit .300/.429/.440. His production, however, is hurt significantly by San Antonio’s extreme pitcher park (home: .189/.300/.245 road: .316/.449/.429). Some consider San Antonio more of an extreme pitchers’ park than Petco. So it will be interesting to see how well he will/could hit in San Diego. Logan should begin 2011 in AAA. With the Padres’ moving their AAA to hitter-friendly Tucson, Forsythe should have a monster season.

2010 Statistics:

AA San Antonio: .253/.377/.337 with 22 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 75/95 BB/SO ratio, 17/22 in SB attempts

13. Reymond Fuentes, CF, 6’0” 160, Born: Feb. 12, 1991

I may be less excited about Fuentes’ inclusion into the Gonzalez trade than any other Padres “expert” (if you care to define me as that)… Fuentes has tremendous athleticism. He is not just fast but is also adept at stealing bases – in the lower minors many fast runners simply do not understand the nuances of base-stealing. That Fuentes is as successful as he is (89% success rate) while attempting as many steals as he does is remarkable. That said if at the lower levels of the minors, Fuentes only gets on base at a .328 clip, what will he do as he advances to higher levels? I rate Fuentes as high as I do because nearly everyone I talk to is far higher on Fuentes than I am… His speed, defense, and worth ethic give him some credibility, but I cannot get very excited about a wheels-only prospect.

2010 Statistics:

Low-A Greenville: .270/.328/.377 with 15 2B, 5 3B, 5 HR, 25/87 BB/SO ratio, 42/47 in SB attempts

14. Edinson Rincon, 3B, 6’1” 185, Born: Aug. 11, 1990

Rincon is listed as a third baseman, but most experts acknowledge that he will eventually have to move to a corner outfield slot. He has above-average power and despite a poor batting average in Fort Wayne, he noted for making consistent contact. Rincon was young for his level as a 19 year old. And thus his .714 OPS is not as disappointing as it might be. In 2011 Rincon will likely move on to Lake Elsinore. With Gyorko’s presence in Lake Elsinore and likely firm grasp on the hot corner, Rincon may end begin his conversion to the outfield.

2010 Statistics:

Low-A Fort Wayne: .250/.315/.399 with 35 2B, 1 3B, 13 HR, 44/95 BB/SO ratio, 1/3 in SB attempts

15. Juan Oramas, LHP, 5’10” 215, Born: May 11, 1990

Juan Oramas was signed by the Padres out of Mexico. The Padres then loaned him back to one of the Mexican League teams where he fared quite well and was among the league leaders in K/9. So the Padres were quite excited when they got their portly lefty back to the states. The Padres assigned Oramas to the Fort Wayne bullpen where he was nearly unhittable and posted a ridiculous .67 WHIP. After a quick promotion to Lake Elsinore, Oramas was moved to the starting rotation. Oramas is an extreme fly-ball pitcher, so San Antonio - and perhaps, eventually, San Diego - will be welcoming home parks. Oramas only tossed 99 innings last year. So he needs to build up his arm strength. This ranking may end up being laughably low…

2010 Statistics:

Low-A Fort Wayne: 0-1, 1.20 ERA in 15.0 IP, 9 H, 0 HR, 3/25 BB/SO ratio, .176 BAA

High-A Lake Elsinore: 7-3, 3.00 ERA In 84.0 IP, 64 H, 10 HR, 26/90 BB/SO ratio, .209 BAA

Overall: 7-4, 2.73 ERA in 99.0 IP, 73 H, 10 HR, 29/115 BB/SO ratio, .204 BAA

16. Jason Hagerty, C, 6’3” 220, Born: Sept. 13, 1987

Hagerty, a switch-hitter, was named the All Star catcher of the year for all Class-A level minor leagues by Topps. You might wish for more power, but he hits a lot of doubles. Hagerty has above-average plate discipline (especially for a catcher) and makes good contact. He is a touch old for his level (he played Low-A as a 22 year old) but catcher frequently develop slower than other position players. It will be interesting to watch if the Padres have Hagerty skip a level or continue to promote him one level at a time.

2010 Statistics:

Low-A Fort Wayne: .302/.423/.494 with 34 2B, 3 3B, 14 HR, 88/104 BB/SO ratio, 2/3 in SB attempts

17. Keyvius Sampson, RHP, 6’0” 185, Born: Jan. 6, 1991

Sampson would rate much higher on this list, but he hurt his elbow towards the tail end of the 2010 season. Sampson features an electric fastball that he can dial up to 95. He also has solid off-speed pitches. My favorite pitching statistic is K/9. Keyvius’ 12.14 K/9 led all Padres’ starting pitchers with more than 25 IP in 2010. If Keyvius is healthy, this rating is 5-10 spots too low and he should be ranked with Lollis and Portillo.

2010 Statistics:

SS Eugene: 3-3, 3.56 ERA in 43.0 IP, 35 H, 4 HR, 17/58 BB/SO ratio, .226 BAA

18. John Barbato, RHP, 6’2” 185, Born: July 11, 1992

Padres fans sulked when first round draft pick and University of Florida-commit, Karsten Whitson, failed to sign at the deadline. What most people failed to realize, is that the Padres spent first-round money ($1.4 million) to lure another Florida bred right-handed high school pitcher away from his Gator-commitment. Barbato can reach back and hit 95 and reportedly does so with an easy delivery. This ranking is pure supposition but I am excited to see how Barbato fares in 2011. When teams give first-round money to players, they usually push them… I expect Barbato to debut in Eugene or perhaps even Fort Wayne.

2010 Statistics:

Did not play

19. Everett Williams, OF, 5’10” 200, Born: Oct. 1, 1990

Everett is the other high profile athletic high school centerfielder taken in the 2009 draft. Drafted in the second round, Williams reportedly had more immediate hitting ability albeit with a lower ceiling than Donovan Tate. Williams is not the uber-athlete that Tate is, but he is a legitimate athlete and was offered football scholarships from big Div. 1 schools. He currently plays centerfielder but may end up in a corner. He has legitimate power, above-average speed, solid defensive ability, and good hitting skills (despite his .244 BA in Fort Wayne). Even his arm strength is solid enough to be considered above-average. Williams, however, doesn’t get the credit he deserves in a “grass is always greener” world of prospect-rating. In fact, even on this list, he is probably too low… Williams should be in Lake Elsinore in 2011.

2010 Statistics:

Low-A Fort Wayne: .244/.333/.372 with 25 2B, 5 3B, 5 HR, 51/131 BB/SO ratio, 10/15 in SB attempts

20. Brad Brach, RHP, 6’6” 210, Born: April 12, 1986

Brad Brach is one of those unheralded guys you want to dismiss – except you can’t. How do you dismiss a guy with career minor league K/9 of 11.26? How do you dismiss a guy who has only walked 27 guys and allowed 107 hits in 151 career innings (0.89 WHIP)? Brach was drafted in the 42^nd round of the 2008 draft. Those are the guys you draft to fill out the roster so you don’t injure your “prospects.” Those are the guys who are out of baseball the year after they’re drafted… Now because Brach was drafted so late and because the front office that drafted him is no longer here (by the way, Jedd Hoyer, if Kevin Towers calls and asks for Brach, hang up the phone) Brach will still only be given a short rope… I just don’t think it will matter. Next year, Double-A hitters will be asking, “Who is that guy?”

2010 Statistics:

High-A Lake Elsinore: 5-2, 2.47 ERA in 65.2 IP, 50 H, 6 HR, 11/74 BB/SO ratio, .207 BAA