The short season Eugene Emeralds began their season on June 17 with the first game of a five game series with Boise Hawks winning three of the first four games. The Padres signed several of their 2011 picks very quickly, including the first pick of the draft, and they are currently playing their first professional ball.

The following players are members of the season opening roster. The roster will be a fluid situation as more players sign and as the Arizona Rookie league begins. Not every player is from this years’ draft and the exceptions will be noted. The daily farm update, written by Matt Baker, will update on both the Ems and the rookie league teams as their seasons continue. We will also have a periodic review of the progress of the players and the leagues as their season progresses and other players sign with the Padres.

The starting pitchers are:

Matt Andriese: Selected in the 3^rd round of the 2011 draft.  6-3, 210 lbs   RHP from UC Riverside.  A 90-93 mph fastball and a power curve with an occasional splitter/change. Should be a durable middle of the rotation pitcher but needs to improve his command.

Johnny Barbato : Selected in the 6^th rnd of the 2010 draft. RHP  6-2, 185 lbs. Drafted at 17 yr old out of Felix Varela HS in Florida, Barbato was committed to the Univ. of Florida and was not thought to be signable. He did sign, late, and spent very little time on the field last year. He has been in extended spring training up to now and will be brought along slowly. He already has a low 90’s fastball, that touches 94, with a plus curve and good change. He is a good athlete, as well. Thought to be a 2^nd round talent, he fell to the Padres due to the signability concerns.

Leonel Campos: A 23 yr old Venezuelan who is 6-3 and 185 lbs. RHP that has no previous stats or information available.

Juan Herrera: A product of the DSL system. 19 yr old, 6-0  179 lbs. Spent 2008-2009 with the DSL Padres and 2010 with the AZL. Concerns regarding his mental approach are foremost. Has major league stuff with a mid-90’s fastball and quality secondary pitches but does not repeat his delivery well and makes lots of mistakes.

Colin Rea: Selected in the 12^th rnd of the 2011 draft.  6-5  210 lbs out of Indiana St. Univ.  RHP.  Mid 90’s fastball with low 90’s sinker and mid 80’s slider plus a cutter, a curveball and change. Repeatable delivery and strong arm.

Relievers

Kevin Quakenbush:  Selected in the 8^th rnd of the 2011 draft.  6-3,  207 lbs out of Univ. of So Florida.  RHP Low to mid 90’s FB with a slider and change. Good command with low walks as a closer during his last year.

Greg Gonzalez:  Selected in the 15^th rnd of the 2011 draft.  5-11  190 lbs out of Fresno St Univ.  RHP. Was the Friday Ace for Fresno with a low 90’s FB, cutter, change and curve. Will begin as a reliever for the Ems.

Matt Stites: Selected in the 17^th rnd of the 2011 draft.  6-0  170 lbs out of the Univ. of Missouri  RHP.  Athletic, quick arm with low 90’s FB, slider, curve and change. Durable and resilient.

Jeremy Gigliotti: Selected in the 19^th rnd of the 2011 draft out of E. Stroudsburg Univ, (PA).  6-1  190 lbs  LHP.  Having already recovered from two major arm surgeries, Gigliotti defies all odds. He has a plate in his elbow (closing a faulty growth plate) and a repaired labrum in his shoulder. Yet he led all other hurlers for his team his senior year and even threw a no-hitter. With 73 K’s and only 11 walks in 60 IP he achieved a 0.45 ERA.

Chris Haney: Selected in the 20^th rnd of the 2011 draft.  5-11   185 lbs   Dallas Baptist Univ. (TX)  RHP   A big arm for his size, he has a low 90’s fastball and a very effective slider.

Paul Bingham: Selected in the 20^th rnd of the 2010 draft from Indiana Univ. of Pennsylvania.  6-3   205. Drafted as a shortstop but used as a third baseman, Bingham played in that position all of last season with the AZ Rookie league and Eugene. He made a position change and is now converting to pitching. Known for his power arm as an infielder, Bingham has a power fastball and the stuff to induce strikeouts.

Simon Berroa: Signed by the Padres as a international free agent in 2007. Spent 06-07 in the Dominican academy, missed the 08 season (due to injury) and was brought up to the Arizona league in ’09 and part of ’10 then played for Eugene for three games. This will be his first full season of pro ball. RHP  6-4  185 lbs and 23 yr old. He throws a 90’s fastball, curve and change but is slow to develop, as are many of the DSL players. He missed an entire season due to injury and his mental approach has been questioned.

Luis De La Cruz: Signed by the Padres as an international free agent, Cruz played ’09 and ’10 for the AZ rookie league teams.  6-6  195 lbs   RHP  22 yr old. Another of the hard throwing, high upside Dominicans, Cruz needs to develop control and refinement of his pitches.

Will Scott: Selected in the 32^nd rnd of the 2010 draft.  6-2  191 lbs RHP. Played JC ball after HS graduation and was drafted in ’08, ’09 and ’10 but signed late after the Padres drafted him and played only three games at the end of the ’10 season in the rookie league. Low 90’s fastball with a strong arm and a good athlete.

Catchers

Jeremy Rodriquez: Selected in the 16^th rnd of the 2011 draft. Cal State Bakersfield  5-8   185 lbs. S/R. Switch hitting catcher with a strong arm and good defensive skills who has developed into a more selective hitter during his last year. The primary catcher at CSB his last two years.

Matt Colantonio: Selected in the 22^nd rnd of the 2011 draft.  Brown Univ.  6-0   200 lbs. L/R. Strong defensively with a good arm and a left handed bat with gap power and the ability to drive the ball.

Jhonaldo Pozo: Signed as an international free agent and played in ’07-’08 with the Dominican team. Went to the AZ rookie league in ’09 then played in AZ, Lake Elsinore and San Antonio in ’10. So far this season he has bounced from Tucson to San Antonio and now Eugene. 6-3  185 lbs  R/R  22 yr old. Shows some pop in his bat, average defensively but not a patient hitter, he seems to be the fill-in guy for the organization. May no longer be regarded by the organization as a prospect.

Infielders

Cory Spangenberg: Selected in the 1^st rnd of the 2011 draft.  Indian River State College (FL).  6-0  190 lbs  2B.  L/R.  An advanced college bat with above average speed and athletic. Average arm strength, he will need to prove he can stick at second base,both with his arm and his footwork.

Jace Peterson: Selected in the supplemental (1a) rnd of the 2011 draft.  McNeese State (LA). 6-1  200 lbs  SS.  L/R. A two-sport athlete, he was an athletic CB for the football team. Speedy, left-handed with an above average arm, he has a low maintenance swing. If he develops a more polished fielding approach he can stick at short but may be moved to 2B.

Zach Kometani: Selected in the 21^st rnd of the 2011 draft. USD  6-0  220 lbs  1B.  R/R. A catcher through his college career, Kometani has power, great bat speed and quick hands. His defensive skills were rated as fringy to average and he was drafted as a first baseman.

Clint Moore: Selected in the 31^st rnd of the 2011 draft. US Military Academy (NY). SS. R/R.  A strong arm and excellent fielding skills with the ability to drive the ball to all fields. Has the permission of the Army to play baseball this summer before beginning to fulfill his commitment to the military.

Travis Whitmore: Selected in the 35^th rnd of the 2011 draft.  Univ. of Pittsburgh  6-1   190 lbs  2B. S/R.  Able to play 3B as well as 2B, Whitmore has also played the outfield during his college career. He was drafted as a 2B and shows a strong arm but his eventual position may be up in the air. A good hitter with gap power and good speed, he stole some bases for his college team as well.

Jorge Minyeti: Signed to the Dominican Summer League in 2008, played  in the AZ league in 2009, skipped around from AZ to Eugene and San Antonio last season.  5-10  180 lbs, SS, 2B. S/R. Makes contact from the right side but struggles from the left. Limited range as a defender with an average arm, he has not advanced well and has been inconsistent. Still only 20 yr old, the Padres are still evaluating his potential.

Daniel Garce: Signed to the Domincan team in 2007 and played ’07-’08 with the DSL. ’09-’10 with the AZL team.  6-1  175 lbs 22 yr old  R/R. Has played SS,2B,3B and 1B in the Padres system. Is a defensive liability at shortstop but developed some slugging ability last year and may adjust to 1B, which is where he will begin play for Eugene.

Outfielders

Donovan Tate:  Selected in the 1^st rnd of the 2009 draft.  6-3  200 lbs  R/R. The injury history for Tate is well documented. This should be a rehab phase for him and a promotion to Fort Wayne will come when his bat heats up. He performed well in extended spring training and is in a critical phase of his career. Staying healthy is a must, otherwise a true evaluation of his potential will be impossible. He has all the talent in the world but skills are a question until he performs over an extended time.

Kyle Gaedele: Selected in the 6^th rnd of the 2011 draft.  6-3  220 lbs,  Valparaiso Univ.  R/R. The great-nephew of the Eddie Gaedele, the 3-7 little person who got one at-bat  as a publicity stunt in 1951 (walked in 4 pitches). According to Jed Hoyer, the best power hitter drafted by the Padres this year. Strong but needs better pitch recognition. Able to play all OF spots but better suited to the corners due to his average arm. Has plus speed, runs well.

Lee Orr: Selected in the 13^th rnd of the 2011 draft.  6-3  205 lbs,  McNeese St Univ.  R/R. Was the top slugger for McNeese St with the most HR and RBI over his time there. Also has good speed and stole 23 bases over 2 seasons. Had doubles power as well with good field coverage.

Mike Gallic: Selected in the 18^th rnd of the 2011 draft.  6-2  210 lbs, Marist College, NY.  R/R. Athletic, good runner, good defender (even in CF), above-average power but needs better plate discipline.

Jose Dore: Selected in the 8^th rnd of the 2010 draft.  6-1  170 lbs from First Academy HS 19 yr old. L/R.  Signed late and played 4 games for the AZL Padres last year. Spent his early season in extended spring and three games with Fort Wayne this season. Considered one of the better high school bats in last year’s draft, Dore has plus power and bat speed. Possessing a pure left-handed swing, he is also considered a good defender with a good arm and speed.

Mykal Stokes: Selected in the 29^th rnd of the 2010 draft.  6-4  170 lbs, out of Orange Coast College,  R/R.  20 yr old. Has lots of projection but has not developed his tools yet. Speed, power and high OBP are all part of the future if he can figure it all out and put it together. Definitely a player to watch as he matures.

This roster will change as the season goes on and more draftees sign. There will also be some transfers to the Arizona league as things heat up there and performances sift themselves out. We will post periodic updates to keep everyone informed of future signings and changes. This group looks to be one of the more talented of recent Eugene teams. Watch their daily progress in Matt Baker’s daily farm round up!

Thanks to the websites of the respective schools of these players for information on their school careers and progress. Also to espn.com, mlb .com, PerfectGame, USA, paramount baseball (BNN) and Jim Callis of Baseball America for scouting info and career numbers for these players.