Three prospects who could help the Padres in 2024

The San Diego Padres have five players in the latest MLB Pipeline top-100 prospects rankings — catcher Ethan Salas (No. 8), shortstop Jackson Merrill (12), pitcher Robby Snelling (36), pitcher Dylan Lesko (56) and pitcher Drew Thorpe (95). San Diego is one of five teams to have at least five players on the list.

Only two of San Diego's top 100 are expected to make their MLB debuts in 2024 (Merrill and Thorpe). There are still open spots or room to improve at left field, center field and the back end of the starting rotation. 

Because San Diego plans to be much more frugal this offseason than in recent years, players in the farm system could play key roles in 2024. Here are three prospects to watch:

1.  Right-hander Drew Thorpe

Thorpe was one of the key pieces the Padres got from the Yankees in the deal that sent Juan Soto and Trent Grisham to New York. He has pitched well in High-A and Double-A, logging a 2.52 ERA, 0.983 WHIP and 182 strikeouts across 139.1 innings.

He throws a four-seam fastball from 92-95 mph (per Baseball America), which can get the job done, but the change-up is his bread and butter. "His high strikeout numbers are driven by a stellar change-up — a low-80s offering that he sells exceptionally well before it hits the brakes and fades just before the hitter’s bat," MLB.com noted.

If Thorpe gets time in the big leagues, he would likely take over for Randy Vasquez, who's projected as the Padres' fifth starting pitcher, per FanGraphs. Vasquez has solid numbers (2.87 ERA in 37.2 innings) but has just 41 days' service time in the big leagues. Thorpe isn't expected to make the Opening Day roster, but he could offer relief to a thin starting pitching group later in the season.

2. Outfielder Jakob Marsee

Marsee is one of 32 non-roster players invited to spring training. Of the six outfielders invited (Bryce Johnson, Oscar Mercado, Cal Mitchell, Tirso Ornelas and Robert Perez Jr. are the others), he's the only one who finished 2023 as a top-30 prospect within the organization, per MLB.com. This likely shows that San Diego wants to see how he fares against major league talent.

In 2023, he won Arizona Fall League MVP after slashing .391/.509/.707 with 36 hits, five home runs, 20 runs batted in and 16 stolen bases on 92 at-bats. He also had success between High-A and Double-A with a .840 on-base plus slugging percentage through 456 at-bats.

As far as the major league roster, San Diego has an incomplete and underwhelming group in the outfield, with only two players on the 40-man roster (Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jose Azocar). Fellow non-roster invite Mitchell is the projected Opening Day left fielder, but if Marsee outperforms him in spring training, he could supplant him.

Even if that's not how it shakes out, it's hard to imagine the tandem of Mitchell and Azocar performing so well that the Padres never explore other options. 

3. Right-hander Jairo Iriarte

Iriarte has put up good numbers as a starter, especially in 2023 (3.57 ERA in 80.6 innings, 21 starts).  The front office seemed to take notice, signing him to the 40-man roster on Nov. 14. He never elevated past Double-A after that, but San Diego will now get a full look at what he has to offer in spring training against better competition.

For the San Antonio Missions (Double-A), he had a 15.65 K/9, punching out 40.5% of batters. That ranked as the third-best strikeout percentage among pitchers in the Texas League with at least 20 innings pitched, per FanGraphs.

Like most teams, the Padres are far from having a perfect bullpen. Even after signing relief pitchers Yuki Matsui and Woo-suk Go, there's room for improvement. Iriarte could easily slide into the bullpen if projected long reliever Luis Patino (career 5.02 ERA in 136.1 innings) struggles.