Padres Minicamp Opens

While the major leaguers get into action at Peoria Sports Complex today, Padres minor leaguers will report for the team's annual minicamp. This two-week program, taking place prior to the official minor league training camp, aims at preparing players for the upcoming season.

Thirty-eight of the younger Padres prospects (16 pitchers, 4 catchers, and 18 position players) were invited to minicamp. Some are getting ready to begin their first season in the pros. Some are prepping for a transition to double- or triple-A ball. Either way, they'll hope to gain valuable lessons via individual instruction that will help them get a head start before reporting to Minor League Training Camp beginning March 1st.

These minicamps have historically proven to be invaluable for those attending, who get unparalleled experience and personalized instruction. Randy Smith (VP of player development and international scouting) will be in charge of the minicamp, backed by a group of coaches, managers, and instructors who will all work to provide thorough training to each player.

It'll be exciting to see a lot of these guys out in Peoria, especially those who are getting their first taste of professional baseball life. Notably, the top nine draft picks of 2012 will all be in attendance. We'll also get another look at some highly-touted prospects from previous years, such as Cory Spangenberg and Joe Ross (2011).

Here's a full list of minicamp attendees:

Pitchers: Brandon Alger, Erik Cabrera, Leonel Campos, Zach Eflin, Max Fried, Frank Garces, Tayron Guerrero, Justin Hancock, Andrew Lockett, Jose Madrid, Chris Nunn, Genison Reyes, Joe Ross, Wilson Santos, Walker Weickel, Matt Wisler

Catchers: Rodney Daal, Jairo Gomez, Dane Phillips, Jose Ruiz

Position Players: Brian Adams (OF), Jeremy Baltz (OF), Stephen Carmon (SS), Luis Domoromo (OF), Kyle Gaedele (OF), Travis Jankowski (OF), Duanel Jones (3B), Euri Minaya (OF), Rico Noel (OF), Lee Orr (1B), Fernando Perez (3B), Jace Peterson (SS), Gabriel Quintana (3B), Franmil Reyes (OF), Mallex Smith (OF), Cory Spangenberg (2B), Luis Tejada (1B), Maxx Tissenbaum (2B)

Staff: Andy Ashby (guest pitching instructor), Glen Barker (outfield/baserunning coordinator), Sean Berry (hitting coordinator), Morgan Burkhart (Fort Wayne TinCaps hitting coach), Mike Cather (pitching coordinator), Damion Easley (rehab hitting coach), Burt Hooton (Fort Wayne TinCaps pitching coach), Randy Johnson (Minor League field coordinator), Gary Jones (defensive coordinator), Varo Lantigua (Latin America coordinator), Dean Palmer (guest hitting instructor), Jose Valentin (Fort Wayne TinCaps manager), Tim Worrell (rehab pitching coach)