Padres Farm System is talented but young

While the somewhat snooty Keith Law may not think Trevor Hoffman is even close to being what he perceives to be deserving of the Hall of Fame, he does like the Padres farm system. So much in fact that he put them in the top three and even admits that “you could make a compelling case for any of the top three teams on my list to be first overall.” Well that’s good and bad, because they are still a long way off.

Keith Law: Farm system rankings, 10-1 - Keith Law Blog- ESPN

They’re third on this list because nearly all of that value is far from the majors, and there’s risk on every one of those guys -- every teenage pitcher is a risk because of the natural attrition rate of arms, and some of these hitters haven’t even sniffed full-season baseball yet. They’re also more pitching-heavy, which entails a little more risk but probably makes sense given the market price for pitching. The major-league team might be ugly this year, but their affiliates will be fascinating to watch.

That’s something we were talking about at Padres blogger trivia this week. Sac Bunt Chris, Padres Jagoff and I played trivia at the Tilted Kilt to say our farewells to Padres Social Hour host Mike Janela and win a $50 gift certificate.

Before the game started they talked about Kyle Glaser’s epic Baseball America Padres Prospect chat and how the average Padres fan listening to the Padres’ marketing might expect the Padres to be a playoff team in two years, but in reality the talent is so young and raw that it may be more like 2022 and that’s with our fingers crossed. I nodded in agreement pretending that I was an extraordinary fan instead of an average one and that I had read the chat in its entirety, which I have not. Fortunately my trusty pessimism never allows me to believe that anything will turn out well for the Padres, so my hopes are locked in the down position.

Anyway, you and I will finish reading these chats about prospects that are in their tweens and we’ll find a way to get excited about the seasons to come based on these types of rankings. Go Padres!