Minors: Outfielders to watch in the Padres’ farm system

The Padres tendered Trent Grisham a contract for 2023, but he’s prime trade bait as a two-time Gold Glover who might benefit from a change of scenery from an offensive standpoint.

The timing couldn’t be better for the Padres system.

Fernando Tatis Jr. looks more than capable of moving from right field to center and the minor league pipeline for the position is as healthy as ever with the Arizona Fall League MVP likely returning to Double-A San Antonio to start 2024, their top outfield prospect hitting is way out of Lake Elsinore last season and the Padres appearing to hit on two outfield prospects in the 2023 draft.

1 | Samuel Zavala

Opening day age: 19
How acquired: International amateur in January 2021 (Venezuela)
Height / Weight: 6-foot-1 / 175 pounds
Bats / Throws: Left / Left
2023 team(s): Lake Elsinore (A), Fort Wayne (A+)
2023 stats: .243 avg., .391 OBP, .406 SLG, 14 HRs, 77 RBIs, 87 runs, 21 steals, 94 walks, 140 strikeouts (115 games, 515 plate appearances)
Need to know: Zavala signed for $1.2 million as one of the best pure hitters in the 2020-21 international class, but injuries dogged him his first two years in the system. In 2023, Zavala was largely healthy from start to finish, earning all-star honors in the California League while finishing one homer shy of joining a rare list of teenagers to log 20 doubles, 15 homers and 20 steals in a season. That earned him a late-season promotion to Fort Wayne, where he posted an .098 OPS over 56 plate appearances while trying to play through an oblique injury. The 14 home runs he hit were a career-high and the Padres hope that’s just the start of unlocking above-average power. He doesn’t chase a ton, but there’s swing-and-miss in the zone that he’ll have to iron out. In the outfield, he makes up for a lack of closing speed with good reads, a good first step and efficient movement.

2 | Dillon Head

Opening day age: 19
How acquired: 1^st round in 2023 (Homewood-Flossmoor Community HS, Ill.)
Height / Weight: 6-foot / 180 pounds
Bats / Throws: Left / Left
2023 team(s): ACL Padres (R), Lake Elsinore (A)
2023 stats: .267 avg., .363 OBP, .400 SLG, 1 HR, 11 RBIs, 18 runs, 4 steals, 15 walks, 19 strikeouts (27 games, 124 plate appearances)
Need to know: Head struck out just five times in 118 plate appearances his senior year and went 31-for-31 in stolen bases to vault up the Padres’ draft list. One of the fastest players in the class, Head signed for $2.8 million as the No. 25 overall pick. He debuted in rookie ball and finished his season in Lake Elsinore, where he had a walk-off hit that had the Storm sniffing a playoff spot late in the season. Head has top-of-the-scale speed that should show itself more as he learns how to use it in pro ball. He also has good instincts and sold arm strength in the outfield. The hit tool is currently ahead of the raw power, but the Padres would not be surprised to see 15-to-20 homer potential as he fills out a wiry strong frame.

3 | Jakob Marsee

Opening day age: 22
How acquired: 6^th round in 2022 (Central Michigan)
Height / Weight: 6-foot / 180 pounds
Bats / Throws: Left / Left
2023 team(s): Fort Wayne (A+), San Antonio (AA)
2023 stats: .274 avg., .413 OBP, .428 SLG, 16 HRs, 46 RBIs, 103 runs, 46 steals, 98 walks, 97 strikeouts (129 games, 568 plate appearances)
Need to know: His breakout year ended earlier this month with a nod as the Arizona Fall League MVP as Marsee paired five homers and 30 RBIS with a 1.215 OPS as the circuit’s best producer. Marsee has walked more than he’s struck out in two years since the draft, so he knows a ball from a strike. The Padres challenged him to use that tool to his advantage and he’s improved his ability to pick out pitches to damage, hitting four homers over his final 12 games at Fort Wayne and three more in 16 games at San Antonio before continuing to go deep in the AFL. He has average speed but a good baseball IQ helped him lead the system in steals. He’s also a quality defender with a good chance to stick in center as he has a knack for reads and correct first steps.

Outfielder Homer Bush Jr., the Padres' fourth-round pick in 2023,

4 | Homer Bush Jr.

Opening day age: 22
How acquired: 4th round in 2023 (Grand Canyon)
Height / Weight: 6-foot-3 / 200 pounds
Bats / Throws: Right / Right
2023 team(s): ACL Padres (R), Lake Elsinore (A), San Antonio (AA)
2023 stats: .325 avg., .422 OBP, .440 SLG, 3 HRs, 17 RBIs, 34 runs, 22 steals, 20 walks, 24 strikeouts (44 games, 187 plate appearances).
Need to know: Scouts may have flocked to Grand Canyon to scout Jack Wilson’s son, Jacob, but the Padres came away with a nice consolation prize in Bush, one of the best overall athletes in the draft. His legs are his superpower, but the Padres also believe there’s 15-to-20 homer potential if he learns to backspin baseballs. For now, he’s a gap hitter with a 6.1-second 60-yard dash, speed that served him well on the bases and in center field as the Padres pushed him from rookie ball to Lake Elsinore all the way to Double-A San Antonio for that postseason run. The son of a former big-leaguer — and a former Padres prospect, no less — Bush has off-the-charts makeup.

5 | Tirso Ornelas

Opening day age: 24
How acquired: International amateur in July 2016 (Mexico)
Height / Weight: 6-foot-3 / 200 pounds
Bats / Throws: Left / Right
2023 team(s): San Antonio (AA), El Paso (AAA)
2023 stats: .285 avg., .371 OBP, .452 SLG, 15 HRs, 75 RBIs, 72 runs, 8 steals, 67 walks, 106 strikeouts (127 games, 552 plate appearances).
Need to know: A $1.5 million signee from the Padres’ 2016-2017 spending spree, Ornelas was on the verge of reaching minor league free agency earlier this month when he reupped with the organization. The Padres subsequently did not protect him from the Rule 5 draft despite Ornelas coming off his best season as a pro. He improved his groundball rate in 2023 and hit a career-high 15 homers, nearly double his previous best. His .452 slugging percentage was also the best of his career. Ornelas does not move particularly well in the outfield, so he’ll need to continue to improve on in-game power to carve out an opportunity in San Diego.

Others to know: Jorge Oña (AA), Korry Howell (AA), Albert Fabian (A+), Joshua Mears (A+), Kai Murphy (A+), Tyler Robertson (A+), Braedon Karpathios (A), Nick Vogt (A).