A ceiling-based, positional look at the prospects to know in the Padres' minor league system.
From Jemile Weeks to Alexi Amarista to Adam Rosales and even Jose Pirela, the Padres have been forced to exhaust their middle infield depth in the upper rungs of the system due to a rash of leg injuries that have sidelined the likes of Yangervis Solarte, Cory Spangenberg, Amarista and then Weeks. Below them, A.J. Preller is stockpiling a group of middle infielders who figure to be part of the Padres’ long-term plans one way or another.
In fact, three of the organization’s top-five prospects are shortstops, according to Baseball America’s assessment of the system, 180-degree turnaround at a position that was deemed the farm system’s biggest shortcoming just two years earlier.