Michel Baez, standing at 6’8″ and 220 pounds, took the mound on Monday night for his Lake Elsinore and 2018 debut. Entering the year as the fifth-ranked San Diego Padres prospect, 42nd overall, Baez is one of the more exciting prospects in the Padres’ system and showed why Monday night.
Armed with his four-pitch mix, including a mid-upper 90s fastball, Baez toed the rubber against the San Jose Giants in his first High-A start.
His first inning was a little shaky, but overall, he came out dominant. Trying to establish the outer half of the plate, Baez fell behind to all four hitters he faced in the first inning on the first pitch.