El Paso Chihuahuas
With the minor league season in the rearview mirror, it is worth highlighting several of the minor leagues’ best performers in the Padres’ minor league system. Our journey through the system begins at the highest level, with the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate, the El Paso Chihuahuas.
These awards are based on performance with the Chihuahuas, as our system-wide awards will be coming soon.
MVP – Luis Campusano
El Paso does not make a late-season push for the playoffs without the efforts of its catcher/DH. Luis Campusano’s prospect shine has mostly disappeared since his MLB debut, but it cannot be denied that the Georgia native had a career year. Playing 105 of the Chihuahuas’ 150 games, Campusano led the team in home runs, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging, and OPS among players who played as many games as he did. Had he not missed time due to being on the MLB roster, the case can be made that Campusano would’ve won the PCL MVP award.
His .336/.441/.595 slash line was one of the best in all of minor league baseball, as his average, OBP, and OPS led the PCL. Campusano’s bat did plenty of damage this season, highlighted by an August & September run that saw him hit .418 with a 1.256 OPS in August and .337/.469/.547 in September. After such a performance this season, if Campusano remains in the Padres’ organization this season, he has an avenue towards MLB playing time in 2026.
Something in the universe has to be broken.
CAMPY HIT ANOTHER HOMERUN. HE HAS TWO TONIGHT. AGAIN. pic.twitter.com/VBO9pzeUkn
— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) August 15, 2025
Pitcher of the Year – Jackson Wolf
When a team plays in an environment so hitter-friendly, finding success as a pitcher can be a challenge. However, in his second season with El Paso, Jackson Wolf found success. While the surface-level numbers (5.47 ERA, 1.57 WHIP) may not paint the best picture, Wolf was one of the few Chihuahuas pitchers to consistently generate strikeouts. The left-hander rode a strong six-game season-opening stint in Double-A to a promotion back to El Paso. Wolf struck out 103 batters in 103.2 innings of work with the Chihuahuas, leaning on his diverse arsenal and elite extension to confound batters despite not possessing overwhelming velocity.
The left-hander’s cutter and slider graded out the best of his entire arsenal, and his low vertical approach angle made him a nightmare for batters to face. The left-hander’s best performance of the season came back on August 22, when he threw 7.2 innings of one-run baseball with eight strikeouts. The first seven innings of his outing saw Wolf allow no hits, as he came six outs away from a no-hitter. Despite the last three seasons seeing Wolf traded and re-claimed by the organization, the left-hander’s strong performance down the stretch has him in contention for an MLB call-up as a depth starter for 2026.
@epchihuahuas‘ Jackson Wolf vs SAC:
7.2 IP (season-high)
2 H
1 R
1 BB
8 K
Seven no-hit innings to open the night for the former @WVUBaseball left-hander!@EVT_News pic.twitter.com/9Q3l8T8UWA
— Diego Garcia (@StatNerd_Base) August 23, 2025
Hitter of the Year – Yonathan Perlaza
The man named by the Padres organization’s minor league player of the year, Perlaza, returned to the States after a one-year stint in the KBO that saw him post a 117 wRC+ in 122 games. Signing with the Padres before Spring Training, Perlaza was unable to land a spot on the MLB roster and made his way to El Paso. Having previously played at the Triple-A with the Cubs organization, the Padres knew Perlaza would bring a gap-to-gap bat with power. However, it is unlikely that anyone envisioned the campaign he had would be a reality. Spending the whole season at Triple-A gave Perlaza consistent playing time, and the switch-hitting outfielder put up a career year.
Perlaza slashed .307/.391/.510 in 138 games, hitting 19 homers. Perlaza set the Chihuahuas’ franchise record for doubles in a season with 49, breaking the previous record set by Alex Dickerson. Perlaza’s 113 RBi also broke a franchise record, surpassing Hunter Renfroe’s 2016 record of 105. Aside from setting records, Perlaza’s bat was one of the steadiest in the entire system, as after a frigid month of May, Perlaza hit over .300 in each of the final four months of the season. If Perlaza remains a member of the Padres’ organization, look out for him in Spring Training.
OUR BOY. Yonathan Perlaza records his 100th RBI of the season, the 2nd 100-RBI campaign in Chihuahuas history. pic.twitter.com/stPYLmAvpS
— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) September 7, 2025
Reliever of the Year – Manuel Castro
El Paso’s bullpen saw 36 players make at least one relief appearance, but of the 36, Manuel Castro was the most effective while being one of the most under-the-radar solid performers in the system. Standing at 5-foot-8, the right-handed Castro performed well for the San Antonio Missions before a midseason promotion to Triple-A. San Diego wanted to see how the Sinaloa-born right-hander performed as he approached Rule 5 eligibility, and Castro was one of the Chihuahuas’ steadiest performers in the second half. Across 24 games (51.1% of his outings in 2025) with El Paso, Castro pitched to a 3.66 ERA and 5.06 FIP in 32 innings. While his FIP and xFIP are over two runs higher than his ERA, it can be attributed to a rise in his walk rate at the Triple-A level.
Castro’s arsenal tunnels well from his 60-degree arm angle, with his cutter and curveball grading out well for a pitcher of his size, according to the Stuff+ models. Castro has consistently seen his walk rate go up in his first taste of a new level, and in his second season at a level, his walk rate returns to a 6-8% rate. The right-hander has never predominantly been a flyball pitcher, so his 49.4% flyball rate at Triple-A is likely an outlier. With Castro reaching Rule 5 eligibility, the Padres have an interesting decision to make with the right-hander, as he showed he can be successful in the harshest pitching environments in affiliated baseball.
That concludes our inaugural EVT Padres minor league awards for Triple-A. The remaining levels of the Padres’ farm will be receiving their own awardees.
A born and raised San Diegan, Diego Garcia is a lifetime Padres fan and self-proclaimed baseball nerd. Diego wrote about baseball on his own site between 2021-22 before joining the East Village Times team in 2024. He also posts baseball content on his YouTube channel “Stat Nerd Baseball”, creating content around trades, hypotheticals, player analyses, the San Diego Padres, and MLB as a whole.
A 2024 graduate of San Diego State, Diego aims to grow as a writer and content creator in the baseball community.
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