Credit: Brandon Pollard/ EVT Sports
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 sojourn through the system continues with the Padres’ Single-A affiliate, the Lake Elsinore Storm.
These awards are based on performance with the Storm, as our system-wide awards will be coming soon.
MVP – Zach Evans
One of the Storm’s key cogs in the lineup, Zach Evans, emerged from an unknown ninth-round pick to one of the team’s most consistent bats. Evans started the season playing third base for the Storm and ended April with a 12-game hitting streak. He hit .348 in April with an OPS at .882, with most of his power going to the gaps rather than over the fence. Evans was the quintessential table setter for Lake Elsinore, along with Ryan Jackson, as the two at one point led the team in OBP.
Even after Jackson’s early promotion, Evans kept hitting, spending most of his time in the two-hole with Lake Elsinore early on. A July surge after a slow June got Evans’ season back on full steam, as he slashed .320/.398/.370 to earn a promotion to High-A, where he would end the season. As a member of the Storm, Evans slashed .296/.367/.377 with a .742 OPS. While Evans did not have the sky-high slugging that some of his teammates may have had, he was a sparkplug for the team when they got off to a slow start and then some. At the time of his promotion, Evans led the team in RBI, scoring 50 runs while driving in 62. Among players with a minimum of 80 games played for Lake Elsinore, Evans ranked first in batting average and hits, second in OBP and RBI, and tied for first in runs. Likely to open the season at High-A in a super-utility role, Evans will continue to build upon his strengths and help his team win ballgames.
ZACH EVANS FROM THREE!! ??️ pic.twitter.com/Z2Lvj3GDvG
— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) June 29, 2025
Pitcher of the Year – Kash Mayfield
The Padres’ first-round pick in 2024, Kash Mayfield, made a strong first impression in his debut season. Mayfield pitched 19 starts as his season was interrupted by a bout of shoulder soreness, but when he was on the field, his performances oozed potential. In 60.2 innings, Mayfield pitched to a 2.97 ERA, 3.06 FIP, and 23.3 K-BB%. Mayfield struck out 34.1% of opposing batters while walking 10.9% (88 strikeouts to 28 walks).
The left-hander’s fastball-changeup combination allowed him to post a serviceable 43.6% groundball rate, while allowing only 3.8% of fly balls to leave the yard. Mayfield’s midsummer stretch saw him toss 20 innings with only three earned runs allowed across eight starts (1.34 ERA). His best performances of the season came in August, as he struck out a season-high nine batters in five innings on August 27 against Rancho Cucamonga. While it is not yet clear whether he will open the season in Lake Elsinore or Fort Wayne, Mayfield has a golden opportunity to build upon a fantastic debut season.
Kash Mayfield $$
The @Padres‘ 2024 first-rounder sets a career high with 8 K’s over 3 hitless frames for @Storm_Baseball ? pic.twitter.com/MnTocDH0ne
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 18, 2025
Hitter of the Year – Ryan Jackson
While Jackson only spent 62 of his 129 games at Single-A, his performance was one where the numbers and his impact on the team outweigh the sample. Jackson spent 13 games with the Storm last season, showing a strong eye at the plate and a plus bat, but the breakout really came this season. Over 225 at-bats at Lake Elsinore in 2025, Jackson hit .298 with a .442 on-base percentage and .418 slugging. His on-base percentage led the team at the time of his promotion, and among players who played 45 games with the Storm, he still led the team in OBP (Carlos Rodriguez’s .404 OBP came second).
Jackson drew more walks (55) than strikeouts (49) and drove in 33 runs. As the Storm’s leadoff man, Jackson’s performance was such that earned him a promotion in mid-June. Jackson also stole 15 bases while being caught just once with Lake Elsinore. Jackson’s bat was so strong that he made it up to Double-A this season while seeing time at second base, third base, shortstop, and left field across three levels. Jackson is also among the Padres prospects in the Arizona Fall League, where has has posted a gargantuan .486 on-base percentage in eight games. Look out for Jackson in 2026, as he will likely see time at both High-A and Double-A as a regular in the lineup.
Ryan Jackson continues to rake (Cal League Leader in OBP)!! Kasen WHEELS scores easily from first base on the Jackson Double.#EmbraceTheStorm?️ pic.twitter.com/yTE6QWQ5se
— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) May 1, 2025
Reliever of the Year – Vicarte Domingo
Yet another member of the Padres’ 2024 draft class, Vicarte Domingo, had a very sneaky good debut campaign. In 63 innings of relief across 37 appearances, Domingo went 1-2 with four saves. He pitched to a 3.86 ERA, 3.45 FIP, 32% strikeout rate, and 12.6% walk rate in those outings. Domingo finished second on the team in strikeouts, two behind Kash Mayfield, and led the Storm’s relief corps in innings, WHIP, ERA, and opponents’ batting average.
Domingo has succeeded with his high-rise mid-90s fastball, generating 20+ inches of iVB. His changeup has shown whiff potential in his first full season in pro ball after being a plus pitch for him in college. His cutter and slider are continuing to show development at the pro level, and if he can fully flesh out the arsenal as the signs indicate, he can be yet another high-leverage breakout arm in 2026.
Padres’ pitching prospect Vicarte Domingo continues to develop #Padres https://t.co/Jvv2Vfcu2Y pic.twitter.com/hZROeSAEzu
— East Village Times (@SD_SportingNews) June 17, 2025
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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