Credit: Lake Elsinore Storm
A six-month season provides plenty of opportunities for young minor league players to test their abilities and develop. Within the Padres’ minor league system, many players showed out this past season and flashed potential that could one day take them to the big leagues. Let’s examine some Padres minor league breakouts who flew under the radar this season.
Alex McCoy, OF/DH, Lake Elsinore Storm (Single-A)
While McCoy only made it into 58 games in his debut campaign, the Hammer from Hofstra did some serious damage. McCoy torched up his competition in the California League, as in 53 games with Lake Elsinore, he hit .318 with a .394 on-base percentage, .513 slugging, and a 146 wRC+. McCoy’s production at the plate was not solely predicated on his power, as he drew his walks and was not afraid to hit to all fields.
Still, the 6-foot-6 slugger pulled the ball 46.9% of the time, yielding six homers. Had he maintained this pace for a full California League season, he would have finished with 15-18 homers. McCoy also showed some wheels for his size, as he went 14-for-16 (87.5% success rate) on stolen bases. His speed actually graded out well for his size, as he even played 25 innings out in center field. McCoy remains one of the most interesting prospects in the Padres system, given his size paired with both speed and power. If he keeps hitting as he did this past season, he could be a very solid MLB-caliber hitter down the line.
ALEX MCCOY SWINGS A BIG BAT!! pic.twitter.com/vgKKdQRH7x
— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) April 26, 2025
Eric Yost, RHP, Fort Wayne TinCaps/San Antonio Missions (High-A & Double-A)
While fellow right-hander Miguel Mendez took all the spotlight this season, Eric Yost delivered a quiet breakout behind him at both levels. A former 17th-round pick out of Northeastern in 2023, Yost entered the 2025 season with a career 5.11 ERA in 119.2 innings, with 107 strikeouts against 37 walks. Therefore, his breakout at High-A came as something unexpected but was certainly welcomed.
In 17 starts at High-A, Yost pitched to a 2.89 ERA and 3.45 FIP over 87.1 innings, striking out 23.6% of batters while walking 8.9%. Yost’s big sweeper took strides forward in 2025, allowing him to rack up whiffs in bunches at times. While his results took a step back after an impressive Missions debut on August 2, Yost’s season overall was a success. The right-hander’s arsenal took steps to allow him to remain a viable starter long-term, and if he can continue to develop his changeup into a serviceable fourth pitch, he had a shot at making it to Triple-A or even the Majors by the end of 2026.
Eric Yost yesterday
6.1 IP, 1 ER, 5 Ks, 2 BB, 2 H
Made his AA debut and looked good. He has a feel for pitching. He won’t overpower hitters but he has the ability to mix and locate his pitches well. Wouldn’t surprise me if he’s the one that becomes the backend depth option… pic.twitter.com/rlLhXS13j5
— Giannis Auntiegotapoodle (@TooMuchMortons_) August 3, 2025
Josh Mallitz, RHP, Fort Wayne TinCaps/San Antonio Missions (High-A & Double-A)
San Diego’s scouting staff has built a reputation for undrafted free agent reliever prospects making a name for themselves. Josh Mallitz could very well be the next in this list. Signed out of Mississippi, Mallitz only threw 3.1 innings in 2024, coming off elbow surgery in 2023. However, 2025 saw him shake off the rust in a major way. Despite missing six weeks from June to mid-July, Mallitz made a strong return, and on the season as a whole, he compiled 54.1 innings with a 3.64 ERA. His peripheral numbers were even shinier, as he struck out 25.7% of opposing batters against a miniscule 5.9% walk rate.
Mallitz worked multiple innings (>3 outs) in 23 of 30 appearances, and with a strong three-pitch mix flashed growing command. Entering 2025, his command was a question mark, but Mallitz reeled it in as the season progressed. While he averages between 93-95 mph on his fastball, his slider and changeup show traits of being above-average offerings with further development. Much like David Morgan before him, Mallitz could be the next UDFA success story on the mound for the organization.
Josh Mallitz froze Yerlin Confidan with this strikeout pitch tonight. pic.twitter.com/WG0QsZjg20
— Jewish Baseball Players (@YidInBaseball) August 28, 2025
Abraham Bastidas & Jose Verdugo, IF, DSL Padres
Bastidas and Verdugo had very similar seasons down in the Dominican Summer League, playing an integral part of the team’s run to the DSL Cup title. Both infielders made their professional debuts this season, and both showed out. Most of Bastidas’ production came as a member of the DSL Padres Brown, with whom he slashed .333/.440/.412 for an .852 OPS in 37 games. He went on to play 11 games with the Padres Gold, where he hit .190, albeit with an on-base percentage of .526! Is the sample size small? Yes. Does that detract from the insanity of that number? Not at all. Bastidas walked and struck out at the same rate this season (15.3%), and after a 138 wRC+ season, he will likely open the year back with the DSL Padres Gold.
Verdugo, on the other hand, only played 30 games this season, but showed out when he was on the field. The Mexico native slashed .337/.437/.505 with two homers and 31 RBI in his 30 games. Most impressive was how Verdugo fared with runners in scoring position; he hit .455 with an OPS of 1.219 in 33 such at-bats. Verdugo is currently playing winter ball in Mexico for his hometown Cañeros de Los Mochis, and could find himself stateside next season.
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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