Lesko gets first pro outing under his belt

The Padres’ No. 2 prospect in the MLB Pipeline rankings is back on the mound, pitching professionally for the first time.

Dylan Lesko made his professional debut on Tuesday in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League. He lasted only a third of an inning while allowing three runs. But the Padres viewed the results as mostly inconsequential. After Lesko missed much of 2022 following Tommy John surgery, it was enough that he worked his way back to the mound.

? Hottest-hitting prospects right now ... one for each team

Lesko, the 15th selection in the 2022 MLB Draft, made his return to game action 14 months after surgery. His upside remains palpable.

The 19-year-old right-hander was the high school Gatorade National Player of the Year in 2021, posting an absurd 0.35 ERA with nearly two strikeouts per inning during his junior season at Buford High School in Georgia. He sports a mid-90s fastball, one of the better changeups in the Minors and an above-average curveball.

In short, the Padres have every reason to be high on Lesko. Now that he’s back on the mound, it’s time to start dreaming on his upside again.

Here’s a quick look around the system:

Triple-A El Paso
Jantzen Witte and Alfonso Rivas have the corners locked down at El Paso. Both entered Sunday hitting .320 or higher with the Chihuahuas with OPS marks better than .970. On the pitching side, Anderson Espinoza recorded a solid June with a 3.86 ERA in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League while allowing no more than three earned runs in any of his four starts.

Double-A San Antonio
Left-hander Jackson Wolf, the club’s No. 16 prospect, continues to confound hitters and has drawn rave reviews for his putaway stuff. Wolf has fanned 82 hitters in 67 innings this season with a 3.90 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. Offensively, Tirso Ornelas has begun to heat up, posting a .384/.442/.674 slash line in June, entering Sunday. That’s an encouraging sign for a prospect whose path hasn’t always been straightforward. Once a standout in the system, Ornelas struggled for a few seasons and is now ranked as the Padres’ No. 28 prospect. He appears to have regained his footing.

High-A Fort Wayne
Padres decision makers are hugely encouraged with the progress from some of their prospects at Fort Wayne. Rebounding from a bit of a slow start, top prospect Jackson Merrill went 9-for-27 (.333) with a homer over the past week. Catcher Brandon Valenzuela, first baseman Nathan Martorella, outfielder Jakob Marsee and shortstop Marcos Casta?on have been standouts offensively. Meantime, Adam Mazur and Jairo Iriarte – the Padres’ No. 6 and No. 11 prospects, respectively – have been excellent on the mound. Mazur has notched a 1.64 ERA in June. Iriarte’s is 2.25.

Single-A Lake Elsinore
Left-hander Robby Snelling, the Padres’ No. 4 prospect who recently cracked MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 overall prospects at No. 98, continues to dominate at Single-A, where he has posted a 1.57 ERA in 11 starts (and might not be long for the level). Meantime, Samuel Zavala, an 18-year-old outfielder and the team’s No. 5 prospect, is reaching base at a near-.400 clip. Third baseman Graham Pauley, the organization's No. 30 prospect, also has been a standout, notching an .894 OPS through 61 games.