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Phillies: Three Padres to look out for this weekend

By Brett Pietrzak |
MILWAUKEE, WI - AUGUST 09: Hunter Renfroe #10 of the San Diego Padres celebrates with teammates past Manny Pina #9 of the Milwaukee Brewers after hitting a grand slam in the ninth inning at Miller Park on August 9, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI - AUGUST 09: Hunter Renfroe #10 of the San Diego Padres celebrates with teammates past Manny Pina #9 of the Milwaukee Brewers after hitting a grand slam in the ninth inning at Miller Park on August 9, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
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MILWAUKEE, WI – AUGUST 09: Hunter Renfroe #10 of the San Diego Padres celebrates with teammates past Manny Pina #9 of the Milwaukee Brewers after hitting a grand slam in the ninth inning at Miller Park on August 9, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI – AUGUST 09: Hunter Renfroe #10 of the San Diego Padres celebrates with teammates past Manny Pina #9 of the Milwaukee Brewers after hitting a grand slam in the ninth inning at Miller Park on August 9, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Despite their poor record, the Padres should not be taken lightly. Here are three players the Phillies should look out for in this weekend’s series.

The Padres come into this weekend’s series with the Phillies dead last in the National League West at a paltry 46-71. With that being said, the Padres have been hitting the ball well of late and possess a nice crop of young talent along with the MLB’s best farm system.

The Phillies head to San Diego after not being able to secure a series win in Arizona but should be in a good position to do some damage. Let’s look at three Padres that may make life difficult for the Phillies this weekend.

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Jacob Nix

The Padres come into this series with their top three starters all holding ERAs over 4.45. This prompted them to call up their No. 14 prospect, Jacob Nix, to face the Phillies this Friday.

Nix was a third-round pick in 2015 out of the Florida powerhouse, IMG Academy. The 22-year-old has pitched well in Double-A. He has allowed just 12 runs in 58 innings of work this year.

Nix has a fastball that sits around 93-95 mph and can hit 97. He has a plus curveball to go along with it, along with a developing changeup. His command is strong with a 4.5 percent walk rate this season.

One thing working in the Phillies’ favor is that Nix has been much more hittable in the second half of the season. His opponents average against has skyrocketed from .148 to .278 since the mid-summer classic.

MILWAUKEE, WI – AUGUST 09: Franmil Reyes #32 of the San Diego Padres celebrates with teammates after hitting a home run in the ninth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on August 9, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI – AUGUST 09: Franmil Reyes #32 of the San Diego Padres celebrates with teammates after hitting a home run in the ninth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on August 9, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Franmil Reyes

The Padres have a logjam at most outfield positions. One corner outfielder that has produced of late is 23-year-old Franmil Reyes. “The Franimal” stands at 6’5’’ and weighs in at 275 lbs, which is intimidating, to say the least. That size along with a .387 average over his last 15 games makes him someone the Phils’ pitchers should focus on when doing their pre-series scouting.

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Aaron Nola shouldn’t have a problem dropping curveballs to Reyes to keep him off balanced, but his post-all-star numbers are threatening. In eight games since the break, he has a 1.595 OPS with three home runs, two doubles, and five runs batted in. 

Getting ahead early is key, as Reyes is hitting just .130 when behind in the count. The rookie has a 34.6 percent strikeout rate and a 6.3 percent walk rate, making him a true boom or bust player.

ARLINGTON, TX – JUNE 26: Kirby Yates #39 of the San Diego Padres pitches against the Texas Rangers in the bottom of the eighth inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington on June 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – JUNE 26: Kirby Yates #39 of the San Diego Padres pitches against the Texas Rangers in the bottom of the eighth inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington on June 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

Kirby Yates

When the Padres traded closer Brad Hand to the Indians for top-prospect Francisco Mejia, a window of opportunity opened for Kirby Yates. He has pitched great this year in a setup role, picking up 16 holds and three saves. Yates has a team-best 0.90 WHIP over almost 45 innings of work.

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This year has been a true breakout for Yates at 31 years old. He has a 1.62 ERA, 2.27 fielding-independent pitching, and .170 batting average against, all career-bests. Yates has racked up 58 strikeouts and just 13 walks in 44.1 innings pitching for the Padres.

Yates has been great in high-leverage situations this season. Opposing hitters have a .108 batting average in these situations, with Yates striking out 15 of the 43 batters he has faced under pressure. Even though the Padres don’t get placed in that many high-leverage situations, Yates has proven effective when he needs to shut down the opposing team.

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Hopefully, the Phillies get through this series without seeing Yates, as it is unlikely the Padres would put him in a non-save

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