PADRE PROSPECT POWER RANKINGS, 5th Edition - Headley finally graduates
posted 6/16/08
by Jason Martinez

1. CEDRIC HUNTER, CF (LAKE ELSINORE): And the NEW #1 prospect, according to padrerevolution.com, is CEDRIC HUNTER. Familiar territitory
for the 20 year-old outfielder. He was ranked the organization's #1 prospect by Baseball America before the start of the 2007 season but dropped
after an average season at Fort Wayne. One of the youngest players in the California League, Hunter is looking more like the player that put him on
everyone's radar after his 2006 debut. In 67 games, he has batted .318 with 4 HR, 38 RBI's, 18 doubles, and a very impressive .448 BA with runners
in scoring position. He's walked 31 times and struck out only 24 times. Most importantly, he's handling center field just fine, which puts him in line to
be the Padres' "CF of the future." (LAST EDITION RANK - 4)

2. CHAD HUFFMAN, LF (SAN ANTONIO): Huffman was in line for the #1 ranking but has struggled lately, batting only .186 without a HR in June.
There was talk of the 23 year-old moving up to Portland to fill Headley's spot in LF but they might just keep him there for a full season and let him
start 2009 in AAA. He's still batting .296 with a .386 OBP but I'd like to see some more power (6 HR, 15 2B). (LAST EDITION RANK - 2)

3. WILL INMAN, RHP (SAN ANTONIO): After struggling through 3 starts at the end of May, the 21 year-old Inman is back to dominating AA hitters.
In the month of June, Inman has allowed just 2 ER and 10 hits in 17.2 innings. On the season, he's 7-2 with a 2.84 ERA. His real test will be in the
hitter friendly Pacific Coast League, once the Padres decide to promote him to Portland. (LAST EDITION RANK - 5)

4. WILL VENABLE, OF (PORTLAND): There's no arguing with the fact that this guy can hit. He's hit at every level of the minors and this last test
before he reaches the majors has been no exception. A recent 10 game hitting streak has boosted his average to .307. He's also doing a good job
out in center field. However, the power (4 HR) and speed (3 SB) numbers are still not where they have to be if he wants to be considered a future
major league starter. (LAST EDITION RANK - 6)

5. ERIC SOGARD, 2B (LAKE ELSINORE): The 22 year-old had a tough May (.243 BA) but June has been a different story, as he has 18 hits in 51
at bats to raise his average to .323. He has just one home run, which is a bit of a concern, but he has 20 doubles, 6 SB's, and 47 walks. (LAST
EDITION RANK - 7)

6. MAT LATOS, RHP (FORT WAYNE): Latos came off of the DL, pitched one inning, struck out the side, and then headed back to the DL after the
game. He is very close to being tagged with the 'injury-prone' label. (LAST EDITION RANK - 3)

7. MITCH CANHAM, C (LAKE ELSINORE): The 23 year-old catcher is putting together a very solid season (.286 BA, 3 HR, 40 RBI, 11 2B, 2 3B, 7
SB), although none of his statistics are particularly eye-pooping, aside from a .414 OBP. With the Padres' catching situation in a very sorry state, look
for the Padres to promote Nick Hundley later on this season, with Canham getting a look as early as late-2009. (LAST EDITION RANK - 8)

8. WADE LEBLANC, LHP (PORTLAND): Any talk of LeBlanc helping out the Padres this year has died down. He still has a ways to go, but he has
shown glimpses of being a very good starting pitcher. From May 27th-June 7th, LeBlanc allowed just 1 ER in 16 innings, while giving up just 7 hits
and striking out 21 batters. That is total domination of an opponent. But in his last start, he was pounded for 7 ER and 9 hits in 5 innings. Like I said,
he still has a long way to go. (LAST EDITION RANK - 9)

9. KYLE BLANKS, 1B (SAN ANTONIO): Blanks is another guy that not many people will talk about because he has just 5 HR's and a total of 16
extra-base hits. However, he is batting .309 with a .407 OBP, more BB's (34) than K's (33), and 40 RBI's. In '09, he'll be just 22 years old, playing in a
hitter's league in AAA, and hopefully putting together another .300+ season, but with some power. If he can do that, his value will skyrocket. (LAST
EDITION RANK - N/A)

10. DREW CUMBERLAND, SS (FORT WAYNE): The 19 year-old shortstop was red-hot, with four straight multi-hit games, when he went on the
DL at the end of May. Activated on June 10th, he's picked up right where he left off, with 11 hits in 23 at bats, including three 3-hit games.
Cumberland might be one of the most exciting players in the system (14 SB's), but his defense is miles away (16 errors) from where it needs to be
before he can play in the big leagues. He might have to switch to the outfield. (LAST EDITION RANK - N/A)