San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
MEARS NOT JUST POWER GUY
Josh Mears’ double-plus power turned heads this spring.
Believe it or not, he can run, too.
The 6-foot-3, 230-pound outfielder swiped second, third and home in the sixth inning Tuesday night with low Single-a Lake Elsinore, upping his total to six on the season.
After singling in the sixth inning, Mears swiped second base. He took third during Euribiel Angeles’ oneout walk and went home on a double-steal.
The 20-year-old Mears is ranked ninth in the Padres’ system by Mlb.com.
He has a .236/.408/.400 batting line and one homer through his first 18 games with Lake Elsinore, quite the jump for a 2019 secondrounder who had not played above rookie ball before this month.
He had a few cameos in Cactus League, which included a viral, monster home run off Rockies bigleague reliever Carlos Estevez that left the bat at 117.3 mph.
The Padres have believed for quite some time that there’s more than pure power to Mears’ game.
“He’s really big, really strong, but he’s in really good shape,” Sam Geaney, Padres senior farm director, said last month. “He’s a good mover. It’s not just bruteforce strength. When he runs, when he gets going, it’s beautiful.”
Beautiful enough for the Padres to even give Mears some run in center field, where he played Tuesday despite his long-term fit likely headed to one of the corners.
The power would certainly play there, too, if the Padres can continue to unlock an emerging hit tool that’s buoyed by a solid feel for the strike zone. He’s struck out 31 times against 10 walks so far with the Storm, but walked 23 times and hit .313/.405/.531 over the final month of the season in rookie ball in 2019.
“This is not an undisciplined, chasing hitter,” Geaney said. “He swings at the right stuff. It’s continuing to be cognizant of how his body and how his swing work together to hopefully allow for the appropriate amount of contact as he climbs the ladder.”
Fort Wayne suspensions
Tincaps infielder Kelvin Melean and left-hander
Sam Williams on Friday began suspensions stemming from Tuesday’s benchesclearing brawl with South Bend. The suspensions will be staggered, beginning with Melean serving the first of four games and Williams beginning his three-game ban.
Other Tincaps suspensions include 10 games for
Edgar Martinez, three games for Justin Lopez and two games for Agustin Ruiz.
Martinez was transferred to the Padres’ complex in Peoria.
South Bend’s suspensions are as follows:
Five games for Luis Vazquez and Delvin Zinn and three games for Jake Washer, Brandon Hughes, Caleb Knight, Jake Slaughter and Yonathan Perlaza.
The benches cleared and several players were seen throwing punches after Melean and Washer shoved each other at home plate after Melean struck out.
A half-inning earlier Zinn had to be restrained after a Fort Wayne player made a (Through Friday; min. 51 plate appearances, 15 innings pitched)
Batting average: .339 — INF Ivan Castillo (AAA)
On-base percentage: .408 — OF Joshua Mears (A)
Slugging percentage: .583 — OF Jack Suwinski (AA)
Homers: 6 — OF Agustin Riz (A+)
RBIS: 21 — Ruiz
Steals: 13 — INF Jordy Barley (A)
Wins: 3 — RHP Reiss Knehr (AA), RHP Felix Minjarez (A+/A)
ERA: 1.46 — LHP Ethan Elliott (A+)
WHIP: 0.69 — Elliott
Saves: 4 — RHP Jose Quezada (AA)
Strikeouts: 38 — Elliott
SO/W: 11.5— RHP Carlos Guarate (A)
comment at the end of the inning, according to the South Bend broadcast. Hughes then brushed Melean back with a fastball before striking him out.
Melean, Hughes, Washer and Cubs manager Michael Ryan were ejected from that game.
Around the farm
El Paso (AAA): INF Ivan Castillo is hitting .241/.268/ .276 in eight games since his three-game stay with the Padres. … LHP Mackenzie Gore (0-1, 5.94) struck out four over three shutout innings on Monday and allowed only one hit, but he walked five in the game and threw just 31 of his 65 pitches for strikes.
San Antonio (AA): SS CJ Abrams has not played since exiting a May 22 game with an ankle injury. Abrams has not been placed on the injured list.
jeff.sanders@sduniontribune.com