Friar Futures: Haynes Settles In at Triple-A, Verdugo Draws Walks in the Desert
By Alex Martinez ·
Friar Futures covers the last 7 days of action for the Padres farm system.
Haynes Keeps His Walk Rate Down and Earns a Quality Start at El Paso
Jagger Haynes (AAA, LHP, Rank: 18) threw 6.1 innings against 22 batters at El Paso this week, allowing five hits, one earned run, and one walk while striking out three and generating nine swinging misses on 74 pitches. The one-run line was the obvious takeaway, but the walk number mattered more in context. Over his last 30 days at Triple-A, his BB% sits at 8.0 percent, a meaningful step down from his season-long 11.0 percent mark at the level and a genuine improvement over last year's 14.0 percent walk rate at Double-A. That two-year trend is worth tracking on a pitcher whose below-average command grade has been the central obstacle between him and a stable rotation job. The whiff rate over the same 30-day span is 26.4 percent, consistent with his career numbers, which means the stuff is holding and he's just throwing more strikes around it.
The profile here is still bounded. A 55-grade fastball operating 93-95 mph from the left side gives Haynes a carrying pitch, and the slider and changeup can both flash average, but neither is a consistent plus offering. The season ERA at Triple-A is 5.80 across 40.1 innings, shaped in part by home-run damage and the command lapses that led to deep counts. The #5 starter projection with an up-down fallback remains accurate framing. What the last month has added is a real data point on the walk rate: if 8.0 percent is the new baseline rather than a hot stretch, the whole package becomes more functional. His strike rate over those five AAA starts sits at 45.5 percent, up from his season mark of 44.3 percent combined. Small gains, but they compound for a pitcher whose margin is thin. The final weeks of the season will tell us whether this is a sustainable adjustment or a late-season sample running warm.
Verdugo's Patient Week at El Paso Adds to a Complicated Season Story
Rosman Verdugo (AAA, 2B, Rank: 30) went 3-for-16 with four walks in 16 plate appearances at El Paso this week, posting his fourth walk in a six-game AAA sample. The hit total was thin, but the plate discipline read was consistent with who he has been all year: his season BB% at High-A Fort Wayne sits at 12.8 percent, and over his last 30 days at that level he maintained that same 12.8 percent walk rate across 78 plate appearances. The promotion to Triple-A at the end of the year looks more like an organizational look than a merit-based push, given his .225/.340/.389 line in 461 PA at High-A, but the walks have never wavered. He drew 59 walks across 109 games at Fort Wayne, a total that tracks with the advanced strike zone recognition noted in his scouting profile.
The honest read on Verdugo at 21 is that the tools set a ceiling that his approach keeps bumping against. The power grades out at 50 with elite exit velocity metrics and a barrel rate in the 98th percentile, but a contact rate of 68.2 percent over the full season, paired with a 26.0 percent strikeout rate, means the raw power doesn't always translate into production. His last 30 days at High-A show a swing rate of 50.8 percent with a 67.3 percent contact rate, a more aggressive and slightly less efficient version of his season profile. The utility projection fits: he walks enough to stay on a roster, he has genuine power in the barrel when he connects, and second base is a defensible position for a 21-year-old still developing. Whether the contact rate ever normalizes enough to make him a real everyday option is the variable that will define his next two years.
Quick Hits
Lan-Hong Su (A, RHP, Rank: 10) · had a rough go in his most recent outing, allowing four hits and one earned run across three innings while walking one. The strikeout total was eight on the day, a notable figure, but 15 batters faced in three innings represents traffic that can cost a pitcher over time. The season ERA at Lake Elsinore sits at 5.63 across 32 innings, with seven home runs allowed in that span creating the damage. The 30-day picture is more encouraging: a 2.13 ERA across 12.2 innings, a 54.0 K% over 50 batters faced, and a 44.1 percent whiff rate that reflects a genuine put-away pitch in the slider. A 19-year-old arm with a 55-grade slider and real strikeout ability still has the prospect profile intact; the short outing and the season-long home-run vulnerability are development items, not disqualifiers.
Ryan Wideman (A+, OF, Rank: 6) · was activated from the 7-day injured list by Fort Wayne on September 19, returning after missing nearly a month. The timing means he likely gets a short window to finish the season, which matters more for developmental continuity than roster positioning. His numbers at Lake Elsinore before the promotion told a strong story: .314/.389/.504 with six home runs and 43 stolen bases in 299 PA. The Fort Wayne stint has been a different experience.246/.292/.267 with zero home runs across 202 PA, and the IL absence removed any chance to work through that adjustment. Getting him back on the field for the final week or two gives the organization a small look before the offseason evaluation.
Tucker Musgrove (AA, RHP, Rank: 16) · returned from the injured list on September 19 as well. Musgrove has been effective in relief at Double-A San Antonio this year, posting a 2.93 ERA across 15.1 innings with 28 strikeouts against 12 walks.