PADRES ON DECK Players of the Month: Martorella, Locastro, RHP Bachar pace April honor roll
By Bill Center
First baseman Nathan Martorella, center fielder Tim Locastro and right-handed Triple-A relief pitcher Lake Bachar pace the Padres On Deck: Minor League Players of the Month for April.
Martorella, the Padres’ №14 prospect, hit .293 for Double-A San Antonio in April with two homers and 14 RBIs. Locastro, who made a strong run for a Padres’ outfield job in spring training, hit .322 with a .467 on-base percentage last month for Triple-A El Paso. Bachar had a 3–0 record and a 1.23 earned run average in April out of the Chihuahuas’ bullpen.
The Padres On Deck Players and Pitchers of the Month for April:
Triple-A El Paso:
Player — Center fielder Tim Locastro: Signed by the Padres as a minor league free agent during spring training as a spare outfield candidate, the 31-year-old Locastro hit .322 (19-for-59) during the first month of the Pacific Coast League season with five doubles, a home run, four RBIs, seven walks, nine hit-by-pitcheds, seven stolen bases and 17 runs scored in 23 games for a .467 on-base percentage and a .458 slugging percentage for a .925 OPS.
Pitcher — Right-handed reliever Lake Bachar: The Padres’ fifth-round pick in the 2016 draft out of Wisconsin-Whitewater, the 28-year-old Bachar has a 3–0 record with a 1.23 earned run average, a 1.295 WHIP and a .263 opponents’ batting average in 10 April appearances — giving up three runs (two earned) on 15 hits and four walks with 16 strikeouts in 13 1/3 innings. That’s an average of 11 strikeouts per nine innings and a 4.5-to-1 strikeouts-to-walk ratio.
Double-A San Antonio:
Player — First baseman Nathan Martorella: The left-handed University of California product was the Padres’ fifth-round pick in the 2022 draft. The 6-foot, 224-pound 23-year-old is the Padres’ №14 prospect. He hit .293 in April (24-for-82) in April for the Missions with six doubles, two home runs, 14 RBIs and 15 runs scored. He also drew 14 walks (against 16 strikeouts) with two stolen bases. He had a .388 on-base percentage for the month with a .439 slugging percentage for a .827 OPS.
Pitcher — Left-handed reliever Jayvien Sandridge: In his first season in the Padres’ system, the 25-year-old Sandridge was 1–1 in April with two saves in nine appearances with a 1.08 ERA, a 1.320 WHIP and a .172 opponents’ batting average. He gave up one run on five hits and six walks with 18 strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings. That’s an excellent average of 19.4 strikeouts per nine innings and a 3-to-1 strikeouts-to-walk ratio.
High Single-A Fort Wayne:
Player — Third baseman Devin Ortiz: Signed by the Padres as a non-drafted free agent out of the University of Virginia in 2022, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound, 25-year-old corner infielder hit .302 in April (19-for-63) with three doubles, two home runs, 11 RBIs and 11 runs scored. He drew 12 walks (against 16 strikeouts) with a stolen base and had a .421 on-base percentage and a .444 slugging percentage for a .866 OPS. He was twice the TinCaps Player of the Week during April and finished the month reaching base in 14 straight games.
Pitcher — Right-handed starter Enmanuel Pinales: A late bloomer, the 6-foot-2, 185-pound native of the Dominican Republic didn’t sign his first professional contract with the Padres until he was 21 in 2022. Now 23, Pinales worked six scoreless innings on the final day of April. Overall for the month of April, Pinales had a 0–3 record despite a 3.00 ERA, a 1.000 WHIP and a .148 opponents’ batting average. In four starts for the month, gave up six runs on nine hits and nine walks with 20 strikeouts in 18 innings — an average of 10 strikeouts per nine innings and a 2.22-to-1 strikeouts-to-walk ratio.
Low Single-A Lake Elsinore:
Player — Infielder Jay Beshears: Beshears, who turns 22 on Sunday, was the Padres’ sixth-round pick in the 2023 draft out of Duke University. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Beshears has played third, short and second. He hit .339 (22-for-65) for the Storm in April with four doubles, a home run, seven RBIs and 21 runs scored. He has drawn 25 walks (against 22 strikeouts) and two hit-by-pitches in 19 games for a .527 on-base percentage and a .446 slugging percentage for a .973 OPS.
Pitcher — Right-handed reliever Alejandro Lugo: The 6-foot, 165-pound, 21-year-old native of Venezuela signed with the Padres during the 2019 international signing period. In five April appearances covering 11 2/3 innings, Lugo had a 3.09 ERA, a 1.286 WHIP and a .209 opponents’ batting average. He gave up five runs (four earned) on nine hits and six walks with 12 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings — for an average of 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings and a 2.00 strikeouts-to-walk ratio.
