PADRES ON DECK Players of the Week: RHP Victor Lizarraga, Repeat Pick Ortiz Lead April 24–29 Honor Roll
Right-handed starting pitcher Victor Lizarraga, the Padres’ №16 prospect, and repeat honoree Devin Ortiz lead the Padres On Deck: Players of the Week honor roll for April 24–29.
Lizarraga pitches for Double-A San Antonio. Ortiz is the third baseman at High Single-A Fort Wayne.
Joining the pair on the weekly list were Triple-A El Paso right-handed reliever Nick Hernandez and Single-A Lake Elsinore right-handed starting pitcher Eric Yost.
The Padres on Deck: Players of the Week by affiliate:
Right-handed relief pitcher Nick Hernandez (Triple-A El Paso) — In three relief appearances at Tacoma last week, the 29-year-old Hernandez allowed an unearned run on two hits and a walk with five strikeouts in three innings. A member of the Padres’ organization since the start of the 2023 season, Hernandez has a 4.15 earned run average and a 1.500 WHIP with 13 strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings with the Chihuahuas this season. He appeared in two games with the Padres late last season.
Right-handed starting pitcher Victor Lizarraga (Double-A San Antonio) — The 20-year-old San Diego native and product of Montgomery High, Lizarraga allowed one hit and a walk with five strikeouts in four shutout innings in his only start last week. In three starts on the season, the 6-foot-3, 180-pound Lizarraga has a 0.00 ERA, a 0.692 WHIP and a 0.74 opponents’ batting average — giving up no runs on two hits and four walks with nine strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings. Lizarraga signed with the Padres as a non-drafted free agent on March 1, 2021.
Third baseman Devin Ortiz (High Single-A Fort Wayne) — The 25-year-old corner infielder finished the week on a streak of reaching base in 13 straight games. He was 5-for-17 last week with five walks, two RBIs and five runs scored. Over the last 13 games, Ortiz is 15-for-42 with a double, two home runs, 10 RBIs, 10 walks, a stolen base and 11 runs scored — for a .357 batting average, a .491 on-base percentage and a .524 slugging percentage for a 1.014 OPS. Signed as a non-drafted free agent out of the University of Virginia in 2022, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound Ortiz has a .300/.417/.450/.867 slash line with three doubles, two homers and 11 RBIs.
Right-handed starting pitcher Eric Yost (Single-A Lake Elsinore) — The 21-year-old, 6-foot-1, 205-pound Yost was the Padres’ 17th round pick in the 2023 draft out of Northeastern University. In his only start last week, he held Rancho Cucamonga to one run on five hits and no walks with seven strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings. Yost is 0–1 on the season with a 6.17 ERA and a 1.800 WHIP in four appearances (two starts). He has given up eight runs on 15 hits and six walks with 16 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings.
