\n\tIf you are looking for good news about the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas, it’s admittedly tough to come by.\u00a0At least they weren\u2019t the worst Triple-A team this season. The Chihuahuas had a full-season record of 60-90, which was the worst mark in the Pacific Coast League. That was only a notch better than the Norfolk Tides, a Baltimore Orioles affiliate that went 58-89 in the International League.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tYes, it was a trying season for the Chihuahuas, the San Diego Padres\u2019 top affiliate. That doesn\u2019t mean there weren\u2019t some fun performances to keep track of individually, though.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tOf the players who finished the season on the roster, first baseman-corner infielder Nick Solak<\/a> led the Chihuahuas in RBIs with 80 while posting a .311\/.376\/.487 slash line with 16 homers. Outfielder Carlos Rodriguez<\/a> was a hit machine, leading the team with 148 of them while posting a slash line of .308\/.375\/.416 with 77 RBIs and 55 walks, both second on the team. Rodriguez had a team-high and career-best 22-game hitting streak this season. Second baseman Marcos Castanon<\/a> paced the Chihuahuas with 17 homers while recording a .282\/.336\/.445 slash line and shortstop Mason McCoy<\/a> had a career-high 40 stolen bases and team-best 57 walks while putting up a slash line of .285\/.361\/.406.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\tThey were some of the reasons why the Chihuahuas finished sixth in the Pacific Coast League in OPS (.793), fifth in runs and sixth in homers. As you can see, offense wasn\u2019t the problem.\n<\/p>\n \n\tPitching, on the other hand, was an issue, and you can chalk that up in part to the elevation El Paso plays at. The 3,700 feet isn\u2019t as bad as Denver\u2019s Coors Field, but is also slightly worse than Las Vegas\u2019 Triple-A stadium. The Chihuahuas had the worst ERA in the PCL at 6.28 and gave up the second-most homers and the third-most walks while striking out the fewest amount of hitters. Opponents batted .290, which was the second-worst mark in the PCL.\n<\/p>\n \n\tRight-hander Evan Fitterer<\/a> was the best of the Chihuahuas\u2019 starters, posting a 4.06 ERA in 28 games, including a team-high 20 starts. Left-hander JP Sears<\/a> also made 20 starts in his 23 appearances and had a 7.49 ERA. Left-hander Jackson Wolf<\/a>, before he was traded to the Detroit Tigers in the Casey Mize<\/a> deal, had a 7.05 ERA in his 24 games (17 starts). You get the point. There were some good relief performances that you can\u2019t see through the final stats due to blow-up games. Right-handers Ethan Routzahn<\/a>, Logan Gillaspie<\/a> and Sean Boyle<\/a>\u00a0are counted among them, with Boyle also making 16 starts and leading the team in wins with 10.\n<\/p>\n \n\tWith all the runners on base, the Chihuahuas did lead the minors in one positive category: They turned 154 double plays.\n<\/p>\n \n\tIn another season highlight,\u00a0Ethan Salas<\/a>, Padres Mission\u2019s No. 1 prospect<\/a>, came up from Double-A San Antonio and continued to rake. The 20-year-old catcher slashed .326\/.410\/.539 with three homers and 24 RBIs in 24 games before getting promoted on Sept. 1 for his MLB debut.\n<\/p>\n \n\tThe Chihuahuas, with a roster filled mainly with minor-league free agents and players looking to get back to the majors, did have a couple of other good stories. Two other catchers, Rodolfo Duran<\/a> and Blake Hunt<\/a>, each got called up to make their MLB debuts and, at one point, were the only two catchers on the Padres\u2019 roster. El Paso was also part of the journeys for outfielders Samad Taylor<\/a>, Jase Bowen<\/a> and Luis Rengifo<\/a> en route to their surprising roles in San Diego this year.\n<\/p>\n \tEl Paso Chihuahuas Stat Leaders<\/p>\n \n\tLeague: Pacific Coast League East Division\n<\/p>\n \n\tFirst half: 35-40, third place, 10 GB, minus-23 run differential\n<\/p>\n \n\tSecond half: 25-50, fifth place, 23 GB, minus-120 run differential\n<\/p>\n \tHitting leaders<\/p>\n \n\t(20 games minimum)\n<\/p>\n \n\tAverage: Dustin Harris<\/a> .350, Ethan Salas .326, Nick Solak .311\n<\/p>\n \n\tSlugging percentage: Harris .617, Blake Hunt .617, Jase Bowen<\/a> .600\n<\/p>\n \n\tOPS: Harris 1.039, Hunt .998, Bowen .962\n<\/p>\n \n\tRuns: Mason McCoy 94, Nick Solak 89, Marcos Castanon 71\n<\/p>\n \n\tHRs: Castanon 17, Solak 16, Bowen 13\n<\/p>\n \n\tRBIs: Solak 80, Carlos Rodriguez 77, Castanon 72\n<\/p>\n \tPitching leaders<\/p>\n \n\t(10 games minimum)\n<\/p>\n \n\tERA: Hunter Stratton<\/a> 1.93, Jhony Brito<\/a> 2.78, Evan Fitterer 4.06\n<\/p>\n \n\tStrikeouts: Sean Boyle 97, Jackson Wolf 90, JP Sears 87\n<\/p>\n \n\tWHIP: Brito 1.26, Eli Villalobos<\/a> 1.28, Stratton 1.29\n<\/p>\n \n\tOpponent average: Garrett Hawkins<\/a> .205, Andrew Moore<\/a> .222, Stratton .235\n<\/p>\n \n\tWins: Boyle 10, Logan Gillaspie 6, Alek Jacob<\/a> 6\n<\/p>\n \n\tSaves: Jacob 9, Ethan Routzahn 7, David Morgan<\/a> 4\n<\/p>\n Interested in learning more about the San Diego Padres’ top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!<\/p>\n \t\tView Top Prospects<\/a>
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