Some bright spots among a lot of losses

The first full week of games for three of the four Padres minor league affiliates was less than successful with all teams having losing records thus far. There are some bright spots in these early results with pitching being the biggest issue at the start of the year. There were a lot of lopsided results as well, with Low-A Lake Elsinore winning 21-0 and Triple-A El Paso losing 19-12 as examples.

Several of the top prospects, and a few of the players to watch for this year, have started in an inconsistent manner as well. The small sample size indicates that time (and some better weather) will reveal what these players of capable of in 2026. El Paso Chihuahuas (6-10 record, 4th in Pacific Coast League, South Division) The Triple-A Chihuahuas went 1-5 for the week, with five games against the Albuquerque Isotopes and one against the Round Rock Express.

Outfielders Samad Taylor and Jase Bowen lead the team offensively, Taylor has a . 277 average with a . 689 OPS.

Bowen has a . 603 slug while hitting . 259 with four homers but also has 18 strikeouts in 58 at-bats.