Future Friar: Jedd Gyorko

Continuing our Future Friar series, today we take a look at one of the Padres top hitting prospects. In just his second year of professional baseball, he is clubbing his way through the minor league system. Meet…Jedd Gyorko.

Gyorko (pronounced JERK-oh), was born in September 23, 1988 (age 22) in Morgantown, West Virginia. He graduated from University High School before attending West Virginia University, where he majored in business management.

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The Padres signed Gyorko as a second round selection in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft and he has been terrorizing opposing pitchers ever since. The third baseman hit .302 in his first professional season, splitting his time between Short-A Eugene (26 games) and Single-A Fort Wayne (42 games). He knocked 17 doubles and seven home runs while driving in 41 and scoring 35 runs.

His stellar debut proved to be just the start as he has improved upon those numbers in 2011.  In 119 games this year between High-A Lake Elsinore and Double-A San Antonio, Gyorko has hit .333 with a .403 OBP and .559 SLG. The slugger has tallied 40 doubles, two triples and 22 home runs and has already driven in 97 with 102 runs scored.

He began the year at Lake Elsinore, where he hit safely in 69 of 81 games before earning a promotion to San Antonio. With the Storm, he tallied 38 multi-hit games, including 25 two-hit games, nine three-hit games, three four-hit games and one five-hit performance. In the middle of an 11-game hitting streak from June 6-17, Gyorko tallied nine consecutive multi-hit games, hitting .558 over the nine-game stretch.

“Jedd has great hands and feet with a knack for putting the barrel on the ball,” says Padres Vice President of Player Development Randy Smith. ” He is a good defender but it often gets overshadowed because of his bat.”

In 80 games at third base this season, Gyorko has posted a .954 fielding percentage, committing just 11 errors in 238 chances. He has split his time between the hot corner and designated hitter, appearing in 80 games at third.

His performance at Lake Elsinore this year landed him on the California League All-Star team. He led the Cal League to a 6-1 win over the Carolina League and was named the game’s MVP. In their recent Tools Survey, Baseball America rated Gyorko as the California League’s best batting prospect.

Harang returns to Cincy

Aaron Harang was recognized by the Reds prior to tonight’s game for his contributions to the Cincinnati community. He spent the previous eight years pitching in Cincy before joining the Padres in 2011. Thanks for the Reds for providing photography of the ceremony.

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Future Friar: James Darnell

You’ve heard it ever since Jed Hoyer and his team took the reins down here at PETCO Park: The key to winning in San Diego is drafting and developing players who will make an impact at the Major League level. As we approach two years into Hoyer’s tenure, the Padres minor league system has vastly improved, ranking as the eighth strongest this year according to Baseball America (compared to 29th two years ago).

The talent behind this improvement is getting closer and closer to PETCO Park. In an attempt to make sure you know who these guys are when they get here, we will be profiling some of the Padres top prospects over the next few days. Today…meet James Darnell.

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Darnell, born January 19, 1987 (age 24), played his collegiate ball at the University of South Carolina before he was signed by the Padres as a second-round selection (69th overall) in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft. He has slugged his way through the Padres minor league system, already seeing action at Short-A Eugene, Single-A Fort Wayne, Advanced-A Lake Elsinore, Double-A San Antonio and Triple-A Tucson before making his Major League debut this week.

He earned his promotion by hitting a combined .317 with a .415 oBP and .573 SLG between San Antonio and Tucson this year, belting 23 homers. He obliterated Texas League pitching, hitting safely in 57 of 76 games with 24 two-hit games, six three-hit games and one four-hit game. He hit over .300 against both lefties and righties in the TL and has hit a combined .406 against lefties between San Antonio and Tucson this year.

A third baseman by trade, Darnell has also seen time in the outfield in 2011. He has posted a .935 fielding percentage at the hot corner this year, committing just 11 errors in 170 chances.

Darnell’s success at the plate 2011 has been recognized outside of the organization as he was named to the 2011 US Futures Team and Texas League All-Star Team, where he was selected as the game’s MVP after knocking a two-run homer.

Over his four seasons in the Padres system, Darnell has hit a combined .304 (399-for-1313) with 95 doubles, seven triples, 56 home runs, 229 RBI, 220 runs scored, a .404 OBP and .515 SLG. He was named the Padres Minor League Player of the Year following his 2009 performance (split between Fort Wayne and Lake Elsinore).

Darnell was a college teammate of 2008 first-round picks Justin Smoak and Reese Havens at the University of South Carolina.

Update on the new guys

Robbie Erlin and Joe Wieland, acquired from Texas in exchange for Mike Adams, have each made one start for the Padres’ Double-A San Antonio affiliate, helping the Missions to a three-game sweep over Corpus Christi. Erlin is set to make his second start today.

In their first starts, the two newest Padres combined to allow one run over 12.0 innings, surrendering just eight hits and one walk while striking out 13. Erlin tossed 6.0 shutout frames with six K’s while Wieland worked 6.0 innings of one-run ball with seven K’s.

Off to the Big Apple

The Pads completed the three-game sweep over the Buccos with a 7-3 win yesterday. Over the weekend, the Padres outscored their opponent 35-10, hit .336 with a .403 OBP, belted five home runs and hit .356 with runners in scoring position. The Friars pitching staff struck out 23 over the weekend, averaging 7.7 per game. With yesterday’s win, San Diego has now taken 13 of the last 15 matchups against the Pirates.

The Padres take their four-game winning streak to the Big Apple today to kick off a four-game set against the Mets. It will be the first meeting between the two clubs this season. Dating back to the beginning of the 2007 season, the Padres have gone 17-9 against the Mets without ever losing consecutive games. They are 6-6 in New York over that stretch, including a 3-3 mark at Citi Field. The Padres won the first ever game played at Citi Field, recording a 6-5 victory in the Mets’ home opener in 2009.