[Sundance]

7/1/2026

International free agents have entered the market! OSA’s top prospects are:

1B Adrie “Blinky” Van Den Burgt (Curacao) – VDB has the potential to develop into an offensive force. He has a superb knack for getting the bat on the ball, a solid eye, and good pop. If he develops, he should anchor a lineup for years to come. The biggest knock against VDB is his defense. He is a huge liability out in the field.

2B Li-Ping “Trucker” Huang (Taiwan) – Another solid offensive prospect. Huang is a great contact hitter that displays enough pop to turn on a few. He has good speed and is smart on the bases. However, his defense leaves much to be desired. Despite his speed, his range at second base is rather limited, he displays poor footwork when turning double plays, and he has a very weak arm.

C Antonio “Stumpy” Gonzalez (Mexico) – Gonzalez makes good contact and has good pop, but he’ll expand the strikezone every so often. Yet another offensive prospect, as his defensive ability rates rather poor. Gonzalez has trouble stopping balls in the dirt, and runners will have a field day thanks to his weak arm.

LHP Yannick Erkelens (Curacao) – Might develop into a 5th starter, but will most likely end up in the bullpen. Erkelens has good stuff, highlighted by a devastating changeup, but he hangs too many pitches, and his accuracy it too inconsistent for him to be truly effective. He can spot start or eat up innings, but don’t expect much than that.

RHP Breno Grelo (Venezuela) – Should be a decent reliever. Grelo gets good movement on his pitches with above average control. However, he just can’t seem to put it together in game, and his stuff comes across as mediocre. He’s got a good fastball and sinker, and a changeup that he would be better off forgetting about. The lack of ability to change speeds will hurt him.

SS Antonio “Ghost Runner” Alvarez (Puerto Rica) – Depending on the team, Alvarez could find himself either leading off, or down in the 8 spot. He’s an incredibly difficult player to strikeout, but a poor eye limits his ability to get on base. As his nickname would suggest, Alvarez is among the fastest players around. He constantly puts the defense under pressure and can get into a pitcher’s head once he is on base. He has enough tools to be in the league, but perhaps not enough to make any real impact.

LHP William Delzoppo (Australia) – Will most likely end up as a player that’s always bouncing back and forth between the big leagues and AAA. He’s got a fastball and sinker, but not much else. The lack of variety hurts him, as batters are able to just key in on a rather constant velocity. Will end up in a bullpen somewhere, but once a roster move is needed, he’ll be the first to go.

LHP Chia-Ch’ing “Scarface” Chuko (Taiwan) – He’ll play a role in someone’s bullpen down the line. He’s got a good fastball and slider, which will be enough to get him through an inning or two at a time. He’s a competitor, which allows him to get the most out of his limited repertoire.

RHP Gerben Oomsen (Curacao) – Could be a backend starter on a middle of the road team. He’s got 2 good pitches in a fastball and slider, and a great one in his changeup. He also boasts great control, but his stuff just isn’t effective in game. He’s got enough talent to be in the league, but not enough to be a star.

C Wing-Fung Jiang (Taiwan) – Jiang should find a place on a roster, although he’ll never be a star. He’s a solid all-around hitter that will put together an unspectacular career of average seasons. He won’t hurt you, but he’s not going to carry the team either.

7/12/2026

RF Tim Elmore was taken out of today’s game against the Crusaders after being hit by a pitch. Elmore looked to be in quite a bit of pain, and we are just now learning why – the 23 year old has fractured his ulna. The word on the injury is that Elmore will miss a minimum of 5 weeks.

7/13/2026

Recently injured RF Tim Elmore has been named the NL Player of the Week! Elmore hit .524 with 2 HR and 5 RBI. For the season, Elmore is hitting .315 with 12 HR and 49 RBI.

In other news, the All-Star teams have been announced! The Padres’ representatives will be:

SP Beau Burrows (10-1, 2.42 ERA)
SP Gustavo Spotelli (9-2, 2.81 ERA)
SP Chris Thompson (12-2, 2.35 ERA)
CL Matt Laval (2-1, 25 SV, 2.68 ERA)
C Jose Rodriguez (.324/.440/.462, 6 HR, 53 RBI)
3B Adrian Martinez (.318/.369/.546, 18 HR, 65 RBI)
SS Brendan Rodgers (.302/.363/.485, 13 HR, 42 RBI)
LF Bernardo Orosco (.355/.412/.531, 9 HR, 43 RBI)
RF Tim Elmore (.315/.360/.495, 12 HR, 49 RBI)

7/20/2026

2B Chris McKinney has been selected as the NL Player of the Week! Over the last 7 days, McKinney has hit .706 with 3 RBIs. This incredible run was helped by a 5-5 game against the Dodgers last night.

7/21/2026

LF Bernardo Orosco will miss the next week due to soreness in his back. The 24 year old told reporters that he felt something tweak in his back while rounding first base. Although visibly in pain, Orosco stayed in the game and went 2-4 with a triple.

Monthly Review

The Padres’ pace has slowed some as we reach the middle of the season. Still, they managed a winning record of 16-11 this month, bringing their overall record to 73-30. 2nd place Colorado has made up a couple of games and now sits 17 games back. The Padres maintain the best record in baseball, with 12 more wins than the next closest record (Milwaukee).

Monthly Awards

AL:

Top Batter – Koto Suzuki (.412 BA, 12 HR, 35 RBI, 23 R), Tigers
Top Pitcher – Parker Joe Robinson (3-0, 19 K, 9 SV, 2.20 ERA), Tigers
Rookie – Steve Hill (.324 BA, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 14 R), Falcons

NL:

Top Batter – David Vargo (.304 BA, 7 HR, 22 RBI, 22 R), Reds
Top Pitcher – Hector Rodriguez (5-0, 45 K, 1.32 ERA), Cubs
Rookie – Madison O’Keefe (.321 BA, 5 HR, 20 RBI, 12 R), Mets