2026 IBC Padres non-prospects news and notes

[Padres]

The 2025 MLB season has finally come to a close, and so has the road for former Cougars Justin Sterner and Daniel Schneemann, who made impressive strides this season with the Athletics and Guardians, respectively.

Justin Sterner, who pitched for BYU from 2018-2020, has made some steady improvements since he made his major league debut in 2024. This season with the Athletics, Sterner appeared in 59 games, recorded exactly 65 innings, and struck out 70 batters en route to a 3.18 ERA with a 1.046 WHIP. Sterner utilized a 94 mph fastball along with a few sliders to become a key threat in the Athletics pitching rotation.

For a sophomore outing these are impressive numbers, especially in the context of his position on the team. The Athletics left much to be desired on the season, missing the playoffs for the fifth straight year in a competitive AL West division. This made Sterner’s relief pitching increasingly challenging, having to come in from the bullpen to perform under difficult scoring scenarios.

https://universe.byu.edu/sports/cougars ... mlb-squads

Justin Sterner – I get the sense the closer here is likely not on the roster currently, but if I HAD TO pick someone here to close out games next year, I’d lean Sterner, especially after how he finished the season (2.73 SIERA, 16,3% SwStr in second half).

https://pitcherlist.com/top-100-closers ... ball-2026/

[Padres]

7. Colson Montgomery, SS/3B, White Sox

2026 Age: 24. Upside Role: 55 (above-average SS). Risk: Average. Adjusted: 45.

Montgomery slammed 21 home runs in 71 games and played a better shortstop than expected. His bat speed and barrel rate are legit, but high chase rates and strikeout totals will cut into his batting average and on-base percentage. (GP)

19. Grant Taylor, RHP, White Sox

2026 Age: 24. Upside Role: 55 (No. 3 or 4 starter or closer). Risk: High. Adjusted: 40.

Drafted in 2023, Taylor had tossed fewer than 50 minor league innings when the White Sox called him up. He began the season as a starter at Double-A and ended it as Chicago’s closer. There is a lot to like with Taylor as a closer—velocity, extension, whiffs, ground balls—if he can stay healthy. (GP)

24. Kumar Rocker, RHP, Rangers

2026 Age: 26. Upside Role: 55 (No. 3 or 4 starter or closer). Risk: High. Adjusted: 40.

As the quality of his slider goes, so goes Rocker. He made the Rangers’ Opening Day rotation in 2025, but things unraveled quickly and thoroughly. Still, Rocker has shown in flashes that he has upside, perhaps as a midrotation starter or high-leverage reliever. (ME)

25. Shane Smith, RHP, White Sox

2026 Age: 26. Upside Role: 55 (No. 3 or 4 starter). Risk: High. Adjusted: 40.

From Rule 5 pick to American League all-star, Smith had a memorable rookie season. Adding a changeup to a well-rounded repertoire helped secure a future in the rotation. Smith does a little bit of everything well. (GP)

26. Denzel Clarke, OF, Athletics

2026 Age: 26. Upside Role: 50 (solid-average CF). Risk: Average. Adjusted: 40.

If he hits enough to play every day, Clarke is a future Gold Glove center fielder. He’s also extremely fast and has good raw power. It will come down to swing decisions and maximizing his best contact. (JJ)

28. Chase Meidroth, 2B/SS, White Sox

2026 Age: 24. Upside Role: 45 (second-division 2B or UT). Risk: Mild. Adjusted: 40.

Meidroth is a pesky hitter who manages the strike zone to find ways to work his way on base via singles, walks and occasional extra-base hits. Power won’t be a major factor, but Meidroth’s bat-to-ball skills, batting eye, baserunning savvy and fielding skill will translate to a big league role. (GP)

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... s-in-2025/

[Padres]

Lenyn Sosa (also 1B) ADP 302 (mono league value: $17)

Sosa’s 22 home runs felt like they came out of nowhere last season, but he had underperformed his xSLG in 2023-2024 and a mostly full-time role gave Sosa a chance to shine. Unfortunately for him, a suddenly crowded lineup in Chicago after the signing of Munetaka Murakami pushes Sosa into a bench role and his low OBP combined with his somewhat limited defensive utility makes him less attractive than you might expect, even in AL-only. He is clearly worth rostering–and there is room for upside if the price is low enough–but he is unlikely to push past Murakami (1B), Chase Meidroth (2B), or Edgar Quero (DH) on the depth chart.

Chase Meidroth (SS/3B) ADP 331 ($11)

Some young hitters with low end exit velocities have growth potential in this area but I suspect Meidroth is what he is and you’ll be lucky to get more than 10-12 home runs out of him as a starter. He’s also not a super speedy guy so what you’re hoping for is a 10/15 grinder who is better than AVG neutral. He is a must roster but even on a second division team like the White Sox I have concerns that a weak month could push him out of an everyday job and into a utility role (see Sosa, above).

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/fant ... an-league/

[Padres]

One hundred innings represents a targeted total discussed by Grant Taylor for his 2026 season, when asked this past weekend during SoxFest Live at the Ramova Theatre.

But there is certainly no certainty to that amount, considering the White Sox right-hander’s evolving relief role for his first full season in the Majors. The club has made bullpen moves to free up Taylor for multiple innings of work -- for a 23-year-old who could be starting in 2027.

“Because he is so special of an arm, you are always going to consider what’s next for him and what everything means for him and his development,” White Sox manager Will Venable said to MLB.com of Taylor. “Having got through last year, adding [Seranthony] Domínguez, being able to slot guys in different areas, we are going to have more freedom to use Grant to win games, as opposed to fulfill some innings limit.

“At the same time, with starting being a possibility in his future, we want to build more innings than he had last year knowing that might look a little different out of the bullpen role. I don’t think there’s a direct plan and hard guidelines on how we are going to use him. We feel really good about where our bullpen is, and the ability to add Domínguez to free up Grant to help us get some more wins.”

Taylor’s plan as a 2025 rookie seemed a bit more linear.

With 19 1/3 innings on his career résumé, Taylor started six games for Double-A Birmingham before moving to the bullpen for his final nine appearances with the Barons. He was promoted to the Majors, as White Sox director of pitching Brian Bannister had talked about at the end of Spring Training, with his first outing on June 10 in Houston.

His electric stuff produced 37 pitches checking in at 100 mph or faster and topping out at 102.2 mph against Toronto on June 22, per Statcast, while recording 54 strikeouts over 36 2/3 innings. Taylor had the expected first-season ups and downs, leading to a 4.91 ERA over 36 games, but after giving up 10 runs in 3 2/3 innings from Aug. 17-29, he finished with 10 straight scoreless appearances.

Those dominant outings featured 16 strikeouts, three walks and five hits in nine innings, with two wins, two saves and two holds.

“You are only one pitch away. I think that’s been a thing for me from high school on. One pitch at a time,” Taylor said of what he learned from 2025. “The difference between success and failure is just intent, and it could mean being bought in on the next pitch. There’s not really a big difference between when I was going good and going bad, stuff-wise.

“There was some stuff where we had talked about different pitch mixes and how I was using different pitches, some stuff mechanically. At the end of the day, I think it was intent. Understanding why I’m successful and kind of leaning into that. … It's just a little bit of belief and a little bit of intent behind some of those pitches.”

When asked about the brief foray into closing, Taylor said, “Yeah, it’s fun,” and being a Major Leaguer is more fun than anything else. But the option of starting in 2027 truly interests Taylor.

“Yeah, I mean, I love innings. I love to throw a lot of innings. So, I love any way that they come, but obviously you throw more as a starter,” Taylor said. “It will be a little bit different than last year but mostly the same.

“Trying to get more two-inning outings, multi-innings … I’m excited to do it. The goal is to build my innings as much as possible this year. Ultimately, it comes down to performance and health and put my best foot forward and see what happens.”

Mike Vasil reached 101 innings for the White Sox in 2025 with 11 of those accrued over just three starts out of his 47 predominantly successful appearances. Taylor’s role in ’26 could look similar on the path to 100.

“In the back end of the bullpen, it’s hard to get over 100 innings. The goal would be to get as close to that as possible,” Taylor said. “Shoot for that and come up short, still have a lot of innings. … It will be a little bit of bob and weave on what my role exactly looks like.”

https://www.mlb.com/news/grant-taylor-r ... ox-bullpen

[Padres]

If you know just one player on the 2026 White Sox, there's a very good chance it's famed slugger Munetaka Murakami, since early media coverage from his native country shows there is a healthy audience for video of him walking around, and Chris Getz had to address the issue of his misspelled locker nameplate at his Monday afternoon presser opening spring camp.

But if you know two, one of them must be Colson Montgomery. Last year's SoxFest Live weekend also centered the second year shortstop as the biggest current star, also saw him draw the largest cheers at opening ceremonies, and also had team executives hyping his future and how central he'll be to the next contending Sox teams. Much like the cheers, it all resonates significantly more after Montgomery whacked 21 homers in 71 big league games last year, making it easier to see him as a building block for a winning team than it was this time last year, let alone last April.

"It's definitely given me confidence on what I can do, my capabilities," Montgomery said at SoxFest. "I feel less pressure. The past two spring trainings, my mindset was trying to break with the team. This year I know I'm going to Chicago."

It's a good opportunity for Getz to tout that he was simply right the whole time about Montgomery's long-term outcome, since his old quotes reveal he certainly can't be accused of being a fair-weather fan. Or better yet, that scouting director Mike Shirley was always right, since he'll be wielding an enormous draft pool in five months.

"It was just product of the organization and the coaches believing in me," Montgomery said of his 2025 campaign. "Their belief in me from the start is kind of what kept my confidence and my belief in myself. I had belief in myself, but if you are struggling and the organization is still high on you, and still believing in you, it give you extra motivation."

But a more immediate thing to credit Getz's operation with is not being afraid to intervene -- be it the Arizona overhaul or coordinating Zoom sessions with Montgomery's private hitting coaches -- to restore the trajectory of a player whom evaluators across the industry were beginning to downplay how much they ever believed in. Making players better than their acquisition cost has to become the White Sox's bread and butter to transcend a bottom-end payroll, and they also need to keep making Montgomery better.

Sure, he's already produced more bWAR (3.3) than the club's 2017 and 2019 draft classes combined, but part of both respecting his talent and the depths of struggle he pulled himself out of is accepting that the guy who struck out in 38 percent of his Triple-A trips to the plate last April is not a finished product. Montgomery himself has certainly already been shown the data behind it.

"I was with [hitting director Ryan] Fuller and some of our hitting coaches and we just went over the season," Montgomery said. "The good and ... not the bad, but just more things you need to maintain and continue to get better, because this game, from five, 10 years ago, this game is already totally different. You've just got to be able to adjust and keep getting better. It's just being aware of what I need to get myself out of if I'm feeling a certain way; that's drills, mindset or anything."

Montgomery struck out 29.2 percent of the time in his rookie campaign, with a sub-70 percent overall contact rate. Both figures that would suggest -- despite how productive he is when he makes contact (.290 ISO) -- that he's living on the borders of viability, certainly for someone expected to be a centerpiece of a major league offense. It's a below-average in-zone contact rate (82 percent), which lends a note of truth to scouts who knocked his barrel precision when Montgomery was at his lowest. But with all praise due to the torpedo bat, it's also not an abnormal figure for a high-ended power hitter, nor nearly as bad as even mid-2024 scouting looks would have suggested. Byron Buxton posted the exact same figure last year, Cal Raleigh and Shohei Ohtani posted worse, and no one's questioning whether they cover the zone well enough to access their raw pop.

The weak point of his Montgomery's rookie offensive profile is more of an unexpected one. He chased pitches out of the zone at a rate over 30 percent. For anyone that remembers the most exciting part of Montgomery's low-minors performance being the sky-high walk rates, or just knows that he chased at a sub-20 percent rate in 2023, it's a surprising development. Or an encouraging one, since he merely needs to improve at something he's looked great at in the past. It would also serve to explain why Montgomery spends so much time lauding the benefits of the Trajekt machine in building out the plate approach he'll hone to continue producing ridiculous power numbers.

"We put together a heat map, because pitchers have a heat map on you," said Montgomery, discussing a strategy session with White Sox coaches. "They're going to do this to you, so what do I want to do? I want to swing here, and I'm going to be OK with this. Or I'm going to swing here and I'm going to be OK with chasing--like, I have to pick. Am I going to chase up or down? Or am I going to chase out? We did all that stuff and we came to the conclusion that my biggest thing is ... well, I don't want to give out a scouting report on myself, but I'm just thinking out over the plate and reacting."

And the larger purpose of Montgomery using machine reps and cross-referencing it with data on where his swings do and don't have success, is to boil down his approach to a series of reactions. Much like a seasoned blackjack player already know if they're hitting, staying, splitting, etc. in a given situation before it arises, Montgomery wants to progress toward knowing what his decision is if he sees a certain pitch shape in a certain quadrant. It's just that interstitial notes of progress might not look like more patience or less chasing, at least not right away.

"The times when I used the Trajekt a lot when there was a game that day, I was jumping on first pitches more because I was more comfortable, because I saw what he looked like already," Montgomery said. "I will have [the simulated opposing pitchers] throw strikes, and then I'll have him throw balls so I can differentiate. Then I'll swing at a ball and think, 'Oh, I handled that pretty well.' So if I do chase, that's as far as it needs to be. I don't want to chase, it happens. But I've hit some balls hard that are off the plate.

"It just helps with your overall zone. Because you can't try and say, 'I'm going to cover the whole strike zone.' It's too hard. So you create your own zone. You say this is where I'm going to be and I'm going to be OK with them hitting these spots."

It's fitting that Montgomery has similar contact metrics to Buxton, a hitter whose power-over-hit orientation could look discombobulated in short stints made disparate by his repeated injuries, and who had to fend off notions that moving him off a demanding, premium defensive position would give his bat more room to breathe. After posting downright gaudy DRS (+7) and OAA (+6) metrics at short last year, Billy Carlson and Roch Cholowsky seem like the biggest threats to Montgomery sticking there than anything else. He's also still 6-foot-5, 230 pounds and significantly larger than the typical big league shortstop, and has dealt with back and oblique issues at multiple intervals in his career.

But even if Montgomery's 108.2 mph 90th-percentile exit velocities piled up more value than his glove, the latter provides the former with the runway to mature into a star-level weapon. From his view, Montgomery has manned 254 games in the field (including the minors and the Arizona Fall League) since the start of 2024, after injuries robbed him of half the 2023 season. And the residue of intentionally putting Montgomery in a locker room with Mike Tauchman and Michael A. Taylor and having him watch the aches and pains veterans play through up close, is he thinks his biggest source of development will not be working on the Trajekt machine in the hitting lab, but being out on the field.

"If I put my mind to saying, 'Yes, I'm hurting, but get through this game,' it helps me get through the game and I'll worry about tomorrow, tomorrow," Montgomery said. "I've just been carrying myself mentally to play 162."

https://soxmachine.com/2026/02/white-so ... wants-more