Logan Allen

Allen had an eventful 2019 season, making his debut in June for the Padres and being part of the three-team Trevor Bauer trade that sent him to Cleveland in July. Outside of those milestones, it wasn't a particularly good season for Allen on the field. In 27.2 innings at the big-league level with his two organizations, he struggled to a 6.18 ERA, striking out just 13.4% of opposing batters. He wasn't good in 18 starts at the Triple-A level, either, posting a 5.85 ERA and a respectable but unimpressive 22.3 K%. It would be wrong to give up on Allen after just one bad season, however, as he's still just 22 years old and had good numbers at nearly all of his previous stops. Still, as a classic back-end lefty starter prospect who relies on a strong changeup to get by despite an otherwise forgettable repertoire, both his floor and his ceiling would seem to be somewhat low for 2020.

Allen is not the Padres’ best pitching prospect, but of their top minor-league arms, he should be the first to join the big-league rotation in 2019. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound southpaw was the youngest and best pitcher to log 100-plus innings in the Texas League last year and earned a late-season promotion to Triple-A, where he held his own. He works with a 92-94 mph fastball, a plus changeup and a useful curveball -- an arsenal that allows him to have success against righties and lefties. Allen typically pounds the strike zone, although his command and control were not as sharp in five starts in the Pacific Coast League. The Padres will have no trouble finding room for Allen in the rotation if he is having success at Triple-A, so he could make his big-league debut around his 22nd birthday in late May. Given his workhorse frame and the fact he logged 148.2 innings in 2018, Allen could log 180 innings in 2019 if he can stay healthy. He has mid-rotation upside.

The Padres have so many intriguing arms on the farm that while Allen would rank as a top-three pitching prospect in most systems, he isn't even a consensus top-five arm in this historically deep system. Last season represented a breakout campaign for the 20-year-old southpaw, as he reached 100-plus innings for the first time and finished in the top 10 in FIP in the Midwest League (2.60) and the California League (3.31). He operates with a plus low-90s fastball, above-average changeup and a curveball that lacks consistency. When all of his pitches are on, he looks like a lock to pitch in the middle of a big-league rotation, but on other days he looks like a back-end starter. Allen's control is already above average, but his command needs to improve for him to reach his ceiling. San Diego has a logjam of arms at the High-A and Double-A levels, so it's unclear where Allen will start the year, but he will almost certainly finish the year at Double-A or Triple-A, setting up a 2019 MLB debut.