5. San Diego Padres
The No. 1 system in my rankings the past two years took a few hits in 2019, from the graduations of the top prospect in baseball last winter (Fernando Tatis Jr.) and five others from its top 20 to the trade of top 100 overall prospect Xavier Edwards this winter for Tommy Pham and Jake Cronenworth. The Padres have also seen a few guys stall in their progress, or at least hit some obstacles as they’ve reached High A or Double A, while the pipeline behind them isn’t quite as productive as it was right after 2016, when they spent over $70 million in bonuses and penalties in the international market. They do still boast the minors’ top pitching prospect and substantial pitching depth, as well as a large class of highly athletic position players all across the diamond who look like they could fill out most of a lineup in two to three years.
KLaw fail