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Minors: Six Padres prospects listed in Baseball America’s new top-100

Padres minor league player Fernando Tatis runs to first during their game against Texas Rangers prospects on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017, in San Diego, California.
Padres minor league player Fernando Tatis runs to first during their game against Texas Rangers prospects on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017, in San Diego, California.
(Eduardo Contreras / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Officially, Fernando Tatis Jr. is the Padres’ best prospect since … Sean Burroughs.

The fast-rising shortstop is ranked No. 9 in Baseball America’s updated top-100 prospect list, the highest ranking for a Padres prospect since Burroughs rose from No. 7 to No. 6 to No. 4 from 2000 to 2002. Other Padres listed in Monday’s unveiling are left-hander MacKenzie Gore (No. 26), right-hander Michel Baez (No. 28), second baseman Luis Urias (No. 32), right-hander Cal Quantrill (No. 52) and left-hander Adrian Morejon (No. 66).

Tatis is just the fourth Padres prospect to crack the top-10, joining Burroughs, right-hander Matt Clement (No. 10 in 1999) and catcher Ben Davis (No. 10 in 1996).

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Of that trio, Clement enjoyed the most significant major league career, pairing an 87-86 record with a 4.47 ERA and 1,217 strikeouts over parts of nine seasons. The former third-rounder was 25-29 with a 4.82 ERA in three seasons in San Diego before he was traded to the Marlins in March 2001 for Mark Kotsay.

Meanwhile, Davis and Burroughs were first-rounders who never lived up to expectations.

The Padres selected Davis No. 2 overall in 1995 but flipped him to the Mariners in December 2001 for Brett Tomko, Ramon Vazquez and Tom Lampkin after he posted an underwhelming .677 OPS over the first four seasons in the majors. Davis was released four times over a three-year period before playing his final game in independent ball in 2010.

Burroughs was the ninth overall pick in 1998 but packed his bags for Tampa Bay (Dewon Brazelton trade) after slugging just .360 over his first four years with the Padres. He was released twice in two years after his December 2005 trade. A comeback attempt after a five-year hiatus saw Burroughs hit just one more homer in 88 games split between the Diamondbacks and Twins from 2011 to 2012.

The Padres, of course, have grander expectations for Tatis, who arrived in the James Shields salary dump.

Tatis, 19, paired a .278/.379/.498 batting line with 22 homers, 75 RBIs and 32 steals as he zoomed from low Single-A Fort Wayne to Double-A San Antonio in his first full season in pro-ball. His No. 9 ranking is his first appearance on Baseball America’s top-100 list.

The No. 3 overall pick last year, Gore debuted in the preseason list at No. 26 after posting a 1.27 ERA, 34 strikeouts and an 0.98 WHIP in his first 21 1/3 innings in the Arizona Rookie League in his pro debut.

The 22-year-old Baez and Urias are also on the preseason list for the first time.

Baez went 7-2 with a 2.54 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 63 2/3 innings split between rookie ball and low Single-A Fort Wayne after signing out of Cuba for $3 million.

Urias, meanwhile, was an All-Star after starting 2017 as the youngest player in the Texas League. He hit .296/.398/.380 with three homers and 38 RBIs in 118 games with Double-A San Antonio.

The No. 8 overall pick in 2016, Quantrill moved from No. 96 last preseason to No. 52 after going 7-10 with a 3.80 ERA, 110 strikeouts and a 1.47 WHIP in 116 innings as he moved from high Single-A Lake Elsinore to Double-A San Antonio.

Morejon also took a big leap – from No. 98 last February to No. 66 – as he went 3-4 with a 3.86 ERA, 58 strikeouts and a 1.29 WHIP in 64 innings split between short-season Tri-City and Fort Wayne in his first action since signing out of Cuba for $11 million.

Right-hander Anderson Espinoza, who missed all of 2017 due to a Tommy John surgery, dropped out of Baseball America’s top-100 after opening the year at No. 21.

Outfielders Manuel Margot (No. 24) and Hunter Renfroe (No. 44) graduated from last year’s list.

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jeff.sanders@sduniontribune.com; Twitter: @sdutSanders

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