Over the last few seasons, the San Diego Padres farm system has taken a major hit stemming from multiple major trades that the front office has made.

San Diego did an excellent job building up the system, giving them the ability to land some very talented players at the big league level. Due to this, it has also limited the talent in the minor leagues.

But even with all the losses, the Padres still have a decent farm system in place, and it's been showing some stability this year. The group is headlined by top prospect Ethan Salas, who just got promoted to Triple-A.

After the trade deadline, MLB Pipeline re-ranked the Padres' farm system, with a few players seeing dramatic changes in their rankings.

Right-hander Bryan Balzer made the biggest jump, going from No. 29 in the preseason ranking to now being ranked No. 6. As for the largest fall, it was right-hander Garrett Hawkins, who was ranked No. 14 in the preseason and now comes in at No. 30.

Who is Bryan Balzer?

Balzer, 21, has spent time with both Single-A and High-A this season.

At Single-A, Balzer posted a 4.48 ERA over 60.1 innings, striking out 57 batters.

His performance earned him a bump to High-A, where he's made seven appearances (six starts) for the team, sporting a 5.40 ERA over 23.1 innings.

The big knock on Balzer is his walks, with him walking 14 batters in the limited time at High-A. But Balzer has a strong sweeper-sinker combo to his game that should interest the Padres going forward.

The Padres initially signed him as an international free agent out of Japan in 2023.

Who is Garrett Hawkins?

Hawkins has split time between Double-A and Triple-A this season, but his results have been very inconsistent.

The right-hander struggled at Triple-A, posting a 6.17 ERA over 21 appearances. He struggled with his command, walking 26 batters over the 23.1 innings he pitched.

The Padres demoted Hawkins back to Double-A, with him making his first appearance for them on July 1. However, his performance at Double-A hasn't been great either, as he's recorded a 6.60 ERA over 12 appearances.

On the bright side, the walks have been cut down since being demoted, with him only allowing five in the 15 innings he's thrown at Double-A.

The Padres initially drafted Hawkins in the ninth round of the 2021 MLB Draft.

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