Rymer Liriano

Liriano looked overmatched in a 38-game cup of coffee with the Padres to end the season. He managed a brutal .220/.289/.266 line and had 15 more strikeouts than hits. Worse, as a prospect hailed for his raw power, Liriano only managed one home run and two doubles. Liriano had 48 extra-base hits including 14 home runs in 131 games at Triple-A for San Diego, and he'll need to find that power again if he is going to succeed at the major league level. The Brewers claimed him off waivers during the offseason, but after getting hit by a pitch in the face in spring training, he will be out indefinitely to start the season. Liriano's power numbers still are not playing up to what his 6-foot, 230-pound frame can produce, so he still has some potential when he returns from the facial fractures.

Liriano made his debut in the big leagues as a 23-year-old in August, following a 2013 campaign that was completely erased by Tommy John surgery. Prior to his arrival to San Diego, the Padres gave Liriano more than three months at Double-A, where his plate discipline was largely unchanged from his pre-surgery numbers at the level, but he showed an uptick in power, swatting 14 homers and slugging .442 over 415 plate appearances after hitting just three homers in 206 plate appearances with San Antonio in 2012. He also showed an ability to contribute as a basestealer, going 17-for-24 against Double-A batteries. Liriano appeared to be overmatched in his first look against big-league pitching, as he struck out at a 32.2% clip and pounded balls into the ground at an alarming rate, even with most of his starts coming against left-handers. Liriano appears destined to open 2015 at Triple-A, with Matt Kemp and Justin Upton brought in to fill the corner spots during the offseason.

Poised to enter the 2013 season as San Diego's top hitting prospect, Liriano instead hit the operating room to undergo Tommy John surgery in mid-February, missing the entire year as a result. Following the typical rehab, he's expected to achieve full health by spring training, but because he has yet to surpass the Double-A level, his eventual landing spot, San Antonio or Triple-A Tucson, is up in the air. Wherever he settles, his base-stealing prowess -- he tallied 65 steals in 116 games at Low-A Fort Wayne in 2011 -- will be something to watch closely.

Liriano is by most accounts, the top prospect in the Padres farm system and for good reason. In 2012 he produced a .280/.350/.417 batting line with eight homers, 32 doubles and 32 stolen bases over 621 plate appearances between High-A Lake Elsinore, Double-A San Antonio and the Arizona Fall League. Scouts are impressed by his ability to spray the ball to all fields and project him to hit for more power than he has shown to this point as he matures. At 21 years old, he has speed to burn as evidenced by his 65 stolen bases at Low-A Fort Wayne in 2011. Expect him to push for a promotion to the bigs as early as late 2013.

Liriano has a very long way to go before he'll make his big league debut, but at just 20 years old, he has plenty of time to continue his development. He began last season with the Padres' Low-A affiliate and actually fared well, posting a .319/.383/.499 slash line with an improved 18.3 percent strikeout rate. However, upon his promotion to the High-A level he struggled mightily with a .213 OBP and a strikeout rate that hit 21.7 percent, so it could take some time. His biggest asset is his speed, as evidenced by his 66 stolen bases and 74.7 percent success rate, but as the old adage goes, you can't steal first base. He'll likely start 2012 in High-A again and from there, we can better determine whether or not he can make another jump in level.