Tucson 7 (23-49), Las Vegas 5: The T-Pads used a five-run third to best the 51′s. Blake Tekotte(.269) went 2-3, with a pair of walks, and Yasmani Grandal (.308 AVG) had three hits. Colt Hynes (3-6) got the win, despite giving up 5 runs in 6 innings.

June 2, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal (12) recovers a dropped third strike to throw the batter out at first base to end the eighth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-US PRESSWIRE

Corpus Christi 2, San Antonio 1 (28-43, 0-1 in the 2nd half): San Antonio lost in twelve innings, with their only RBI coming on a 3rd inning HR from Jake Blackwood, his 4th of the year. Hayden Beard was excellent for the Missions, going 7 innings, and allowing just one earned run.

Eugene 7 (4-2), Boise 4: The Emeralds pounded out 16 hits, although 15 were singles. Alberth Martinez(.389) went 4-4 and scored 3 runs. 2012 2nd round picks made their professional debuts in the game. Baltz started at DH and went 1-4. Phillips started at catcher, and went 2-5.

Beard, a 25-year-old Australian righty, will get his first taste of the level. He was poor in Fort Wayne, posting a 6.16 ERA and just a 22/16 K/BB in 36 1/3 innings. He allowed just one homer, but his 45.3% groundball rate shows that to be largely luck.

Poynter, 23, is universally praised for his stuff but derided for some of the worst pitching mechanics in the minors. He throws a mid-90′s fastball and a hard breaking ball, and keeps both pitches down, leading to tons of grounders (64.6% career). He’s never pitched in full-season ball, so his promotion comes as a bit of a surprise.

Beard and Poynter certainly didn’t seem to be the top candidates to go up to Fort Wayne, but I’m not the one calling the shots. Beard did throw two scoreless innings in his Lake Elsinore debut.

I’d imagine the thinking here is to see if these two old-for-their-levels guys really have what it takes to be decent prospects. I doubt Beard’s up for it in the long run, but Poynter certainly has the stuff to be intriguing if he can stay healthy and properly implement some of the mechanical changes the Padres have attempted to instill in him.

The two take the roster spots of a DL’ed Jorge Reyes (right shoulder strain) and a promoted Colt Hynes.

The Storm also added another player to their roster–Padres outfielder Will Venable, who’s on a rehab assignment. Venable is 0-for-6 with five strikeouts across two games; he’s clearly got some rust to shake off.

I thought I’d take a quick look at the oldest hitter and pitcher for each Padres minor league team, with the exception of the Triple-A Portland Beavers (Triple-A is weird because you have a lot of big league veterans and fringe players there; Eric Munson, for example).

Are any of them decent prospects?

At Low-A Fort Wayne, the oldest pitcher is 25-year-old Hayden Beard and the oldest position player is 24-year-old outfielder Bo Davis.

Beard is an Australian righthander who pitched for the Rookie-level Mets a few years ago, disappeared, and resurfaced this year in Fort Wayne. He’s thrown three solid innings thus far.

A short righthander, Beard is a complete unknown at this point, and barring a huge breakout, he’s likely not on the prospect radar.

Davis was a 24th round pick last year who is just in his first full year of pro ball; you can’t really blame him for that.

He hit .329/.468/.473 in 20 games at short-season Eugene last year, and even stole 11 bases, although he’s off to just a .160/.222/.240 start in Fort Wayne this year.

His numbers last year give some cause for optimism, but like Beard, Davis needs to continue to dazzle to have an upper-minors future, let alone one in the majors.

The oldest pitcher at High-A Lake Elsinore is 24-year-old Nick Schumacher, who is actually younger than Beard. The oldest position player is soon-to-be-26-year-old catcher Michael Collins.

Schumacher has some promise, as he throws a plus cut fastball and has a playable four-seamer, slider, and changeup. He also posted a 1.11 ERA at Fort Wayne last year, and when a guy throughly dominates a level, you can’t write him off no matter the age.

Collins posted a .375 OBP in Double-A last year, so he doesn’t really belong in A-ball. He’s only there due to a roster crunch. Collins impressed in big league camp, and could make for a solid backup catcher at the major league level.

In Double-A, the oldest pitcher is soon-to-be-27-year-old Mike DeMark and the oldest position player is 25-year-old catcher Mitch Canham.

DeMark is a definite prospect, as he features two solid pitches and a deceptive delivery. The righty is only in Double-A because of the extreme bullpen depth of the organization. He could be a solid middle reliever.

Canham isn’t really a prospect, although he hit a respectable .263/.339/.371 in Double-A last year, and is repeating the level. He’s a below-average defensive catcher, however, and doesn’t have quite enough bat to make for more than a Triple-A mainstay down the line. The Padres have toyed with the idea of making him a Jamie Burke-style corner utility player, and he’s even got some reps at second base; he’ll need to master just about every position to have value.

So, in conclusion, some of the older guys in the system, like Collins, DeMark, and Schumacher, really have some promise despite their advanced age. They’ve produced well statistically, and it’s not their fault the Padres system has a lot of depth at their positions. Where they’re sent by the organization is also out of their hands.

Don’t count a prospect out just because of his age. It can be a big warning sign, sure, and it likely precludes guys from top prospect status, but even a 27-year-old Double-A guy like DeMark can easily carve out a nice major league career if things break right.