| W | L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | SO | WHIP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 6 | 2 | 4.48 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 60.1 | 57 | 1.24 |
| Career Minors | 7 | 8 | 6.06 | 34 | 26 | 0 | 117.1 | 113 | 1.49 |
| G | W-L | ERA | IP | SO | WHIP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 12 | 6-2 | 4.48 | 60.1 | 57 | 1.24 |
| Career Minors | 34 | 7-8 | 6.06 | 117.1 | 113 | 1.49 |
| Season | Tm | LG | L | W | L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | ACL Padres | ACL | ROK | 0 | 0 | 6.43 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 7.0 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 1.57 |
| 2025 | Lake Elsinore Storm | CAL | A | 1 | 6 | 7.92 | 16 | 13 | 0 | 50.0 | 61 | 45 | 44 | 3 | 28 | 49 | 1.78 |
| 2026 | Lake Elsinore Storm | CAL | A | 6 | 2 | 4.48 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 60.1 | 54 | 32 | 30 | 7 | 21 | 57 | 1.24 |
| ACL Padres | ACL | ROK | 0 | 0 | 6.43 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 7.0 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 1.57 | |
| Lake Elsinore Storm | CAL | A | 7 | 8 | 6.04 | 28 | 24 | 0 | 110.1 | 115 | 77 | 74 | 10 | 49 | 106 | 1.49 | |
| Career Minors | 2 Teams | 7 | 8 | 6.06 | 34 | 26 | 0 | 117.1 | 123 | 82 | 79 | 10 | 52 | 113 | 1.49 |
Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 45 | Overall: 40
Japanese-American Balzer was primarily a position player growing up in Japan but saw time on the mound as a high schooler, and that’s where he got interest from evaluators on both sides of the Pacific. The Padres signed him for only $10,000 in January 2023, and Balzer spent the start of his career rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. He didn’t debut until July 2024 and went to Single-A Lake Elsinore last season, posting a 7.92 ERA and a 1.78 WHIP with 49 strikeouts in 50 innings.
The 6-foot-1 right-hander is still plenty raw, but he generated excitement by reaching the upper 90s last spring. He worked closer to 93-96 mph, touching 98, with a running sinker in the California League. Despite some nice movement on the heater, he couldn’t command it well, often leaving it to be slammed in the zone. His mid-80s sweeper was his best swing-and-miss offering, mirroring the horizontal movement of the sinker (plus a few extra inches) while running away from righties. His split-change is very much a work in progress to find consistency, and lefties teed off on Balzer with a .971 OPS against him at Single-A.
At this stage, Balzer, who pitches solely from the stretch, is a control-over-command arm. His 11.6 percent walk rate with Lake Elsinore was modest for someone with such little pro experience, but his misses were in sluggable spots for opponents. He’ll be 21 for the 2026 season and enters the campaign still two years away from Rule 5 eligibility, meaning he’ll be given ample time and space to find the results that match the quality of his fastball-slider mix.
Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Splitter: 45 | Control: 50 | Overall: 40
A $10,000 signing with the Padres in January 2023, Balzer got lost in the shuffle of big international additions that year, but he has a fascinating backstory. He was primarily a position player growing up in Japan as a Japanese-American but moved to the mound in high school, in time for scouts on both sides of the Pacific to take notice. The move also came with injuries, and he needed Tommy John surgery around the time of signing. Aware of this when they added him, the Padres put Balzer into their rehab program and he finally made his pro debut in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League in July 2024. The righty has opened his age-20 season with Single-A Lake Elsinore.
With the elbow issues and rehab work behind him, Balzer captured plenty of attention on the backfields this spring as he touched the upper 90s. With a larger workload in the California League, he’s been closer to the 93-96 mph range with his running sinker bearing in on righties and away from lefties. His mid-80s sweeper is the whiff-dominant offering -- a breaking pitch that dives down with good spin and mirrors the armside movement of the two-seamer. He can display some interesting splitters, but those remain a work in progress, as evidenced by some serious righty-lefty splits.
The 6-foot-1 hurler is still working on honing in his command as he finds his footing in the rigors of a full healthy season, but the individual pieces are interesting. His background means he has plenty of room to grow as he establishes himself more on the mound. There’s starter upside here, but if he remains a sinker-slider pitcher, he could land in the bullpen where the velo could really fly.
| Team | Date | Transaction |
|---|---|---|
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06/23/2026 | RHP Bryan Balzer assigned to Fort Wayne TinCaps from Lake Elsinore Storm. |
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03/05/2026 | RHP Bryan Balzer assigned to San Diego Padres Prospects. |
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03/31/2025 | RHP Bryan Balzer assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from ACL Padres. |
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03/06/2025 | activated RHP Bryan Balzer. |
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07/26/2024 | RHP Bryan Balzer assigned to ACL Padres from Lake Elsinore Storm. |
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07/04/2024 | Lake Elsinore Storm sent RHP Bryan Balzer on a rehab assignment to ACL Padres. |
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05/03/2024 | RHP Bryan Balzer assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from ACL Padres. |
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03/24/2024 | ACL Padres placed RHP Bryan Balzer on the 60-day injured list. |
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11/05/2023 | ACL Padres activated RHP Bryan Balzer. |
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06/05/2023 | RHP Bryan Balzer roster status changed by ACL Padres. |
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01/30/2023 | RHP Bryan Balzer assigned to ACL Padres. |
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01/30/2023 | ACL Padres activated RHP Bryan Balzer. |
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01/30/2023 | San Diego Padres signed free agent RHP Bryan Balzer to a minor league contract. |
