Scouting Report

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 55 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 50 | Overall: 45

Baez signed with the Padres for $125,000 out of the Dominican Republic in July 2019 but couldn’t debut in the Dominican Summer League until two years later due to the pandemic. He didn’t make a full-season debut until 2023 when he split the season between Single-A Lake Elsinore and High-A Fort Wayne, finishing with solid numbers (3.84 ERA, 99 strikeouts in 98 1/3 innings). He wasn’t added to the 40-man roster that offseason when Rule 5-eligible, however, because of his distance from the Majors. Baez enjoyed his big breakout last year, winning Padres Minor League Pitcher of the Year honors after posting a 2.99 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP with 109 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings between Fort Wayne and Double-A San Antonio, and San Diego added him to the 40-man in November. His success continued with San Antonio in 2025 and he was leading the Texas League in ERA, WHIP and batting average against when he was included in the prospect package sent to the A’s in return for Mason Miller and JP Sears at the Trade Deadline.

The 6-foot-3 right-hander has gained velocity steadily in his years as a pro and has touched as high as 99 mph this season. He typically sits around 94 mph, working north-south with the pitch while getting most of his whiffs up and to the armside. He played off that with a 76-79 mph curveball that could have more slurvish tendencies, but at its best, it snapped downward to fool batters sitting on the high heat and it had produced a 47 percent miss rate at the time of the trade. He also utilizes an 83-86 mph split-change to miss bats, but it stands out more for its separation than movement profile.

Baez took a major jump in workload but didn’t let his control improvements suffer. That certainly helps his starting chances, as does his 50.1 percent ground-ball rate from 2024. He’s still only 22, but with his place on the roster now set, the A’s (never afraid to move guys quickly) could try to see what it looks like in the big leagues in a relief role to ease him in.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 45 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 45

Signed out of the Dominican Republic for $125,000 in July 2019, Baez couldn’t debut in the Minors until 2021 due to the pandemic, and he spent that entire campaign in the Dominican Summer League, striking out 37 in 36 innings to get his career started on a solid note. He’s meticulously climbed the San Diego ladder stateside, made his full-season debut with Single-A Lake Elsinore in 2023 and posted the California League’s third-best ERA (min. 80 IP) with a 3.24 mark over 83 1/3 frames. Baez made a late-season move to High-A Fort Wayne and opened 2024 back up with the TinCaps after not being added to the 40-man roster in his first offseason of Rule 5 eligibility.

The 6-foot-3 right-hander has gained velocity steadily in pro ball and runs his fastball up to 97 mph, though he’s typically a little lower than that. He’ll work north-south with the pitch but will be better served working the top of the zone against more advanced hitters. His upper-70s slider shows more vertical break than horizontal, and while it can get whiffs on batters sitting heat, Baez can also hang the breaking ball occasionally and needs to improve its command. A mid-80s split-change flashes promise as it’s improved in the last two years, and its armside fade could make it an average pitch.

Baez typically hovered around the 10 percent walk-rate mark in his first two years stateside, but he's done an even better job limiting walks at High-A and Double-A in 2024. That helps calm some of the concerns that he was headed toward the bullpen long-term, but if that walk rate creeps back up against more advanced hitters, Baez might still be best-suited to facing a lineup one time through.

Awards

Baseball America Double-A All-Star

Year	Team
2025

TEX Post-Season All-Star

Year	Team
2025

TEX Pitcher of the Month

Month	Team
06/2025

MID Pitcher of the Week

Week	Team
07/14/2024

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	09/29/2025	Athletics recalled RHP Henry Baez from Midland RockHounds.
	08/14/2025	Midland RockHounds placed RHP Henry Baez on the 7-day injured list.
	07/31/2025	Athletics traded RHP Mason Miller and LHP JP Sears to San Diego Padres for RHP Henry Baez, RHP Eduarniel Núñez, SS Leo De Vries and RHP Braden Nett.
	07/31/2025	RHP Henry Baez assigned to Midland RockHounds.
	07/31/2025	RHP Henry Baez assigned to Las Vegas Aviators.
	03/28/2025	RHP Henry Baez assigned to San Antonio Missions from El Paso Chihuahuas.
	03/28/2025	San Antonio Missions activated RHP Henry Baez.
	03/07/2025	San Diego Padres optioned RHP Henry Baez to El Paso Chihuahuas.
	11/19/2024	San Diego Padres selected the contract of RHP Henry Baez from San Antonio Missions.
	07/23/2024	RHP Henry Baez assigned to San Antonio Missions from Fort Wayne TinCaps.
	08/15/2023	RHP Henry Baez assigned to Fort Wayne TinCaps from Lake Elsinore Storm.
	04/03/2023	RHP Henry Baez assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from ACL Padres.
	06/06/2022	RHP Henry Baez assigned to ACL Padres.
	07/10/2021	RHP Henry Baez assigned to DSL Padres.
	07/02/2019	San Diego Padres signed free agent RHP Henry Baez to a minor league contract.