Although the current ownership group finalized the purchase of the San Diego Padres in August of 2012, the team had been in limbo since 2009. That year, Jeff Moorad launched his failed bid for the team.
According to Baseball America, the Padres farm system ranked eighth that year. By 2015, the first full year of A.J. Preller’s tenure as general manager, the ranking had fallen to 14th, further plummeting to 25th in 2016.
In a very short time, the Padres have turned the system around. Baseball America’s 2018 Organization Talent Rankings place San Diego third.