The future is bright in San Diego

Although the San Diego Padres experienced another rough season, failing to reach the .500 mark for the sixth season in a row, they had room for excitement with the promotion of two of its top prospects, Manny Margot and Hunter Renfroe (No. 2 and No. 3 respectively), who both made their Major League debut on Sept. 21.

Both players received a taste of PetCo Park at the SiriusXM Futures Game in July, with Margot representing the World team and Renfroe representing U.S. Margot's day included a 1-for-4 offensive showing, in addition to a homer-robbing catch in center field. Renfroe went 0-for-2 with a walk as the U.S. fell to the World 11-3.

Margot, ranked as MLB Pipeline's No. 27 overall prospect, is an athletic outfielder who has a variety of tools. The 22-year-old signed as an international free agent with the Red Sox in 2011, and was traded to the Padres in the offseason deal that sent Craig Kimbrel to the Red Sox before the 2016 season. In 124 games with Triple-A El Paso, Margot hit .304 with six home runs, 21 doubles, 12 triples, 30 stolen bases and 55 RBIs.

Renfroe, the No. 13 overall pick in the 2013 MLB Draft by the Padres, is also ranked in MLB Pipeline's top 100 prospects, coming in at No. 41. The former Mississippi State Bulldog is known for his power, belting 20 or more homers in all of his full seasons in the Minors. At Triple-A El Paso this year, Renfroe hit a career high 30 home runs, while also maintaining a .306 average. He was selected as the Pacific Coast League's Most Valuable Player in addition to winning the Joe Bauman Home Run Award for Triple-A.

The two took advantage of their promotion, and played almost everyday down the stretch. In 35 at-bats, Renfroe totaled 13 hits, four homers and 14 RBIs. Margot started off hot, tallying eight hits in his first 23 at-bats, with four of them going for extra bases, but cooled down towards the end as he totaled just one hit in his next 14 at-bats.

The Padres have a lot to look forward to as more of their top prospects are set to make the jump to the Majors in 2017. Margot and Renfroe could make the roster out of Spring Training next year and are early 2017 Rookie of the Year Award candidates.