Randy Smith, San Diego Padres director of player development and international scouting, met with members of the media this afternoon before the TinCaps took on Bowling Green.

As one might imagine when the subject is a team that's won eight games in a row, Smith kind of likes what he sees here right now – and is seeing exactly what he hoped to see when players were assigned here in the spring.

"When we sent this club here to start the year … this was a talented club, very young at the time, inexperienced," he said. "But if you'd gone around the room and said 'Raise your hand if you think so-and-so is a prospect,' someone probably would have raised his hand for just about every guy at the start of the year for each position.

"I think these guys have just jelled, they've gotten better, they've gotten experience, they're getting good leadership from Freiman and Hagerty ,the college guys. Some of the Latin guys who'd gotten off to a slow start are picking up and doing what we thought they would."