The San Antonio Missions, the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres, have relied on a robust pitching staff throughout the 2025 season.
With a history of pitching excellence, the Missions continue to lean on their arms to drive their Texas League campaign.
One significant development for the Missions came with the call-up of reliever Bradgley Rodriguez to the San Diego Padres.
Rodriguez covered 1.2 scoreless frames in his MLB debut over the weekend, but was then optioned to Triple-A in El Paso on Tuesday.
Rodriguez’s departure from San Antonio opened the door for other prospects to step into the spotlight.
Among them is 22-year-old right-handed pitcher Braden Nett, now recognized as San Diego’s top pitching prospect at the Double-A level.
Nett, a Missouri native, has captured attention with his raw and explosive arsenal, featuring a 96-98 mph fastball that touches 99 mph and a high-80s sweeper/slider with a 38% swing-and-miss rate.
KSAT 12 Sports sat down with Nett to discuss his improbable journey to professional baseball.
A 2022 undrafted free agent, Nett’s path was anything but conventional.
After dropping out of community college, he worked mornings in construction with his father and nights at Home Depot—while professional baseball felt like a fading hope.
His life changed dramatically when the Padres called to sign him while he was loading a truck at Home Depot.
“I didn’t even say goodbye to any of my coworkers or anything,” Nett said. “I was just unloading the truck and then instantly just took my apron off and went home—didn’t even give my two weeks or anything. I was just that excited.”
Nett’s story resonates beyond his on-field performance. Despite struggling academically, he remained committed to his passion for baseball, a message he hopes will inspire others.
“It’s just walking on that fine line, all your life, you’re pretty much told grades will get you anywhere,” Nett said. “In that moment, it was kind of hard to deal with, like, ‘oh, this is my only path to get to where I’m able to, is through grades.’”
“Believe in yourself” is the ethos that drives Nett, as he now stands as the Padres’ top pitching prospect at Double-A.
With goals of staying healthy and making it to the show, Nett is poised to lead the Missions’ pitching staff under the guidance of pitching coach Jeff Andrews and manager Luke Montz.
The Missions’ pitching depth extends beyond Nett, with prospects like Henry Baez, Jagger Haynes, Victor Lizarraga, and catcher Ethan Salas bolstering the roster.