It's not exactly like an old Western movie, in which John Wayne leads the cavalry over the hill, bugle blaring to save the day as a band of Indians attacked the wagon train.

But, yes, Padres fans, help is coming.

Baseball America, the bible of the minor leagues, tabbed San Antonio -- the Padres' affiliate in the Double-A Texas League -- as its minor league team of the year. And six Padres prospects made one of the publication's minor-league all-star teams.

"No question, the Padres are making progress," said John Manuel, editor in chief of Baseball America. "They're minor-league system is still No. 4 in the NL West, but they're making progress."

In light of the Rockies' success in building from within -- 16 of the 25 players on their World Series roster are homegrown --- there is a blueprint for success.

Baseball America has long panned the Padres' minor-league system. Last year, it was rated No. 29 among the 30 major-league teams. The Rockies were No. 2, the Diamondbacks No. 3, the Dodgers No. 6 and the Giants No. 21.

"I'm encouraged by what the Padres have done under Grady Fuson," Manuel said of the Padres' vice president of scouting and player development, who was hired in March 2005.

"I don't try to bash teams, but the Padres are what they are. All they really got out of the 2002 draft was Khalil Greene. What did they get from 2003? Tim Stauffer and Colt Morton. And 2004 was a disaster with Matt Bush."

But the Padres have had three solid drafts in a row.

"We have to build through our farm system," Padres CEO Sandy Alderson said. "Certainly, we want to have the flexibility to be in the market to sign free agents, but your farm system is what puts you in the position to make that key signing or the key trade to put you over the top."

Besides Greene, the Padres also got outfielders Paul McAnulty and Drew Macias from the 2002 draft. And catcher George Kottaras was traded to Boston for pitcher Cla Meredith.

Stauffer was one of the stars of the 2003 draft, but he has proven to be a fringe major leaguer at best. Morton, however, could prove to be a serviceable backup catcher.

The 2004 draft was a joke, as the Padres passed on players like Stephen Drew, Jered Weaver and Justin Verlander while straying from their college-first theory and took Mission Bay High shortstop Matt Bush. In four years, Bush has had more Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgeries (one) than games played above Single-A (zero).

The lone bright spot could be slugging first baseman Kyle Blanks, a 42nd-round selection.

With the first pick in the draft that year, the Padres went cheap, signing Bush for $3.15 million. And they're paying for it.

Fuson was hired in time to run the 2005 draft, along with scouting director Bill Gayton. That draft has yielded at least eight prospects, including first-rounders Cesar Carrillo and Cesar Ramos, second-rounders Chase Headley and Nick Hundley, third-rounder Josh Geer, seventh-rounder Will Venable, and Aaron Breit (12th round) and Brent Carter (16th round).

Likewise, the 2006 draft yielded eight prospects, including first-rounders Matt Antonelli and Chad Huffman, second-rounder Wade LeBlanc, third-rounder Cedric Hunter, fourth-rounder Nate Culp, and David Freese (ninth round), Matt Latos (11th round) and Matt Buschmann (15th round).

And Manuel likes all six Padres first-rounders from this year -- Nick Schmidt, Kellen Kulbachi, Drew Cumberland, Mitch Canham, Cory Luebke and Daniel Payne, as well as second-rounder Brad Chalk and fourth-rounders Corey Kluber and Lance Zawadzki.

"Now the Padres have players with an upside," Manuel said. "They're in better shape now than in a long time, and they need to be in the NL West.

"They got some good college hitters in Antonelli and Headley. They got some grinders and overachievers in Canham, Kulbachi and Payton, and they got more athletic up the middle with Cumberland and Zawadzki."

Said Fuson: "We have a plan now. We want hitters who had success in college and pitchers who can pitch, not just throw hard.

"If they throw hard and can pitch, that's a bonus."

Padres general manager Kevin Towers has worked wonders with low-priced free agents and trades to keep the Padres in contention. But he's a former scouting director and understands the value of teams developing their own players.

"We've had a lot of high picks over the last few years, and we got some guys who'll help us -- maybe starting in 2008," Towers said. "In the draft, you need to hit on at least a couple of your first five picks.

"Then you have to get lucky and kick up a diamond between the fifth and 15th rounds."

The Padres did exactly that in 1999, taking Jake Peavy in the 15th round.

"I'm not saying the Padres' drafts will have the impact of Colorado and Arizona," Manuel said. "But they are much better.

"We had the Padres system (No.) 29 last year. This season, they jump to somewhere between 11 and 20."

Contact staff writer John Maffei at (760) 740-3547 or jmaffei@nctimes.com.

HOMEGROWN ROCKIES

RHP -- Aaron Cook -- 2nd round 1997

RHP -- Many Corpas -- Non-drafted free agent 1999

LHP -- Jeff Francis -- 1st round 2002

RHP -- Ubaldo Jimenez -- Non-drafted free agent 2001

LHP -- Franklin Morales -- Non-drafted free agent 2002

RHP -- Ryan Speir -- Non-drafted free agent 2001

C -- Chris Iannetta -- 4th round 2004

3B -- Garret Atkins -- 5th round 2000

1B --Todd Helton -- 1st round 1995

SS -- Troy Tulowitzki -- 1st round 2005

OF -- Jeff Baker ---4th round 2002

OF --Brad Hawpe -- 11th round 2002

OF -- Matt Holliday -- 7th round 1998

OF -- Seth Smith -- 2nd round 2004

OF -- Ryan Spillborghs --7th round 2002

OF -- Cory Sullivan -- 7th round 2001

PADRES BASEBALL AMERICA ALL-STARS

2B -- Matt Antonelli -- 1st round 2006

3B -- Chase Headley -- 2nd round 2005

1B -- Kyle Blanks -- 42nd round 2004

OF -- Luis Durango -- Non-drafted free agent 2003

OF -- Kellen Kulbacki -- 1st round 2007

RHP -- Matt Latos -- 11th round 2006