2012 Draft Report Cards: San Diego Padres

By Jim Callis
October 24, 2012

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See also: Draft Report Card Index

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POSITION PLAYERS

QUICK TAKE

The Padres may have gotten the best pitcher in the draft with Fried with the seventh overall pick. They followed up with several arms and speedsters tailor-made for Petco Park.

Bonus Spending: $11.0 million

Best Pure Hitter: OF Travis Jankowski (1s) makes easy line-drive contact with his handsy swing. He batted .414 and led NCAA Division I with 110 hits in the spring, fueling Stony Brook's surprise run to the College World Series. Best Power Hitter: OF Brian Adams (8) has plus raw power but is still figuring out how to unlock it after playing sparingly at Kentucky. Fastest Runner: The Padres loaded up on speed, starting with OF Mallex Smith (5), an 80 runner on the 20-80 scouting scale. Jankowski and Adams are 70 runners, while SS/2B Jalen Goree (6) grades as a 60. Best Defensive Player: Jankowski is a potential Gold Glover in center field, and Smith could become one with more refinement.

PITCHERS

Best Fastball: RHP Cory Bostjancic (15) opened eyes by throwing 96-98 mph with heavy life during instructional league. LHP Max Fried (1) has more history and more aptitude with a quality fastball, operating in the low 90s and peaking at 96. RHPs Zach Eflin (1s) and Walker Weickel (1s) can run their heaters into the mid-90s. Best Secondary Pitch: Fried's downer curveball is a plus-plus pitch at its best. Eflin has an above-average changeup and RHP Roman Madrid (7) has a plus cutter/slider.

Best Pro Debut: Madrid, who also owns a 91-94 mph fastball, had a 2.89 ERA, a short-season Northwest League-best 14 saves and 44 strikeouts in 37 innings. LHP Chris Nunn (24) joined him on the NWL all-star team after posting a 0.81 ERA and 49 whiffs in 33 innings. Nunn has a low-90s fastball but thrives more on the deception provided by his funky delivery. Best Athlete: Adams easily has the best strength among the Padres' speedsters. He also played wide receiver at Kentucky. LHP Terrance Owens (40) is a Toledo quarterback with the potential for an NFL career. Most Intriguing Background: Owens hasn't played baseball since he was a high school freshman in 2006, but San Diego took a flier on him because they liked his athleticism and arm action. Fried and Lucas Giolito (Nationals) became the seventh pair of high school teammates selected in the first round of the same draft. C Chris O'Dowd's (23) father Dan is GM of the Rockies. LHP Kyle Ottoson (34) is a cousin of former Padres all-star Mark Loretta. Closest To The Majors: Madrid has the weapons to advance quickly as a reliever. Fried is exceptionally gifted for a high school lefthander and could speed through the minors in the same fashion as Cole Hamels and Clayton Kershaw. Best Late-Round Pick: San Diego managed to sign six high school arms after the 10th round. The best may be athletic and projectable LHP Drew Harrelson (12), who has an 87-90 mph fastball and a promising curveball. The One Who Got Away: RHP Kevin McCanna (22) has solid stuff and lots of polish but couldn't be diverted from attending Rice.