As the 2025 MLB Draft quickly approaches, the Prospects Live team wants to make your life as easy as possible. In this upcoming series of articles, I'll be providing team-by-team analysis of their recent draft trends, their available draft capital for 2025, any areas of the draft they've heavily targeted, as well as a few names in this year's class that might fit into their historically preferred archetype.

This analysis isn't sourced for the upcoming year, nor is it a guarantee the organization won't pivot from what they've done in the past. Simply put, this article aims to provide an in-depth look at teams and their recent draft classes to try and decipher trends that could help uncover players your favorite team might be targeting. It's far from a perfect science, but I've done my job if it makes things easier to follow on draft day.

San Diego Padres

  • 2025 Bonus Pool Value - $6,569,100 (28th)
  • Top 100 selections - 25, 99

With just two selections in the Top 100 picks this upcoming draft, the Padres are financially tight and have little maneuverability. Signing Nick Pivetta cost them their second-rounder this year, and with no compensation picks to their name, the Friars have one of the smallest pools out there. Don’t expect this year’s class to revitalize a system heavily depleted via trades in recent years.

2024 Draft Overview

The 2024 San Diego Padres draft is a fantastic blueprint for what this organization loves to do: Maximize upside and take prepsters early. 

In 2024, San Diego implemented their tried and true draft strategy to effectively utilize a significant bonus pool investment in promising young players with a prep-heavy focus. Their first-round pick, Kash Mayfield, is considered a relatively safe choice as a high school left-handed pitcher. In his senior season at Elk City, Mayfield posted impressive statistics: a 0.16 ERA, 115 strikeouts, and only eight walks. He was a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year in Oklahoma. He features a fastball, changeup, and curveball combination with above-average grades, with the changeup being his most effective strikeout pitch. Mayfield was committed to Oklahoma State before deciding to sign with the Padres.

Additionally, the team’s second-round pick, Boston Bateman, received a signing bonus of $740,000 above slot value, while fifth-round pick Kale Fountain received $1,256,000 above slot value. Both Bateman and Fountain are considered high-risk, high-reward selections. Bateman is a hard-throwing, 6-foot-8 high school left-hander from the West Coast who grabbed attention before the draft with excellent feel and grades on his breaking ball. 

Meanwhile, Fountain set multiple high school records in Nebraska, including the state’s home run record during his junior season. Fountain possesses near-plus plus-grade power, which he showcased at the Prep Baseball Super 60 event the winter before his senior season, catching the attention of scouts.

Lastly, add in third-rounder high schooler Cobb Hightower (slot), who is praised for his bat speed and above-average baserunning abilities, and you’ve got an incredibly high-variance draft.

Additionally, on the college side, I liked the Tyson Neighbors and Kavares Tears picks that even managed to save themselves a bit of cash along the way, but they followed their blueprint of swinging for the fences to a T. Even Tear and Neighbors aren’t all that “safe” for polished college performers. It’s tools over polish in San Diego, a strategy that’s provided relatively positive results for perhaps the most trade-happy organization in the league.

2023 Draft Overview

The 2023 draft class was interesting for the Padres, who, on paper, probably should’ve had a better draft than it’s turning out at present. I actually thought their strategy was very intriguing and netted them plenty of developmental upside; however, between injuries and underperformance, the class has been lackluster for San Diego at best. 

They chose to save a healthy amount of money early on with first and second-rounders Dillon Head ($370,000 under slot) and J.D. Gonzalez ($148,600 under slot) while splurging on late-round prep arms Kannon Kemp ($436,200 over slot), Blake Dickerson ($350,000 over slot), and Dane Lais ($200,000 over slot). 

Yet, their broad approach was a flop primarily due to poor health. They still prioritized young players with loud tools and projectability. However, this particular class has yet to prove much on the field. 

2022 Draft Overview

The Padres’ affinity for young prep players has been well documented, with 2022 being no exception. Starting the draft off with two premiere prep arms in Dylan Lesko ($109,000 under slot) and Robby Snelling ($1,000,000 over slot), San Diego sunk a large portion of their spending capital into their two first selections. 

Despite their aggressive, top-heavy prep approach, they were able to find plenty of value down the draft board with names like third-rounder Henry Williams ($109,600 over slot), sixth-rounder Jakob Marsee, thirteenth-rounder Graham Pauley, and fifth-rounder Nathan Martorella. 

It’s obviously been tough for Lesko to stay on the mound as a professional, and Snelling wasn’t necessarily smooth sailing either. However, on the whole, this draft class has to be considered a success.

Early Round Demographics 

They’re almost always looking at prepster players in round one, though their general archetype of player doesn’t change much early on. 

When building their draft boards, San Diego seeks athletes who possess strong power, explosive quickness, elite athleticism, or a combination of these traits. When it comes to pitchers, they prefer a balance. They place a higher value on polished arms that show potential as starters, but they are also open to taking risks on raw talent.

This dichotomy is shown well in last year’s first two selections, Kash Mayfield and Boston Bateman. Each has plenty of upside in their own right, but Bateman is far less refined as a pitcher than Mayfield is at a similar age. If a player has a legitimate ceiling available to the Padres at 25 despite significant risk, I’d expect them to take a swing. There’s a chance they could cut a bit of a deal and try for two legitimate prep prospects despite their limited capital. Their appetite for risk might be the highest around.

Late Round Demographics

When they’re not taking prepsters or making up for lost bonus pool spending from earlier rounds, San Diego continues to stick to their tools-centric approach. It might sound repetitive at this point, but it’s typically big-bodied arms and power threats at the plate. They know what they like and will certainly go all in on it.

Names to Know

Sean Gamble, HS OF - A match made in heaven? A tooled up prep outfielder that just needs to figure out the hit tool to put it all together.

Jack Bauer, HS LHP - A lefty prep arm that’s already touching 102 on the mound and rips a wicked high-spin slider. Big time ceiling with less of a track record than other top arms in this class.

Kruz Schoolcraft, HS TWP - Most prefer him as a 6’8 lefty starter, but he’s got legitimate power at the plate that speaks to his overall athleticism.