Joshua Mears Stats & Scouting Report

AB	191
AVG	.215
OBP	.262
SLG	.408
HR	10

Full name Joshua Livingstone Mears
Born 02/21/2001 in Kirkland, WA
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 230 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Federal Way
Drafted in the 2nd round (48th overall) by the San Diego Padres in 2019 (signed for $1,000,000).

View Draft Report

Mears is a 6-foot-3, 235-pound outfielder who is committed to Purdue. He has plenty of natural strength and scouts believe he could still add more weight, which he’ll need to carefully maintain. Mears is lively in the batter's box, showing quick hands and plus bat speed. He creates natural loft with his swing and has plus raw power, though he will need to continue refining his approach to get to it regularly. He has performed well with the bat this spring in front of plenty of higher-level evaluators. Despite a lack of pure instinct and only an average run tool, Mears is athletic and evaluators think he will be fine in the outfield, though he’ll definitely be in a corner.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

BA Grade/Risk: 50/Extreme

Track Record: Mears went viral during 2021 spring training with a 117 mph home run off Rockies reliever Carlos Estevez in a Cactus League game. His power continued to play at Low-A Lake Elsinore for his first full season, at least when he was in the lineup. Mears missed time to a shoulder injury, a concussion, the COVID list and a broken nose on a bunt he fouled off his face in the fall. He returned to hit 22 home runs while rising to Double-A in 2022, including 11 in 47 games after spending several weeks in the middle of the season at the Padres' complex to attempt to retool his swing.

Scouting Report: Mears stands a chiseled 6-foot-3, 242 pounds and destroys baseballs with his plus-plus raw power. He doesn't chase much and draws walks with a good eye for the zone, but he misses too many pitches in the heart of the plate and struggles with high-carry fastballs and breaking balls below the zone. He has a career 39% strikeout rate and will have to make major strides with his swing to be even a well-below average hitter. Mears has surprising speed for a big man and is playable in center field. His long-term landing spot is likely right field, where he projects to be an average defender with an average arm.

The Future: No one in the Padres system has as much raw power as Mears, but there are real questions if he'll ever make enough contact to showcase it. He'll return to Double-A San Antonio to start 2023.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 30. Power: 50. Speed: 45. Fielding: 50. Arm: 50.
Track Record: A relative unknown until a breakout senior year of high school, Mears went viral during 2021 spring training with a 117 mph home run off Rockies reliever Carlos Estevez in a Cactus League game. While he was overmatched for much of his stay in big league camp, Mears’ power continued to play at Low-A Lake Elsinore for his first full professional season, at least when he was in the lineup. Mears missed time with a shoulder injury, a concussion and also spent time on the Covid-19 injured list. Even his push to make up for lost time at instructional league was halted when he fouled a bunt attempt off his face and broke his nose.

Scouting Report: Checking in at a chiseled 6-foot-3, 242 pounds, Mears has 80-grade raw power and hits titanic home runs with remarkably little effort. The question is whether he will make enough contact to get to his power. Mears struck out in 39% of his plate appearances at Lake Elsinore with a lot of swings and misses in the strike zone, although he doesn’t chase much and draws enough walks to be valuable even as a low-average hitter. Mears has surprising speed for a big man, prompting the Padres to give him exploratory looks in center field last year. His long-term landing spot is likely right field, where he projects to be an average defender with an average arm.

The Future: Mears has the build, bat speed and plus-plus raw power that are easy to dream on. He’ll head to High-A Fort Wayne in 2022 to see if he can stay healthy and get to his power in games against better pitching.
TRACK RECORD: Mears stood out for his physicality at the 2018 Area Code Games and showed prolific power throughout high school. The Padres drafted him 48th overall in 2019 and signed him for $1 million. Mears impressed in his pro debut in the Rookie-level Arizona League, but he suffered a broken hamate bone in 2020 that kept him off the field until the end of instructional league.

SCOUTING REPORT: Mears is built like a major league slugger at a chiseled 6-foot-3, 230 pounds. He destroys baseballs with plus-plus raw power and has already posted exit velocities as high as 117 mph-- which would have been fourth-highest in the major leagues in 2020. Mears' power is monstrous, but it's a question how much he'll get to it. He has rarely faced good velocity and his swing length and pitch recognition need improvement for him to be an average hitter. Mears is athletic for his size but projects to slow down as he gets older. He fits in right field with his above-average arm strength.

THE FUTURE: Mears was committed to Purdue to study engineering and took college classes while still in high school. That intelligence and work ethic should help him get the most from his abilities.
TRACK RECORD: Mears long stood out for his physicality and put himself on draft radars with a strong performance at the 2018 Area Code Games. He carried that momentum through his senior season and was drafted by the Padres in the second round, No. 48 overall. He signed for $1 million to forgo a Purdue commitment and impressed in his pro debut in the Rookie-level Arizona League.

SCOUTING REPORT: Mears is already built like a major league slugger at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds. Big, strong, and physical, Mears possesses plus-plus raw power to all fields and gets to it easily with a fast, compact swing for his size. Mears rarely saw premium velocity growing up in the Pacific Northwest and struggled to catch up to it early in his pro debut, but he adjusted to gear up for fastballs and hit .313 with a .937 OPS over the final month of the season. He hit one ball 117 mph off the bat, the same maximum exit velocity as Nelson Cruz in 2019. Mears is a prototypical right fielder with below-average speed and a plus arm. He has sneaky athleticism but has work to do to become an average defender.

THE FUTURE: Mears is a bright individual who took college courses while still in high school. His physicality, strong work ethic and intelligence make for a promising foundation.

Draft Prospects

Mears is a 6-foot-3, 235-pound outfielder who is committed to Purdue. He has plenty of natural strength and scouts believe he could still add more weight, which he'll need to carefully maintain. Mears is lively in the batter's box, showing quick hands and plus bat speed. He creates natural loft with his swing and has plus raw power, though he will need to continue refining his approach to get to it regularly. He has performed well with the bat this spring in front of plenty of higher-level evaluators. Despite a lack of pure instinct and only an average run tool, Mears is athletic and evaluators think he will be fine in the outfield, though he'll definitely be in a corner.

Minor League Top Prospects

Few players his age physically look the part of a ballplayer more than Mears, who has a solid, chiseled physique. "He's like a 'create-a-player' in a video game," Padres manager Vinny Lopez said. The Padres took Mears in the second round, signing the Washington native for a $1 million bonus to keep him away from a Purdue commitment. Mears struggled out of the gate, facing professional pitchers with velocity that he seldom faced in high school. He finished strong, however, compiling a .937 OPS during the final month of the season. Mears has plenty of raw power and plus bat speed, but he will need to continue to refine his approach to consistently get to that big-time pop. He also has work to do to become a good defender, although he showed flashes at times and especially late in the season. He's a below-average runner, but he has a plus arm as well as the desire and work ethic to get better.

Scouting Reports

BA Grade/Risk: 50/Extreme

Track Record: Mears went viral during 2021 spring training with a 117 mph home run off Rockies reliever Carlos Estevez in a Cactus League game. His power continued to play at Low-A Lake Elsinore for his first full season, at least when he was in the lineup. Mears missed time to a shoulder injury, a concussion, the COVID list and a broken nose on a bunt he fouled off his face in the fall. He returned to hit 22 home runs while rising to Double-A in 2022, including 11 in 47 games after spending several weeks in the middle of the season at the Padres' complex to attempt to retool his swing.

Scouting Report: Mears stands a chiseled 6-foot-3, 242 pounds and destroys baseballs with his plus-plus raw power. He doesn't chase much and draws walks with a good eye for the zone, but he misses too many pitches in the heart of the plate and struggles with high-carry fastballs and breaking balls below the zone. He has a career 39% strikeout rate and will have to make major strides with his swing to be even a well-below average hitter. Mears has surprising speed for a big man and is playable in center field. His long-term landing spot is likely right field, where he projects to be an average defender with an average arm.

The Future: No one in the Padres system has as much raw power as Mears, but there are real questions if he'll ever make enough contact to showcase it. He'll return to Double-A San Antonio to start 2023.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 30. Power: 50. Speed: 45. Fielding: 50. Arm: 50.
BA Grade/Risk: 50/Extreme

Track Record: Mears went viral during 2021 spring training with a 117 mph home run off Rockies reliever Carlos Estevez in a Cactus League game. His power continued to play at Low-A Lake Elsinore for his first full season, at least when he was in the lineup. Mears missed time to a shoulder injury, a concussion, the COVID list and a broken nose on a bunt he fouled off his face in the fall. He returned to hit 22 home runs while rising to Double-A in 2022, including 11 in 47 games after spending several weeks in the middle of the season at the Padres' complex to attempt to retool his swing.

Scouting Report: Mears stands a chiseled 6-foot-3, 242 pounds and destroys baseballs with his plus-plus raw power. He doesn't chase much and draws walks with a good eye for the zone, but he misses too many pitches in the heart of the plate and struggles with high-carry fastballs and breaking balls below the zone. He has a career 39% strikeout rate and will have to make major strides with his swing to be even a well-below average hitter. Mears has surprising speed for a big man and is playable in center field. His long-term landing spot is likely right field, where he projects to be an average defender with an average arm.

The Future: No one in the Padres system has as much raw power as Mears, but there are real questions if he'll ever make enough contact to showcase it. He'll return to Double-A San Antonio to start 2023.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 30. Power: 50. Speed: 45. Fielding: 50. Arm: 50.
BA Grade: 50/Very High

Track Record: A relative unknown until a breakout senior year of high school, Mears went viral during 2021 spring training with a 117 mph home run off Rockies reliever Carlos Estevez in a Cactus League game. While he was overmatched for much of his stay in big league camp, Mears&#39 power continued to play at Low-A Lake Elsinore for his first full professional season, at least when he was in the lineup. Mears missed time with a shoulder injury, a concussion and also spent time on the Covid-19 injured list. Even his push to make up for lost time at instructional league was halted when he fouled a bunt attempt off his face and broke his nose.

Scouting Report: Checking in at a chiseled 6-foot-3, 242 pounds, Mears has 80-grade raw power and hits titanic home runs with remarkably little effort. The question is whether he will make enough contact to get to his power. Mears struck out in 39% of his plate appearances at Lake Elsinore with a lot of swings and misses in the strike zone, although he doesn&#39t chase much and draws enough walks to be valuable even as a low-average hitter. Mears has surprising speed for a big man, prompting the Padres to give him exploratory looks in center field last year. His long-term landing spot is likely right field, where he projects to be an average defender with an average arm.

The Future: Mears has the build, bat speed and plus-plus raw power that are easy to dream on. He&#39ll head to High-A Fort Wayne in 2022 to see if he can stay healthy and get to his power in games against better pitching.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 30. Power: 70. Speed: 45. Fielding: 45. Arm: 50.
Track Record: A relative unknown until a breakout senior year of high school, Mears went viral during 2021 spring training with a 117 mph home run off Rockies reliever Carlos Estevez in a Cactus League game. While he was overmatched for much of his stay in big league camp, Mears’ power continued to play at Low-A Lake Elsinore for his first full professional season, at least when he was in the lineup. Mears missed time with a shoulder injury, a concussion and also spent time on the Covid-19 injured list. Even his push to make up for lost time at instructional league was halted when he fouled a bunt attempt off his face and broke his nose.

Scouting Report: Checking in at a chiseled 6-foot-3, 242 pounds, Mears has 80-grade raw power and hits titanic home runs with remarkably little effort. The question is whether he will make enough contact to get to his power. Mears struck out in 39% of his plate appearances at Lake Elsinore with a lot of swings and misses in the strike zone, although he doesn’t chase much and draws enough walks to be valuable even as a low-average hitter. Mears has surprising speed for a big man, prompting the Padres to give him exploratory looks in center field last year. His long-term landing spot is likely right field, where he projects to be an average defender with an average arm.

The Future: Mears has the build, bat speed and plus-plus raw power that are easy to dream on. He’ll head to High-A Fort Wayne in 2022 to see if he can stay healthy and get to his power in games against better pitching.
TRACK RECORD: Mears stood out for his physicality at the 2018 Area Code Games and showed prolific power throughout high school. The Padres drafted him 48th overall in 2019 and signed him for $1 million. Mears impressed in his pro debut in the Rookie-level Arizona League, but he suffered a broken hamate bone in 2020 that kept him off the field until the end of instructional league.

SCOUTING REPORT: Mears is built like a major league slugger at a chiseled 6-foot-3, 230 pounds. He destroys baseballs with plus-plus raw power and has already posted exit velocities as high as 117 mph-- which would have been fourth-highest in the major leagues in 2020. Mears' power is monstrous, but it's a question how much he'll get to it. He has rarely faced good velocity and his swing length and pitch recognition need improvement for him to be an average hitter. Mears is athletic for his size but projects to slow down as he gets older. He fits in right field with his above-average arm strength.

THE FUTURE: Mears was committed to Purdue to study engineering and took college classes while still in high school. That intelligence and work ethic should help him get the most from his abilities.
TRACK RECORD: Mears stood out for his physicality at the 2018 Area Code Games and showed prolific power throughout high school. The Padres drafted him 48th overall in 2019 and signed him for $1 million. Mears impressed in his pro debut in the Rookie-level Arizona League, but he suffered a broken hamate bone in 2020 that kept him off the field until the end of instructional league.

SCOUTING REPORT: Mears is built like a major league slugger at a chiseled 6-foot-3, 230 pounds. He destroys baseballs with plus-plus raw power and has already posted exit velocities as high as 117 mph-- which would have been fourth-highest in the major leagues in 2020. Mears' power is monstrous, but it's a question how much he'll get to it. He has rarely faced good velocity and his swing length and pitch recognition need improvement for him to be an average hitter. Mears is athletic for his size but projects to slow down as he gets older. He fits in right field with his above-average arm strength.

THE FUTURE: Mears was committed to Purdue to study engineering and took college classes while still in high school. That intelligence and work ethic should help him get the most from his abilities.
TRACK RECORD: Mears stood out for his physicality at the 2018 Area Code Games and showed prolific power throughout high school. The Padres drafted him 48th overall in 2019 and signed him for $1 million. Mears impressed in his pro debut in the Rookie-level Arizona League, but he suffered a broken hamate bone in 2020 that kept him off the field until the end of instructional league.

SCOUTING REPORT: Mears is built like a major league slugger at a chiseled 6-foot-3, 230 pounds. He destroys baseballs with plus-plus raw power and has already posted exit velocities as high as 117 mph-- which would have been fourth-highest in the major leagues in 2020. Mears' power is monstrous, but it's a question how much he'll get to it. He has rarely faced good velocity and his swing length and pitch recognition need improvement for him to be an average hitter. Mears is athletic for his size but projects to slow down as he gets older. He fits in right field with his above-average arm strength.

THE FUTURE: Mears was committed to Purdue to study engineering and took college classes while still in high school. That intelligence and work ethic should help him get the most from his abilities.
TRACK RECORD: Mears long stood out for his physicality and put himself on draft radars with a strong performance at the 2018 Area Code Games. He carried that momentum through his senior season and was drafted by the Padres in the second round, No. 48 overall. He signed for $1 million to forgo a Purdue commitment and impressed in his pro debut in the Rookie-level Arizona League.

SCOUTING REPORT: Mears is already built like a major league slugger at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds. Big, strong, and physical, Mears possesses plus-plus raw power to all fields and gets to it easy with a fast, compact swing for his size. Mears rarely saw premium velocity growing up in the Pacific Northwest and struggled to catch up to it early in his pro debut, but he adjusted to gear up for fastballs and hit .313 with a .937 OPS over the final month of the season. He hit one ball 117 mph off the bat, the same maximum exit velocity as Nelson Cruz in 2019. Mears is a prototypical right fielder with below-average speed and a plus arm. He has sneaky athleticism but has work to do to become an average defender.

THE FUTURE: Mears is a bright individual who took college courses while still in high school. His physicality, strong work ethic and intelligence make for a promising foundation. BA GRADE 50 Risk: Extreme BA GRADE 50 Risk: Extreme BA GRADE 50 Risk: Extreme
TRACK RECORD: Mears long stood out for his physicality and put himself on draft radars with a strong performance at the 2018 Area Code Games. He carried that momentum through his senior season and was drafted by the Padres in the second round, No. 48 overall. He signed for $1 million to forgo a Purdue commitment and impressed in his pro debut in the Rookie-level Arizona League.

SCOUTING REPORT: Mears is already built like a major league slugger at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds. Big, strong, and physical, Mears possesses plus-plus raw power to all fields and gets to it easily with a fast, compact swing for his size. Mears rarely saw premium velocity growing up in the Pacific Northwest and struggled to catch up to it early in his pro debut, but he adjusted to gear up for fastballs and hit .313 with a .937 OPS over the final month of the season. He hit one ball 117 mph off the bat, the same maximum exit velocity as Nelson Cruz in 2019. Mears is a prototypical right fielder with below-average speed and a plus arm. He has sneaky athleticism but has work to do to become an average defender.

THE FUTURE: Mears is a bright individual who took college courses while still in high school. His physicality, strong work ethic and intelligence make for a promising foundation.
Mears is a 6-foot-3, 235-pound outfielder who is committed to Purdue. He has plenty of natural strength and scouts believe he could still add more weight, which he'll need to carefully maintain. Mears is lively in the batter's box, showing quick hands and plus bat speed. He creates natural loft with his swing and has plus raw power, though he will need to continue refining his approach to get to it regularly. He has performed well with the bat this spring in front of plenty of higher-level evaluators. Despite a lack of pure instinct and only an average run tool, Mears is athletic and evaluators think he will be fine in the outfield, though he'll definitely be in a corner.
Few players his age physically look the part of a ballplayer more than Mears, who has a solid, chiseled physique. "He's like a 'create-a-player' in a video game," Padres manager Vinny Lopez said. The Padres took Mears in the second round, signing the Washington native for a $1 million bonus to keep him away from a Purdue commitment. Mears struggled out of the gate, facing professional pitchers with velocity that he seldom faced in high school. He finished strong, however, compiling a .937 OPS during the final month of the season. Mears has plenty of raw power and plus bat speed, but he will need to continue to refine his approach to consistently get to that big-time pop. He also has work to do to become a good defender, although he showed flashes at times and especially late in the season. He's a below-average runner, but he has a plus arm as well as the desire and work ethic to get better.