Padres Draft Report Card

BEST PURE HITTER: SS/2B Xavier Edwards (2) shows the ingredients of a potential plus hitter with a simple, repeatable swing, exceptional hand-eye coordination and an advanced approach driven by a beyond-his-years maturity. The switch-hitter batted lefthanded almost exclusively after signing due to a wrist injury but should return to switch hitting in 2019.

 

BEST POWER: 3B/2B Sean Guilbe (12) combines bat speed with impressive natural strength to produce plus raw power, if not more. He has a “do damage” mentality and looks to impact the ball with every swing, resulting in loud contact when he connects but also lots of strikeouts.

FASTEST RUNNER: Edwards is a 70-grade runner who plays at that speed in the field and on the bases. OF Juwuan Harris (7) might beat Edwards in a 60-yard dash, but he’s faster underway than off initial burst and plays a tick slower than Edwards in games.

BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER: Edwards possess strong instincts and exceptional short-area quickness playing up the middle. He’s a plus defender at second base and shows the range, footwork and actions for shortstop, though his fringy-to-average arm is seen as likely to push him to second long-term.

BEST ATHLETE: Harris starred in both baseball and football at Rutgers. In addition to being the Scarlet Knights’ starting center fielder for three seasons, Harris was a Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection at wide receiver before converting to safety as a sophomore and tying for the team lead in interceptions.

BEST FASTBALL: RHP Dylan Coleman (4) sits 94 mph as a starter, 96 as a reliever and has touched 99. He adds run and sink to his fastball when he gets on top of it, although he’s not quite consistent with that yet.

BEST SECONDARY PITCH: LHP Ryan Weathers (1) has a potential plus changeup with heavy sink and fade that he locates to both sides of the plate. He especially plays it off his two-seam fastball exceptionally well.

 

BEST PRO DEBUT: SS Owen Miller (3) tallied 100 hits in 75 games after signing to produce a.336/.386/.460 slash line between short-season Tri-City and low Class A Fort Wayne. He was promoted to Double-A San Antonio for the Texas League playoffs and added nine more hits in eight postseason games.

MOST INTRIGUING BACKGROUND: Harris was one of the top two-sport athletes available in the 2018 draft. OF Dwanya Williams-Sutton (5) went out for soccer for the first time since he was seven as a high school senior and scored 24 goals to earn all-state honors in North Carolina.

CLOSEST TO THE MAJORS: Miller already reached Double-A at the end of his first season. His mix of an advanced offensive game and defensive versatility around the infield gives him a chance to reach San Diego within the year.

BEST LATE-ROUND PICK: RHP Nick Thwaits (15) didn’t stand out at summer showcases prior to his senior year but saw his stuff jump in the spring, sitting 89-94 mph with feel to spin a breaking ball and feel for a changeup.

THE ONE WHO GOT AWAY: 3B Jake Plastiak (28) intrigued as a 6-foot-3, 200-pound switch-hitting third baseman who showed feel to hit and flashes of power, but he chose to honor his commitment to Wichita State rather than sign.