\n\n”,”providerName”:”Twitter”,”providerUrl”:”https://twitter.com”,”thumbnail_url”:null,”type”:”oembed”,”width”:550,”contentType”:”rich”},{“__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”**Round 8 (No. 240 overall): RHP Nick Wissman, University of Dayton** \nA right-handed reliever on the side, Wissman brings all sorts of deception to his delivery. In his final season, he posted a 2.94 ERA, leading the team in both wins and saves. He credits former San Diego right-hander Craig Stammen, another Dayton graduate now working in front office with the Padres, with pushing him to Dayton, where he reworked his delivery during his junior season.\n\n**Quote**: “For me, all that mattered was being able to help the team. … It was a way for me to get on the field and help guys win.” — *Wissman on his side kick, speaking on the Dayton Athletics YouTube page*”,”type”:”text”},{“__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”**Round 9 (No. 270 overall): SS Zach Evans, Lenoir-Rhyne University** \nEvans spent one season at Niagara Community College before transferring to Lenoir-Rhyne, where he hit .321 with 11 home runs in 51 games as a junior. Callis notes that power is Evans’ best tool — and it saw a significant increase in his final season at Lenoir-Rhyne.\n\n**Quote**: “After last season, I really wanted to get my power numbers up. … The main thing I took away from that was to start adding more muscle and weight to my body. I spent almost every day in the gym over the winter and came back stronger than when I left. There weren’t really any crazy swing adjustments. I just kept it simple and kept the same approach throughout my career.” — *Evans, speaking to Sports Union NY*”,”type”:”text”},{“__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”**10th round (300th overall): 3B Jack Costello, University of San Diego** \nThe Padres stayed close to home with their final pick on Day 2. Costello hit . 291 with seven home runs in his final season, leading the Toreros to a West Coast Conference championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.\n\n**Quote**: “Costello is probably more of a power hitter profile at the end of the day, with some athleticism. Maybe a cornerback in the outfield would be a good fit for him. » — *Mayo*”,”type”:”text”}),,”relativeSiteUrl”:”/news/padres-day-2-mlb-draft-picks”,”contentType”:”news”,”subHeadline”:null,”summary”:”SAN DIEGO — No team in baseball had more Day 2 draft picks than the Padres, who selected 10 players Monday afternoon.\nIn addition to their eight projected selections in Rounds 3-10, San Diego received two compensatory picks after the fourth round when Josh Hader and Blake Snell rotated”,”tagline({\”formatString\”:\”none\”})”:null,”tags”:({“__typename”:”InternalTag”,”slug”:”storytype-article”,”title”:”Article”,”type”:”article”},{“__typename”:”ContributorTag”,”slug”:”aj-cassavell”,”title”:”AJ Cassavell”,”type”:”contributor”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”apple-news”,”title”:”Apple News”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”mlb-draft”,”title”:”MLB Draft”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”mlb-top-prospects”,”title”:”MLB Top Prospects”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TeamTag”,”slug”:”teamid-135″,”title”:”San Diego Padres”,”team”:{“__ref”:”Team:135″},”type”:”team”}),,”type”:”story”,”thumbnail”:”https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/{formatInstructions}/mlb/lj3zkyjsafwfrl9njuuc”,”title”:”MLB Draft MLB, Padres Day 2 Picks”}},”Team:135″:{“__typename”:”Team”,”id”:135},”Person:701837″:{“__typename”:”Person”,”id”:701837},”Person:690711″:{“__typename”:”Person”,”id”:690711}}} window.adobeAnalytics = {“reportingSuiteId”:”mlbglobal08,mlbcom08″,”linkInternalFilters”:”mlb”} window.globalState = {“tracking_title”:”Major League Baseball”,”lang”:”en”} window.appId = ” /*–>*/
21:59 UTC
SAN DIEGO — No baseball team had more picks in the Day 2 draft than the Padres, who selected 10 players Monday afternoon.
In addition to their eight projected selections in Rounds 3-10, San Diego received two compensatory picks after the fourth round when Josh Hader and Blake Snell declined qualifying offers and signed elsewhere last offseason. Those extra picks boosted the Padres’ bonus pool and made for a busy Monday afternoon.
“There’s definitely a lot of options on the board,” Padres scouting director Chris Kemp said late Sunday night after the team’s first two selections. “We’re trying to put together the best class we can.”
This class started with high school lefties in each of the first two rounds – Kash Mayfield from Elk City High in Oklahoma with the 25th overall pick, then Boston Bateman at No. 52 from Adolfo Camarillo High School in California.
Here’s how the Padres lined up on Day 2:
Round 3 (No. 88 overall): SS Cobb Hightower, East Rowan High School (NC))
Hightower was the first player outside of the top 250 prospects in the MLB Pipeline draft to be selected. He hit .462 with an .862 slugging percentage in high school. In eight straight years, the Padres have selected high school players with their first two picks. But before this year, 2020 was the only one of those seasons in which they started with three consecutive high schoolers.
Quotable“I think you just look at the background and this type of guy fits our profile.” — Kemp on Sunday about the Padres’ penchant for recruiting high-potential high schoolers
Round 4 (No. 118 overall): RHP Tyson Neighbors, Kansas State University
Finally, a college player. Neighbors is purely a relief pitcher, but some consider him the best relief prospect in the draft. A 6-foot-2 right-hander, Neighbors possesses a mix of three pitches, and all three can be backup pitches. His mid-90s fastball, with a ride and a cut, is his best weapon, and he pairs it with a slider and a cutter. An ambitious comparison given his size and high tempo? Craig Kimbrel.
Quotable: “He’s a potential closer. He’s one of my favorite players that wasn’t a top-50 pick. He’s just an elite player that swings and misses when he’s healthy.” — Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline
Round 4C (No. 134 overall): OF Kavares Tears, University of Tennessee
Tears redshirted in 2022, then had just 56 at-bats in 2023 due to injuries. But he exploded in his junior season in 2024, hitting .324 with 20 home runs during the Volunteers’ run to the national title. Tears played some center field for the Vols, but mostly played right field.
Quotable“A tremendous athlete. You have 20-20 potential with superior arm strength.” — Callis
Round 4C (No. 135 overall): Right-handed pitcher Clark Candiotti, University of Arizona
Butterfly pitcher Tom Candiotti spent 16 seasons in the major leagues, and his son was drafted by the only team that employs a butterfly pitcher at the major league level. With four pitches that qualify as at least average, Clark Candiotti is projected as a late-rotation starting pitcher.
Quotable:”The only sad thing about Clark Candiotti is that he doesn’t throw a knuckleball.” — Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline
Round 5 (No. 151 overall): 3B Kale Fountain, Norris High School (Neb.)
Fountain needed just three seasons to set the Nebraska high school home run record, then as a senior added career RBI and steals records for the state. Committed to LSU, Fountain exudes natural power from his 6-foot-5, 225-pound frame with a smooth right-handed swing. There are questions, though, whether he’ll hit for average.
Quotable“Some guys like the bat. Some guys wonder about it. But everybody likes the power.” — Mayonnaise
Round 6 (No. 180 overall): OF Darrien McDowell, University of West Florida
McDowell led all of Division II baseball in home runs (27), total bases (194) and slugging percentage (.902). He spent most of the 2024 season at first base, and it’s still unclear where he’ll play defensively, but there’s no question about the bat.
Quotable:”To have that power, that field goal percentage and that high scoring average, you don’t see that very often. I think he’s a unique player in our program.” — UWF Head Coach Mike Jeffcoat speaking to WEAR-TV in Pensacola
Round 7 (No. 210 overall): OF Kai Roberts, University of Utah
A speedy center fielder, Roberts made big strides with the bat as a senior, hitting .356/.430/.562 — all big improvements over his previous numbers. Roberts also set the single-season and career stolen base records at Utah.
Quotable“I don’t care where I end up, I just want to keep playing.” — Roberts, speaking to KSL Sports in Salt Lake City
Round 8 (240th overall): Right-handed pitcher Nick Wissman, University of Dayton
A right-handed reliever, Wissman brings all sorts of deception to his distribution. In his final season, he posted a 2.94 ERA, leading the team in both wins and saves. He credits former San Diego right-hander Craig Stammen, another Dayton graduate now working in front office with the Padres, with pushing him to Dayton, where he reworked his distribution during his junior season.
Quotable:”For me, the idea was to be able to help the team. … It was a way for me to get on the field and help the guys win.” — Wissman talks about his lateral shot, speaking on the Dayton Athletics YouTube page
Round 9 (No. 270 overall): SS Zach Evans, Lenoir-Rhyne University
Evans spent one season at Niagara Community College before transferring to Lenoir-Rhyne, where he hit .321 with 11 homers in 51 games as a junior. Callis notes that power is Evans’ best tool — and it saw a significant increase in his final season at Lenoir-Rhyne.
Quotable: “After last season, I really wanted to increase my power numbers. … The main thing I learned from that experience was to start adding more muscle and weight to my body. I spent almost every day in the gym during the winter and came back stronger than when I left. There weren’t really any crazy swing adjustments. I just kept it simple and kept the same approach throughout my career.” — Evans, speaking to Sports Union NY
Round 10 (No. 300 overall): 3B Jack Costello, University of San Diego
The Padres stayed close to home with their final pick of Day 2. Costello hit .291 with seven homers in his final season, leading the Toreros to a West Coast Conference championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Quotable: “Costello probably has more of a power profile than a hitting profile, with some athleticism. Maybe a cornerback position would suit him well.” — Mayonnaise