Day 3 – 2024 MLB Draft – San Diego Padres Draft Report
Credit: Wingate University
The San Diego Padres completed their 2024 Drafting on Tuesday.
After restocking several positions of need across the first two days, the Friars looked to continue their restocking on Day 3.
Here is a breakdown of their selections from Rounds 11-20.
Round 11 (330th Overall): Sean Barrett, Two-Way Player, Wingate University
As is habitual for teams, the Padres leaned heavily into the collegiate ranks on Day 3. Barnett, their first selection of the day, is a 6’2” right-handed outfielder who was selected as a two-way player. The offensive upside is certainly there with Barnett, whose power tool broke out this past collegiate season, slugging a Wingate single-season record 26 home runs. His career .347/.414/.676 slash line and 1.090 OPS shows promise, as does his 18.1% K rate. While his career pitching stats at the college level do not look the prettiest on paper (9.68 ERA, 21 to 19 K-BB ratio), the Padres have belief that his abilities on the mound could be harnessed well by the organization.
DRAFTED!!!
Sean Barnett has been drafted in the 11th round of the 2024 @MLB draft by the @Padres !!
The @WingateBaseball All-American led the nation with 26 homers, adding 87 RBI to rank in the top 5 nationally in homers, RBI & total bases!
Story | https://t.co/eagL6Zvlix pic.twitter.com/wB2rCgTuRS
— Wingate Bulldogs (@WU_Bulldogs) July 16, 2024
Round 12 (360th Overall): Brandon Butterworth, Shortstop, North Carolina State
At pick 360, the Padres took shortstop Brandon Butterworth from NC State. The right-handed hitting shortstop has shown impressive plate discipline in his lone season with the Wolfpack, walking 40 times against 38 strikeouts. While only standing 5’11”, Butterworth showed good baserunning IQ and speed, swiping 13 bases in 14 attempts. He slugged .420 this season and shows potential to be a solid gap-to-gap hitter.
The San Diego Padres select Brandon Butterworth from @NCStateBaseball with the 360th overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft
➡️ +Plate Discipline (40 BBs in 24′)
➡️ +Speed & good on the bases
➡️ Sneaky pull side Pop (.420 Slug% in 24′)pic.twitter.com/90tTysBcf1— Clark Fahrenthold (@CFahrenthold11) July 16, 2024
Round 13 (390th Overall): Matthew Watson, Pitcher, Texas A&M
Their first primary pitcher of Day 3, right-hander Matthew Watson, is coming off a short collegiate career at Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Watson redshirted his first two years, but in 30 games (25 starts) over his junior and senior seasons, Wilson racked up 128 strikeouts in 143.1 innings while walking only 3.9 batters per nine innings. He is still fairly new to pitching, but the Padres have shown an ability to develop young pitching, so they must have faith they can develop the 22-year-old 6’5” right-hander.
WATSON TO THE PADRES
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi pitcher Matthew Watson has been selected in the 13th round by the San Diego Padres in the MLB Draft! #EarnedEveryDay pic.twitter.com/5QPCZEV4tq
— Southland Conference (@SouthlandSports) July 16, 2024
Round 14 (420th Overall): Brendan Durfee, Catcher, UC Santa Barbara
One of the more intriguing athletic profiles in this draft, Durfee has experience at catcher, first base, and center field. The former Conejo Oak and California Lutheran Kingsman had his biggest collegiate season this season with Santa Barbara, slugging .554 and reaching base at a .455 clip. He has shown some advanced barrel control and while it is yet to be determined whether he’ll stick behind the plate, the Padres appear intent to give him that chance.
The San Diego Padres select Brendan Durfee from @UCSB_Baseball w/ the 420th overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft
➡️ Solid Power (.554 Slug% in 24′)
➡️ +Approach & +Barrel Control
➡️ .350 BA & .455 OBP in 24″pic.twitter.com/xZ78d4GW2k— Clark Fahrenthold (@CFahrenthold11) July 16, 2024
Round 15 (450th Overall) Tanner Smith, Pitcher, Harvard
Taking a risk in the 14th round, the Padres drafted right-handed Tanner Smith out of Harvard. Smith is coming off Tommy John Surgery in 2024 and struggled in his return to the Ivy League ranks, posting an 8.49 ERA and 29 strikeouts to 30 walks. However, these numbers don’t tell the whole story coming off TJS. The 6’6” 240-pound right-hander has a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and shows some impressive movement and a curveball that has shown plus potential. As with Matthew Wilson, Smith is a player who the team could develop into a solid pitcher given the tools presently in his game.
The San Diego Padres select Tanner Smith from @HarvardBaseball with the 450th overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft
➡️ 6’6 & 240 Lbs
➡️ 93-96 MPH FB w/ + ride
➡️ +CurveballHe is just came back from TJ in 24′.pic.twitter.com/jmJgSRlSz3
— Clark Fahrenthold (@CFahrenthold11) July 16, 2024
Round 16 (480th Overall) Kasen Wells, Outfielder, Weatherford College
Wells is another testament to the possibilities summer leagues can open up. After a single season at Texas A&M, Wells delivered an incredible .321/.477/.420 slash line in 39 collegiate summer league games. While he did not play in Weatherford’s 2024 campaign, his summer league hitting and 93% success rate in stealing bases make the 5’9” left-handed swinging outfielder an intriguing addition for the Friars.
Wasn’t expecting this pick, but the #Padres took Weatherford College OF Kasen Wells with their 16th round pick! I saw Wells as a freshman when he was at Texas A&M last year. Here’s my footage for @ProspectsWorldW!@TooMuchMortons_ @Friarsonthefarm https://t.co/lYdbZoJAQL
— Austin F. (@AustinF0421) July 16, 2024
Round 17 (510th Overall): Ryan Jackson, Shortstop, USC
Jackson, a versatile infielder out of USC, has shown solid on-base potential since transferring to USC from Nevada. In his two seasons at Southern California, Jackson posted OBP’s of .431 and .407 respectively. This season, he hit 18 doubles and four homers, walking nearly as much as he struck out (26 BB/ 38 K). The eye at the plate and his positional versatility look to be tools that could play in the Padres’ farm, as A.J. Preller and his staff have shown to have an eye for the best athletes in the draft.
Diving snag, flip, turn and throw to get the Trojans out of a bases loaded jam! @abbriecov7 and Ryan Jackson turned in an #SCTop10 worthy web gem on this one 🤑🔥✌️#FightOn // @SportsCenter pic.twitter.com/dPDpe0qpOX
— USC Baseball (@USC_Baseball) May 25, 2024
Round 18 (540th Overall): Victor Figueroa, First Baseman, Florida Southwestern State College
A left-handed slugger out of JUCO, Figueroa impressed last season while playing at Mississippi Valley State, hitting at a .400/.485/.623 slash line and 1.108 OPS. While being primarily a first baseman, Figueroa shows some high baserunning IQ, with 19 steals in 26 attempts in his NCAA and summer league career. He has also shown an advanced understanding of the strike zone, as he has walked almost as much as he struck out, with the lowest OBP he has put up in a full season being .377. His monster output for the Bucs of Florida Southwestern State College (.421 batting average, 17 homers, .544 OBP), paired with his established hit tool, could make him a much-needed power threat down on the farm.
Sophomore @FSWBucs 1B/OF Victor Figueroa (@Victorfiggy56) finished the regular season hitting .421 with 17 HR, 14 stolen bases and more walks than strikeouts. @Pitt_BASE commit pic.twitter.com/qmFNMizoAD
— Prospect Dugout (@prospectdugout) May 1, 2024
Round 19 (570th Overall) Vicarte Domingo, Pitcher, University of British Columbia
Primarily a reliever at UBC, Domingo showed promise out of the bullpen, with gaudy strikeout rates in his three collegiate seasons, averaging 12.9 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 83.1 college innings. Domingo was excellent at limiting homers in his time at British Columbia, posting a 0.5 HR/9 and 6.7 H/9 over that span.
The San Diego Padres select University of British Columbia RHP Vicarte Domingo with the 570th pick in the 19th round of the 2024 MLB Draft! #NAIABall @ubc_baseball @ubctbirds @MLBDraft @Padres https://t.co/lh9OiYnaBZ pic.twitter.com/OauwGbi5Mp
— NAIA Ball (@NAIABall) July 16, 2024
Round 20 (600th Overall) Chase Fralick, Catcher, McIntosh High School (Georgia)
With their final pick in the draft, the Padres took a promising high school catcher in Chase Fralick. The Auburn commit showed plus power in high school and has been noted as having good decision-making at the plate and solid bat-to-ball skills. The second catcher taken in their draft class, Fralick, is an intriguing addition as he represents another young left-handed hitting catcher that could enter the system. The Padres might have a hard time signing him because of his Auburn commit, but he has the tools to be a solid pro backstop.
The San Diego Padres select Chase Fralick with the 600th pick in the MLB Draft;
➡️+Power
➡️ Really Solid Bat to Ball Skills
➡️ Good decision Maker at the plateHe is signed/committed to play for Auburn.pic.twitter.com/AyzUeFvb27
— Clark Fahrenthold (@CFahrenthold11) July 16, 2024
A born and raised San Diegan, Diego Garcia is a lifetime Padres fan and self-proclaimed baseball nerd. Diego wrote about baseball on his own site between 2021-22 before joining the East Village Times team in 2024. He also posts baseball content on his YouTube channel “Stat Nerd Baseball”, creating content around trades, hypotheticals, player analyses, the San Diego Padres, and MLB as a whole.
A 2024 graduate of San Diego State, Diego aims to grow as a writer and content creator in the baseball community.