Padres Take Prep Pitcher Ryan Weathers in the First Round
One thing was certain about the San Diego Padres in this year’s MLB draft, nobody knew for sure what they might do with their first round pick.
The Padres tend to defy expert predictions, they tend to keep their views on prospects close to themselves but other factors led to the uncertainty this year.
Outside of Auburn right-handed pitcher Casey Mize going number one, there was no simple choice for most of these teams, leaving a cloud of confusion on just who would follow. Well that became clear on Monday night after the Padres took left-handed prep pitcher Ryan Weathers out of Loretto High School in Tennessee, with the seventh overall pick.
2018 LHP Ryan Weathers (@RyanDWeathers25) delivers the 94 mile per hour FB for the swing and miss for @Lorettobaseball! @VandyBaseball commit. #mlbdraft pic.twitter.com/hYoaO4Ylut
— PBR Tennessee (@PBRTennessee) April 3, 2018
At the time of the draft, Baseball America had Weathers ranked 17th, MLB Pipeline had him 13th and Fangraphs had him 15th on their respective prospect rankings. Weathers, the son of ex-Major Leaguer David Weathers, won the Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year award after compiling an 11-0 record. He struck-out 148 batters, walked 10, allowing only 24 hits and only one run, finishing with a video game-like 0.09 ERA.
While the scouting report on Weathers displays he does not have a true “out pitch”, he has shown that he can command his three pitch mix (Fastball, Curveball and Changeup) very well leaving some scouts believing his curveball can be a 70 grade pitch eventually and while his fastball has been clocked as high as 95. He repeats his delivery well and seems to throw strikes effortlessly, utilizing all of his tools and if he does not sign, he could be a two-sport player at Vanderbilt. Weathers’ mother was an All-American basketball player at Belmont which partly explains how he helped the basketball team win a state title, showing leadership, versatility and athleticism.
LHP Ryan Weathers (2018 TN) very impressive low-90s up to 94. Pounding zone w 3 pitch mix. Also hit a 97mph/387ft HR. #AnchorDown commit. pic.twitter.com/FDPMBc8Rfq
— Gregory Gerard (@GGerardPG) July 22, 2017
This pick should not come as a big surprise as the Padres have been acquiring players with an MLB pedigree for some time now and it seems to make sense. These players are fortunate enough to see a side of the game that most do not, thanks to their fathers.
“[My dad] always told me, first and foremost, make sure you’re a good teammate,” Weathers told Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo in a recent interview when asked about his dad. “He said you always have to be a good teammate. Don’t ever worry about your individual stuff, just put the team in front of you and I’ve always been the leader of our high school.”
Though many did not know what the Padres would do here, one thing was always apparent, no matter what, they were going to take the highest available player on their board and it appears they got their man.
Since he was a little kid he wanted to be one of those guys at the game who had the headset on, listening to the Colonel and Uncle Teddy, he has grown out of that, but the love is still there. Padres’ coverage will be biased at times, but mostly an honest dissection of the team he loves.