RHP Alex Cunningham is the Padres Ninth Round Pick
Coastal Carolina pitcher Alex Cunningham throws against Arizona in the seventh inning in Game 3 of the NCAA College World Series baseball finals in Omaha, Neb., Thursday, June 30, 2016. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
With their ninth-round selection, the Padres took a RHP out of Coastal Carolina by the name of Alex Cunningham.
That is three straight college pitchers, and Cunningham is coming off winning a National Championship in Carolina.
He is a right-handed pitcher who has had decent success in college, going 25-7 with a 3.06 ERA in 56 games and 312 inning pitched.
During his span in college he struck out 294, while maintaining a 1.15 WHIP.
This past season he went 9-2 in 15 games and 14 starts, earning a 2.63 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP. He took a step forward in 2017, striking out 117 batters in 106 innings pitched.
He was drafted last year in the 28th round by the Tigers, but returned to school for his senior year.
At 23, he is pretty polished and should be able to progress fairly quickly through the system.
Adding him to the excess of pitching depth in the Padres’ system is fantastic for a team looking for help in that department.
The right-hander has a decent fastball, but relies on a decent slider.
Here is some video of him taken last season.
The Padres are scouting everywhere and finding the talent wherever they can.
Though Cunningham doesn’t blow you away, he brings experience and a winning culture to the Padres’ farm system.
James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.