San Diego Padres Day Two Draft Recap

Here is a look at the selections made by the San Diego Padres on day two of the MLB Draft.

After making selecting C.J. Abrams, Joshua Mears, and Logan Driscoll on Day 1 of the MLB Amateur Draft, AJ Preller and company went back to work stocking up the number one farm system in baseball.

With seven picks to make, San Diego finished Day 2 of the Draft by selecting an outfielder and seven pitchers. Here is a complete recap of all the young men selected by the Padres.

Round 3, Pick 84: Hudson Head, Outfielder, Winston Churchill HS (MLB Pipeline Ranking: 122)

Continuing the trend of selecting hitters, Preller went with another high school outfielder with Head. A left-handed batter, Head hit .615 at Winston Churchill High School, which is one of the highest batting averages across the country for a high school player. He has the speed to stick in center field as evidenced by his 6.63 60 yard-dash time and if he pairs that with his short but quick swing, he could be an extra-base hitting machine. The 18-year-old senior is committed to playing his college ball at Oklahoma, but San Diego will have the flexibility to pull him away from that commitment. He is still young, and with the sheer amount of players in front him, San Diego can take their time developing him in the farm system.

Round 4, Pick 113: Matt Brash, Right-Handed Pitcher, Niagra University (MLB Pipeline Ranking: Unranked)

Bucking the trend of hitters and beginning a streak of college pitchers selected is Brash, a 6-foot-1 junior out of Niagra University. In this season, he has a 4-5 record along with a 2.43 ERA, while striking out 121 batters and walking 29. He is a strike thrower evidenced by the K-BB ratio and sits at 90-95 with his fastball while also filling the strike zone with a slider and a changeup, with the former of the pitches considered better than the latter. He could be a pick with some sneaky value similar to another 4th round pick made by Preller; Joey Lucchesi. While San Diego will start him out as a starter, many think he will eventually transfer to the bullpen.

Round 5, Pick 143: Chris Lincoln, Right-Handed Pitcher, UC Santa Barbara (MLB Pipeline Ranking: Unranked)

The Padres stayed in California to make their fifth-round pick as they went with the 6-foot-4 Lincoln. Primarily utilized as a reliever, Lincoln appeared in 24 games for the Gauchos and collected a 3.57 ERA with 13 saves. He packs a fastball that can touch the upper 90’s and pairs it with a slider and a changeup that have the potential to be plus in the future. There is starter potential here thanks to his size and fastball, but Lincoln will most likely end up in the back end of the bullpen.

Round 6, Pick 173: Drake Fellows, Right-Handed Pitcher, Vanderbilt (MLB Pipeline Ranking: 152)

Fellows started Opening Day for Vanderbilt as a freshman, and he will now be making starts in the Padres farm system. He went 12-0 with a 3.87 ERA in 100 innings of work while striking out 117 and walking 38. While he has seen an uptick in his stuff, his command has slightly suffered as well. The highlight of his season was when he threw a two-run, 116 pitch complete game against Ohio State while striking out nine Buckeyes. His fastball and slider are considered his best pitches, but he battled his control all season, so the bullpen may be his final destination.

Round 7, Pick 203: Connor Lehmann, Right-Handed Pitcher, St. Louis University (MLB Pipeline Ranking: Unranked)

Coming out of St.Louis University is Lehmann and stands tall at 6-foot-7 on the mound. As a red-shirt senior, he is an experienced pitcher at 22 years of age and was a starter in 2019 after being a spot starter in 2018. He struck out 111 batters in just 81 innings and sat in the low 90’s with his fastball. Lehmann will mix in a slider and a changeup, but the changeup is considered to be the superior pitch. If he develops the way San Diego wants, Lehmann could be a Michel Baez-type of a pitcher, whether as a starter or a reliever.

Round 8, Pick 233: Andrew Mitchel, Left-Handed Pitcher, San Jose State (MLB Pipeline Ranking: Unranked)

Mitchel is a decorated pitcher out of San Jose State. He was named First Team All-Mountain West and was the Mountain West Co-Pitcher of the year in 2018, while he earned a spot in the history books at San Jose, as he was the first Spartan in the last 14 years to eclipse 100 strikeouts in a single season. However, he saw his command slip while he got hit hard in his senior season, collecting a 4.57 ERA and walking 58 batters while striking out 112 batters. If he can control his pitches, Preller could have unearthed quite the diamond.

Round 9, Pick 263: Jason Blanchard, Left-Handed Pitcher, Lamar University (MLB Pipeline Ranking: Unranked)

Blanchard appeared in 13 games and started 12 for the Cardinals. He compiled a 3.12 ERA and struck out 87 while walking 27. Blanchard utilizes a four-pitch mix and sits in the low 90’s with his fastball and has average control over said four pitches, but Blanchard has the potential for more as he struck out eight or more batters four times in his final season with the Cardinals. Only time will tell what he accomplishes with the Padres.

Round 10, Pick 293: Ethan Elliott, Left-Handed Pitcher, Lincoln Memorial University, (MLB Pipeline Ranking: Unranked)

With the final pick of Day 2, the Padres went with another left-handed pitcher in Elliott. Pitching a pristine 2.23 ERA in 92.2 innings, Elliott struck out an astounding 134 batters and walked just 14 batters in his senior year at Lincoln Memorial University. He has racked up multiple high strikeout games, including a 17-strikeout gem against Anderson University and he could find himself at the backend of a starting rotation if he properly develops in the minors.

Jason Freund

I am currently attending San Diego State University while working on achieving a major in journalism. At SDSU, I write for The Daily Aztec while also hosting the sports radio show “Picked Off”, for KCR Radio. A loyal fan of San Diego sports, I hope to bring content that you will enjoy reading.