Padres sign top Draft pick Weathers

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres have added yet another top-tier young left-hander to their already loaded farm system.
Ryan Weathers, the No. 7 overall selection in June's Draft, signed with the Padres on Sunday afternoon. News of the deal comes with less than a week until the July 6 deadline to sign Draft picks.
Weathers, who was committed to play at Vanderbilt, was formally introduced during a news conference Monday morning at Petco Park. He spoke to the nature of his decision to sign.
"At the end of the day, it's hard to turn down the dream you had as a kid," Weathers said.
Weathers, out of Loretto High School in Tennessee, pairs his low-90s fastball with two strong off-speed offerings -- a changeup and a curve. He is the son of former big league reliever David Weathers.
According to MLB Pipeline's Jim Callis, Weathers' signing bonus is worth $5,226,500. That's precisely the assigned slot value of the No. 7 pick.

The Padres have now agreed to terms with each of their selections from the first 10 rounds. They have approximately $500,000 remaining from their pool to disperse among lower-round selections -- a number of whom remain unsigned.
"Obviously we have some money and some other players that we're going to be able to talk to," said Padres general manager A.J. Preller. "It's always a game of balancing your checkbook and trying to sign as much talent as possible."
Weathers posted absurd numbers in his senior season at Loretto. He allowed one run in 76 innings while striking out 148. He pitched nine scoreless frames in the Tennessee state title game (only for Loretto to lose in 12 innings). He finished the season 11-0 and was named the Gatorade National High School Player of the Year.
Weathers is slated to head to the team's complex in Peoria, Ariz., this week. He'll join MacKenzie Gore, Adrian Morejon and Logan Allen among the organization's elite lefty prospects.
Before the season, MLB Pipeline ranked the Padres' farm system the best in baseball, and Weathers has clearly taken note.
"Most definitely, that's exciting," Weathers said. "As a competitor, it's a lot of fun to start in a system like that. Hopefully I'll push them as much as they push me."
Weathers -- who was quick to acknowledge his lifelong goal of pitching in a World Series -- described his style as "fastball-heavy," though Preller pointed out that both of his offspeed pitches offer serious upside.
"He fills up the strike zone, has multiple weapons," Preller said. "But the thing that really intrigued us and made us feel he was as good as anyone in the country was the competitive aspect and the intangibles he brings to the table.
"You see it on the mound, you see it when you sit down and talk to him. It's pretty clear he's a kid that's pretty advanced for his age. He's a guy that we feel has a chance to move through the system quickly."