Breaking down the Padres' bevy of Day 2 Draft picks

July 15th, 2024

SAN DIEGO -- No team in baseball had more Day 2 Draft picks than the Padres, who selected 10 players on Monday afternoon.

In addition to their eight scheduled selections in Rounds 3-10, San Diego received two comp picks after the fourth round when Josh Hader and Blake Snell turned down qualifying offers and signed elsewhere last offseason. Those extra picks expanded the Padres’ bonus pool and made for a busy Monday afternoon.

“Definitely a lot of options on the board,” Padres scouting director Chris Kemp said late Sunday night after the team’s first two selections. “You’re trying to build the best class possible.”

That class started with high school left-handers in each of the first two rounds -- from Elk City High in Oklahoma with the No. 25 overall pick, then at No. 52 overall from Adolfo Camarillo High in California.

Here’s how the Padres lined up on Day 2:

Round 3 (No. 88 overall): SS Cobb Hightower, East Rowan High School (N.C.)
Hightower was the first player from outside of MLB Pipeline’s Top 250 Draft prospects to be selected. He batted .462 with an .862 slugging percentage in high school. In eight consecutive years, the Padres have selected high school players with their first two picks. But prior to this year, 2020 was the only one of those seasons in which they started with three straight high schoolers.

Quotable: “I think you just look at the track record, and these type of guys fit our profile.” -- Kemp, on Sunday, about the Padres’ penchant for drafting high-upside high schoolers

Round 4 (No. 118 overall): RHP , Kansas State University
Finally, a college player. Neighbors is purely a relief pitcher, but some view him as the best relief prospect in the Draft. A 6-foot-2 right-hander, Neighbors sports a three-pitch mix, and all three can be put-away pitches. His mid-90s fastball, featuring ride and cut, is his best weapon, and he pairs it with a slider and a cutter. An ambitious comp because of his frame and his high-tempo delivery? Craig Kimbrel.

Quotable: “He’s a potential closer. He’s one of my favorite guys that wasn’t going in the first 50 picks or so. It’s just elite swing-and-miss stuff when he’s on.” -- MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis

Round 4C (No. 134 overall): OF , University of Tennessee
Tears redshirted in 2022, then received only 56 at-bats in ‘23 as he dealt with injuries. But he broke out during his junior season in '24, hitting .324 with 20 homers on the Volunteers’ run to the national title. Tears played some center field for the Vols, but mostly manned right.

Quotable: “Tremendous athlete. You’ve got a potential 20-20 guy with plus arm strength.” -- Callis

Round 4C (No. 135 overall): RHP , University of Arizona
Knuckleballer Tom Candiotti spent parts of 16 seasons in the big leagues -- and his son was drafted by the only team that employs a knuckleballer at the big league level. With four pitches that qualify as at least average, Clark Candiotti projects as a back-of-the-rotation starter.

Quotable: “The only sad thing about Clark Candiotti is that he doesn’t throw a knuckleball.” -- MLB Pipeline’s Jonathan Mayo

Round 5 (No. 151 overall): 3B , Norris High School (Neb.)
Fountain needed only three seasons to set the Nebraska high school home run record, then, as a senior, he added the career RBI and steals records for the state. An LSU commit, Fountain oozes natural power from his 6-foot-5, 225-pound frame with a smooth right-handed swing. There are, however, questions about whether he’ll hit for average.

Quotable: “Some guys like the bat. Other guys wonder about it. But everybody likes the power.” -- Mayo

Round 6 (No. 180 overall): OF Darrien McDowell, University of West Florida
McDowell led all of Division II baseball in home runs (27), total bases (194) and slugging percentage (.902). He spent the bulk of the 2024 season at first base, and it remains unclear where he’ll play defensively, but there’s no questioning the bat.

Quotable: "To have that power and on-base percentage and high average, you don't see that very often. I think he's a once-in-a-generation player here in our program." -- UWF head coach Mike Jeffcoat, speaking to WEAR-TV in Pensacola

Round 7 (No. 210 overall): OF Kai Roberts, University of Utah
A speedy center fielder, Roberts made major strides at the plate as a senior, hitting .356/.430/.562 -- all serious increases over his previous numbers. Roberts also set the single-season and career records in stolen bases at Utah.

Quotable: “I don’t care where I end up, I just want to keep playing.” -- Roberts, speaking to KSL Sports in Salt Lake City

Round 8 (No. 240 overall): RHP Nick Wissman, University of Dayton
A sidearming righty reliever, Wissman brings all manner of deception to his delivery. In his senior season, he posted a 2.94 ERA, leading the team in both wins and saves. He credits former San Diego right-hander Craig Stammen, a fellow Dayton grad currently working in the Padres’ front office, with pushing him toward Dayton, where he would re-work his delivery during his junior season.

Quotable: “The whole sell to me was being able to help the team. … This was a way for me to get on the field and just help the guys win.” -- Wissman on his sidearm delivery, speaking on Dayton Athletics’ YouTube page

Round 9 (No. 270 overall): SS Zach Evans, Lenoir-Rhyne University
Evans spent a season at Niagara Community College before moving to Lenoir-Rhyne, where he batted .321 with 11 homers in 51 games as a junior. Callis notes that power is Evans’ best tool -- and it saw a significant uptick during his final season at Lenoir-Rhyne.

Quotable: “After last season, I really wanted to increase my power numbers. … The main thing I took from that was to start adding more muscle and weight to my body. I spent almost every day in the gym over the winter and came back stronger than when I left. There wasn’t really any crazy swing adjustments. I just kept everything simple and kept my same approach throughout my career.” -- Evans, speaking to Sports Union NY

Round 10 (No. 300 overall): 3B Jack Costello, University of San Diego
The Padres stayed close to home with their final pick on Day 2. Costello batted .291 with seven homers in his senior season, leading the Toreros to a West Coast Conference championship and a trip to the NCAA tournament.

Quotable: “Costello actually probably has more of a power-over-hit profile when all is said and done, with some athleticism. Maybe an outfield corner will be a good fit.” -- Mayo