The San Diego Padres have been cashing in on their draft picks in recent years, but what will A.J. Preller do today with the 6th overall selection?
The Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals have the first two picks in the 2019 MLB Draft beginning at 7 PM ET on MLB Network. They are expected to pick Adley Rutschman and Bobby Witt Jr. respectively, but the most interesting selection may come at #6 with the San Diego Padres.
Scouting Director Mark Connor and A.J. Preller have gone with pitchers every year since they started running the draft in 2015, but things may change this year, as there is a bunch of talented bats at the top of this year’s draft.
MLB.com has first basemen Andrew Vaughn (Cal) going third to the White Sox, Vanderbilt’s J.J. Bleday going to Miami, and OF Riley Greene (Hagerty HS, Florida) going to Detroit before San Diego takes center stage.
What are their options?
If that scenario plays out, the San Diego Padres could come out of Monday with the most underrated player in the draft in SS CJ Abrams.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Abrams is arguably the fastest prospect in the draft, as he ran a 6.29 60-yard dash. He has plenty of upsides and a lot of room to grow. He hits the ball well to the opposite field, with a line drive approach.
The San Diego Padres may also want to go with an outfield bat out of Arizona State in OF Hunter Bishop. The left-handed hitting outfielder has multiple tools and upside.
San Diego drafted him in the 24th round but was unable to sign him back in 2016, so they might try a second time to lure in the junior.
Abrams and Bishop would most likely be the two top choices for the Padres if the top five picks went as planned (MLB.com’s Mock Draft), so this final option has an outside chance of getting picked at 6.
Pitcher Nick Lodolo out of TCU is the best pitcher going into Monday’s first round, although the position is not as strong as previous years were.
Lodolo is a junior in college and has a good changeup and a mid-90’s fastball with a three-pitch mix. I don’t even think Preller would be thinking to pick Lodolo after pitchers in the first round every year (Quantrill, Gore, Weathers), but if San Diego were to pick a pitcher, he would be the guy.