Inside The Padres

Padres Deploy Familiar Strategy on Day 1 of MLB Draft

The Padres drafted two pitchers on Day 1.

Eva Geitheim

BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY
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With their first two picks of the 2024 MLB Draft, the San Diego Padres drafted two left-handed pitchers out of high school, selecting LHP Kash Mayfield (No. 25 overall) out of Elk City High School in Oklahoma and LHP Boston Bateman out of Adolfo Camarillo High School in California (No. 52 overall).

The selection of Mayfield continued a trend of the Padres drafting a player out of high school with their first pick in the draft. This is the ninth straight year in which the Padres have used their top pick on a high schooler.

Mayfield and Bateman join a list of high school prospects that includes outfielder Dillon Head, right-handed pitcher Dylan Lesko, shortstop Jackson Merrill, outfielder Robert Hassell, shortstop C.J. Abrams, pitchers Ryan Weathers and MacKenzie Gore. The last player they drafted out of college was Stanford pitcher Cal Quantrill in 2016. Merrill has already proven to be a success, making the All-Star Game as a rookie this year.

Mayfield was a two-time Gatorade Oklahoma Baseball Player of the Year, and is coming off a phenomenal high school season. Last season, he gave up just four hits and one earned run the entire season, good for a 0.16 ERA.

Both Bateman and Mayfield will soon get their start in the minor leagues, and will be expected to make their debuts at the rookie level. As two young players, they will have plenty of time to work their way up to the majors.

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Eva Geitheim

EVA GEITHEIM

Eva graduated from UCLA in 2023 with a bachelor's degree in Communication. She has been covering college and professional sports since 2022.

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