Inside The Padres

Padres Sign Undrafted Free Agent Infielder from SEC: Report

Maren Angus-Coombs

Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK
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After going undrafted, former Auburn University infielder Cooper Weiss has agreed to terms with the San Diego Padres.

As a fifth-year player, Weiss was a key factor in Auburn's season, playing in all but one game. He had a solid bat and reliable defense throughout the year.

Weiss posted a .291 batting average with 37 RBIs in his lone season with the Tigers. He also ranked second on the team by drawing 34 walks. Of his 55 hits, 20 were for extra bases with eight of them leaving the yard.

Defensively, Weiss was primarily a middle infielder and recorded his second-highest fielding percentage of his career at .974. He finished his collegiate career with a fielding percentage of .958 over five years.

The Padres are loaded with middle infielders but love to take chances on guys who play there as they could potentially become outfielders or play corner positions.

For example, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill were both shortstops and have been converted into outfielders. Jake Cronenworth spent time at second base before moving to first.

Weiss began his college career playing at Coastal Carolina for three seasons before transferring to Miami of Ohio for his senior season where he was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Year after turning in a .989 fielding percentage at shortstop.

Also a golfer during his high school career in Florida, Weiss was rated by Perfect Game as a top-10 player at his position at the Canterbury School. He was a finalist for the 2019 Fort Myers News-Press Baseball Player of the Year and guided his team to three-straight Class 3A state championships from 2016-18 and a runner-up finish in 2019.

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Maren Angus-Coombs

MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. Despite being raised in the South, her sports obsession has always been in Los Angeles. She is currently a staff writer for the LA Sports Report Network.

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