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MLB Draft July 9-11
#71 · July 12, 2023, 11:51 am
More on 10th rounder Nik McClaughry.
[McClaughry] said he is going to sign no matter what the offer is and spoke on the type of player the Padres will be getting with him.
“I’m a grinder. I’m a guy that's gonna play hard every day and give them everything I got,” McClaughry said, noting he will play any position is asked of him. “I'm a guy that gets on base a lot. I may not have a lot of power, but I'll be a team player that hopefully can help the team win no matter what.”
#72 · July 12, 2023, 11:56 am
More on 11th rounder Blake Dickerson
https://www.baseballprospectjournal.com/blake-dickerson-develops-into-a-top-prospect/
Dickerson developed a relationship with pitching coach LaTroy Hawkins, who pitched for 21 years in the major leagues, at the PDP League. Hawkins has mentored Dickerson, and the two remain in contact regularly, Dickerson said.
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Dickerson is a 6-foot-7, 215-pound left who throws a four-seam fastball, two-seamer, slider and changeup from a three-quarters arm slot and repeatable delivery with some deception.
He primarily uses his four-seam fastball in comparison to his two-seamer. His four-seam fastball is a low-90s offering that he locates well on both sides of the plate. His two-seamer has arm-side run and sink.
Dickerson mainly uses his four-seam fastball and slider. His above-average slider has a sharp break and generates plenty of swings and misses. He occasionally mixes in his changeup, which has arm side run and flashes potential.
Scouts speak highly of Dickerson’s pitch mix, track record of throwing strikes, low-effort delivery and starter potential.
#73 · July 12, 2023, 12:00 pm
More on 14th rounder Tyler Morgan and UDFA Breck Eichelberger...
https://acusports.com/news/2023/7/11/baseball-morgan-britt-selected-in-mlb-draft.aspx
Morgan pitched four seasons for the Wildcats, racking up 236 innings and a career 5.64 earned run average. He struck out 254 batters, including 94 over 79.1 innings in 2023.
"Tyler was one of the first players who committed to ACU when our staff arrived five years ago," said McCarty. "He believed in a vision that we shared and will leave here with a championship ring, college degree, and an opportunity to play for the San Diego Padres. It was great to watch him progress and develop more and more each year within our program, both on and off the field. His competitiveness is infectious and will be a carrying tool for him in professional baseball. Some guys are allowed to walk down an easier path, Tyler had to work and earn each step of the way. He is very deserving of this opportunity, one I know he will make the most of!"
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Eichelberger, a senior pitcher from Ivins, Utah, played two seasons for ACU, fashioning a 7-3 record with a 4.22 earned run average and 77 strikeouts in 89.2 innings. He displayed the ability to hit 100+ with his fastball.
"The Padres feel like they added a future MLB contributor by taking Breck," said McCarty. "As good as Breck was for us, he still has a long way to go to reach his ceiling, which is hard to say for someone who is 6-5, a natural strike thrower, and hit 100.2 this past season. He had some big-time performances over his two years here at ACU and was very steady for us down the stretch. He was a huge reason we were able to get to 35 wins again this spring. I'm excited to see how he progresses over the next few years in pro ball."
#74 · July 12, 2023, 12:09 pm
More on 15th rounder Zac Addkison
Addkison, a Texas Rangers fan [and San Antonio native who grew up attending Missions games], said San Diego was one of several teams interested in him. He said he heard he might be selected anywhere between the eighth and 15th rounds. He said he had an inkling the Padres might be the team that took him.
“They’ve shown a lot of interest in me and believed in me,” said Addkison, who thanked a bevy of people, including current and former coaches. “There was interest from all over, but I knew the Padres had an eye on me.”
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Addkison said he will forego his senior season at Marshall and sign to play pro ball.
#75 · July 12, 2023, 12:19 pm
More on 18th rounder Harry Gustin...
Sounds as though his development has been slowed by injuries (TJ, hand injury), but that he has solid spin rates and potential to add velo...
Left-handed pitcher Harry Gustin will forgo his junior season with the University of Hawaii baseball team and sign with the San Diego Padres.
“It’s not an easy decision to make,” said Gustin, who was the Padres’ 18th-round selection in today’s third — and final — day of the Major League Baseball Draft for First-Year Players. “Hawaii, I love that place. I want to spend more time there. At the end of the day, I understand not many guys get this opportunity (to play professionally). It would be kind of stupid to turn it down.”
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During his junior year at Smoky Hill High in Aurora, Colo., Gustin suffered an injury to his left elbow that required so-called Tommy John surgery. He did not pitch for Smoky Hill as a senior to fully recover and focus on summer ball and his eventual career with the Rainbow Warriors.
As a UH freshman in 2022, Gustin suffered an injury to his pitching hand when he fell awkwardly during a practice. He did not pitch in the final two months of that season.
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Troupe and Gustin worked on splitting the fastball into two pitches: a four-seamer with a biting movement and a cutter that broke to his arm side. In addition to a high-spin-rate curveball and slider, Gustin increased usage of his changeup. “He has a legit five-pitch mix,” Troupe said. Gustin was 5-3 with a 3.14 ERA in 2023.
Gustin, who is 6 feet, gained 20 pounds after his freshman year and now weighs 175. Troupe envisions added oomph to Gustin’s low-90s fastball when he gains even more weight. “That dude is about to put on that weight,” Troupe said. “All the other 29 teams that didn’t draft him are going to be upset when he does.”
#76 · July 12, 2023, 12:22 pm
More on 11th rounder Carson Montgomery and 20th rounder B.Y. Choi...
“There’s probably an influx of talent that went to college that normally might have signed that year with only five rounds,” said Chris Kemp, the Padres’ vice president of amateur and international scouting. “Definitely this class felt a little heavier, college wise, and Carson himself, he’s a special player and we’re happy as heck to get him in the 11th round.”
The Padres’ history with Montgomery dates back to his days at Windermere High (Fla). They followed him over the summer while he pitched for Team USA and the last three years at Florida State, which included allowing 35 earned runs and posting a 1.98 WHIP in 45 innings his junior year.
“He was 94-96 with plus secondary stuff,” Kemp said. “Didn’t have the year he wanted to have in Tallahassee, but I feel confident with (pitching development director) Rob Marcello and our group in Arizona that we should get him on track pretty quick.
“Pretty excited about him.”
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Korean native B.Y. Choi was the lone bat selected on the final day of the draft, with his sophomore season at New Mexico Military Institute — 15 homers, .448/.548/.881 batting line — intriguing enough for the Padres to use their last pick on a 6-foot-3 infielder with a significant rooting interest in San Diego.
“He loves the Padres; he loves Ha-Seong Kim,” Kemp said. “He’s got a sweet left-handed swing. … He wants to be here … (and) we think he can really hit.”
#77 · July 12, 2023, 12:28 pm
#78 · July 12, 2023, 1:12 pm
Sportwarrior … thanks for those draft insights!
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