Padres Select HS C/3B Kraig Kelley in 47th Round of 2010 MLB Draft

The Padres final high school position player selection in the 2010 MLB Draft was high school third baseman Kraig Kelley.

Kelley, 18 years of age, was announced as a catcher, signifying the Padres’ potential plans to convert the 5’11” infielder.

His best tool is his arm, and he also played quarterback in high school, but didn’t have too much college football potential due to his short stature.

Kelley’s batting stats are underwhelming for a high schooler at just .327/.390/.421 with a single homer. It certainly seems like catcher is the only position that will carry his bat.

Kelley will need to add some bulk to handle the rigors of catching everyday, and he’ll obviously have plenty of work on the non-throwing aspects of catching.

The Padres sure need catchers, though, so I’m glad they spent four of picks 40-47 on them after neglecting catchers for the first thirteen rounds of the draft.