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Padres Draft: Day Two Draft Recap

By Tim Richer

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On day two of the MLB Amateur Draft the San Diego Padres made eight selections. There was a good diversity among the picks going with four pitchers and four hitters as well as three high schoolers and five players out of college. Here is a brief breakdown of each of the Padres’ picks and where they ranked on the Fangraphs‘ and MLB.com’s Top 200 and Baseball America’s Top 500.

Jacob Nix, RHP, IMG Academy (FL), FG: 81 MLB: 39 BA: 37

With the 86th overall pick the Padres took Jacob Nix, who his best know has the other guy who got screwed over by the Brady Aiken fiasco last year. Nix and the Astros originally had agreed to a deal worth $1.5 million after picking him in the 5th round. After the Astros failed to come to terms with Aiken, they no longer had the pool money to sign Nix so they had to withdraw their offer leaving Nix unsigned.

The Astros’ loss appears to be the Padres’ gain. The righty was a top 40 prospect according to both Baseball America and MLB.com and to get him in the third round looks to be great value. He features a mid 90’s fastball, that’s been clocked as high as 96MPH, along with a changeup and curveball, which both have a ways to go. His command is also pretty spotty, but at just 19 years old he has time to straighten that out as well as work on his secondary pitches.

Here is a video of Nix on the mound.

Austin Allen, C/1B, Florida Tech, FG: 113 MLB: 101 BA: 111

In the fourth round with the 117th pick the Padres decided to continue collecting prospects named Austin. First there was Austin Hedges, then in the second round this year there was Austin Smith and now Austin Allen.

Allen has spent most of his career as catcher, but his size and his defensive short comings cause him to project more as a first baseman. Regardless of what position he eventually ends up playing, it’ll be his bat that will carry him to the big leagues. Despite only facing Division II talent, scouts were impressed with his approach at the plate coupled with his raw power. If he can remain as a catcher, having an elite bat behind the dish would be extremely valuable, considering that they’re in short supply, but even if he has to move to first his bat projects to be adequate enough for the position.

Josh Magee, CF, Franklinton HS (LA), FG: UR MLB: UR BA: 155

The Padres selected center fielder Josh Magee in the fifth round with the 147th pick. He’s a defense first player with above average speed, great instincts and a strong arm. On offense he’s seen as someone with an advanced approach at the plate for someone his age. That being said his great plate discipline might not translate into the higher levels of competition when he starts to face pitchers with a wider array of pitches.

Jordan Guerrero, RHP, Polk State College, FG: UR MLB: UR BA: 391

With the 177th pick the Padres took reliever Jordan Guerrero. Guerrero, at 6-foot-5 and 280 lbs. is an intimidating presence on the mound. Couple that size with 98 MPH fastball and you’re looking at a guy who could strike fear into the hearts of batters across the country. With 28 strikeouts in just 22 and 2/3 innings this year he looks like a guy who can ride his great fastball to a quick ascent to the majors.

Trevor Megill, RHP, Loyola Marymount, FG: UR MLB: UR BA: 236

With the 207th pick the Padres selected Trevor Megill. The 6-foot-8 righty was picked in the third round by the Cardinals in last years draft, despite not throwing a single pitch in the 2014 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. In an attempt to improve his draft stock he returned to school only to find himself being drafted four rounds later than he was last year. Megill struggled to even crack 90 MPH with his fastball early on this season, but by the end of the year he was back to throwing in the 90-96 range. Still his earlier struggles were enough to get teams to back enough to where he fell to the Padres in the seventh round. While he has the upside of a third round pick, injury concerns will follow him for the rest of his career.

Aldemar Burgos, CF, Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy (Puerto Rico), FG: UR MLB: UR BA: UR

The Padres eighth round selection was center fielder Aldemar Burgos. Like fifth round pick, Josh Magee, Burgos is a defense first center fielder. He has the athleticism and defensive instincts to be a major league center fielder, but the question will be if his bat will develop.

Jerry Keel, LHP, Cal St Northridge, FG: UR MLB: UR BA: UR

In the ninth round the Padres went with college senoir lefty Jerry Keel. Keel, the all time Cal State Northridge leader in innings pitched, showed off his great command this year allowing just 22 walks in just under 100 innings. He has a fairly low ceiling, but as a lefty who has a great command of the strike zone he could find himself as a serviceable LOOGY for a long time if he ever has to move to the bullpen.

Justin Pacchioli, CF, Lehigh, FG: UR MLB: UR BA: 307

Finally in the 10th round the Padres rounded out their day two picks with their third center fielder of the day, Justin Pacchioli. Of the three center fielders Pacchioli is the fastest of the bunch. He holds the Lehigh record for career steals with 69, 31 of them coming this past season. While his speed is elite, it remains to be seen if he will become Billy Hamilton or Quentin Berry, if he does indeed reach the big league level.

So, what do you guys think about these picks? Any players you’re excited for?

Next: Tough Sixth Sinks Padres

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