San Diego Padres: Five Most Intriguing Selections Of 2018 Draft

The 2018 MLB Draft is finally over. Who are the five names San Diego Padres fans should keep an eye on as they begin their development within the system?

Forty rounds later, the 2018 Major League Baseball draft is complete. A few of these players selected by the San Diego Padres won’t sign, while a few will fizzle out of baseball after a year or two. Only a very small handful of these recent draft picks will climb their way through the farm system and step foot on a Major League Baseball field.

With that in mind, let’s highlight five players fans should keep an eye on as they work their way through the Padres farm system. First-round pick Ryan Weathers will not be on this list. He is an obvious must-follow.

5) SS Owen Miller, Illinois State

Miller, the Padres 3rd round pick (84th overall), broke the Illinois State University single-season hits record after recording 88 this season. He is a career .345 hitter with 57 doubles to his name.

Miller drew only 18 walks this past year, however, he struck out just 23 times. He has a decent hit-tool and success with a wooden bat. According to Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune, when Miller worked out at Petco Park, he hit a home run to centerfield. Reports project a possibility for 10 home runs a season if he bulks up. Miller hit .384 with a .433 on-base percentage at Illinois State this year.

A three-sport star in high school (football, basketball, baseball), Miller stands at six feet and 195 pounds. Baseball America grades the infielder with plus-speed and above-average range and hands. Some reports say he can stick at shortstop, most believe he will have to move to second base down the road.

While the Padres seemed to reach for Miller, experienced college middle infielders with above-average defense are great organizational depth guys to have on your roster. When injuries begin piling up in the dog-days of summer, Miller is the type of guy you need to help stop the bleeding, even if only momentarily.

#4) OF Jawuan Harris, Rutgers

In one of their first reports before the start of the college baseball season, Baseball America ranked Harris as the top MLB draft prospect in the Big Ten Conference. A two-sport star at Rutgers, Harris struggled in his junior season, however, his athletic ability commanded the attention of a number of teams heading into the selection process.

The 201st overall pick of the Padres (seventh round), Harris slashed .265/.373/.418 with a .791 OPS in his career at Rutgers. He finished with 42 extra-base hits and 82 stolen bases.

When describing Harris, one scout said he has “lots of speed, great range in the outfield, good arm, and has a lot of bat speed.” Harris played on the Scarlett Knights’ football team (lead the team in interceptions last season) so tours on the summer circuit weren’t an option.

The key to Harris will be to see how his bat develops. Instantly, Buddy Reed comes to mind when talking about Harris. After a few disappointing seasons, Reed appears to have figured out his swing, don’t be surprised if Harris follows the same path.

The 5’10” right-handed hitter is the highest draft pick out of Rutgers since Patrick Kivlehan in 2012, according to their team’s website.

#3) 2B Luke Becker, Kentucky

When the Padres used their 9th round pick on Becker, the broadcast suggested that he was the “best pure hitter” in the Kentucky lineup this season. He is a four-year senior who has also been described as a “scrappy hitter.”

Becker began his collegiate career at North Iowa Community College, where he helped lead his team to a national championship before transferring to Kentucky.

With the Wildcats, Becker hit .273 and reached base in 39% of his plate appearances. He drew 95 walks over the course of his career while striking out only 120 times.

Becker had two successful seasons in the wooden bat Northwoods League, hitting .282 with seven home runs over the last two years. Last summer, he drew 49 walks in 45 games while striking out just 25 times.

An older, more advanced bat like Becker will rise through the farm system fairly quickly. He is the perfect player to have in an organization in case the injury bug begins to feast.