San Diego Padres Draft: Three batters to target in third round

Zach DeLoach, OF, Texas A&M

Aggies’ outfielder Zach DeLoach is an intriguing prospect and could have gone higher had he not regressed in his sophomore year. As a freshman, he slashed .355/.374/.729 with 11 doubles, five triples, two home runs, and 27 RBI and took more walks than strikeouts.

He participated in the Northwoods League during the summer of 2018 – a wood-bat league – and hit .323/.409/.495 with 17 doubles, five home runs, and 38 RBI in a 51-game sample size. But for whatever reason, he could not get it going in his sophomore campaign.

DeLoach slashed .200/.318/.294 with four doubles, three home runs, and 16 RBI but posted a 1:1 K/BB ratio. He took part in the Cape Cod League that summer, posting a .353/.428/.541 line with eight doubles, five home runs, and 23 RBI in 37 games and won the league batting title.

He was off to a blazing start in 2020, batting .421 through the first 18 games and smacked six bombs while driving in 17 runs as well. Over that timeframe, he also took 14 walks to just three strikeouts.

DeLoach has a simple batting stance and tremendous bat speed through the strike zone. He has a very compact swing from the left side of the plate, and his plate discipline is a big reason why he’s projected to go in the third round. He profiles best a corner outfielder.

Watching his film, he reminds me a lot of Boston’s Andrew Benintendi and his career stats at A&M support that.

Benintendi 2019: 9.6% BB, 22.8% K, .266/.343/.431 line

DeLoach A&M career: 13.1% BB, 11.6% K, .261/.368/.397 line