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

Part I in this series, we look at three offensive players that the San Diego Padres can target in the third round of the 2020 MLB Draft.

The third round of the MLB Draft typically provides some variability from the traditional big board within the first two rounds. Teams have either reached or landed the players they had anticipated. So, when the San Diego Padres are on the clock with the 81st overall pick, they will have the opportunity to secure a potentially useful bat for the future lineup.

Last year, the Friars selected Hudson Head from Winston Churchill High School with the 84th overall pick despite several media outlets having him ranked within the 90s of their draft board. I typically prefer college players who are both closer to reaching the big leagues and have a proven track record against better talent. But this is precisely where general manager AJ Preller can select one of the better high school players available.

Coby Mayo, 3B, Stoneman Douglas High School

Mayo is a physically mature 18-year old standing at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds. He’s a right-handed bat with a verbal commitment to Florida in the fall. At the 2019 Perfect Game Showcase, Mayo demonstrated his ability to hit the ball hit with a 105 MPH exit velocity, ranking in the 99.8 percentile for the draft class.

He bats from a slight crouch in his stance with most of the weight on his back foot. As a junior, Mayo hit .391 with four home runs and 21 RBI in 25 games. He was off to a tremendous start this year before the shutdown, batting .455 with two home runs and six RBI. Baseball America considers him a tough sign away from Florida, so there is a considerable amount of risk selecting Mayo, even in the third round.

That said, if drafted by the Padres, he could potentially be Machado’s successor in five to six years, depending on their performances.

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