San Diego Padres Draft: Three round mock draft focused on pitching

With the MLB Draft just over a month away, we take a look at a San Diego Padres mock draft that primarily focuses on pitching.

High school and collegiate baseball players received good news this week that MLB will hold the draft on June 10 as planned. With the COVID-19 pandemic, there was the potential for the San Diego Padres – and all teams for that matter – to go without a draft this year or, at the very least, pushed back.

With the eighth overall pick in the draft, the Padres are in a prime position to grab an immediate impact player. Pitching isn’t necessarily a huge need for the Friars, but, as the old saying goes, “you can never have too much pitching.” Especially considering the potential injury risks the Tommy John trio of Chris Paddack, Garrett Richards, and Dinelson Lamet.

Round 1, 8th overall

Reid Detmers, LHP, Louisville

Detmers is arguably the most polished collegiate pitcher in this draft. He finished second in the country with a school-record 167 strikeouts last year and was already at 48 through his first four starts before the shutdown.

With a four-pitch mix, Detmers has excellent command and has drawn comparisons to Ray’s starter, Brendan McKay. He likely needs just a couple of seasons in the minor leagues before he’ll be ready for the big-league rotation, which will align well with Richards and Zach Davies coming off the books after this year and after 2021, respectively.

Competitive Balance Round A, 34th overall

Bryce Jarvis, RHP, Duke

If Jarvis doesn’t sneak into the first round, the Padres have to take him with the 34th overall pick. He threw Duke’s first perfect game in school history before the shutdown. After spending the majority of his freshman year in the bullpen, Jarvis became a dependable starting pitcher for the Blue Devils.

He posted a 3.81 ERA in 19 appearances – including 11 starts – and struck out 94 batters in 75.2 innings (11.2 K/9) last season. The 6-foot-2 righty was off to a tremendous start this year, striking out 40 in his first four starts and walked just two.

Round 2, 45th overall

Logan Allen, LHP, Florida International

Grabbing FIU’s Logan Allen in the second round is a terrific value. He’ll need to add some weight to his 6-foot-0, 180-pound frame, but he’s a polished strike thrower. He quietly struck out 120 batters last year in 14 starts while walking just 25 (2.7 BB/9).

Allen is not an overpowering pitcher. Instead, he relies on deception to get his outs. Still, his 92 MPH fastball has more than done than the job. He also complements it with above-average pitches in both his changeup and curveball. In three of his first four starts this year, Allen had double-digit strikeouts.

Round 3, 81st overall

Ian Seymour, LHP, Virginia Tech

After having three selections within the first 45 picks, the Padres will have to wait what will seem like ages. Virginia Tech’s Ian Seymour is my pick here after proving to be a reliable arm in the Hokies rotation. He struck out 70 batters in his freshman year and followed that with 81 K’s in 13 starts last year.

Before the shutdown, he had struck out 40 batters in 20.1 innings while walking just five batters. He features a three-pitch mix with above-average pitches in both his fastball and slider. His changeup remains a work in progress, but he’ll also need another pitch to stick in a starting rotation.

Stay tuned for our next three-round mock draft focused on position players.