San Diego Padres: Five current players missed in five-round MLB Draft

With the MLB Draft being shortened to five rounds this year, let’s look at five players on the San Diego Padres roster who would not have been drafted.

In April, MLB had tossed around the idea that the MLB Draft could potentially be reduced to just five rounds, given that the collegiate and high school baseball seasons have been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. We’ve been covering draft prospects that the San Diego Padres should target, under the assumption that the draft would be just five rounds.

On Saturday, that idea was confirmed. This has a strong impact on fringe players projected to be drafted just outside the first five rounds. Juniors in college will almost certainly be returning for their senior year, and high school players will attend colleges they have verbally committed to.

We likely won’t see the true ramifications of the MLB Draft being shortened until two to three years from now, but it is intriguing to look at the Padres roster to see how many guys who have missed out on being selected. Granted, several were taken by other teams initially, but their paths to San Diego could have looked drastically different or not happened at all.

1. Chris Paddack

Selected by the Miami Marlins in the eighth round of the 2015 MLB Draft, Paddack had a verbal commitment to play collegiate baseball at Texas A&M. Instead, he chose professional baseball, and he was traded to the Padres in June 2016 for Fernando Rodney.

A torn UCL temporarily set him back, but he posted big numbers in his rookie season. Last year, Paddack spun a 3.33 ERA in 26 starts while striking out 153 batters in 140.2 innings.

No longer on an innings limit, Paddack is looking at a monster year with the Friars. Had he gone to Texas A&M, he would have had to play at least three injury-free seasons before entering his name in the draft.

Given the state of the Padres roster, there’s a chance they still could have ended up with him, but there are no guarantees.

2. Zach Davies

Davies was taken by the Baltimore Orioles in the 26th round of the 2011 MLB Draft. He broke out with the Brewers after being traded in July 2015.

He had a verbal commitment to Arizona State, but surprisingly, he signed despite being drafted so late.

The Padres, of course, traded for Davies this past offseason, who is expected to be an integral piece of the starting rotation. It’s rare for high school players to forego collegiate baseball when they are drafted as late as Davies was.

However, he bet on himself, and he’s become one of the premier pitchers who have had to rely on deception and offspeed.

3. Ty France

Ty France signed with the Padres after being selected in the 34th round of the 2015 MLB Draft. The local kid from San Diego State decided to begin his professional career a year early.

He accumulated a .337/.432/.473 slash line with 14 home runs and 130 RBI in three seasons on campus.

Those numbers aren’t eye-popping by any means, which is odd that he signed. However, his power numbers have sky-rocketed within the last year. In 76 games for Triple-A last season, France smacked 27 bombs and drove in 89 runs.

With the potential inclusion of the DH this year, is it time to include France into the conversation for regular playing time?

4. Tommy Pham

Similar to the first two, Pham was taken by the Cardinals in the 16th round of the 2006 MLB Draft. He verbally committed to Cal State Fullerton but opted to play professional baseball instead.

He had a breakout year in 2017 with regular playing time, but he was traded to the Rays in July 2018.

Pham broke a Rays’ record in April 2019, reaching base in 40 consecutive games. His ability to get on-base is a significant reason why the Padres made the trade for him.

As a team, the Friars finished with the most strikeouts in the National League a year ago.