Padres Draft: Best players drafted eighth overall

The Padres hold the eighth overall pick in next month’s draft. For perspective, let’s look at some of the best players that were taken at the same spot.

Come June 10, the Padres will be adding the next wave to their already prosperous farm system. As a result of last year’s record, they hold the eighth overall pick. They are in a favorable spot to grab an immediate impact player.

We’ve seen several mock drafts from various media sources leading up to the draft. General Manager AJ Preller’s history in the draft would lead the belief that a top high school talent is the preferred selection here. However, Minnesota’s Max Meyer and Louisville’s Reid Detmers are also names linked to the Friars.

Regardless of who the pick ends up being, the future looks very bright at the big league level, with the likes of Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado being the focal points of the roster for years to come. Several of the Padres’ top prospects will be making their major league debuts within the next couple of years, so it’s important to continue stockpiling as much talent as possible.

And looking at the history of the eighth overall pick, there are quite a few names that should have Padres’ fans excited about the potential this draft slot holds.

Todd Helton

Helton was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 1995 MLB Draft. He finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting in 1998, in what was a foreshadowing of an amazing career.

As a two-sport player at the University of Tennessee, Helton made the right call sticking with baseball, as he was frequently in the MVP conversation between 2000 and 2004.

He was selected to five All-Star games, earned three Gold Glove and four Silver Slugger Awards, and his number 17 was retired by the Rockies.

Helton had a .316 batting average and 61.8 WAR of the course of his 17-year career, highlighted by an MLB-leading .372 average during the 2000 season.

Francisco Lindor

Lindor has been one of the premier shortstops in baseball since taken by the Cleveland Indians in the 2011 MLB Draft. He never hit lower than .257 at any stop of the minor leagues and made his highly-anticipated debut in June 2015.

He finished second in AL Rookie of the Year voting, posting a .313/.353/.482 slash line to go along with 12 home runs and 51 RBI.

2016 was the first of four consecutive All-Star selections for Lindor while receiving AL MVP consideration as well. 2018 was an exceptional year for the then 24-year-old. He posted a .277/.352/.519 line with 38 long balls and 92 RBI.

Now 26, Lindor has already accumulated a career 27.6 WAR, including a 7.8 WAR in 2018. His accolades include two Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards, and he’ll likely add a few more before he calls it a career. Lindor could end up being the best player drafted eighth overall, assuming he remains healthy.

Jim Abbott

Talk about making the most of yourself. Despite being born without a right hand, Jim Abbott played his collegiate baseball at the University of Michigan. He garnered the attention of the California Angels in the first round of the 1988 MLB Draft. More impressive, Abbott never saw time in the minors.

Instead, he joined the Angels rotation as a rookie for the 1989 season. He posted a 3.92 EA in 29 starts as a 21-year-old and finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting. Abbott had a breakout year in 1991, making 34 starts and posting a 2.89 ERA. He struck out 158 batters in 243.0 innings and finished third in Cy Young Award voting.

After the 1992 season, Abbott was traded to the Yankees and tossed a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians on September 4, 1993. After a brief stint with the Chicago White Sox, he returned to the California Angels. But things got progressively worse for him in the twilight of his career.

He posted a 7.48 and MLB-worst 2-18 record for starting pitchers in 1996. Abbott peaked very early in his career, logging a 7.6 and 5.7 WAR at age 23 and 24, respectively. He accumulated a 19.7 WAR for his career while helping Team USA win a Gold Medal in the 1988 Olympic Games.