Padres Draft: Best players drafted 45th overall

The Padres hold the 45th overall pick in the upcoming draft. We look at several other notable players taken in this slot.

As the Padres continue to prepare for an abbreviated draft that will kick off on Wednesday evening, they hold the 8th overall pick in the first round. They also hold the 34th overall pick as part of the competitive balance round.

History tells us that general manager AJ Preller isn’t afraid to gamble on high school players in the first round, so there’s a good chance the Padres take Zac Veen, or Mick Abel, or Robert Hassell, or Austin Hendrick. You get the idea.

So when they enter the second round with the 45th overall pick, they will have, obviously, already made two selections and have a bit more freedom to stray from “the path.” Looking back at several players who were selected with the 45th overall pick, the Padres are in a position to grab a player that can contribute for years to come.

Trevor Story – 2011

The Rockies shortstop finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2016, backed by a .272/.341/.567 slash line with 27 home runs and 72 RBI in 97 games. He’s demonstrated that his rookie year was no fluke, earning All-Star selections the last two years while hitting a combined 72 home runs and earning NL-MVP votes.

Jed Lowrie – 2005

Lowrie made his debut with the Red Sox in 2008, playing in 81 games and logging a .739 OPS. He’s earned just one All-Star selection in his 12-year career – coming in 2018 – and has never had eye-popping numbers. He’s the definition of a steady player, slashing a combined .261/.335/.413 with an average of nine home runs per season, spending time with Boston, Houston, Oakland, and most recently, the Mets.

Gerald Laird – 1998

Laird was never a household name during his 13-year career; however, he was fantastic at throwing out running behind the plate. Playing for five different clubs, Laird threw out runners at a combined 35 percent clip, well above the league average of 27 percent over that time. His best year came in 2008 while he was with the Rangers, posting a .276/.329/.398 slash line with 24 doubles, six home runs, and 41 RBI in a 95-game sample.

Tom Gorzelanny – 2003

Gorzelanny was a regular in the Pirates and eventually the Cubs rotations until he was converted to a reliever thereafter. In all, he played for six different ballclubs, with some of his best performances coming in his two-year stint with the Nationals.

There, Gorzelanny made 75 appearances – including 16 starts – while posting a 3.56 ERA and striking out 157 batters in 177.0 innings (8.0 K/9)