A.J. Preller and Padres bet big on 6-foot-6 flamethrower Coleman Borthwick in 2026 MLB Draft

A.J. Preller goes big or goes home. We know the routine by now. The Padres used their first-round pick in the 2026 MLB Draft on Coleman Borthwick, a 6-foot-6, 255-pound right-hander out of South Walton High School in Florida. Borthwick looks more like he should be protecting the rim rather than pitching off a mound, which seems to be the trend with the Friars as of late. Subtlety has never been Preller’s thing.

This is another enormous swing on size, velocity and upside from a front office that has never been scared of risk. Borthwick was the first high school right-handed pitcher taken in the draft, and it is easy to understand why San Diego jumped on him.

He already throws a 93-95 mph fastball and has reached the upper 90’s. The pitch has life at the top of the zone, and Borthwick has shown that he can move it around instead of simply firing it and hoping for a prayer.

He’s got a strong slider that sits in the mid-80’s, hinting at a strong fastball/slider combo the pitching development can dream on. 

Coleman Borthwick gives the Padres another high-upside pitching project

Borthwick has some similarities to the Padres 2025 first-rounder Kruz Schoolcraft. Both could hit and shove at the high school level. He hit .300 for Team USA at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup in Japan, so this isn’t just a pitcher who occasionally ran into one in the batter’s box. 

His work on the mound is the conversation changer. And that’s why the Padres drafted him. Borthwick threw 10 scoreless innings for Team USA and earned tournament MVP honors. He also impressed at events such as the East Coast Pro Showcase. The more evaluators watched him pitch, the easier it became to see where his professional future belonged.

The Padres are drafting him because the ingredients of a workhorse starter are already sitting there. He’s also 18 with a high ceiling, and we know the Padres lack of long-term commitment to their draft picks. Borthwick is yet another attractive profile that could be used as a trade chip to keep the Padres championship window open. 

So let’s call it what it is. Borthwick now becomes another fascinating arm in a system that never stays full for long. The Padres need to keep replenishing the farm because Preller treats prospect capital like spending money. A pitcher with this combination of size, velocity and projection could become extremely valuable, whether he eventually reaches Petco or helps San Diego land someone else.

That part can wait til later. For now, the Padres have added one of the biggest pitchers in the entire draft and the first prep right-hander off the board.

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