Padres could be watching a future rotation monster emerge in camp

People tend to gravitate to Kruz Schoolcraft and it's pretty obvious why. The No. 1 prospect in the San Diego Padres' organization, Schoolcraft is quite literally larger than life.

Standing at 6-foot-8, San Diego drafted him 25th overall last year in the MLB Draft for good reason. The Oregon prep left-hander has a fastball that can reach 100 MPH. His mechanics are already polished. This has already stirred a buzz at Padres camp this spring. Everyone had to see Schoolcraft for themselves.

Earlier this week, Schoolcraft tossed in an intrasquad game, and plenty of organization personnel, as well as players, gathered around the backstop to watch him throw and see what all the fuss was about. They weren't disappointed. With his fastball sitting in the mid 90s, Schoolcraft struck out four of the 13 batters he faced.

It was a sneak peek into the future. Everyone reportedly was happy with what they saw.

Padres top prospect Kruz Schoolcraft gives teammates, front office members reason to be excited

We only saw Schoolcraft pitch once last year in the minor leagues. He tossed 1.2 innings with Single-A Lake Elsinore, fanning four batters while walking three — and that was it. It wasn't the most public professional debut, so very few people within the organization were able to watch Schoolcraft get to work. He proved himself a bit more this week, even if it wasn't in an official spring game.

The talent is there. The size is there. So, the future appears to be bright with Schoolcraft leading the charge. He still has some time before he is promoted to the big leagues, but it was important for others to catch a glimpse of what he is all about. This is also good for Schoolcraft's confidence. Going into his first fulll season as a pro, it's important for him to know that the entire club is not only behind him, but enthused to follow his journey.