Padres fail to lure first-round pick’s 6-foot-8 teammate away from SEC commitment

For a moment there, the Padres appeared to be sneaking in a real steal at the end of the 2026 MLB Draft. They had already selected a 6-foot-6 righty in Coleman Borthwick with the No. 21 overall pick. Then, 16 rounds later, the Padres returned to South Walton High School and drafted his equally enormous rotation mate, Denton Lord.

The vision made sense. Put the two towering power pitchers back together and hand them over to the Padres’ pitching development staff. Unfortunately, Lord had another plan.

The 6-foot-8 right-hander announced that he would honor his commitment to Mississippi State rather than sign with San Diego. Instead of joining Borthwick in the Padres’ farm system, Lord will head to Starkville and bet on himself in the SEC and turn himself into a much earlier selection in the 2029 MLB Draft. 

It’s disappointing for the Friars. Had they somehow convinced Lord to sign after selecting him with the No. 515 overall pick, it would have been one of the biggest steals of the entire draft. At the same time, signing for late-round money made little sense for a player with that much upside, especially in the current NIL climate.

Padres take a worthwhile gamble on Denton Lord

Lord was not a typical 17th-round talent. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the No. 80 prospect in the class, meaning more than 400 players were selected before someone finally called his name. That had nothing to do with teams suddenly deciding they didn’t like him. He’s already hitting 98 mph with his fastball. It was about signability.

Lord had a strong Mississippi State commitment and enough leverage to make teams believe it would require a serious financial offer to pull him away from college. The Padres knew exactly what they were doing.

Their scouting director Chris Kemp called Lord a high-upside pitcher with strong makeup and acknowledged that the Padres were simply taking their shot.

The construction of San Diego’s draft class made the Lord pick even more fascinating. After selecting high school players Borthwick and Elliot Lascelles with their first two picks, the Padres rattled off 15 consecutive college selections. College players, particularly experienced ones with less negotiating leverage, can often be signed below their assigned slot values. Those savings can then be redirected toward expensive high school prospects later in the draft.

MLB’s own breakdown of the Padres’ class noted that the organization had used that strategy before and suggested its run of signable college players could create financial flexibility. 

Was Lord the target all along? We can’t say that with certainty. Some of the savings may have been intended for Borthwick, Lascelles or another difficult signing. Some may simply have materialized as negotiations unfolded. Draft bonus pools involve too many moving pieces to declare that San Diego built its entire middle-round strategy around one 17th-round pitcher.

Still, it’s fair to connect the dots. The Padres missed out on the dream outcome and a quick way to accelerate rebuilding their farm, but the attempt still deserves some credit.

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