Padres' first-round focus on high school talent is paying dividends

The San Diego Padres have selected a high-school prospect in the first round for the ninth-straight season. Kruz Schoolcraft was chosen at No. 25 overall, a 6-foot-8 pitcher out of Oregon.

San Diego's recent history has suggested this is a good thing. Over the past nine drafts, the Padres have selected a high-school prospect in the first round every time, and so far, it has paid off quite well for the Friars.

Padres keep winning with high school first-round picks

Looking back at a few of their latest first-rounders, the Padres have found their starting centerfielder. That would, of course, be Jackson Merrill, who was drafted as a prep shortstop and eventually converted to center field. Merrill looks like a star for years to come, even in a down year.

San Diego also drafted a trio of prospects in the first round who wound up being traded to the Nationals for Juan Soto in 2022. Robert Hassell III, CJ Abrams and Mackenzie Gore were all high-school first-round selections, and all three look like they have bright futures ahead. Gore recently made his first all-star game for the Nationals, with a 3.02 ERA and 138 strikeouts in 19 starts.

Abrams made his first all-star game in 2024 and has had an arguably better 2025. With an .836 OPS and 3.5 bWAR, he is setting career-bests in some of the most important categories. Hasell III has struggled in his first 21 MLB games, but displayed a well-rounded set of tools in Triple-A, where he hit for an OPS of .795 this spring.

The trend over the past few years is clear: San Diego has done a tremendous job identifying high-school talent in the first round of the draft. That's without mentioning James Wood, the outfielder who was drafted in the second round out of high school by the Padres in 2021. Wood has already accumulated 4.4 bWAR in his age-22 season with the Nationals, and is the latest of young, uber-talented outfield prospects to make their debuts.

While most of these former first-rounders are no longer with the Padres, the trend is encouraging. San Diego's scouting department has knocked the first round out of the park more often than not, and it should bode well for Schoolcraft's future as well.

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