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Story by Liz Alper
Photo: Troy Conyers (LHP, USD/El Capitan HS) drafted 680th overall by the Atlanta Braves. Via usdtoreros.com
June 14, 2017 (Secaucus, N.J.) - Yesterday in day two of the 2017 MLB Draft, the Padres expanded their horizons and picked from the broad pool of college prospects. Here’s who they picked on the third and final day in rounds 11-40.
11th Round - 318th Overall
Chandler Newman - RHP, Chattahoochee Valley Community College (hometown: Richmond Hill, GA. Photo, right via Chattahoochee Valley Community College) - Committed to Georgia Southern University and previously drafted by the Indians in 2015, Newman is a hard thrower and his fastball zooms as high as 97.
12th Round - 348th Overall
Tom Cosgrove - LHP, Manhattan College (hometown: Staten Island, NY. Photo, left: Youtube screenshot) - While his ERA last season was 4.38, he was one of the most dominating pitchers in the MAAC. He limited opposing hitters to a .265 average. He recorded a 2.20 ERA in his final seven starts and limited opposing hitters to a .227 average.
13th Round - 378th Overall
Fred Schlichtholz - RHP, Fresno State (hometown: Coronado. Photo, right via Bullpen Banter) - A common foe faced by the Aztecs this season, he now plays for his hometown team. His 2017 ERA is a little high at 4.82, but still under five. He’s a reliever with two saves this past season.
14th Round - 408th Overall
VIjay Miller - RHP, East Mississippi Community College (hometown: Fulton, MS. Photo, left via East Mississippi Athletics) - A football player at EMJC as well, Miller sports an impressive 3.97 ERA with 54 strikeouts overall last season. He keeps hitters to a .255 average against him and has only allowed 23 walks. We’ll have to see what sport he chooses.
15th Round - 438th Overall
Cole Bellinger - RHP, Hamilton HS (Chandler, AZ. Photo right via @MLBDraft on Twitter) - The brother of current Dodgers slugger Cody Bellinger, he led Hamilton to their third state Division 6A crown in four years just last month. He’s committed to Grand Canyon University.
16th Round - 468th Overall
Joey Cantillo - LHP, Kailua HS (Kailua, HI. Photo left: MLB.com video screenshot) - Cantillo is no joke. In March, he struck out 18 batters in a 5-0 win and seven-inning complete game. He’s dominant at the plate, too; in that same game, he went 3-for-4 with a two-run double.
17th Round - 498th Overall
Jason Pineda - 1B, James Monroe HS (The Bronx, NY. Photo right: Youtube screenshot) - Committed to Michigan, he boasts a high velocity. He’s strong and thick with a wide, upper body swing. He’s a much-needed quick bat that the Padres need.
18th Round - 528th Overall
Cam Sanders - RHP, Northwest Florida State College (hometown: Thibodaux, LA. Photo left via nwfraiders.com) - Sanders was the 2015 all-state pitcher of the year at Ed White High School in Louisiana.
19th Round - 558th Overall
Nicholas Feight - 1B, UNC Wilmington (hometown: Gainesville,VA. Photo right: Youtube screenshot) - Feight is packed with awards. Just this season alone, he was named to first-team All-CAA and the CAA Player of the Week. He was second on the team with 15 home runs and led the Seahawks for the second straight season in RBIs with 48.
20th Round, 588th Overall
Duke Ellis - CF, Panola Junior College (hometown: Nacogdoches, TX. Photo left via fieldlevel.com) - Duke is 6’3”, 160 and he's only a freshman. He also bat .415 this season with 36 RBIs and 62 runs and 21 stolen bases. He is only 19 years old.
21st Round, 618th Overall
Greg Lambert - CF, Southern Illinois (hometown: Athens, AL. Photo right via siusalukis.com) - Lambert topped a bunch of charts in his junior season. First-team All-MVC. School-record 25 doubles, tying the most in the MVC since 2007. He led the team in average (.329), hits (74), doubles (25), home runs (7), RBIs (52), and slugging percentage (.551). He tied an SIU record with three doubles in a win at Southeast Missouri. On March 22, he went 5-for-5 with two doubles, a home run, three runs scored and seven RBIs at Murray State. Also had a 7-RBI game vs. No. 26 Tennessee Tech on April 23, going 4-for-4 with two doubles. He hit the walk-off three-run home run against Evansville on April 1st and that’s no fooling. He was named MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week after leading SIU to a sweep of Western Illinois with two doubles, a home run and six RBIs. He hit another walk-off RBI double to beat Illinois State on May 14 and ended the season on a 10-game hitting streak and 12-game reached base streak.
22nd Round, 648th Overall
Jake Lyons - RHP, Weatherford College (hometown: Irving, TX. Photo left via perfectgame.org) - Lyons is only 18 and he’s a brute; 6’5” and 260 lbs. And he’s already pitching like a big leaguer with a 2.87 ERA and 119 strikeouts.
23rd Round, 678th Overall
Luis Roman - 3B, Texas Wesleyan University (hometown: Ponce, Puerto Rico. Photo, right via ramsports.net) - Roman is tiny for a senior; only 6’0” and 220--but he packs a punch with 17 home runs and batting .350 and with an on-base percentage of .462.
EAST COUNTY MENTION: TROY CONYERS (LHP, USD, El Capitan HS) 680TH OVERALL TO THE ATLANTA BRAVES
24th Round, 708th Overall
Harrison Simon - RHP, Loyola Marymount (hometown: Los Angeles, CA. Photo right via lmulions.com) - Simon is not as impressive as the other pitchers the Padres have drafted, but he sports a 3.30 ERA with one shutout game. He’s struck out 41 batters and limited them to a .224 average against him. This season, he pitched a 2.51 ERA.
25th Round, 738th Overall
Robbie Podorsky - CF, McNeese State (hometown: Prairieville, LA. Photo left via mcneesesports.com) - In his two seasons at Delgado Community College, Podorsky was instrumental in helping win the 2016 South Central Championship and the 2016 NJCAA Region XXIII championship. He bat .449.
26th Round, 768th Overall
Daniel Cabrera - CF, Parkview Baptist School (Baton Rouge, LA. Photo right: mlb.com video screensho) - Committed to LSU, Cabrera has an athletic build. He squares up perfectly to hit the ball and has quick and loose hands. He fields the ball cleanly with light, accurate throws. He can also pitch, throwing a mid-80s fastball and breaking curveball.
27th Round, 798th Overall
Christian Robinson - CF, Viera HS (Melbourne, FL. Photo left: Youtube screenshot) - Robinson is only 17, but extremely athletic at 6’3” and strong. A great runner (6.62), he has a lot of arm strength and can prove a valuable asset in the Padres’ outfield. He’s left-handed, but has trained himself not to use his lower body and concentrate on his upper body strength to swing the bat. So he does need to make adjustments to his swing, but can be very valuable. Verbally committed to Florida.
28th Round, 828th Overall
Noel Vela - LHP, Veterans Memorial HS (Corpus Christi, TX. Photo right: Youtube screenshot) - With the 828th overall pick, the Padres drafted an offensive and defensive threat. In his junior year in high school, Vela kept his ERA to 0.71 with 93 strikeouts. He hit .538 with six homers and 43 RBIs. He made the THSBCA All-State Team as a 1st Team 1B and was named to the TSWA All-State Team as a 1st Team 1B. He’s committed to the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley.
29th Round, 858th Overall
Jalen Washington - C, Ohio State (hometown: Twinsburg, OH. Photo left via @OhioState_BASE on Twitter) - Ohio State is known for football, not baseball and the Padres have been taking mostly pitchers and center fielders today, but they finally took a catcher in Jalen Washington. He mostly played shortstop, but the Padres want him for his catching, even though he only started two games behind the plate last season. But his main power comes at the plate, not behind it. He leads the Buckeyes in doubles, triples and RBI. He was named to the Sunshine State Classic All-Tournament Team after batting .385 (5-for-13) with three runs scored, two doubles, two RBI and four hit-by-pitches for a .529 on-base percentage.
30th Round, 888th Overall
Chandler Seagle - C, Appalachian State (hometown: New Bern, NC. Photo right via @AppBaseball on Twitter) - Seagle isn’t as terrific offensively as he is a defensive catcher; he caught 16 base-stealers napping in 2016, putting him in third in the Sun Belt for most in the Sun Belt conference.
31st Round, 918th Overall
Tyler Benson - LF, Bloomsburg University (hometown: Montville, NJ. Photo left via buhuskies.com) - Benson is an expert at drawing the walk and driving in runs. Every time he comes up to bat, he will get on base, either via a walk or a double.
32nd Round, 948th Overall
Matthew Batten - SS, Quinnipiac University (hometown: Shelton, CT. Photo right via quinnipiacbobcats.com) - Batten doesn’t look like it, but he can hit for power. He boasted a team-leading .305 batting average in 2016-17 and a .369 on-base percentage. He had his third straight season of 25 RBIs. He sported two hit streaks: one for 12 games from April 17 to May 7 and another for 11 games from Feb. 26 to March 24. No honors this season, but in 2016 he had plenty; All-MAAC Second Team, NEIBA All-New England First Team, ABCA/Rawlings Northeast All-Region First Team and was MAAC Player of the Week twice.
EAST COUNTY MENTION: TAYLOR AHEARN (RHP, Santee, Cal State San Marcos) 971ST OVERALL TO THE BOSTON RED SOX. Photo left
33rd Round, 978th Overall
Caleb Boushley - RHP, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (hometown: Hortonville, WI. Photo right: Youtube screenshot) - Another player that’s just dripping with awards. American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III All-America First Team, D3baseball.com All-America First Team, ABCA/Rawlings All-Midwest Region First Team, ABCA/Rawlings Midwest Region Pitcher of the Year, D3baseball.com All-Midwest Region First Team, D3baseball.com All-Midwest Region Pitcher of the Year, NCAA III All-Midwest Region Tournament Team, All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) First Team, WIAC Pitcher of the Year and two-time WIAC Pitcher of the Week, all in 2016. Boushley finished 2016 with a 10-1 record and a 2.20 ERA. He struck out 80, walked just 18 and held hitters to a .238 batting average and pitched three complete games.
34th Round, 1,008th Overall
Henry Marchese - CF, Adlai, E. Stevenson School (Lincolnshire, IL. Photo left via @newssun on Twitter) - Recruited to Iowa to play football, Marchese is a baseball standout too. His on-base percentage hovers around .500 consistently. We’ll have to see what sport he chooses to commit to.
35th Round, 1,038th Overall
Kevin Abel - RHP, Madison HS (San Diego. Photo right: mlb.com video screenshot) - Another San Diego native from Madison High, Abel is a big kid at 18 years old, 6’2” and 175 lbs. He’s a sleuth; hides the ball well with a quick and fast release. His fastball reaches 91 but can improve. He has a full arsenal of pitches, including a screwball-like changeup. Committed to Oregon State.
36th Round, 1,068th Overall
Shane Muntz - C, Malvern Prep School (Malvern, PA. Photo left: Youtube screenshot) - Another big kid at 18, Muntz is 6’4” and 240 lbs. He’s a solid pitcher, but the Padres drafted him as a catcher, probably because of his domineering presence behind the plate. He has big power, but is slower defensively because of his size. He’s committed to Wake Forest.
37th Round, 1,098th Overall
Logan Browning - LHP, Florida Southern College (hometown: Lakeland, FL. Photo right via fscmocs.com) - Browning is solid on the mound and at the plate with a 3.95 ERA and 107 strikeouts last season. He had 10 home runs, so he’s an offensive pitcher, something the Padres have but could definitely use more of. He bat .380 with 45 RBIs, 39 hits, 60 runs and 12 doubles.
38th Round, 1,128th Overall
Jeremy Smith - RHP, Southwestern Oklahoma State (hometown: Houston, TX. Photo left via swosuathletics.com) - Smith needs improvement, sporting a 5.79 ERA as a junior, but has won awards and can develop.
39th Round, 1,158th Overall
Justin Paulsen - 1B, Missouri State (hometown: Ballwin, MO. Photo right) - Paulsen’s 2016 season is dotted with honors, as he started 56 of the Bears’ 59 games and set career-best totals for RBIs, hits, runs and batting average (.322). He has 144 RBIs, 22 home runs and 127 runs, so he’s a definite power hitter that the Padres need.
EAST COUNTY MENTION: NOAH NUNEZ (RHP, Santana HS) DRAFTED 1,177TH OVERALL BY THE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
40th Round, 1,188th Overall
Chad Stevens - 3B, Gig Harbor HS (Gig Harbor, WA. Photo left via perfectgame.org) - The Padres drafted Stevens as a third baseman, but he can play shortstop and second base as well. He’s tall and slender and can get the ball out of his hands quickly. He’s only 18, but already knows that hitting to the opposite field is key to getting hits. He can also drive the fastball well.
EAST COUNTY MENTION: SEAN ROSS (OF, Granite Hills HS) DRAFTED 1,209TH OVERALL BY THE TORONTO BLUE JAYS (Photo below right: Youtube screenshot)
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