Padres expected to grab another high-ceiling prep arm with their first-round pick

There has been a growing trend for the San Diego Padres when it comes to their first-round draft picks. They have focused on selecting high-ceiling prep arms. 

During the 2024 season, they had the 25th overall pick, selecting Kash Mayfield, a pitcher from Elk City High School in Oklahoma. Last year, they picked at 25 again and again selected a high school pitcher in Kruz Schoolcraft out of Oregon. 

This year, San Diego will get a little better of a pick, having the 21st overall selection, and it would not surprise many if they decided to grab another high school pitcher later this summer. 

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Padres expected to grab another high-ceiling prep arm with their first-round pick

The one thing that is not ideal about drafting this late in the first round is that the front office has to scout plenty of talent. They will have the guys they definitely want to draft, but will need backups in case other teams are also high on that player and take them before the Padres get on the clock. 

So, taking a high-ceiling arm makes sense for the front office. That is what Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter suggests, predicting the club will take LHP Carson Bolemon from Southside Christian School in South Carolina. 

"The Padres never shy away from high-ceiling prep talent in the first round, and based on pure talent, Bolemon offers as much pure stuff and upside as any arm in the class. The 6"4', 210-pound frame southpaw has four plus pitches, command that belies his age and smooth mechanics. The only real knock is an internal brace procedure in eighth grade and the fact that he turns 19 in April, but he would immediately become San Diego's top pitching prospect."

Bolemon could be one of the best arms in the class purely based on stuff and upside, with the only real knock being a surgery he had before he even hit high school. 

He fits San Diego's mold and could easily become the Padres' best pitching prospect if the front office decides to take him 21st overall.

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