News
Padres looking for gems late in Draft
Peavy, Eckstein among players taken in lower rounds
By Corey Brock / MLB.com
06/10/09 12:12 AM ET
SAN DIEGO -- There figures to be plenty of picks, plenty of gems and plenty of interest for the San Diego Padres over the final two days of the First-Year Player Draft.
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1 WAS: S. Strasburg
2 SEA: D. Ackley
3 SD: D. Tate
4 PIT: J. Sanchez
5 BAL: M. Hobgood
6 SF: Z. Wheeler
7 ATL: M. Minor
8 CIN: M. Leake
9 DET: J. Turner
10 WAS: D. Storen
11 COL: T. Matzek
12 KC: A. Crow
13 OAK: G. Green
14 TEX: M. Purke
15 CLE: A. White
16 ARI: R. Borchering
17 ARI: A. Pollock
18 FLA: C. James
19 STL: S. Miller
20 TOR: S. Jenkins
21 HOU: J. Mier
22 MIN: K. Gibson
23 CWS: J. Mitchell
24 LAA: R. Grichuk
25 LAA: M Trout
26 MIL: E. Arnett
27 SEA: N. Franklin
28 BOS: R. Fuentes
29 NYY: S. Heathcott
30 TB: L. Washington
31 CHC: B. Jackson
32 COL: T. Wheeler
36 LAD: A. Miller
72 NYM: S. Matz
75 PHI: K. Dugan
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The Padres only have to look at the composition of their 25-man roster to see that players taken at or beyond the 112th overall pick in the Draft have given significant contributions to the team.
Take pitcher Jake Peavy, the 472nd overall pick (15th round) in 1999 out of high school in Alabama. Peavy moved fast through the Padres' system, making his Major League debut in 2002 and winning the National League Cy Young Award in 2007.
Then there's second baseman David Eckstein, who was taken with the 581st overall pick (19th round) by the Boston Red Sox in 1997. Eckstein never played with the Red Sox but moved on to win two World Series titles, picking up a World Series MVP trophy on the way.
Outfielder Brian Giles was the 435th player taken (17th round) by the Cleveland Indians in 1989. He eventually made it to the Major Leagues in 1995 with the Indians and has been hitting ever since.
Third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff was selected with the 168th overall pick (6th round) in 2003 by the Indians. He made his Major League debut two seasons later, hitting a grand slam in his first at-bat with the Indians.
Other Padres who were picked after the 112th overall pick include pitchers Kevin Correia (127th overall, 4th round, Giants in 2002), Chad Gaudin (1,009th, 34th round, Rays in 2001, Luke Gregerson (856th, 28th round, Cardinals in 2006), Cla Meredith (185th, 6th round, Red Sox in 2004), infielder Edgar Gonzalez (866th, 30th round, Rays in 2000) and outfielder Will Venable (218th, 7th round, Padres in 2005).
After 111 picks on Day 1 -- including Round 1, Compensation Round A, Round 2, Round 3 and Compensation Round B -- and Rounds 4-30 on Day 2, the Draft will resume with exclusive coverage on MLB.com with Round 31 at 8:30 a.m. PT on Thursday.
MLB.com's coverage will include a live pick-by-pick audio stream, expert commentary and the exclusive Draft Tracker, a searchable database of every Draft-eligible player, featuring statistics, scouting reports and video highlights.
Fans will not only be able to follow along every minute of the way online, but they'll be able to interact directly with Draft-eligible players and MLB.com Draft experts, among others.
The Draft Tracker will also feature the addition of Twitter, and the participation of "tweeters" such as MLB.com Draft expert @JonathanMayoB3, who will also be serving as on-air talent for all three days of the Draft; and reporter @LisaWinstonMLB, who will be writing the up-to-the-minute coverage for MLB.com.
In addition, MLB.com has created a Twitter account devoted to the Draft, where you can stay updated on every piece of info as it becomes available (@MLBDraft).
Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
