The Padres chose a high school outfielder from Illinois with their first pick in Sunday’s MLB draft, while a San Diego State player was selected by a team from the National League West.

The Friars held the 25th pick in the first round, and chose Dillon Head, a graduate of Homewood-Flossmoor Community High School in Flossmoor, south of Chicago.

Head, 18, told MLB Network Radio that he works constantly, getting in from 500-1000 swings a day, or if the weather gets in the way, at least hitting off a tee, just to do “everything I can to add to my game.”

MLB.com described him as one of the fastest two players in the draft. Head “knows how to use his speed on both sides of the ball, playing an outstanding center field with good reads and routes while stealing bases regularly,” and is “a contact-first, on-base type who could hit at the top of the lineup.”

The Padres didn’t have another pick Sunday. The team’s next turn is in the third round, the 96th pick overall.

Meanwhile, San Diego State centerfielder Cole Carrigg heard his name called in a competitive balance round, as the Colorado Rockies made him the 65th pick of the draft.

Carrigg, a junior at SDSU, earned first-team All-Mountain West honors in 2023, hitting .303 on the season with eight doubles and 27 RBIs in 42 games. He hit .388 the year before and went on that summer to become an All-Star in the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Two Louisiana state players, pitcher Paul Skenes, and outfielder Dylan Crews, filled the No. 1 and 2 slots in the first round, going to the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Washington Nationals.

The 20-round draft continues Monday and Tuesday.

Note: Featured photo, Cole Carrigg, photo credit: Vanilla Gorilla Photography via goaztecs.com.