When the MLB draft concluded this week, the Padres had almost 20 fresh new prospects to work with, while players from three local colleges got the chance to play pro ball.
In addition to their first-round pick, Dillon Head, a speedy outfielder from outside Chicago, the Padres selected 17 other players, including one from Temecula.
Among the group was Homer Bush Jr., an outfielder from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix. He’s the son of Homer Sr., whom the Friars drafted in the seventh round in 1991, then traded to the New York Yankees six years later. He went on to play parts of seven seasons with three big-league clubs, including the Yankees.
The Padres picked up his son in the fourth round Monday.
“This is where he wanted to be,” his father told MLB.com. “So the fact that he could get drafted in a respectable spot with the organization he wanted to be with, it’s almost too good to be true.”
The Riverside County pick, Adler Cecil, attended Temecula Valley High School. The team selected the left-handed pitcher in the 19th round with the 581st pick overall.
For a complete list of the Padres’ draftees, search the MLB Draft Tracker by team.
Among the local students who got the call:
- Kyle Carr and Quincy Scott from Palomar College. The Yankees picked Carr, a left-handed pitcher, in the third round. The Texas Rangers selected Scott, an outfielder, in the ninth round.
- Kevin Sim, a third baseman at the University of San Diego and Torrey Pines High alum, went to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fifth round. He also has a notable father, according to MLB – Chon Soo Shim, a slugger during 15 years playing pro ball in Korea.
- Two more San Diego State players were selected, following Cole Carrigg on the draft’s first day, Sunday. The Tampa Bay Rays picked Mountain West Pitcher of the Year T.J. Fondtain, a left-hander, in the 14th round, while the Toronto Blue Jays nabbed Kelena Sauer, a righty, in the 15th.
The draft ended Tuesday.
