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Padres loaded with extra picks early in Draft
- Updated: June 2, 2016
SAN DIEGO — In A.J. Preller’s eyes, preparation for the Draft is a year-round process, no matter where his club’s selections may fall. When San Diego owned just one of the first 85 selections a year ago, the Padres’ general manager treated the endeavor as a potential franchise-changer.
But even Preller is ready to acknowledge that the stakes are raised this year. Among those first 85 selections in the 2016 Draft — which begins next Thursday at 4 p.m. PT on MLB Network and MLB.com — the Padres have six picks, the most in the Majors. In the span of a year, San Diego went from the quietest team in the Draft’s early stages to its most active.
A 74-88 finish to last season netted the Padres the No. 8 overall pick. Then in November, Justin Upton and Ian Kennedy declined qualifying offers, adding a pair of compensation picks at the end of the first round. Throw in a second-rounder and a pick at the top of the second competitive balance round, and the Friars will make five choices on the Draft’s opening night.
• 2016 MLB Draft: June 9-11 on MLB Network, MLB.com
“Almost every tier of player is in play,” said Preller. “You’ve got to be prepared for the guys that are high in the Draft, you’ve got to be prepared for the guys at the back end of the first round, the guys in the comp round and second round.
“In other years, you know where you’re locked in, and there’s players you can eliminate pretty early. You know they’re not going to be a part of your mix. This year, we can’t eliminate anybody.”
That’s what happens when you’ve got the eighth, 24th, 25th, 48th, 71st and 85th picks. And as a result of those early selections, scouting director Mark Conner and his staff skewed their trips slightly toward the players coming off the board early.
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It should make for an interesting Draft-day strategy in the Padres’ war room. With an abundance of picks …
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