The draft grades are in for the San Diego Padres 2025 draft class, and Baseball America definitely came up with some intriguing nuggets about multiple players. These grades are generally considered an especially good way to catch up on some college players the Padres drafted, so let’s take a deeper dive to see what they came up with in these headings.
Best Power Hitter and Fastest Runner
This heading covers two separate categories, which is unusual in and of itself because best power and speed are rarely found in a single players.
For the Padres, though, outfielder Ryan Wideman of Western Kentucky took the top spot in both categories. At 6’5” 205 pounds he’s a physical specimen, and BA described his long balls “extremely loud raw power,” although he’ll have to improve his contact skills as he shifts over to the wood bats that will become his new tools of the trade.
Wideman also stole 45 bases in 57 attempts last spring, and his speed played at Single A Elsinore, too, where the outfielder went 11 for 12 in stolen bases in his 26-game pro debut. There’s currently an opening waiting for him in San Diego in left field if he can continue to show out in both of these categories.
Closest to the Majors
This category is always of huge interest to the fan base, but according to BA, all of the Padres' big-money picks in the first five rounds will need some seasoning in the minors, providing GM A.J. Preller doesn’t already have them on his trade candidate radar.
The one BA described as a “sneaky option” was first baseman Luke Cantwell, who was said to have polished contact skills as he got his first pro exposure at High-A Fort Wayne.
Best Fastball, Best Secondary Pitch
Right-hander Michael Salina from St. Bonaventure has touched 100 mph with his fastball, but the current pitching darling of the Padres prospect system is Kruz Schoolcraft, who was mentioned in the fastball category and took the nod for the best secondary pitch as well.
The 6’8” 215-pound future pitching stud has a changeup that clocks in at 80-85 and is rated one of the best changeups in the class. Moreover, Schoolcraft is comfortable throwing it to both left- and right-handed hitters, and it’s viewed as a reliable piece moving forward.
The trick with Schoolcraft will be keeping him healthy, as the Padres had to nurse him through his initial appearance in the Arizona Fall League, where he stood out in that league’s All-Star game.