Padres sign top Draft picks Mayfield, Bateman, plus Fountain
AJ Cassavell
WASHINGTON — The Padres’ aggressive Draft plan appears to be paying off.
San Diego has agreed to deals with a number of its top picks, per MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis, including first-rounder Kash Mayfield, a left-hander out of Elk City High School in Oklahoma. Mayfield will receive a $3.44 million signing bonus, precisely the projected value of his pick.
Additionally, the Padres signed second-rounder Boston Bateman for $2.5 million — above his slot’s value. They also set a record for a fifth-rounder in the bonus-pool era, by inking third baseman Kale Fountain with a $1.7 million bonus.
The Padres were able to land all three because of some shrewd maneuvering within their bonus pool money, but more so because of the size of that pool: $9,360,500. It was significantly larger this year, because they received two compensation picks when Josh Hader and Blake Snell turned down qualifying offers and signed elsewhere.
A year ago, the Padres were constrained after losing multiple Draft picks for signing Xander Bogaerts.
“It was a 180,” scouting director Chris Kemp said earlier this month. “We felt very constrained last year with a pool closer to 5 mil. It was almost double this year — allowing us to get a Bateman and a Fountain, along with Mayfield, guys we had in our top 35. We ended up getting three of our top 35, in being able to get Kale and Boston, where last year I don’t think financially that would’ve been possible.”
Mayfield posted gaudy numbers in his senior season at Elk City — a 0.16 ERA with 115 strikeouts and just eight walks. A two-time Gatorade Player of the Year in Oklahoma, Mayfield sports a fastball/changeup/curveball mix, with the changeup serving as his top putaway pitch. He was committed to Oklahoma State before agreeing to sign with the Padres.
“This is something I’ve always wanted to do ever since I was a little kid,” Mayfield said. “Always wanted to go play at Oklahoma State. But pro ball was always that top gig I always wanted to do ever since I was a little kid. So I’m extremely excited.”
Bateman is a hard-throwing, 6-foot-8 high school left-hander from California with an excellent curveball. Fountain, meanwhile, set all sorts of high school records in Nebraska, including the state’s home run record in his junior season. Kemp said Fountain has 80-grade power (the highest grade on the 20-to-80 scouting scale).
The Padres have now signed 10 of their 12 picks from the first 10 rounds in the 2024 Draft. Each selection within the first 10 rounds comes with an assigned value, with the total for a club’s picks equaling what it can spend without incurring a penalty. (If a player taken in the top 10 rounds doesn’t sign, his choice’s value gets subtracted from his team’s pool.)
