Padres ink first-round Draft pick Borthwick to deal below slot value (source)
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MIAMI -- The Padres have signed first-round Draft pick Coleman Borthwick to a $3.8 million signing bonus, MLB Pipeline’s Jonathan Mayo reported on Friday.
Borthwick, a right-hander out of South Walton High School in Florida, will forego his commitment to Auburn, inking a bonus slightly under the pick’s projected value of around $4.2 million.
Borthwick is the latest high-upside high schooler taken by the Padres in the first round. His selection marked the 10th consecutive year that the Padres took a high school player -- six of them pitchers.
During his senior season in high school, Borthwick posted absurd numbers, recording a 0.21 ERA en route to winning the Gatorade High School Player of the Year Award in Florida. Borthwick went 11-0 and struck out 121 batters over 65 2/3 innings, while walking only seven.
“It’s just a track record of domination,” scouting director Chris Kemp said after Borthwick was selected earlier this month. “The compete level is so high, which raised our conviction level. … When you’re that dominant and that consistent for as long as he has been, it really stands out.”
The Padres have until Monday’s deadline to sign their 2026 Draft picks. They’ve already reportedly signed their top seven selections, according to MLB Pipeline, with the expectation that they’ll sign at least 20 of their 21 picks.
The big question mark remains right-hander Denton Lord, Borthwick’s teammate at South Walton High. Lord was a top 100 Draft prospect but had previously signaled his intentions to play collegiately at Mississippi State. The Padres selected Lord in the 17th round anyway, hoping to convince him to sign. That seems unlikely, though Kemp wouldn’t rule out the possibility during his post-Draft media availability.
As for Borthwick, he stands 6-foot-6 with a big-time fastball that touches 97-98 mph. He throws a four-seamer and a two-seamer and can locate both, then pairs them with a wipeout slider. He’s working on a changeup to complement those offerings.
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Borthwick was also a two-way player, listed as a third baseman. He batted .460 during his senior season, but he acknowledged that his path forward in the Padres’ system is as a pitcher.
“I’ve always wanted to do both as long as I can,” he said. “Until baseball tells me I can’t. Right now, baseball’s telling me that I can’t. Because it’s going to hold me back from making it to the big leagues and being the best player I could possibly be.”