SAN DIEGO -- The Padres love high school pitchers with high upside -- and they took another in the first round of the 2026 Draft on Saturday afternoon.
With the 21st overall selection in the MLB Draft, San Diego selected right-hander Coleman Borthwick out of South Walton High School in Florida. His profile is similar to so many recent Padres Draft picks under general manager A.J. Preller and scouting director Chris Kemp.
2026 MLB DRAFT PRESENTED BY NIPPON EXPRESS
Day 1: Saturday, July 11 (Rounds 1-4)
• 4:30-7:45 p.m. ET - Picks 41-135 (MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+)
Day 2: Sunday, July 12 (Rounds 5-20)
• 11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. ET (MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+)
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For one, the upside is obvious. Borthwick was dominant during his senior season in high school, posting a 0.21 ERA en route to winning the Gatorade High School Player of the Year Award in Florida. Borthwick went 10-0 and struck out 121 batters over 65 2/3 innings, while walking only seven -- ridiculous numbers.
Borthwick stands 6-foot-6 with a big-time fastball that can touch 97-98 mph and a wipeout slider. He’s working on a changeup to complement those two offerings. He’s also a two-way player, listed as a third baseman. Borthwick batted .460 during his senior season, but his path forward is as a pitcher.
Again, that jives with some of the Padres’ recent picks -- dominant high school players, especially athletes. Left-hander Kruz Schoolcraft, now the team’s No. 2 prospect, fit a similar profile when the Padres selected him at No. 25 overall. Other high-school pitchers taken under Preller in the first round include MacKenzie Gore (2017), Ryan Weathers ('18), Dylan Lesko ('22) and Kash Mayfield ('24).
Borthwick has a commitment to Auburn, which could raise some signability questions. But the Padres’ Draft pool is slightly bigger than normal this summer, because of the compensation pick they received when Dylan Cease signed with Toronto.
“It opens up the playbook a little bit,” Kemp said recently. “A few more options on the board, where, years past, when you don’t have as much money, your options can be limited.”
The Padres will have until July 27 to sign Borthwick and the rest of their 2026 Draft class. The assigned value of Borthwick’s pick is $4.22 million. Every pick in the first 10 rounds comes with an assigned value, and the total of that value is the overall bonus pool that teams can spend. The Padres’ bonus pool sits at $9,479,000.