Elliot Lascelles had been on the Padres' radar long before they drafted him. Now they're getting to see what he can do up close and personal,
The top Canadian position player in the 2026 Draft, San Diego's No. 5 prospect had spent much of his prep career showing that he could hit against anyone.
This past spring, on the backfields of the Grapefruit and Cactus leagues with the Canadian Junior National Team, Lascelles batted .389 with four extra-base hits against almost entirely professional pitchers. As one of the youngest hitters in the MLB Draft League, he slashed .394/.523/.546 in 44 plate appearances.
With the numbers piling up, San Diego selected Lascelles in the second round in July and signed him for above-slot value at $2,800,394. For San Diego, it marked the end of a nearly two-year scouting venture.
“Our area scout, Chris Kemlo, had his first notes in on him back in November of 2024,” Padres assistant director of player development Mike Daly said. “I think what our scouts continued to come back to with a high level of confidence was the approach, bat-to-ball skills and the ability to use the entire field.”
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Following the Draft, Lascelles spent a few weeks at the Padres' Spring Training complex in Peoria, Arizona, before San Diego moved him to Single-A Lake Elsinore on Aug. 18. In his short stint with the Storm, the 18-year-old has consistently flashed his 55-grade hit tool.
Entering Wednesday, Lascelles had hit .326 with a 123 wRC+ and a 94 percent in-zone contact rate. In his first 13 pro starts, he posted four multihit games, including a four-hit performance in Lake Elsinore’s 11-7 win over Inland Empire on Tuesday at The Diamond.
The son of a Princeton track alum, Lascelles also sports 55-grade speed, which has helped him go 4-for-4 on stolen base attempts to start his pro career.
“To go out there to Lake Elsinore and not skip a beat is a real positive. When he was ready to go, we wanted to challenge him because we felt like he could handle that level.” Daly said.
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San Diego didn’t draft Lascelles solely based on his raw contact skills, though. While he presently sports a 40-grade power tool, Daly believes the young infielder's 6-foot-1 frame could lead to a lot more slugging down the line.
“It’s a much bigger frame than what it looks like on video," he said, “There is some real projectability to that frame, and we think that’s a real positive to be able to continue to add weight and strength over the next couple of years.”
Defensively, Lascelles has split time between the middle infield spots so far, making six starts at shortstop and three at second base. Where his long-term defensive home will be remains to be seen, but San Diego plans to give him every opportunity to play at the premium spot.
“I think it’s something that he’ll kinda tell us with how he progresses through the system," Daly said. "We have some other shortstops in the system, so he’s gonna play in the middle of the infield, but he’s gonna have ample opportunity to play shortstop."