Padres' first-rounder Renfroe agrees to terms

SAN DIEGO -- Hunter Renfroe, the Padres' first-round Draft pick, admitted on Tuesday that he needed a little break following Mississippi State's run in the College World Series.

But Renfroe, the No. 13 overall pick, wasn't home long before realizing it was time to move on with the next chapter in his life -- professional baseball.

"I got anxious to get going," he said.

On Tuesday, the Padres agreed to a deal with Renfroe, an outfielder with multiple skills for $2,678,000, which was the exact slot value for the 13th overall selection.

Renfroe took his physical on Monday and had a press conference on Tuesday. He took batting practice with the team while his family watched. On Wednesday, he'll head to Eugene to start his professional career with the short-season Emeralds of the Northwest League.

"It's a great organization and the city is absolutely beautiful," Renfroe said. "It would be a pleasure to be here and play in front of these fans."

Renfroe hit .345 this past season for Mississippi State and had 16 home runs and 65 RBIs in 66 games. His team lost to UCLA in the College World Series finals.

The Padres, and scout Andrew Salvo, have had their eyes on Renfroe for a few years, though that focus really became amplified this season, said Padres scouting director Billy Gasparino.

"I think any time you find players who have five tools ... you think of him as a unique player," Gasparino said. "Hunter had a great start to his season. That rang the bell for us."

If Renfroe fares well in Eugene, general manager Josh Byrnes said the team will have no reservations of moving him up to Class A Fort Wayne of the Midwest League. The Padres did something similar a year ago with outfielder Travis Jankowski, the 44th overall selection of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft.

"It's a good test. Hopefully he ends up there," Byrnes said of Fort Wayne.

To date, the Padres have signed 30 of their top 41 Draft picks. Teams have until Friday to sign players from this Draft.