The Padres have been playing in Petco Park for seven years now, and they think they've figured out what it takes to win there.
The formula is pretty simple: power arms and speed on defense. If you look at the first two days of the MLB draft, you'll see the Padres are heavy on hard-throwing pitchers, speedy outfielders who can run a lot and infielders who hit the ball in the gaps and don't strike out very much. Here's the entire list of their first 30 picks:
RD. PLAYER POS. HT WT SCHOOL HOMETOWN
1. Karsten Whitson RHP 6-3 195 Chipley HS (FL) Chipley, FL
2. Jedd Gyorko INF 5-10 195 West Virginia University Morgantown, WV
3. Zach Cates RHP 6-3 200 Northeast Texas CC Conway, AR
4. Chris Bisson INF 5-11 185 University of Kentucky Orleans, Ontario
5. Jablonski (Rico) Noel OF 5-9 175 Coastal Carolina University Lawton, OK
6. John Barbato RHP 6-2 185 Felix Varela Senior HS (FL) Miami, FL
7. A.J. Vanegas RHP 6-3 205 Redwood Christian HS (CA) Castro Valley, CA
8. Jose Dore OF 6-1 170 The First Academy (FL) Kissimmee, FL
9. Joshua Spence LHP 6-1 190 Arizona State University Victoria, Australia
10. Houston Slemp OF 6-1 200 Eastern Oklahoma St. JC Tulsa, OK
11. Brian Guinn INF 6-1 170 UC Berkeley El Sobrante, CA
12. Christopher Franklin RHP 6-1 200 Southeastern Louisiana University Oneonta, AL
13. Miguel Pena LHP 6-2 170 San Jacinto College (TX) Avondale, AZ
14. Thomas Medica C 6-2 215 Santa Clara University San Jose, CA
15. Sean Dwyer INF 6-0 190 Tavares HS (FL) Tavares, FL
16. Connor Hofmann OF 6-0 170 St. Augustine HS (CA) San Diego, CA
17. Wesley Cunningham INF 6-2 200 Murray St. University Louisville, KY
18. Daniel Meeley OF 6-0 190 Connors St. College Midwest City, OK
19. Tyler Norwood RHP 6-3 215 Southern Union State JC (GA) Prattville, AL
20. Paul Bingham INF 6-3 205 Indiana University (PA) Hanover, PA
21. Connor Powers INF 6-2 230 Mississippi State University Naperville, IL
22. Tyler Stubblefield INF 5-10 185 Kennesaw State University Woodstock, GA
23. Xorge Carrillo C 6-1 220 Arizona State University Tempe, AZ
24. Rocky Gale C 6-1 190 University of Portland Keizer, OR
25. Josue Montanez LHP 6-2 195 Ramon Vila Mayo HS (PR) San Juan, Puerto Rico
26. Cory Hahn OF 5-10 160 Mater Dei HS (CA) Santa Ana, CA
27. Matthew Branham RHP 6-5 220 University of South Carolina Upstate Columbia, SC
28. Jacoby Almaraz INF 6-3 185 Lady Bird Johnson HS (TX) San Antonio, TX
29. Mykal Stokes OF 6-2 170 Orange Coast College Tustin, CA
30. Donald Snelten LHP 6-6 215 Lakes Community HS Antioch, IL
Rounds 31-50 take place Wednesday. Remember, Mike Piazza was a 62nd round pick, so the Padres will be looking for that "diamond in in the rough," talking to area scouts and maybe taking a chance on a kid who some day becomes an All-Star.
