Your Future San Diego Padres – Top 5 Prospects

(Larry Goren/Four Seam Images via AP Images)

1) Austin Hedges – Catcher (#24 MLB.com) Bio: Born August 18th, 1992. Bats: Right Throws: Right

Drafted in the 2nd Round of the 2011 MLB Draft (82nd Overall)

Scouting Report: Austin Hedges was highly regarded as the best backstop in the 2011 Draft. Signability concerns allowed Hedges to fall to the Padres in the 2nd round. The Padres ultimately offered him a $3 million signing bonus to sway him from his commitment to UCLA. Hedges is a defensive-minded catcher who has an incredible arm, with a pop-time in the 1.75-1.9 area. (The Major League average is around 2.0.) Hedges is also known for his ability to frame and block pitches. Coming out of high school, scouts believed Hedges could already have been handling Major League pitching staff. His plus-plus defensive tool made him a common name in the off-season trade rumors. Currently, Hedges hitting is far behind in comparison to his defense. He has trouble with pitch recognition as well as average bat speed. Many experts believe Hedges will develop a little more offensive-wise and will hit enough at the Major League level to be an everyday catcher for years to come. ETA:2016

(Statistics Courtesy of MiLB.com)

The Padres future looks bright with these prospects. Which Padres prospect are you most looking forward to?

Stay with us at Calisportsnews.com as we will keep you up-to-date on all things San Diego Padres and the rest of the SoCal sports teams! All Cali, All the time!