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Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (7) throws for a double play after tagging out San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (13) during the ninth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Five greatest Padres draft picks of the 21st century

By Kevin Henry | Last updated Jul 12, 2025 2:20 PM ET

The San Diego Padres have an interesting history in the MLB draft. While the Friars have made some solid picks this century, they have made a name for themselves outside of San Diego.

Perhaps that shouldn't come as too much of a surprise to those who follow the Padres, as the team has been known to trade its prospects in pursuit of immediate success (the Juan Soto and Josh Bell trade with the Washington Nationals in 2022 is a notable example).

So, which five Padres draft selections this century have had the most success so far? Let's look at the top five, with Wins Above Replacement (WAR) measured by Baseball Reference.

David Freese (9th round, 2006) — 18.8 bWAR

Dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for Jim Edmonds on Dec. 14, 2007, Freese would become a postseason hero for the Redbirds with his 2011 World Series Game 6 performance against the Texas Rangers. He tied the game with a triple in the ninth and walked off the Rangers with one of the most memorable home runs in World Series history.

Freese eventually earned World Series MVP honors, arguably the highlight of his 11-year MLB career, which was spent with the Cardinals and three other teams.

Chase Headley (2nd round, 2005) — 26.8 bWAR

Headley spent parts of nine seasons with San Diego, including a 2012 campaign where he led the National League with 115 RBI and finished fifth in the NL Most Valuable Player voting. That was also the season when he would collect his only Gold Glove and Silver Slugger.

Primarily a third baseman, Headley was traded to the New York Yankees on July 22, 2014. There, he would make the postseason twice before being returned to the Padres in a trade with the Yankees. He would finish his career in San Diego with 60 plate appearances in 2018.

Max Fried (1st round, 2012) — 27.5 bWAR

The seventh overall pick in the 2012 MLB Draft, Fried was traded as part of a deal with the Atlanta Braves that landed Justin Upton with the Padres.

Fried made his MLB debut on Aug. 8, 2017, with the Braves, finishing second in the NL Cy Young Award race in 2022, a season where he registered a 2.48 ERA over 185.1 innings.

Corey Kluber (4th round, 2007) — 34.0 bWAR

Another pitcher who found success with another franchise after being drafted by the Padres, Kluber was involved in a three-team trade on July 31, 2010, that landed him with the Cleveland Guardians.

With the Guardians, Kluber won two AL Cy Young Awards (2014 and 2017) and was a three-time All-Star. His .628 winning percentage (98-58) with Cleveland ranks as the second-best in franchise history.

Trea Turner (1st round, 2014) — 39.3 bWAR

Turner is one of the great "what ifs" in Padres history, as he was traded to the Washington Nationals as the "player to be named later" as part of a three-team deal in the offseason before the 2015 campaign.

The three-time All-Star and 2021 batting champion (a season he split between the Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers) finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year competition in 2016.

Kevin Henry

A member of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA), Kevin Henry has been covering MLB and MiLB for nearly two decades. Those assignments have included All-Star Games and the MLB postseason, including the World Series. Based in the Denver area, Kevin calls Coors Field his home base, but travels throughout North America during the season to discover the best stories possible

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