Padres Discovered Top Prospect After He Dropped Out of College

San Diego Padres prospect Braden Nett has complicated feelings about his origin story.

In a new interview with the Missions Podcast, the Double-A San Antonio hurler was asked what advice he would give himself three years ago, when he dropped out of St. Charles (Missouri) Community College.

“I’d tell him to turn in his homework, do his assignments,” Nett said.

In the next breath, Nett acknowledged that he fulfilled his dream of signing with a major league organization nonetheless. The Padres signed him as an undrafted free agent after seeing him participate in the 2022 MLB Draft League.

Despite going undrafted, Nett entered this season ranked as the Padres’ No. 6 prospect by Baseball America and No. 9 by MLB Pipeline.

In his first full season at the Double-A level, Nett is 2-3 with a 4.50 ERA through his first eight starts with San Antonio. Impressively, he's struck out 41 batters and walked only 17 in 36 innings for the Missions.

The 22-year-old got his first taste of major league spring training in two Cactus League appearances with the Padres. He allowed five hits and four runs across four innings. He also walked two, hit two others, and struck out five of the 21 batters he faced.

Last season, Nett got his first taste of the Double-A level in a spot start for the Missions. He allowed one run in 4.2 innings on Sept. 13, a just reward for a strong season at advanced Class-A Fort Wayne.

In 19 games (18 starts) last year for the TinCaps, Nett went 5-2 with a 4.03 ERA.

Added up, it's a typical story of successes and failures for a top-10 prospect in any organization — but a highly unusual outcome for someone who learned he was signing his first pro contract while unloading a truck at his local Home Depot.

"I had no looks out of JuCo at all," Nett recalled. "I had zero starts, zero collegiate innings because I failed out of college."

Nett credited Jeff Bolen, the head coach at St. Charles who has since moved on to Iowa Western, for getting him an invitation to the MLB Draft League.

"He’s the reason I’m here,” Nett said.

Nett has already beaten the odds whether or not he finds himself in a Padres uniform someday.

For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.