Padres Outfield Prospect Suddenly Retires at 24 Years Old

A total of 1,217 players were chosen in the 2019 MLB Draft. Only 47 were selected before Joshua Mears, the outfielder from Federal Way (Wash.) High School whom the Padres drafted in the second round.

Tuesday, at the still-ripe age 24, Mears retired from professional baseball only six years into his career.

Mears never reached the majors, and had played 47 games for Double-A San Antonio this season before making his decision official. He was batting .167 with a .256 on-base percentage and .306 slugging percentage for the Missions.

Mears made his professional debut in the Arizona Summer League in 2019. He was one of the youngest players on a star-studded team that included C.J. Abrams among a handful of prospects who eventually reached the big leagues.

Mears held his own against his older peers in 43 Arizona League games; he led the team with seven home runs, finished second with 24 RBIs, and was third with nine stolen bases in 10 chances. He slashed .253/.354/.440 overall.

Prior to the 2020 season, Mears was ranked as the No. 26 prospect in the Padres organization by MLB Pipeline — ahead of future major leaguers Anderson Espinoza, David Bednar, and Esteury Ruiz.

The lost minor league season of 2020 did nothing to diminish Mears' prospect stock. In 2021, he was assigned to Class-A Lake Elsinore and slashed .244/.368/.529 in 71 California League games.

MLB Pipeline moved Mears up to No. 10 in the Padres' organization, outranking several more future big leaguers: Reiss Knehr, Steven Wilson, Eguy Rosario, Lake Bachar and Mason Thompson.

"Big, strong and physical, Mears has tremendous raw power that allows him to launch balls a long way," read the scouting report on MLB.com. "The rest of his game remains a bit raw, though he does show some feel to hit. He runs well for his size and makes good and accurate throws from the outfield with his average arm. Mears is a capable defender, though he needs to polish his reads and routes."

Promoted to advanced Class-A Fort Wayne in 2022, Mears failed to cut down on the 39.1 percent strikeout rate that posed a concern at Lake Elsinore. His K rate actually increased to 43.5 percent at Fort Wayne, accompanied by a .223/.304/.511 slash line and only 16 walks in 52 games.

Mears also got his first taste of Double-A in 2022. He slashed .169/.266/.373 at San Antonio, with 10 walks and 45 strikeouts in 94 plate appearances.

Mears made two separate trips to the injured list in 2023 and was limited to 62 games at Fort Wayne. When healthy, he slashed .158/.291/.347, with 96 strikeouts in 227 plate appearances (42.2 percent strikeout rate).

In 2024, Mears again split time between Fort Wayne and San Antonio, with his Double-A K rate increasing above 47 percent.

Now, Mears will look to transition into the next phase of his professional career.

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