Padres select Dillon Head in first-round of 2023 MLB Draft
Credit: AP Photo
With this year’s 2023 Major League Baseball amateur draft, the San Diego Padres selected Dillon Head in the first round with the 25th overall pick.
Head, a top high school prospect committed to Clemson University, attended Homewood-Flossmoor Community High School in Glenwood, Illinois, a high school known for producing three big leaguers in Larry Rothschild, John Ely, and Eric Hillman.
Head is a left-handed batter that played center field in high school and now makes the eighth high schooler in a row the Padres organization has taken in the first round.
With the Padres’ history of choosing high school prospects in the first round, it was a no-brainer for them to go after yet another young prospect with extreme upside like Head.
Who will be the next MBP All-American to be drafted in the first round in 2023❓
📸 @DillonHead4 at Minority Baseball Prospects All-American Game pic.twitter.com/jyGbrOs69k
— Minority Baseball Prospects (@MBPTakeover) June 10, 2023
A 2023 Perfect Game All-American, Head was not only the number one high school prospect out of Illinois but was number nine overall Perfect Game prospect in the nation. With plus speed and an all-around bat, Head looks fit right in with other top prospects like Jackson Merrill and looks to replace former top outfield Padres prospects like James Wood and Robert Hassell III.
In only 21 games played, Head batted a whopping .486 in 85 plate appearances with six home runs in his senior year. Head’s scouting grades shoot through the roof with 55 Hit, 40 Power, 55 Arm, and 60 Field, topping off with an incredible 80 Speed looking to use that speed in center field for years to come.
From Bolingbrook:
Dillon Head (2023) drives in two with this hard grounder up the middle.@HFHS_BASEBALL leads 9-2 heading to B3. pic.twitter.com/3hBgj5KNsO
— Prep Baseball Illinois (@PrepBaseballIL) May 8, 2023
Few players match the combination and speed of Dillon Head.
He uses his great speed to track down balls in the gap while using his all-around bat to slap ball gap-to-gap when needed. Something the Padres look forward to having in their system for years to come, as the success of the Padres farm systems has fallen off in recent years after numerous trades.
Chicago-land native and 2022 PG All-American @DillonHead4 hears his name called by the @padres!! pic.twitter.com/wrpeDQwJZ8
— Perfect Game USA (@PerfectGameUSA) July 10, 2023
The Padres do not have a second-round pick, so this pick was highly crucial for the future of the Padres and their outfield. The next pick for the Padres will be in the third round, pick 96, which will be held on day two of the draft. Selections for rounds three through ten begin Monday, July 10.
