Padres Targeting Athleticism in June Draft - Tate?

The San Diego Union Tribune has an article out today about the Padres intentions in June’s amateur draft and in the article they profile Donovan Tate.

The articles opens, “For several months, even years now, Padres scouts and some franchise veterans have talked about a crying need for the organization to become more athletic, in particular, to invest heavily in “live-body” athletes and pitchers with powerful arms…”

It is well known that the Nationals intend to draft Stephen Strasburg number 1 overall. After that, it’s anyone’s guess. Even if we believe the comment above, it really doesn’t point to what the Padres are likely to do with that third pick as nearly every top 10 candidate fits that profile.

As for Donovan Tate, I am intrigued by his athleticism but worried about scouting reports such as this one which says, “There are some questions about his bat and how long it will take to develop.”

Additionally, Tate is a top-flight high school football quarterback and has committed to U. North Carolina to play football and baseball. The U.T. reports, “…He has enlisted baseball agent Scott Boras as an adviser, and it's believed he is strongly interested in starting his baseball career.” Though that quote doesn’t gel with a March 24 Baseball America article (subscription required),

The son of former NFL running back Lars Tate, Donavan Tate is talking about playing quarterback at the University of North Carolina these days more than the MLB Draft.

"I want to attend college and play both sports," Tate said. "That's been my plan since I was a little kid. So I'm going to get started early, get acclimated to campus, throw some footballs around and get ready for the upcoming season."

I’m not convinced Tate is the best choice for #3 but there’s also the chance he could wind up being the best player in the entire draft. He is obviously an intriguing candidate.