Padres Top Prospect Has Clear Goal for 2026 Season

When the San Diego Padres drafted left-hander Kruz Schoolcraft in the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft, there was all sorts of excitement around the pick. Schoolcraft was the No. 19 ranked prospect in the draft and the top left-hander coming out of high school.

In his senior season, Schoolcraft pitched 40 innings, posting an ERA of 0.53 with 82 strikeouts. His performance earned him the selection from San Diego, and the Padres are very excited to see how he progresses in his first season in the organization.

The 6-foot-8 lefty is a menacing presence on the mound, and he is now ranked as the top prospect in the Padres' farm system. Schoolcraft overtook catcher Ethan Salas, who has been a highly discussed name over the last few years, for better or worse.

Schoolcraft will likely start his career in Single-A, where he'll start to work his way up through the organization. The left-hander wants to become a reliable part of the organization's pitching plans, and he outlined his plan.

“The expectation is hopefully to make 22 starts this year,” he said this spring.

If Schoolcraft can reach this goal, it would be an impressive feat, especially for a first-year player. But the left-hander doesn't lack confidence, and he is ready to fully prove himself.

The 18-year-old pitched in an intrasquad game at Peoria Sports Complex this spring, with many members of the Padres organization in attendance. Schoolcraft struck out four of the 13 batters that he faced, while showing nice command on the mound.

His pitch mix has nice duality, ranging from a fastball that can hit around 97 mph, a changeup and a slider that he has worked hard on all offseason. Scouts believes that the slider will be the key to his success — and if he can master it, the sky is the limit.

“I get that focus of just pitching and really trying to maximize that and not having a bunch of different things moving me in a bunch of different directions,” Schoolcraft said. “It gives me a lot more time to recover. I think that's one thing that I really needed, was time to recover from playing three games a week -- pitching in the first one and then hitting in the next two. Using that time and rest gives me more time to learn about the other hitters I'm facing. I think it was a really good decision, and I know eventually it's going to pay off.”

Schoolcraft is ranked as the No. 88 prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline, and if he can perform well, he will rise up the rankings. San Diego will closely monitor his progress, and the expectation is he could debut by 2029.

“His body moves well,” San Diego assistant director of player development Mike Daly said. “He repeats his delivery. It's very consistent. His head’s on the target. There are a number of positives that Kruz had worked on for many, many years before he got drafted, and we are fortunate to have him in the system.”