Inside The Padres

Padres 2024 Top Draft Pick Announces Sudden Retirement From Baseball

Maren Angus-Coombs

May 6, 2024; Oxford, AL, USA; University of West Florida’s Darrien McDowell (27) gets a hit during the GSC Baseball Tournament at Choccolocco Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Schwab-Imagn Images
May 6, 2024; Oxford, AL, USA; University of West Florida’s Darrien McDowell (27) gets a hit during the GSC Baseball Tournament at Choccolocco Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Schwab-Imagn Images / Kyle Schwab-Imagn Images
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The San Diego Padres selected Darian McDowell in the sixth round of the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft with the 180th overall pick.

McDowell announced his sudden retirement on March 11, according to a social media post from media personality Jerry Espinoza on Monday.

The transactions page MLB.com confirmed Espinoza's repot.

McDowell graduated from high school in 2020 and played collegiately at Pensacola State College before joining the University of West Florida baseball team.

The infielder's junior season at UWF was nothing short of exceptional. He was named the 2024 Gulf South Conference Player of the Year and earned All-American status by the NCBWA, D2Baseball, and ABCA. He also led all of Division II in several categories including home runs, total bases, and slugging percentage, and became the UWF record-holder for career home runs (41), batting average (.400), on-base percentage (.517), and slugging percentage (.769).

His first season with the Argos was almost as impressive but he took his game to a completely new level as a junior. His college coach, Mike Jeffcoat, gave McDowell all the credit for the improvement.

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"Give all the credit to Darrien," Jeffcoat said. "Give all the credit to Kyle Brown, our assistant coach who worked with him hitting. But Darrien, last year, changed his body, dropped 25 pounds probably, and got in that weight room with our strength coaches, who've done an incredible job with him.

"I was trying to just keep the ball in play," McDowell said. "I mean, nothing helps when you're just striking out so many times. So I told myself, 'Hey, just put this in play. You don't have to hit a home run every time. It'll come when it comes.'

"Led the nation in on-base percentage, led the nation in slugging percentage, led the nation in home runs," Jeffcoat said. "To have that power and on-base percentage and high average, you don't see that very often. I think he's a once-in-a-generational player here in our program."

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McDowell was also listed as a left-handed pitcher in college but he only made one appearance. The Padres were hoping he would turn into a speedy outfielder, but now, he will look to begin the next chapter of life off the playing field.

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

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Maren Angus-Coombs
MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. Despite being raised in the South, her sports obsession has always been in Los Angeles. She is currently a staff writer for the LA Sports Report Network.

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