The San Diego Padres sit two games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for the National League West division lead. With the Dodgers sitting in first place, their star utility man, Mookie Betts, is a huge reason for their success in recent years.
Having a player of Betts’ caliber makes life easier for the Dodgers. The Padres could’ve experienced such a feeling if they had decided to draft the Dodgers’ star in the 2011 MLB draft.
During an interview with Jackson Merrill on the On Base With Mookie Betts podcast, Betts revealed that the Padres were a team he thought he’d be drafted to.
“The Padres were actually the team that was most in on me,” Betts said. “I will never forget, I remember thinking that I was going to be a Padre. And I remember the scout, I remember everything about it. I remember multiple, multiple days meeting this guy. I mean, I remember having a special workout, just hitting BP… And I’m like, ‘Padres, this is it.’ And then come draft day, obvious things change, but yeah, it’s wild.”
Instead, Betts landed with the Red Sox and later helped them win the 2018 World Series. Betts was taken in the fifth round of the 2011 MLB draft, and was taken just one pick before the Padres’ selection, where they selected Mark Pope.
That year, the Padres made eight selections before Betts went off the board. With their eight picks before Betts was selected, the Padres brought in Cory Spangenberg, Joe Ross, Michael Kelly, Brett Austin, Jace Peterson, Austin Hedges, Matt Andriese, and Coby Hebner.
Most of those selections haven’t produced significantly at the MLB level, though Hedges and Ross turned out to be solid Major Leaguers, while a few others have had decent careers. But, none compares to what Betts pulled off for the Red Sox.
With Betts going into the draft, expecting the Padres to take him, walking away with eight chances to pick him, and not selecting him, is a rough thing to reflect on. But, there’s no telling how he’d fare in the Padres system, and if he’d help the Padres win the World Series or not.
However, Betts’ admission of nearly being taken by the Padres stings a lot, especially since he’s on a rival team in the Dodgers. A lot would’ve been different in baseball history if the Padres took Betts. But, Betts is now a rival, and the Padres, a team that was very interested in Betts in 2011, have to deal with him every year now that Betts is a Dodgers superstar.
