FRIARS BELIEVE 6-6 WOOD NOT TOO TALL TO PLAY CENTER

At 6-foot-7 and 282 pounds, Aaron Judge is officially tied as the tallest center fielder in MLB history after first filling at the position in 2018 and collecting 29 starts there over the last five seasons with the New York Yankees.

James Wood, officially listed at 6-6 and 240 pounds in the Padres’ media guide, might need another growth spurt to match Judge’s measurements, but there’s few who look at the 19-yearold center fielder and believe he’s done filling out a tall, lanky frame.

And even fewer who think he ends up in center field.

Wood is firmly in the other camp.

“I just don’t really think your physical size should prevent you from playing any position,” Wood said earlier this month as he reported to low Single-a Lake Elsinore. “I think if you can run just as well as a guy out there, do throws just as well, I think you have equal chance to be out there.”

The Padres are in that camp, too, trotting out last year’s second-round prize almost exclusively in center field as he starts his first full year in pro ball in the California League. They started him there 20 games last summer in the rookielevel Arizona Complex League, took note of his improvement in his reads, first step and full-speed range during the fall instructional league and haven’t moved an inch off their plan to keep Wood up the middle for as long as he shows he’s capable.

That’s not all there’s been to like about his start to pro ball.

The surprising speed that’s helped him in center has allowed Wood to swipe 14 bases in 15 chances dating back to last summer. And the adjustments he’s made at the plate have carried over to 2022 after a poor senior year at IMG Academy led to him falling out of the first round.

The Padres were happy to select him with the 62nd overall pick last summer, opting to bet on pure tools in signing him for $2.6 million, more than double the recommendation for that slot in the draft, to lure him away from his commitment to Mississippi State.

By that time, Wood was already knee-deep in some corrective measures doled out by IMG’S coaching staff.

His stance was changed to position him a bit more upright in the batter’s box. His hands were moved, too, to create a more direct path to the baseball. Even the approach was tinkered with to encourage Wood to seek out opportunities to do damage early in counts.

The result saw Wood pair three homers with a .372/.465/.555 in 26 games in rookie ball last year. Though he missed more than a week with a sore wrist, Wood has as many homers while hitting .342/ .457/.658 across his first 10 games with the Storm. It’s a start.

“I want to play a full season,” Wood said of his goals at the start of the year. “I want to be healthy a full season and I really just want to improve and just get repetition.”

Draft numbers

The Padres, with the 15th overall pick in the 2022 draft, commanding a recommended $4.082 million signing bonus, will have $10.09 million to spend on the upcoming class, 11thmost.

The draft will take place July 17-19 in Los Angeles during the All-star break.

Around the farm

El Paso (AAA): RHP Thomas Eshelman (Carlsbad HS) allowed five runs in four innings in his first start with El Paso on Friday. He had posted a 6.46 ERA in three starts in Double-a.

San Antonio (AA): OF Esteury Ruiz has reached base in all 19 games this year and in 25 straight games dating back to 2021. He is hitting .368/.517/.618 with three homers and 14 steals in 16 chances.

Fort Wayne (A+): Like Ruiz, OF Robert Hassell III has reached base in 19 games to starts his season with the Tincaps. He’s hitting .380/.451/.578 with four homers and eight steals in eight chances.

Lake Elsinore (A): SS Jackson Merrill, the Padres’ first-round pick last summer, landed on the IL on Friday with a wrist injury. Merrill is hitting .393/.452/ .518 with one homer in 13 games with the Storm.