Some would say the Dodgers are the gold standard in MLB, and players either want to play for them or beat the defending World Series champions. With the first round of the MLB Draft now complete, one top draft pick has added his name to the list of players hoping to do the latter. And not only that, he has made his mission loud and clear.

“I’ve dreamed of this since I was a kid, and I’m ready to go play some baseball,” Coleman Borthwick told AJ Cassavell of MLB.com.

“I’m ready to go beat the Dodgers. That’s my main goal. Whenever I heard San Diego, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s the team to beat the Dodgers,’” he added.

With the 21st overall pick in the first round of the draft, the Padres selected him out of South Walton High School in Florida. Not just that, for the 10th consecutive year, the club has selected a high school player with its first pick in the draft. The high-schooler is currently committed to Auburn University, and the club has until July 27 to sign him and the rest of their 2026 Draft class.

While the analysts have initially said that it might be difficult to sign him away from his college commitment, Borthwick is certain that he will sign with the Padres and said that there is a “100% possibility” that San Diego will be his first destination in pro baseball.

This year, the Padres have a slightly larger draft pool after receiving draft-pick compensation following Dylan Cease’s signing with the Toronto Blue Jays. The 6-foot-6, 245-pound player has the recommended signing bonus of $4.22 million, and if you look at it, he will be the biggest expenditure of the franchise’s $9.48 million bonus pool.

Aside from Borthwick, the Padres also selected four more players on Day 1 of the draft from rounds two to four. The selections include shortstop Elliot Lascelles, RHP Ryan Lynch, catcher Robby Lavey, and outfielder Alex Conover. On Day 2, the MLB draft will cover rounds five to twenty.

Though selecting a high-schooler has its own potential risks, the Padres are confident in their ability to scout raw talent. In fact, their history together goes back to his sophomore year at South Walton, where the area scout Clint Harrison picked him.

“You don’t want to limit yourself,” General Manager A.J. Preller said. “It’s a little bit of the industry trend going one way [toward college players]. Usually, that means some value is the other way… We’ve got confidence to fish in those waters.”

Despite their latest 8-7 win over the Toronto Blue Jays, the Padres remain below .500 and 4.5 games away from a playoff spot. Ranked third in the NL West with a 47-48 record, the Padres can rebuild their farm system with talents like the flame-throwing Borthwick.

What makes Coleman Borthwick different?

The 18-year-old has posted impressive numbers in his senior year. He delivered a high school player of the year award-worthy performance, as he put up a 0.21 ERA with 121 strikeouts and an 11-0 record. In the meantime, he walked only seven.

Such consistency drew the Padres’ attention, and they wasted no time in selecting Borthwick.

The teenager was also a part of the winning Team USA in the U-18 Baseball World Cup in Japan. He also became the MVP of the championship. He threw a shutout in the series finale.

What makes Borthwick unique is his ability to take a two-way role. He also played as a third baseman in his senior year, hitting .460. Perfect Game awarded him the 2026 National High School Two-Way Player of the Year title. However, going forward, the youngster will build a career in pitching.

He features an upper-90s fastball, including both a two-seamer and a four-seamer, along with a slider in his arsenal. MLB.com reports that he is also developing a changeup to make his attack even more effective. And if anything, he appears sold on the plan.

“I’ve always wanted to do both as long as I can until baseball tells me I can’t,” Borthwick said. “Right now, baseball’s telling me that I can’t because it’s going to hold me back from making it to the big leagues and being the best player I could possibly be.”

Now, it’s up to the Padres to polish his raw talent and develop him into a big-league-level pitcher if he ultimately ends up signing with them.