The San Diego Padres announced Monday that the club agreed to terms with two right-handed pitchers from the 2010 First-Year Player Draft, Zach Cates, the team’s third-round selection, and John Barbato, the club’s sixth-round pick.
Cates, 20, was selected 91st overall in the third round by the Padres. A freshman at Northeast Texas Community College, the right-hander went 7-2 with a 2.54 ERA (19 ER/67.1 IP) with 91 strikeouts against 32 walks and 45 hits allowed over 13 regular season games for the Eagles this season. Last year, Cates spent most of the year as a catcher, hitting .290 (38-for-131) over 44 games while working three games as a pitcher and tossing seven innings. Over his high school career, he went 18-4 with a 2.50 ERA in 95.0 innings pitched, while hitting .452 with 20 home runs and 108 runs scored.
Barbato, 18, had a 1.64 ERA (10 ER/42.2 IP), two complete games and 60 strikeouts against 15 walks in his senior campaign for Felix Varela Senior HS (FL). The right-hander also played in the 2009 Under Armour All-America Baseball Game at Wrigley Field.
With today’s announcement, the Padres have now agreed to terms with 34 of the 50 players selected this year.
