San Diego Padres 2026 Top Prospects Rankings: Kruz Schoolcraft (No. 3)

[TomCent]

Padres Mission's ranking of the club's top prospects for 2026 has reached the final stage with a countdown of the top five. Be sure to check out our previous rankings here:

• No. 4: Bradgley Rodriguez
• No. 5: Miguel Mendez
• No. 6: Jagger Haynes
• No. 7: Humberto Cruz
• No. 8: Ty Harvey
• No. 9: Ryan Wideman
• No. 10: Kale Fountain
• Nos. 11-15
• Nos. 16-20

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No. 3 Kruz Schoolcraft (Lake Elsinore Storm)

Kruz Schoolcraft's professional career has barely begun -- he made one minor-league appearance made at the end of the 2025 season. He'll turn 19 in April and his development will take time. The good news? There's evidence to suggest that it won't be a lot of time.

The Padres selected the 6-8, 229-pound Schoolcraft in the first round (25th overall) of last year's MLB Draft out of Sunset High School in Beaverton, Ore. He was the No. 1-ranked prep left-hander in the draft. He also was a legitimate first-base prospect with big-time power. San Diego lured him away from the University of Tennessee -- he committed to the Vols in December 2024 -- with a $3.6 million signing bonus. Then, they convinced the potential two-way star to become a full-time pitcher.

The organization waited until Sept. 6 to get him into a game. His appearance with Lake Elsinore in the Low-A California League was brief and eventful: 1 2/3 innings, one hit, two runs (both earned), three walks, four strikeouts, four stolen bases allowed. Schoolcraft showed that he has a lot of work to do.

But he still could rise quickly, for several reasons.

First, he already throws three pitches -- a mid- to high-90s fastball with good extension, a changeup with deception, and a slider with depth. Prior to the draft, MLB.com gave both the fastball and slider a 60 on the 20-to-80 scouting scale and the change a 55, but the slider is considered his third pitch at the moment. 

Second, he is considered to have advanced mechanics, which will help make his delivery repeatable sooner. It also will help him improve his 50-grade control. Of course, his longer levers make it easy for baserunners to pick up on his cadence, so he'll have to fine-tune that in order to prevent everyone faster than Giancarlo Stanton from swiping a base against him. But his mechanics as a whole are quite impressive for a teenager.

Third, the organization considers him a smart player and a hard worker. Schoolcraft showed those traits when he spoke with reporters, including MLB.com's Sam Dykstra, at spring training. He said that he wants to reshape his slider better and make it a pitch he can throw effectively both early and late in the count. He talked about getting stronger, and he shared a specific goal for 2026: he hopes to make 22+ starts.

Schoolcraft has already made an impression in camp with his sharp outing in an intra-squad game. He might make another before spring training is through. The Padres listed him in the initial 40-man player pool for their Spring Breakout game on Saturday, March 21, against the Cubs' top prospects in Arizona. There's bound to be buzz about the kid moving rapidly through the system if he gets into that game and overpowers hitters. But those people will need to be patient; Schoolcraft is just getting started.

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