Pitcher Clark Candiotti was selected by the San Diego Padres with the 135th overall pick of the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft. The fourth-round slot was a compensatory pick after former Padres pitcher Blake Snell signed with the San Francisco Giants.
The senior picked up Pac-12 All-Conference and Pac-12 All-Tournament Team honors after going 7-4 with two complete games, a 3.39 ERA, and a team-leading 103 strikeouts across 16 starts.
Candiotti’s father, Tom, played in 16 MLB seasons with Milwaukee, Cleveland, Toronto, Dodgers and Oakland. He is now a broadcaster for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
According to Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo, Candiotti signed for $80,000 which is well below the slot value of $520,000 for the 135th pick.
Candiotti’s path to his draft day was untraditional. He played at five different schools in five seasons but his final stop meant more to him than the others.
“Coming back home to Arizona and being part of a historically good program, playing for this coaching staff is unbelievable,” he said. “Just playing with a great group of guys, I’m very grateful to be here.”
Growing up with a father who pitched, the two had an open dialogue about anything pitching related.
“Whether it’s something in practice, bullpen, or a game, I just go to him with any questions,” Clark Candiotti said. “It’s always a great conversation with him.”
While the older Candiotti was known for his knuckleball, the younger isn’t. He’s tried messing around with it but couldn’t pick it up. Could he develop one in the future?
“I still play around with it every now and then,” he said.