Scouting Report

Scouting grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 50 | Run: 40 | Arm: 50 | Field: 45 | Overall: 40

No player had been drafted from Seattle’s Ballad HS since 1997 and no one had signed from there since 1989 before Madonna headed to the MLB Draft League out of hope he could build up his stock to end both streaks. He hit .279/.360/.512 with two homers and four doubles in 12 games for Frederick on the summer showcase circuit while being roughly four years younger than its average player. The Padres saw enough from there and his time in the Pacific Northwest to take him in the 11th round and sign him away from a UCLA commitment with a $654,000 bonus (closer to fourth-round money).

Madonna flashed good power in that short time with the Keys, topping out with a 107.8 mph exit velocity on one of his two dingers and finishing with a 90th-percentile EV of 104.3 (close to MLB average) in the small sample. It's gap-to-gap power that led to six of his 12 hits falling for extra bases. The right-handed slugger was left exposed against high-end velocity, and he struggled against Draft League breaking stuff. That was a trend that carried into his short spin with Single-A Lake Elsinore, where he had just a 57.3 percent overall contact rate in 14 games.

All that said, Madonna faced aggressive assignments as an 18-year-old amateur and pro last summer and deserves to grow into more age-appropriate competition in his first full season. Defensively, some scouts believe he's close to maxed out physically and might have to move to first base eventually in his 20s, though his average arm strength and good accuracy should help limit opposing running games behind the plate. The Padres will rotate Madonna with 2025 fifth-rounder Ty Harvey at catcher while getting them enough at-bats to develop offensively. 

Scouting grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 50 | Run: 40 | Arm: 50 | Field: 45 | Overall: 40

The MLB Draft League is designed to give players a chance to get in front of more scouts and evaluators before July. In other words, it's a perfect opportunity for a player like Madonna, hailing from the Pacific Northwest out of Seattle's Ballad High School, where no player had been drafted from since 1997 and none signed since 1989. Madonna performed well in 12 games with Frederick, hitting .279/.360/.512 with two homers and four doubles while roughly four years younger than the average player on the circuit. The Padres took him in the 11th round and signed him away from a UCLA commitment with a $654,000 bonus (around fourth-round money).

Madonna certainly showed some decent pop with the Keys, showing maximum exit velocity of 107.8 mph on a homer and posting 90th-percentile average EV (close to the MLB average at just 18 years old). That loud contact, which plays gap-to-gap, was what drove his MLB Draft League success, with six of his 12 hits going for extra bases. However, he was exposed against high-end velocity and struggled a good bit against breaking stuff, whiffing on 53 percent of his swings against MLBDL sliders and curveballs. The Padres still give him credit for facing such advanced competition.

Defensively, Madonna has average arm strength and enough accuracy to put the ball on the bag. Some scouts believe -- at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds already -- that he's already close to maxed out physically and might have to move to first base down the line. San Diego has expressed its openness to moving Madonna and fifth-rounder/fellow prep catcher Ty Harvey around a bit to get each developmental at-bats in the lower Minors.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	03/05/2026	C Truitt Madonna assigned to San Diego Padres Prospects.
	03/04/2026	C Truitt Madonna assigned to San Diego Padres.
	08/19/2025	C Truitt Madonna assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from ACL Padres.
	08/04/2025	ACL Padres activated C Truitt Madonna.
	07/24/2025	San Diego Padres signed C Truitt Madonna.
	07/24/2025	C Truitt Madonna assigned to ACL Padres.
	06/27/2025	C Truitt Madonna assigned to MLB Draft League All-Stars.
	06/27/2025	MLB Draft League All-Stars activated C Truitt Madonna.
	06/27/2025	MLB Draft League All-Stars activated C Truitt Madonna.
	06/16/2025	Frederick Keys activated C Truitt Madonna.
	06/16/2025	Frederick Keys activated C Truitt Madonna.
	06/16/2025	Frederick Keys activated C Truitt Madonna.
	06/16/2025	C Truitt Madonna assigned to Frederick Keys.
	05/01/2025	High School Workout activated 2B Truitt Madonna. sea HS tourney.