The San Diego Padres selected former University of Utah outfielder Kai Roberts in the seventh round of the MLB draft on Monday in Fort Worth, Texas.
Roberts — a native of Lehi and former Skyridge High School star — was taken with the 210th overall pick.
He is the top base-stealer in Utah program history both for a single season (33 in 2024) and career (66). His 33 stolen bases this past season led the Pac-12 and ranked 10th in the country.
Roberts is the program’s 76th draft selection all-time and highest since DaShawn Keirsey Jr. was taken by Minnesota at No. 124 overall in 2018. Roberts is the second Utah alum to be picked by the Padres; former pitcher Mitch Watrous went to San Diego in the eighth round in 2014.
Roberts put together a 2024 season that positioned him as one of the Pac-12′s most improved players from the 2023 campaign. He raised his batting average nearly 100 points (.266 to .356) and bumped his slugging percentage from .393 to .562, to go with career highs of 83 hits, 21 doubles, seven home runs and 58 RBI.
For his efforts, he was named ABCA All-Region Second Team and Pac-12 All-Conference. He was also tabbed the No. 12 outfielder on D1Baseball.com’s late-season national position rankings.
He started all 55 games in center field this past season, finishing among the conference’s top 10 in most major categories including batting average (fifth, .356); OBP (eighth, .430); hits (third, 83); doubles (tie for third; 21); RBI (tie for sixth, 58) and runs scored (tie for eighth; 52). Roberts’ 27 multi-hit games was the most by a Ute in the Pac-12 era; Utah was 19-8 in those games.
Roberts finished his 201-game career at Utah with a .301 / .404 / .459 slash line, including 61 doubles, nine triples, 16 home runs and 154 runs batted in. His 61 career doubles are tied for second-most at Utah dating back to 1990, while Roberts’ 154 RBI and 155 runs scored sit sixth and eighth, respectively, during that time.
A high school All-State star at Skyridge High School, Roberts played scholastically for his father, Ryan Roberts. He had a .370 high school batting average with the Falcons.
