Padres Select Kentucky 2B Chris Bisson With 4th Round Pick in 2010 MLB Draft

With their fourth pick (124th overall) in the 2010 MLB Draft, the Padres took Chris Bisson, a 20-year-old second baseman from the University of Kentucky.

Bisson is a Canadian product from Ontario who batted .329/.416/.467 as a junior. He’s a left-handed hitter with decent plate discipline and gap power.

Bisson’s big appeal is his plus speed, as he stole a whopping 32 bases in 39 attempts. That’s 32 steals in just 51 games, which is an unheard-of ratio in pro ball. Obviously, we shouldn’t expect Bisson to be the second coming of Rickey Henderson, but he certainly looks to be a threat on the basepaths.

Bisson shows an impressive quick release turning the double play and has good arm strength for a second baseman, although his hands aren’t the greatest, which likely precludes him from playing shortstop. He might need to cut down on his swing some in pro ball, as he’s currently got a pretty long, uppercut swing path, which doesn’t cut it for a guy with seven homers in the past two seasons combined.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Bisson ends up as a speed-oriented utility player/pinch runner.