Padres closing in on first-round pick Donavan Tate?

Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus said via Twitter that he has "reason to believe Donavan Tate has signed with the Padres for 6.5 million dollars." While the deal may not be finalized, Padres beat writer Corey Brock said the number sounds about right.

Padres GM Kevin Towers told Brock that a deal is still being worked on, suggesting that a deal is close. Another indication that a deal is close is that Tate left football practices at the University of North Carolina presumably to finalize a deal. 

He hit .525 with 10 home runs for Cartersville High this season. The right-handed-hitting center fielder slugged 1.000 with a .788 on-base percentage, drawing 29 walks with just eight strikeouts.

Tate is pretty raw at the plate, sometimes chasing pitches out of the zone. But his bat speed and pop off the bat make people in the Padres organization very excited. Not only that, but Tate is a stellar defender, showing off his great instincts in several big league ballparks in the past year.