San Diego Padres select Tennessee outfielder Kavares Tears in 2024 MLB Draft

Tennessee outfielder Kavares Tears has been selected by the San Diego Padres in the fifth round of the 2024 MLB Draft. He was taken with the No. 134 overall pick.

Tears was one of Tennessee’s strongest assets in the batter’s box this past season. Finishing the year batting .324 with a 1.070 OPS in 71 appearances for the Vols, Tears crushed 20 home runs and logged 62 RBIs while helping lead Tennessee to a national title.

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One of the highlights of his season came in Omaha as he provided major support to Tennessee’s comeback victory over Florida State in the first game of the College World Series. He logged two hits, two RBI and two runs scored, including a crucial triple in the bottom of the ninth inning to help the Vols in what turned out to be their first national championship in program history.

This was up from his numbers last season. Playing mostly as a reserve, Tears appeared in 29 games, making 14 starts while batting .304 in the box. He logged two home runs and 11 RBIs before coming along in 2024 and starring in his batting role.

“A physical athlete with an outstanding work ethic, Tears earns fringy to well-above-average grades for both his speed and arm strength,” Tears’ MLB scouting report reads. “He’s slower out of the batter’s box and quicker once he gets going, though he’s not much of a base-stealer. He has played mostly right field for the Volunteers, though some evaluators believe he could handle center field at the next level.”

Tears, who bats left, is described as having a, “relatively flat left-handed swing,” but the raw power and speed from his bat generates hard-hit balls that can carry over the fence on a line drive. Based on his increased batting averages from this past season to 2023, he has improved on his decision-making on the plate and maintained his consistency for the Vols throughout the season.

Some of the top highlights of the 2024 season include hitting a three-run home run in the Knoxville Regional final against Southern Miss. In fact, most of his clutch moments of the season came by him hitting a ball out of the park. He did similar acts against Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Kentucky and Georgia during SEC play to help either secure a victory or a series win. He’s proven that the lights aren’t ever too bright — which is exactly why the MLB is interested his services.