The San Diego Padres selected Tennessee outfielder Kavares with the 31st pick in the third round (No. 134 overall) of the 2024 MLB Draft on Monday afternoon.
Tears was one of the breakout stars of Tennessee baseball’s 2024 season recording just 56 at-bats in his career entering the 2024 season. After redshirting his freshman and coming off the bench in his redshirt freshman season, Tears hit .324 with 20 home runs, 37 extra-base hits and 62 RBIs in his first season as a full-time starter.
A Lewisburg, Tennessee native, Tears has incredible pop in his bat and also finished second on the Vols with 45 walks last season.
Perhaps the most impressive part of Tears’ journey to professional baseball is the way he improved defensively over the course of his career. Tears arrived at Tennessee with no true position bouncing around from first base to the outfield in his redshirt season.
More From RTI: How Kavares Tears Became Tennessee Baseball’s Latest Homegrown Star
By his junior year, Tears was an elite defensive right fielder who landed on the SEC All-Defensive Team. Tears was also incredibly versatile defensively, moving over to center field and performing phenomenally when Hunter Ensley battled a hamstring injury.
The left-handed slugger provided a number of clutch hits in his redshirt sophomore season including driving in what proved to be the game deciding run in game three of the College World Series finals with a double off the wall in right-center field.
Tears is the sixth Tennessee baseball player off the board in the 2024 MLB Draft joining second baseman Christian Moore, first baseman Blake Burke, third baseman Billy Amick, left fielder Dylan Dreiling and right-handed pitcher Drew Beam.
Stay tuned to RockyTopInsider.com over the next two days for complete coverage of the Vols’ in the 2024 MLB Draft.
