Former Santa Monica High and UCLA baseball star Cody Decker has signed a contract with the San Diego Padres, who selected him in the 22nd round of the recent draft.
Decker has reported to the Padres’ farm team in Arizona and played in five games this week.
At UCLA this season Decker played first base, hit .322 and led the Pac-10 Conference in home runs with 21.
Signing his first professional contract represents a major accomplishment for Decker, who wasn’t drafted a year ago.