<p>The Padres have cornered an obscure niche in the baseball talent market: the Princeton basketball program. </p>
<p>Former Princeton center Chris Young, a 6-foot-10 pitcher, became a mainstay of the Padres rotation this year. And former Princeton guard William Venable is prospering for San Diego's low Single-A club. </p>
<p>The rapidly improving Venable, chosen by the Padres in the seventh round of the 2005 draft, has a smooth left-handed swing that draws comparisons to former Braves slugger David Justice. </p>
<p>Venable has batted .316 with 31 doubles, nine home runs, five triples and 81 RBI to go with a .397 on-base percentage. He also has stolen 18 bases in 22 attempts. </p>
<p>Two months shy of his 24th birthday, the left fielder is old for the Midwest League, but he has less baseball experience than most minor leaguers. </p>
<p>Venable didn't play baseball in his senior year of high school or his freshman year at Princeton. When he did play baseball for Princeton, basketball season led to a late start and made it harder for Venable to find his swing.</p>