Eric Hines, OF/3B, Alabama recruit
Hines burst onto the scene this summer, most notably when he hit a ball 114mph during batting practice (!!) at the Perfect Game National Showcase. Standing at a physically imposing 6’3” 210lbs, Hines possesses top-of-the-scale raw power that can go toe to toe with anyone in this 2025 prep class. In the box, he sets up with a fairly neutral stance and a minimal, repeatable load.
He presents his back foot to be slightly open and keeps most of his weight over his backside throughout the swing. This shifts the spine angle as he rotates through to ball strike and allows for a bat path geared to loft the baseball consistently. On top of this, he has impressive hand strength that he uses to create some electric bat speed.
He can run into a bit of trouble in the box when he stays on his back leg too long, as this causes the barrel and bat path to come through the hitting zone at an approach angle that is too steep. This can cause pop-ups, rollovers, and swing and miss which Hines showed issues with at times throughout the summer.
But the physical tools are simply too much to ignore here, and when his swing is on and “balanced”, very few players can impact the baseball in the fashion that Hines can. In the field, Hines profiles as a corner outfielder as he’s shown average speed and a decent arm that should continue to progress.
There’s certainly a chance that he ends up at first base
due to the frame, but if he can stick in the outfield, his value will only be
that much higher for organizations next summer.
https://www.perfectgame.org/Players/PlayerProfile.aspx?ID=776895
–
2024
National Showcase
Eric Hines is a 2025 OF/3B with a 6-3 210 lb. frame from Tuscaloosa, AL who attends American Christian Academy. Selected to play in the Perfect Game All-American Classic. Awfully strong, physical frame with square shoulders and well-defined mass that stands out.
Primary outfielder, ran a 6.71 in the sixty and is a quality athlete for his size. Accurate arm and gets on top of throws, good first step in round. Can iron out his arm action but has promise in a corner. Right-handed hitter, some of the better bat speed produced in class with top-of-class exit velocities.
Loud right-handed power with grown man strength
off his barrel, simply jumps off his barrel. Immense backspin and carry
produced, even showed ability to drive balls to all fields with relative ease.
Offensive upside and overall athlete is high end. Verbal commitment to Alabama.
Good student. Selected to play in the 2024 PG All-American Classic.
OF Eric Hines (American Christian, 2025) makes the biggest splash in this update, as he makes his debut at No. 10 after a noteworthy spring and summer on the circuit. Listed at 6-foot-3, 205-pounds, the uncommitted outfielder is a dynamic, three-sport athlete that possesses immense upside on the diamond.
Playing as a
sophomore this spring for powerhouse American Christian, Hines helped lead his
club to a deep playoff run and showcased premium run-producing ability,
including two home runs in their second round matchup. There's plenty of power
projection offensively with present bat speed and the ability to drive the ball
gap-to-gap.
Win the 37th pick as your first pick, there will need to be more scouting than before and much more luck in finding a hidden gem. Finished product go in the top 5 picks.
ReplyDeleteI noticed Prospects Live dropped their 2025 Mets Top 20 Prospect list, but I don’t have a subscription to see it. I only could see the top five: Sproat, Williams, Gilbert, Acuna, Benge. Does anyone have a subscription with them?
The only scouting report we get to see for free is Sproat, and it is not glowing…. But, right off the bat I see a big mistake as it wasn’t Stearns that drafted him. From Prospects Live:
ReplyDelete“The Mets, since the arrival of David Stearns and much of the old Brewers front office, have transformed into a pitching factory, developing and optimizing arms in ways their fans haven't seen before. Their determination to make Brandon Sproat a part of this apparatus was evident, drafting him in back-to-back years. It's easy to see why—his sub-6-foot release point on most pitches, combined with a higher three-quarters arm slot, makes him one of the more intriguing pitching prospects in the minors. While Sproat's fastball boasts plus-plus velocity, it has a suboptimal shape. He managed to get by with it at lower levels, but upper-minor hitters have been able to do damage due to its straightness or its "dead-zone" characteristics. Improving its shape could unlock more from his arsenal. His cutter, which plays off the fastball, is below average and suffers from the fastball's lack of movement. However, his slider has solid horizontal break and could be used more effectively. Sproat's curveball is a true hammer with plenty of break, making it a weapon down in the zone or early in counts. But the star of his repertoire is the changeup, which features tremendous fading action and is so effective that he confidently uses it against same-handed hitters. Everything but the fastball and cutter looks like it came straight from a pitching lab. If he can improve the shape of his fastball, Sproat has the potential to be a 60 OFP arm. As it stands, the fastball limits him to more of a 55 OFP profile. - Rhys White
Sproat has the makings of a mid-rotation arm, but the development of his high-octane fastball will ultimately have the final say in whether he reaches that upside or ends up in the back of the rotation. Either way, this is a big-league arm that we could see in the majors before the end of 2025. Sproat is a borderline top-50 prospect, and with the way the Mets have been developing arms lately, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them improve his fastball and help him rise in the prospect ranks even further before he makes his big league debut. - Kyle Sonntag”
Gus, nice Sproat write up. He will make the needed refinements by early 2025. Matt Harvey had 246 innings before his call up to the bigs. Future SP 1..
ReplyDelete