Mack's Mock Pick # 45 - RHP - Thatcher Hurd

 

Thatcher Hurd

Mack's spin - 

Well, you know you should consider changing the position of your catcher if he is throwing the ball back to the mound faster than the pitcher threw to him.

Hurd is a work in progress and is moving fast up the prep draft charts.

Could easily be a late first rounder before this process is over.

 

RHP      6-4      205      Acalanes HS (CA) 

 

3-2-21 - BA

 

Mira Costa High (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) righthander Thatcher Hurd ranks just ahead of Nastrini (No. 90) but is getting plenty of good feedback from scouts who have seen him early this season and could shoot up into the top 50 range.

  

2-27-21 - top hs players -

 

Thatcher Hurd – A former catcher, Hurd moved to the mound relatively recently and displayed impressive athleticism and feel for pitching. Hurd mostly works with average stuff right now, but he could rise quickly if he shows more velocity this spring.

 

 1-14-21  -  Baseball America

 

Thatcher Hurd

 

Mira Costa HS, Manhattan Beach, Calif. RHP

 

Ht: 6-4 | Wt: 205 | B-T: R-R

Commit/Drafted: UCLA

Age At Draft: 18.6

 

Listed at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, Hurd has a lot of starter qualities that include his frame and a solid four-pitch mix. He sits with an 89-90 mph fastball that has been up to 92 and should continue to tick up as he fills out his frame. On top of that Hurd has shown a slider in the 78-80 mph range that has looked nasty on occasion and has potential to be a plus secondary. He’s also shown an average changeup and a curveball that bode well for his future chances to start. Hurd is committed to UCLA.

 

 1-4-21  -  Joe @JoeDoyleMiLB

 

RHP Thatcher Hurd definitely left an impression on Ian and I. His enthusiasm for the game is palpable. The UCLA commit is soaring up draft boards and now seems to be flirting with day-one consideration for the 2021 MLB Draft. Easy kid to root for

 

 Prospects Live  @ProspectsLive

 

Joe and the draft crew have interviewed 43 different Top 100 MLB Draft prospects in the 2021 class. Thatcher Hurd ranks near the top. Really fun, insightful interview. He's a good one

 

 12-28-20 - Lookout Landing -

 

Let’s cut right to the chase. As it stands today, Manhattan Beach, California righty Thatcher Hurd is near, if not sitting at the very top of my list for preps…

 

A 6-foot-4-inch, 210 pound right-handed pitcher, Hurd is committed to play baseball at UCLA. Except that’s a reasonably newer development. You see, entering the 2020 calendar year, Hurd was most notably a catcher. He received high marks for his ability to receive the baseball, as well as his athleticism and flexibility behind the plate, especially considering his size. His arm, as you might imagine, was also revered…

 

Hurd is a really, really good kid and an impressive pitcher too. As it stands, he’s a fringe first round guy. Most scouts will want to see more velocity before draft day next July, but given his body and how green he is to the position, I would expect that to come. If Hurd is 93-94 next Spring, maybe bumping 96, the Mariners may have to decide on his talents at no. 12, or they won’t have a shot at him anyways.

 

 12-20-20 - Joe @JoeDoyleMiLB

 

RHP Thatcher Hurd is getting a lot of attention leading into the Winter. Name on the rise. 91-93/t94 @ 2500. High spin w/run. SL 78-80. High spin + sharp @ 2800-2900. Fringy CH. Good command. Easy arm-speed. Super-projectable body. Watch for velo tick in Spring. 1st round talent

 

 12-18-20 - Future Sox Mock Draft -

 

White Sox 2nd Round:

 

Thatcher Hurd, RHP, Mira Costa HS (CA)

 

Hurd fits the mold of recent White Sox’s second rounders under this scouting group. 6-foot-4, 205-pounder has a commitment to UCLA, but an over-slot bonus buys him out of that here. He has both projection and feel to pitch and the makings of a four-pitch mix despite his rawness. His fastball sits 90-93 mph, but there’s room for more. Hurd commands the fastball well and also throws a slider and a changeup.

 

 12-3-20  -  Perfect Game combined their picks for the first two rounds in this mock draft  -

 

25. Oakland Athletics | Sal Frelick, OF, Boston College | (2/54) Thatcher Hurd, RHP, Mira Costa HS, Cali.

 

In selecting Frelick, Oakland gets back to the small market thinking of taking the best available player that fits their high analytical front office. What you get with Frelick is a premium defender with plus speed and the ability to stick in centerfield. At the plate, he is a disciplined hitter with a propensity to find the barrel and a pretty high floor long term. With a full transition to pitching long term, Hurd burst onto the draft scene this summer by performing at the PG National Showcase. Blessed with a highly projectable frame and present athleticism, Hurd produces some of the easier velocity we saw in 2020. The fastball has been into the low-90s thus far with more expected as he fully takes to pitching full-time. Although there is some things that need to be refined, including the secondary offerings, there is near limitless potential with the young California native. -John McAdams

 

Sakowski’s Take: Frelick represents one of the PG scouting department’s favorite players in the class with a good mix of ceiling and floor, looking more and more like an everyday big leaguer with every evaluation. Hurd came on like gangbusters during the summer circuit with high-level spin data and projection, and the stuff is plenty good at present as well. This would be a really nice pairing of safety and risk, floor and ceiling.

 

 

11-11-20 - Prospects Live Top 300 Prospect List -

 

42. Thatcher Hurd - RHP

 

Bio:

 

Height: 6-4

Weight: 205 lbs

Hits/Throws: R-R

Hometown: Manhattan Beach, CA

School: Mira Costa

 

Comfortably 90-93 mph with good projection. Flashes a plus slider that should refine well. Tons of arm speed and athleticism on the mound.

 

 11-7-2020 -   PG -

  

Thatcher Hurd (2021 Manhattan Beach, CA) and Jackson Baumeister (2021 Jacksonville, FL) you can file in the same drawer. They are athletic righties with a catching background, and both seem to be tapping into their enormous potential on the mound. Hurd has a great frame, a super quick shoulder, and his performance in Fort Myers was stellar. He ran his fastball up to 93 mph, sitting around 90. Both his curveball and slider had very high spin rates and entertain swing and miss traits. Baumeister sat 91-94 mph at the WWBA and has good command to the glove side and great extension at release. The breaking stuff is trending up and his changeup gives him another solid offering. The right-hander battled an injury in the spring. Now fully healthy, this is the Baumeister we expected to see. Putting up zeros against top competition and having all the components to make big jumps this spring.

 

 6-20-20  -  PBR -

 

Body: 6-foot-4, 195-pounds. Long body with visible strength/size gains in lower body and still plenty of room in his upper body to fill out.

 

Delivery: Simple, starts in modified stretch position, small rocker step toward 1B line, easy knee lift with good hand/feet rhythm. Clean on the backside, maintains good body control throughout the delivery, lands with stability which provides him the ability to maintain a consistent release point with all four pitches. High-3/4 slot.

 

FB: Pitched comfortably in the 90-91 mph range, topping out at 93 mph on a couple of occasions. His average speed of 91.1 was the highest among the pitchers at the ProCase. Average spin rate of 2312 on the heater, ranking third among the pitchers. Average inverted break of 10.9, indicating his ability to get angle on the fastball and pitch down in the zone. Average horizontal break of 15.1 was third highest. Flashed arm side movement that can make RHHs a little uncomfortable.

 

CB: Utilized as a sneaky pitch to keep hitters off the fastball and set up the slider, he threw it with feel in the 74-75 mph range (threw two of them). 11/6 type shape, averaged 2796 spin rate w/max of 2850 rpm.

 

SL: Hurd's best pitch (75-77 mph), not only has high spin rate on this pitch (average 2802) but also throws it with feel and ability to locate it in strikeout situations. Top spin rate was 2887 and that number is sure to get the attention of the MLB industry. Negative inverted break of -5.8 for his breaking balls, reflecting the short quick bite late in the zone that gets swings and misses.

 

CHG: Threw just one of them (84 mph) and like his other pitches, it came out easy and he flashed feel of the pitch. Much lower spin (1673) than his fastball, resulting in some downward movement at the plate. Enough decrease in velocity off the fastball and with his ability to repeat the delivery and consistency of his release point, this pitch has a chance to be the quality third pitch of a starter.

 

Summary: Results of his four competitive ABs were F7 (Blake Burke), 1B (Davis Diaz), K (Aaron Parker), K (Jake Sapien). Both Ks came via the slider. The ability to finish hitters with the slider will give him the ability to pitch for strikeouts. The fastball, while firm and still with future velocity gains, will need more life through and in the zone. The entire repertoire suggests that a future as a starter is entirely possible. The challenge will be developing the type of arm stamina for that role. Through high school and travel ball he's not been utilized as such. It stands to reason that if he develops into an offensive contributor in college then he's going to be used on the mound in relief situations. If the bat doesn't come along, it's entirely possible we see him drafted as a pitcher in the 2024 draft