Profiling Tommy Hunter: A Pitch F/X Snapshot

If you don't like Tommy Hunter yet, you should.

almost 3 years ago Joey Matschulat 20 comments 2 recs |

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Wow..

what a great read.

by Houston27 on Jul 22, 2009 2:42 PM CDT reply actions

Is it too early to say Tommy Hunter

was this team’s best pick of the 2007 draft?

Borbon and Beavan are looking good, Ramirez and Main still have a lot of potential, but Hunter is being more than just an effective pitcher at the big league level. I remember being confused when he was picked – seemed like a big reach of a pick given his college record.

Go Rice Owls!

by JBImaknee on Jul 22, 2009 2:44 PM CDT reply actions

Well

At the very least he seems like one of the best-scouted picks of recent memory. Pretty much every scouting report/prognostication has come to fruition—if it hasn’t been exceeded, that is.

by brettgardner on Jul 22, 2009 2:56 PM CDT up reply actions

Concur.

"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.

by Rodney on Jul 22, 2009 2:59 PM CDT up reply actions

what about Chris Davis

in the 5th round?

There's more to the picture than meets the eye.

by tricer on Jul 22, 2009 3:01 PM CDT up reply actions

Hmm

What are referring to?

Obviously it was good scouting to find a guy that good in the 5th, but did they really expect him to move as fast as he did?

by brettgardner on Jul 22, 2009 3:05 PM CDT up reply actions

I don't know

I was just referencing the fact that Davis made it to the majors sooner after being drafted, and at a younger age, and was chosen several rounds later.

Both are very good examples of excellent scouting.

There's more to the picture than meets the eye.

by tricer on Jul 22, 2009 3:09 PM CDT up reply actions

He didn't make it sooner than Hunter

But all I meant was that the Rangers thought Hunter would move rapidly through the system after he was drafted.

Getting a guy with massive power potential that you have to teach a new position rocket up the organization seems like good scouting, but also a lot of luck that he figured it out as quickly as he did.

by brettgardner on Jul 22, 2009 3:13 PM CDT up reply actions

How about Holland

By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.

"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw

by Gdawg on Jul 22, 2009 4:17 PM CDT up reply actions

With both Holland and Davis

they didn’t go way out on a limb to take them. Holland was a draft and follow who they signed because it was clear he was a lot better than his original draft position suggested. Davis was a steal in the 5th round – but he wasn’t really an over-draft there or anything.

Hunter was only in a few people’s top 100, wasn’t considered a serious draft prospect by really anyone, yet was taken at #54 or so. Most people just shrugged that pick off, thinking it was an intentional cost-savings overdraft after 4 expensive picks. But in retrospect, it really looks like the Rangers saw something in him that they had to have and didn’t want to risk anyone else getting him.

Go Rice Owls!

by JBImaknee on Jul 22, 2009 4:54 PM CDT up reply actions

Outstanding work JM

THX

"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.

by Rodney on Jul 22, 2009 2:59 PM CDT reply actions

Ok, I love most of the saber stuff

…and I love Tommy Hunter. Can somebody help me reconcile these two loves?

Conventional sabr wisdom says that pitchers with low strikeout rates and high fly ball percentages just don’t have much chance of long term success.

Watching Hunter over these last few starts, he certainly appears to fit that description, yet rarely has a batter squared up a ball and hit it hard. His flyballs allowed are overwhelmingly “lazy”. Is he some kind of exception to the rule, or are his results destined to regress as the sample size gets larger?

There's more to the picture than meets the eye.

by tricer on Jul 22, 2009 3:07 PM CDT reply actions

I realize he isn't going to carry an ERA in the twos

and surely his hr/fb ratio (4.8%) will trend up, as will his BABIP (.256). What I’m asking is can he be a ~4.00 ERA pitcher long term with this skill set?

There's more to the picture than meets the eye.

by tricer on Jul 22, 2009 3:14 PM CDT up reply actions

i could see his HR/FB ratio only increasing slightly

but the BABIP will probably go up. So if not 4.00 ERA, maybe 4.5 ERA (If he keeps pitching that well).

"I just want to comment on how it’s become like a common thing in the [MLB] for guys to fall in love with [the Rangers’s] sloppy seconds." (thanks cstorm)

by ab03 on Jul 22, 2009 3:17 PM CDT up reply actions

On the other hand

With the development of the curve and increased FB command, you could potentially see more Ks.

by brettgardner on Jul 22, 2009 3:19 PM CDT up reply actions

Here's who I see him as:

Cleek.

by Adam J. Morris on Jul 22, 2009 5:05 PM CDT up reply actions

I'll take it

He is someone I thought benefitted a great deal from pitching in Oakland but he has done well in Phillie. Nice comp.

Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland - 2009 Rangers Minor League POY

by RangerMad on Jul 22, 2009 5:26 PM CDT up reply actions

Tom to me

looks like a guy that will pick up some K’s along the way…build more and more K/9 as he goes. He had some pretty wicked strikeouts last night, and I think he has the ability to generate more.

"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"

by Walter Sobchak on Jul 22, 2009 4:13 PM CDT up reply actions

Out Pitch

I watched the Boston broadcast of last night’s game, and the announcers kept coming back to the fact that Hunter does not have an out pitch. As long as he pounds the strike zone he will be just fine, but he won’t rack up a lot of K’s. Glad to know he has the potential to be even better.

by Excel Hearts Choi on Jul 22, 2009 3:10 PM CDT reply actions