Tommy Hunter

Tommy Hunter just has that "baseball name". It just rolls off the tongue "Tommy Hunter". Right now the Hunter is looking for a Major League spot...

Name: Tommy Hunter

He's from the University of Alabama, leaving as a Sophomore. Born on the 3rd of July in 1986, he stands a tall 6'4 and weighs in at 250 pounds. He throws right-handed, and was a starting pitcher in college.

Scouting Report: A draft-eligible sophomore, Hunter could garner attention as a third- to fourth-round pick if he's willing to sign for slot money. He stepped into the Tide rotation as a freshman last season and won 10 games, then made 14 appearances out of the Team USA bullpen last summer and compiled an impressive 23-4 strikeout-walk ratio. With a soft body that's not well proportioned, Hunter flunks scouts' eye test. He's a two-time junior Olympic champion in judo, however, and more athletic than he looks. He has a four-pitch repertoire, working off a solid-average fastball that bumps 93 mph and a power slurve at 82-84. His delivery is passable and his arm works well. Some scouts see him as a two-pitch set-up man in the mold of Braves reliever Tyler Yates, something of a poor-man's Jonathan Broxton. Others point out his ability to hold his velocity late into games and believe he profiles as a back-of-the-rotation starter.

Fastball: Hunter has a slightly above-average fastball that sits anywhere from 88-94 mph, with a comfort zone of 88-91 mph.

Slider: Hunter throws a slider that projects to also be an average pitch in the future.
Changeup: Hunter has a future-average changeup.

Control: He's got below-average command currently, but projects to average in the future.
Poise: Hunter is a tough kid with a bulldog approach.
Physique: Hunter has a big heavy build, kind of like Jonathan Broxton.

Strengths & Weaknesses: He projects to have at least three average offerings. His overall present command is below-average.

His weather forecast is this: An average pitcher, doing an average job... He has three pitches, all with average command. This isn't really all the bad, because if he gets any one of them to be his "go to" pitch, and develops it to something a little more special, he can become a serious threat in the Majors, should he progress to that level. He could end up cooking a good while in the minors, say four or five good years before even hearing about him again. Will he be wearing a Rangers jersey? Honestly, the likelihood of that is slim, if he is going to be a minor-leaguer that long. The chances of him be traded are quite a bit higher, especially if he can boost several other players, either top prospects or "right-now" players who can fill key roster spots in a race.