Baseball Prospectus | | Eyewitness Scouting Report


	Hunter Renfroe Born: 01/28/1992 (Age: 22)
	Bats: Right	Throws: Right
	Height: 6' 1"	Weight: 230
	Primary Position: RF

Player possesses a physically mature 6'1" frame with country strength. Appears heavier than listed weight of 200 pounds by about 8-12 pounds, but none of it is bad weight. Chiseled from shoulders to legs; strong core; great backside. More coordinated and loose than I expected.

Evaluator	Ron Shah
Report Date	05/17/2014
Dates Seen	04/15/14; 04/16/14
Affiliate	Lake Elsinore Storm (High A, Padres)

MLB ETA	Risk Factor	OFP	Video
2016	High	60	Yes

Tool	Future Grade	Report
Hit	50	Open stance; uses toe-tap for timing; fires early; keeps front shoulder closed. Swing is meant for power, and the approach reflects that. Transfers weight well; powerful finish. Short to the ball, but inconsistent bat path creates for swing-and-miss and poor hacks. Wants to make contact out in front. Above-average bat speed. Complicated approach: fastball seeker in any count; dangerous when ahead, but vulnerable to spin when behind; doesn't change his approach regardless of count or situation. Struggled against spin.
Power	65	Raw power will be plus-plus with mechanical adjustments to improve bat path consistency. But I believe the game power plays a tick lower than that due to approach and present inability to hit spin. The power is effortless to all fields; doesn't need to pull it; center field is his strength. Swing is geared for driving the ball out of the ballpark; features plenty of leverage, loft, and strength with a powerful finish. Puts a charge into the ball with good balance; creates a ton of backspin.
Baserunning/Speed	45	Posted a below-average time on a dig, but is closer to an average runner when he gets going. Player's finish in his swing deters his ability to get out of the box and down the line quickly. Otherwise, the player does display his speed in the outfield and on the bases. It isn't the most graceful of strides, however.
Glove	50	Solid-average defender. Plays with a nonchalant attitude in the outfield; looks like he belongs. Didn't standout in a positive or negative way. Made all the plays one would expect of an average big league defender.
Arm	60	Arm is a weapon, but the player doesn't always show it. Only displayed his arm strength once in this look, otherwise nonchalantly hitting the cutoff men time after time. But that one throw featured plus carry and hit the second baseman on-a-line. He didn't get to set his feet for it, either, turning quickly from his positioning. Profiles in right field.

It isn't difficult to see what the Padres were thinking when they drafted Renfroe out of Mississippi State with the No. 13 overall selection in the 2013 amateur draft. He is easy to dream on due to his loud tools that allow for an easy fit into the mold of a classic right field profile. But there is plenty of work to be done with the swing and approach before he can reach his ceiling of a first division player, making this college bat a riskier proposition than most.

At the plate, Renfroe is a player that likes to fire his mechanics early and wants to make contact out in front. That isn't an issue, but due to his pre-swing noise, the back elbow can be in the wrong spot when he launches his bat into the zone. If this can be cleaned up, the bat will stay longer in the zone and close up a hole in his swing.

Furthermore, the approach is unrefined. The player wants to swing immediately when stepping into the box, but if the ball isn't put into play, he is in trouble. This is because the player struggled against spin in this look, and now a heavier dose of those offerings are coming his way. The best way to avoid this is to not miss on those early count fastballs. But there is no two-strike approach or backup plan when that doesn't work.

I don't believe pitch identification is the issue as I saw him do a solid job tracking those offerings. But since he wants to make contact out in front, the hands need to do a better job of staying back. He can reach out and adjust to hit sliders with horizontal action, but it is offerings with vertical movement that gave him trouble.