Baseball Prospectus | | Eyewitness Scouting Report


	Sam Huff Born: 01/14/1998 (Age: 21)
	Bats: Right	Throws: Right
	Height: 6' 5"	Weight: 240
	Primary Position: C
	Secondary Position: 1B

Massive filled-out frame looks pretty close to 6'5" 235 lbs. Well-muscled frame with long levers and a high waist. Good athlete for size and position with excellent body control and strong wrists.

Evaluator	Kevin Carter
Report Date	10/09/2019
Dates Seen	9/29, 10/1, 10/4, 10/6
Affiliate	Texas Rangers (, Rangers)

MLB ETA	Risk Factor	OFP	Video
2021	Extreme	55	Yes

Tool	Future Grade	Report
Hit	40	Good feel for the barrel with a swing that gets in sync and engages the lower-half well regardless even when he's fooled. Adjusts shoulders and hands well to ball velocity and location. Plus barrel acceleration. Excellent physical markers and polished athletic swing currently limited by aggressive approach and issues with recognizing spin. Combo creates significant swing-and-miss, but contact is loud when it's there. Limited on-base skills.
Power	60	80 raw power with elite barrel velocity at point of contact. Produces top-flight exit velocities on contact. When fooled, able to keep hands back with deceleration of hips before transferring built inertia towards ball.
Baserunning/Speed	30	Slow runner who takes a second to get going and will likely continue to slow down with age and more experience at catcher. Will likely be a negative on the base-paths.
Glove	45	Surprisingly agile for his size. Hands are good on balls up and around corners, but tends to stab a bit at balls below the zone. Strong wrists and shoulders stick the landing. Footwork on balls in the dirt is still a bit awkward, especially when lateral movement is involved.
Arm	60	Plus-plus arm strength, but has a long way to go to get up and throw, slower transition. Above-average pop times that could improve with more polish.

Sam Huff has a set of loud physical tools on a massive frame that should carry a raw offensive approach towards a role as a tandem catcher at the MLB level. Huff's elite raw power, quality physical hit tool markers, and "good enough" defense behind the plate should create value as a part-time player.

The boom or bust here is significant, as Huff's pitch recognition, approach, and position equate to significant burnout risk. If Huff doesn't progress as a catcher, and I think it is unlikely, he will need to drastically improve the approach to create an offensive profile for first base.

If it all comes together, Huff represents one of the loudest profiles in the game with elite raw power, good barrel-to-ball abilities, and a premium defensive position.