bighurt4life Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 (edited) Scouting Report: Dan Hudson May 5th, 2008 · No Comments By Frankie Piliere The scouting road has been taking me all over creation of late, but I return to you with a scouting report on Old Dominion junior RHP Dan Hudson. Hudson had huge buzz building behind him as I went to see him for the first time in the Cape Cod League. He was a guy that was popping up on everyone’s watch list after a fast start in which he piled up huge strikeout numbers. But, when I got to see him, and saw him again and again, I came away unconvinced that the buzz was warranted. Granted, I think Hudson, a pitcher with a strikeout slider out of Old Dominion, is a very legitimate prospect but not the type of pitcher he was being heralded as early last summer. Needless to say, Hudson has faltered this spring despite posting, once again, huge strikeout numbers and having a sturdy 6′4, 215 lb frame. And, I think that will allow a team to grab a very solid relief pitching prospect (which I think is where he belongs) somewhere in the 5th or 6th round. Bottom line: he’s not as good as originally hyped to be but much better than what he’s shown this spring. Find out more in his scouting report after the jump… Dan Hudson, RHP, Harwich Mariners (Old Dominion) Pitch - Present/Future Grades Fastball - 45/50 Slider - 60/60 Curveball - 35/35 Changeup - 45/45 Command - 50/50 Physical Description - Extra large, thick frame. Definitely some projection left, has room to muscle up his lower half. Physically mature with wide shoulders and long arms. Fastball - 87-89 MPH, reportedly was throwing a couple ticks harder. Looked uncomfortable in outings attended. Not overpowering in this effort but late life allows him to still miss bats. Must work ahead, however, because his pure velocity isn’t enough to beat hitters inside. Doesn’t hold velocity in mid-late innings. Looks like a future reliever. Slider - Hard, 75-77 MPH breaking ball. A legitimate plus pitch, throws with conviction and can spot it in just about any count. Relies heavily on it. True slider with hard, tight, two plane break. Devastating against righties. Sometimes falls in love with it, hitters appear to sit on it. Must develop some complimentary pitches. Plus pitch. Curveball - Slow 72-75 MPH curveball. Telegraphs it. Changes arm angle to a more over the top slight, giving it away very quickly. Lacks snap and hangs it up in the zone. Not confident in this pitch. Not an effective pitch, should consider bagging it. Changeup - 76-78, lacks feel for this pitch. Good fade due to arm angle but can’t throw it for strikes. Only uses it when he’s way ahead and buries it. Needs this pitch versus lefties. Often turns it over. Mechanics - Has a lot of flaws. Doesn’t drive towards the plate. Spins off his front foot towards first base. Very deceptive on righties but his changing arm angles on breaking pitches makes him very inconsistent in terms of command. Weight rushes towards home plate. Pitches from a low-3/4 arm angle. Very deceptive. Not a clean arm motion, arm straightens out far behind his back. Doesn’t use lower half, could be a serious injury risk. Extra quick arm. Notes - Tough on righties but struggles versus lefties. Needs an improved changeup or another weapon to be an effective starter. Works quickly, probably too quickly. Has mechanical flaws, if fixed, could greatly improve velocity. Definite upside. Good all around athlete. Needs to change speeds more. More of a thrower right now with some plus stuff, must become more of a pitcher. Adjusted Overall Future Potential: 51 Present Group: P, Future Group: D Projected Role: Middle Reliever Draft Projection: 5th-6th round pick Overall Comparison: Paul Quantrill (taller version) Sounds like he has great upside. I've read other reports that say his FB sits around 91-93 with great late life and his scouting video would confirm that it does have excellent late life. He must throw a 2 seamer because it bores in hard on righties and in his scout video the it looked downright nasty. Also, another scouting report said that his changeup was a plus pitch though I can't confirm this. He's been fantastic this year so far in Great Falls He's 4-4 with a 3.06 ERA 64.2IP 86K 19BB thats a 4.53 to 1 K to BB ratio which is fantastic. He also has a 1.06 Whip and a .216 avg against so his peripherals look great. I'd be shocked if he wasn't moved up to Kannapolis next year, he'll be 22 then, there's also a chance that he'll move straight to Winston-Salem but we'll see. Edited August 28, 2008 by bighurt4life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzie Ball Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 It's interesting the differences in opinion based on what you read, here SaberScouting say he should just ditch the curve ball however Perfect Game say it's his second best pitch: His fastball has boring action on righthanded hitters, but lacks consistent movement. He mixes it well, however, with a 71-73 mph curve, 78-81 mph slider and a 79-81 mph changeup. His curve is his best secondary pitch as he gets good bite and shows depth in the strike zone, but he has trouble throwing the pitch consistently for strikes. His command tended to float in and out, but his fastball velocity was a steady 92-93 pretty much every time out and his curve was average, and a dependable second pitch. And Baseball America say basically the same thing: Hudson is 6-foot-4, 215 pounds and throws his fastball in the low 90s. He has long been a strikeout pitcher and that didn't change this season, as he struck out 107 batters in 92 innings against 33 walks. He has a long arm stroke in the back and a whipping sidearm motion through his release point, which makes for natural life on his fastball, fading away from lefthanders and in on righthanders—though it can also make his command inconsistent. Hudson also throws a slider, curveball and changeup, with the curve being his best secondary pitch. As a college player with legitimate Big League aspirations he really should be dominating rookie ball like he has been, and he may only become a middle reliever but it should be interesting following his progress over the coming years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bighurt4life Posted May 5, 2009 Author Share Posted May 5, 2009 Hudson started the season out in low-A Kannapolis and absolutely dominated there going 1-2 1.23 ERA 22IP 2BB and 30K. Not a bad line. He has now earned a promotion to high-A Winston-Salem. This is a big jump in talent so we'll see what he's all about this summer, whether or not he's a legit prospect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justBLAZE Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 PERSONAL: Birthdate: March 9, 1987....Parents: Sam and Kris Hudson...Has one brother, Dylan (16)...Nicknamed: Huddy...Favorite Sports Personality: Chipper Jones...Favorite Movie: "The Notebook"...Favorite Book Read: "Martian Chronicles" ... Plans to major in: Sports Management. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearSox Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 From his recent interview with FS: Favorite Movie: Too Many, but #1 is probably Major League Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marky Mark Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 We all love what Hudson has done in the minors this year, however is anyone else concerned about the fact that he only throws a 4 seamer, but no 2 seamer nor cutter? I always thought that a starting pitcher in the major leagues must have one of the two moving fastballs in addition to the the 4 seamer in order to be successful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 QUOTE (Markbilliards @ Aug 4, 2009 -> 08:16 PM) We all love what Hudson has done in the minors this year, however is anyone else concerned about the fact that he only throws a 4 seamer, but no 2 seamer nor cutter? I always thought that a starting pitcher in the major leagues must have one of the two moving fastballs in addition to the the 4 seamer in order to be successful. What are the odds that this org. never tries to teach him one of those pitches? The usual pattern seems to me to get the guy his first taste in the big leagues and at about that same time start working with him on the last pitch. Danks, McCarthy, I think Floyd all sort of followed that pattern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthSideSox72 Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 QUOTE (Markbilliards @ Aug 4, 2009 -> 10:16 PM) We all love what Hudson has done in the minors this year, however is anyone else concerned about the fact that he only throws a 4 seamer, but no 2 seamer nor cutter? I always thought that a starting pitcher in the major leagues must have one of the two moving fastballs in addition to the the 4 seamer in order to be successful. Makes it all the more amazing he is doing as well as he is. He'll get taught that stuff soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bighurt4life Posted December 7, 2009 Author Share Posted December 7, 2009 Well Hudson had one of the most impressive seasons in all of MILB this past season. He started out at Low-A Kannapolis where he went 1-2 with a 1.23 era in 22ip posting a 30-2 k:bb ratio. He was then promoted to Hi-A Winston Salem where he went 4-3 with a 3.40 era in 45IP with a 49:13 K:BB ratio. He was again promoted to AA Birmingham where he went 7-0 with a 1.60 ERA in 56.1IP with a 63:10 K:BB ratio. AGAIN, he got promoted this time to AAA Charlotte where he posted a 2-0 record in 24IP with a 2.32 ERA and a 24:9 K:BB ratio. His total season numbers were 14-5 record 2.32 ERA and a 166:34 K:BB ratio in 147.1 minor league innings. This however wasn't the end of his season as he was once again promoted as he got a September callup, appearing in 6 games, starting 2. He posted a 1-1 record and a 3.38 ERA win 18.2 IP, striking out 14 and walking 9. I must say that this is probably the most remarkable climb through a minor league system that I have ever seen in the course of just one season. He thoroughly dominated at every level (except for the big team of course) and went from being a fairly unknown commodity to any outsiders to being one of the top prospects in all of baseball coming into 2010. He should challenge for the #5 spot in the rotation coming into spring training and should he lose out on that spot he'll probably end up in the bullpen as there really isn't much more that he has to prove in the minor leagues. The only thing that he really needs to work on as a starting pitcher is his pitch count, this however is a pretty common thing for most young starters, for this reason he may end up in AAA Charlotte to start the season but I doubt it. He can just as easily work on keeping his pitch count down as a long relief and spot starter for the big club. This should be an exciting season for prospect junkies to watch what happens with Hudson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bighurt4life Posted April 7, 2010 Author Share Posted April 7, 2010 Dan will be starting the season in Charlotte so he can get regular playing time and enough innings. He'll be called up to the big club eventually, just a matter of time and clearing a spot in the rotation for him. I suppose it all depends on the performance of Freddy G. I'll also be interested to see how he follows up last year's meteoric rise through the Sox' farm system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flavum Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Over his last 8 starts, Hudson is 6-0, with a 2.02 ERA. 49 innings, 10 BB and 59 Ks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knightni Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 QUOTE (flavum @ Jun 9, 2010 -> 11:22 AM) Over his last 8 starts, Hudson is 6-0, with a 2.02 ERA. 49 innings, 10 BB and 59 Ks. Somebody in the MLB rotation is leaving soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bighurt4life Posted July 12, 2010 Author Share Posted July 12, 2010 Well Dan got the call up yesterday and pitched against the Royals, I don't expect to see him in the minors again unless he really blows it. But with his track record, that's not too likely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knightni Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 Dealt with David Holmberg to Arizona for Edwin Jackson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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