Blair Henley

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Houston Astros #30 prospect in 2021
  TRACK RECORD: An unsigned 22nd-round pick of the Yankees out of high school, Henley spent three years in the starting rotation at Texas as a solid but unsensational performer. The Astros drafted him in the seventh round and signed him for $150,000. Henley dominated with a 1.60 ERA over 11 appearances in the New York-Penn League after signing, although most of it came in relief.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: The Astros are trying to squeeze velocity gains out of Henley the way they have with other pitchers in recent years. His fastball is already up a little bit and sits in the low 90s with the ability to touch 94 mph. Henley is moving away from a two-seamer he relied on in college to throw more four-seamers up in the zone to try to miss more bats. His separator is a plus slider with extremely tight spin (over 3,000 revolutions per minute) and sharp bite to dive underneath barrels. His changeup is a below-average pitch. Henley showed uneven control in college, but was significantly better throwing strikes in his pro debut.
  
  THE FUTURE: Henley isn't overpowering, but his slider is a legitimate weapon that could carry him to the majors. He should start 2021 at one of the Class A levels.
• 
  Ranked Houston Astros #22 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: A 22nd-round pick of the Yankees out of high school, Henley was a reliable starter for three years for Texas. But scouts weren't all that thrilled with his pedestrian velocity. Already with the Astros, he's gained a tick of velocity and he was dominating in his pro debut.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Keep an eye on Henley in 2020, as he seems like the perfect candidate to benefit from the Astros' program to increase velocity. He already spins a plus breaking ball with elite spin rates (3,200 rpm) and he's touching 93-94 mph. His below-average changeup needs to improve. His control needs to improve along with his stuff, but the pieces are there for him to be a mid-rotation starter.
  
  THE FUTURE: Henley was able to work three to four innings on a strict 50-60 pitch limit. The pitch efficiency combined with his strikeout stuff gives him a path to being a back-of-the-rotation MLB starter.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #336 prospect in 2019 draft
  Henley has been a productive pitcher in three years at Texas, but scouts are lukewarm in part because his stuff hasn't really gotten better since he was in high school. He had a dominant senior year at Fort Worth's Arlington Heights High, throwing back-to-back-to-back no-hitters at one point. A 22nd-round pick of the Yankees in 2016, Henley was a well-rounded righthander out of high school with an 88-92 mph fastball. Three years later, he's a well-rounded righthander with an 88-92 mph fastball. He has a rock-and-fire delivery and an over-the-top release point. He's a solid strike-thrower with a fringy fastball. His plus 76-78 mph curveball is his best attribute. It's a high-spin rate pitch that he's shown an ability to locate. He has a fringe-average changeup.
• Ranked #285 prospect in 2018 draft
  Henley was a 22nd-round pick of the Yankees out of Arlington Heights (Texas) HS, where he threw back-to-back-to-back no-hitters during his senior season. After serving as a mid-week starter/reliever as a freshman he's developed into a reliable weekend starter for Texas as a draft-eligible sophomore. Henley's 90-94 mph fastball plays a little better than the radar gun would indicate because of an excellent spin rate. His 81-83 mph slider also is a high RPM pitch, giving him a pair of potentially above-average offerings.
• Ranked #392 prospect in 2016 draft
  Henley has a high asking price to buy him out of his commitment to Texas, so it's thought by many that he'll be a Longhorn next year. But the righthander has a very solid three-pitch mix already with an 88-91 mph fastball that will touch 92-93. His slider and changeup are both average at their best, and he's mixed in a potentially fringe-average curveball as well. Henley, a listed 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, has a compact delivery and his arm works well. If he makes it to Texas he has a chance to be a prominent prospect in three years.

• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: An unsigned 22nd-round pick of the Yankees out of high school, Henley spent three years in the starting rotation at Texas as a solid but unsensational performer. The Astros drafted him in the seventh round and signed him for $150,000. Henley dominated with a 1.60 ERA over 11 appearances in the New York-Penn League after signing, although most of it came in relief.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: The Astros are trying to squeeze velocity gains out of Henley the way they have with other pitchers in recent years. His fastball is already up a little bit and sits in the low 90s with the ability to touch 94 mph. Henley is moving away from a two-seamer he relied on in college to throw more four-seamers up in the zone to try to miss more bats. His separator is a plus slider with extremely tight spin (over 3,000 revolutions per minute) and sharp bite to dive underneath barrels. His changeup is a below-average pitch. Henley showed uneven control in college, but was significantly better throwing strikes in his pro debut.
  
  THE FUTURE: Henley isn't overpowering, but his slider is a legitimate weapon that could carry him to the majors. He should start 2021 at one of the Class A levels.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: An unsigned 22nd-round pick of the Yankees out of high school, Henley spent three years in the starting rotation at Texas as a solid but unsensational performer. The Astros drafted him in the seventh round and signed him for $150,000. Henley dominated with a 1.60 ERA over 11 appearances in the New York-Penn League after signing, although most of it came in relief.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: The Astros are trying to squeeze velocity gains out of Henley the way they have with other pitchers in recent years. His fastball is already up a little bit and sits in the low 90s with the ability to touch 94 mph. Henley is moving away from a two-seamer he relied on in college to throw more four-seamers up in the zone to try to miss more bats. His separator is a plus slider with extremely tight spin (over 3,000 revolutions per minute) and sharp bite to dive underneath barrels. His changeup is a below-average pitch. Henley showed uneven control in college, but was significantly better throwing strikes in his pro debut.
  
  THE FUTURE: Henley isn't overpowering, but his slider is a legitimate weapon that could carry him to the majors. He should start 2021 at one of the Class A levels.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: A 22nd-round pick of the Yankees out of high school, Henley was a reliable starter for three years for Texas. But scouts weren’t all that thrilled with his pedestrian velocity. Already with the Astros, he’s gained a tick of velocity and he was dominating in his pro debut.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Keep an eye on Henley in 2020, as he seems like the perfect candidate to benefit from the Astros’ program to increase velocity. He already spins a plus breaking ball with elite spin rates (3,200 rpm) and he’s touching 93-94 mph. His below-average changeup needs to improve. His control needs to improve along with his stuff, but the pieces are there for him to be a mid-rotation starter.
  
  THE FUTURE: Henley was able to work three to four innings on a strict 50-60 pitch limit. The pitch efficiency combined with his strikeout stuff gives him a path to being a back-of-the-rotation MLB starter.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: A 22nd-round pick of the Yankees out of high school, Henley was a reliable starter for three years for Texas. But scouts weren't all that thrilled with his pedestrian velocity. Already with the Astros, he's gained a tick of velocity and he was dominating in his pro debut.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Keep an eye on Henley in 2020, as he seems like the perfect candidate to benefit from the Astros' program to increase velocity. He already spins a plus breaking ball with elite spin rates (3,200 rpm) and he's touching 93-94 mph. His below-average changeup needs to improve. His control needs to improve along with his stuff, but the pieces are there for him to be a mid-rotation starter.
  
  THE FUTURE: Henley was able to work three to four innings on a strict 50-60 pitch limit. The pitch efficiency combined with his strikeout stuff gives him a path to being a back-of-the-rotation MLB starter.
• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  Henley has been a productive pitcher in three years at Texas, but scouts are lukewarm in part because his stuff hasn't really gotten better since he was in high school. He had a dominant senior year at Fort Worth's Arlington Heights High, throwing back-to-back-to-back no-hitters at one point. A 22nd-round pick of the Yankees in 2016, Henley was a well-rounded righthander out of high school with an 88-92 mph fastball. Three years later, he's a well-rounded righthander with an 88-92 mph fastball. He has a rock-and-fire delivery and an over-the-top release point. He's a solid strike-thrower with a fringy fastball. His plus 76-78 mph curveball is his best attribute. It's a high-spin rate pitch that he's shown an ability to locate. He has a fringe-average changeup.