IP | 5.2 |
---|---|
ERA | 0 |
WHIP | 1.24 |
BB/9 | 4.76 |
SO/9 | 6.35 |
- Full name Aubrey Chase Hampton
- Born 08/07/2001 in Longview, TX
- Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 225 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Texas Tech
-
Drafted in the 6th round (190th overall) by the New York Yankees in 2022 (signed for $497,500).
View Draft Report
Hampton’s last outing this spring was his best, dominating the Omaha-bound Notre Dame squad with 12 punchouts in six innings of work out of the bullpen. The physical 6-foot-2, 225-pound righthander attacked with a live 92-96 mph fastball, collecting multiple swings and misses and challenging the Fighting Irish up in the zone. Hampton’s long, loose arm action is delivered from a lower three-quarter slot, causing uncomfortable at-bats for opponents. He throws both a curveball and a slider, each with a distinct shape. The 84-87 mph slider serves as his putaway pitch. If the bender is working in that particular game, Hampton will get hitters to chase it out of the zone as well. He does have a changeup, and when timed up, the downward-fading action presents a serious problem for lefthanded bats. Scouts feel Hampton is just now coming into his own. He does have starter potential, but evaluators also envision a late-inning power arm out of the bullpen.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
-
BA Grade: 55/High
Track Record: The Yankees drafted Hampton out of Texas Tech in 2022, then shut him down in favor of work behind the scenes in their pitching program. That work included adding a slider and cutter to his repertoire. Hampton made his pro debut in 2023 and almost immediately ascended into the upper echelon of the system’s pitching prospects. He split his season between High-A and Double-A and finished with 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings.
Scouting Report: Hampton’s bread-and-butter pitches are his fastball and slider, which he threw the most frequently. The former sits around 94 mph and has touched a few ticks higher while showing outstanding vertical break. The latter is a mid-80s pitch that scouts see as a potentially above-average breaking pitch. His curveball is on equal footing with his slider, though it is thrown more in the high 70s with top-down break that garnered whiffs both in and out of the zone. Hampton’s cutter--one of the weapons the Yankees introduced when he turned pro--is an excellent weapon that he can land to both his glove and arm side with short, sharp break. Hampton has a fringy, seldom-used changeup in the high 80s. He ties the package together with control that is at least above-average and could get to plus with further refinement. When he was at High-A, he found he could simply dominate hitters with his stuff. Upon moving to Double-A, he spent time learning how to become more of a complete pitcher. He learned which pitches to throw in certain situations, and the Yankees still would like to see him throw his fastball more often.
The Future: Hampton should begin 2024 in Triple-A with a chance to make his big league debut in the second half. He has the upside of a no. 3 starter if everything comes together in his development.
Scouting Grades Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 45 | Cutter: 50 | Control: 45
Draft Prospects
-
School: Texas Tech Committed/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21
Hampton’s last outing this spring was his best, dominating the Omaha-bound Notre Dame squad with 12 punchouts in six innings of work out of the bullpen. The physical 6-foot-2, 225-pound righthander attacked with a live 92-96 mph fastball, collecting multiple swings and misses and challenging the Fighting Irish up in the zone. Hampton’s long, loose arm action is delivered from a lower three-quarter slot, causing uncomfortable at-bats for opponents. He throws both a curveball and a slider, each with a distinct shape. The 84-87 mph slider serves as his putaway pitch. If the bender is working in that particular game, Hampton will get hitters to chase it out of the zone as well. He does have a changeup, and when timed up, the downward-fading action presents a serious problem for lefthanded bats. Scouts feel Hampton is just now coming into his own. He does have starter potential, but evaluators also envision a late-inning power arm out of the bullpen. -
A Texas Tech signee with a solid 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame, Hampton’s 159 strikeouts as a high school junior ranked among the best marks in the state of Texas. Working from the extreme first base side of the rubber with a drop-and-drive delivery, Hampton has plenty of tempo to his delivery—he finishes by spinning off towards first base. Hampton has an impressive 2,300-2,400 rpm average 91-93 mph fastball with moderate arm-side run. He can spin a mid-70s curveball with solid spin, but sometimes it breaks too early out of his hand.